# The dead contacting the living **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [July 7, 2009, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dead-contacting-the-living/502274 "2009-07-07T23:50:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Jragon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19b73/32.png) [@Jragon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jragon)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2009, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dead-contacting-the-living/502274/41 "2009-07-09T01:02:35Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > Oh, please, the bible gets tons of things right. For example, it consistently spells the names correctly. Another thing is that the Bible prominently features humans and - last I checked - humans do indeed exist. ---
**Author:** ![Terrifel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c68b51/32.png) [@Terrifel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terrifel)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2009, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dead-contacting-the-living/502274/42 "2009-07-09T02:26:05Z")
Actually the dead contact the living fairly often-- through books like the Bible, for example. It doesn’t generally work the other way though. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2009, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dead-contacting-the-living/502274/43 "2009-07-09T02:49:50Z")
> [@](#): > > Glendower:I can call spirits from the vasty deep. > Hotspur:Why, so can I, or so can any man; > But will they come when you do call for them? _Henry the IV Part I, III, i, 53-55_ ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2009, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dead-contacting-the-living/502274/44 "2009-07-09T02:49:58Z")
> [@silvermist](#): > > the Bible says that the dead cannot contact the living, so who is talking to people on Ouija boards or at seances? Democrats! ---
**Author:** ![lekatt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lekatt/32/7269_2.png) [@lekatt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lekatt)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2009, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dead-contacting-the-living/502274/45 "2009-07-09T13:15:28Z")
> [@dropzone](#): > > I can’t believe **kanicbird** hasn’t shown up by now. He get banned or something? > > ETA: Looked around and he’s still a member. Well, a guest. I’m worried. Maybe he’s lying in a ditch someplace. Gosh, what an opportunity for an old fashioned SDMB slugfest, naaw, I will pass. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2009, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dead-contacting-the-living/502274/46 "2009-07-09T16:28:12Z")
Johnathon Edwards will be glad to tell you all you need to know. Even though he is the “biggest douche in the Universe”, people will still believe his crap. What is wrong with people, falling for magician tricks in these days? ---
**Author:** ![toadspittle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c0e974/32.png) [@toadspittle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/toadspittle)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2009, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dead-contacting-the-living/502274/47 "2009-07-09T17:00:23Z")
Here’s a question I’ve always wondered about: What does the bible say happens to you after you die? Some possibilities: 1. Your soul is immediately judged and sent to Heaven or Hell 2. Your soul is sent to some waiting room until Judgment Day; then you go to Heaven or Hell 3. You’re dead and unaware, until Judgment Day, when you suddenly wake up, then go to Heaven or Hell. 4. Other??? ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2009, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dead-contacting-the-living/502274/48 "2009-07-09T18:45:01Z")
> [@hotflungwok](#): > > We have this thing in the English language, it’s called _verb tense_, you should totally look into it. Unofficially I will say that I noticed the use of the past tense after the edit window closed. Officially I will say that I care not for such matters when I am being snarky. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2009, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dead-contacting-the-living/502274/49 "2009-07-10T02:56:24Z")
> [@lekatt](#): > > Gosh, what an opportunity for an old fashioned SDMB slugfest, naaw, I will pass. Too bad (okay, not really), but the “demons pushing the planchette” thing is more **kanicbird** ’s territory. He and **silvermist** were made for each other. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2009, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dead-contacting-the-living/502274/50 "2009-07-10T02:59:05Z")
> [@toadspittle](#): > > Here’s a question I’ve always wondered about: What does the bible say happens to you after you die? Some possibilities: > > 1. Your soul is immediately judged and sent to Heaven or Hell > 2. Your soul is sent to some waiting room until Judgment Day; then you go to Heaven or Hell > 3. You’re dead and unaware, until Judgment Day, when you suddenly wake up, then go to Heaven or Hell. > 4. Other??? 1. Profit! ---
**Author:** ![Aelita\_Daystar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e480ec/32.png) [@Aelita\_Daystar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aelita_Daystar)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2009, 11:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dead-contacting-the-living/502274/51 "2009-07-10T11:59:55Z")
> [@toadspittle](#): > > Here’s a question I’ve always wondered about: What does the bible say happens to you after you die? Some possibilities: > > 1. Your soul is immediately judged and sent to Heaven or Hell > 2. Your soul is sent to some waiting room until Judgment Day; then you go to Heaven or Hell > 3. You’re dead and unaware, until Judgment Day, when you suddenly wake up, then go to Heaven or Hell. > 4. Other??? I don’t think the bible really specifies what happens to dead people other than “they go to Sheol” or possibly “they go to Gehenna”. Even then the details are sparse and conflicting. It doesn’t seem like there was ever much agreement as to what happened after death. Judaism (and Yahwism for that matter) aren’t preoccupied by what happens after death. It’s my understanding that Judaism is about how you live your life, not about where you go when you die. I think that only really coherent statements about the afterlife are in the New Testament, but they’re really vague and so there are really open to interpretation. The reason the OT doesn’t seem to have as coherent a position on the afterlife is probably that it was a much longer time in the making. Ideas changed over time. ---
**Author:** ![Sablicious](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbce88/32.png) [@Sablicious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sablicious)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2009, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dead-contacting-the-living/502274/52 "2009-07-10T12:54:33Z")
**11th Commandment:** Thou shalt blame the Devil for that which contradicts the word of the Lord. ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2009, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dead-contacting-the-living/502274/53 "2009-07-11T00:36:54Z")
AFAIK the Bible does not say that the living can’t contact the dead, in fact is is written of as happening in scriptures. The warning is how one does this, if you are going through a spirit who is not the Holy Spirit or a medium who is not Jesus Himself you are asking for trouble. But yes scriptures indicate that yes you can contact the dead. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2009, 5:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dead-contacting-the-living/502274/54 "2009-07-11T05:36:40Z")
Dude, took you long enough. I was worried. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2009, 6:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dead-contacting-the-living/502274/55 "2009-07-11T06:53:06Z")
> [@kanicbird](#): > > AFAIK the Bible does not say that the living can’t contact the dead, in fact is is written of as happening in scriptures. The warning is how one does this, if you are going through a spirit who is not the Holy Spirit or a medium who is not Jesus Himself you are asking for trouble. But yes scriptures indicate that yes you can contact the dead. Also assuming you have the proper cell coverage. ---
**Author:** ![FinnAgain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/finnagain/32/12500_2.png) [@FinnAgain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinnAgain)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2009, 7:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dead-contacting-the-living/502274/56 "2009-07-11T07:28:51Z")
> [@cmyk](#): > > Also assuming you have the proper cell coverage. Speaking of which, if you drop a letter in the mail and then get flattened by a bus… when someone gets the letter a week later, technically they’ve been contacted by the dead. ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2009, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dead-contacting-the-living/502274/57 "2009-07-11T13:59:55Z")
If one COULD contact ‘the dead’ - which one cannot, but books, TV, movies, ouija boards, etc. - people who think they do talk with the deceased - well, I don’t get it. Why? What would you ask them? ‘where’s the insurance policy you hid before you died?’ ‘is Uncle Joe there with you in the next world?’ ‘who shot and killed you, anyway?’ I suppose these are questions you could ask of the deceased. … But no one ever seems to ask things like: 'where are ‘you’ now? Floating in space? Do you see God and angels, or the Devil? What’s it like to die? Is there a white light, and heaven? Do you KNOW you’re dead, and if so, aren’t you supposed to move on to someplace instead of haunting your old house? Can you tell me anything about the future, should I take that plane to Des Moines on the 23rd? Did you actually hear me calling you at the seance and show up to talk, and if so, how do I know I’m talking to you, Dad?" Those are the kind of questions I’d want to ask, not blather about eternal love or who killed brother John in the rectory in the 1800’s. ---
**Author:** ![FinnAgain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/finnagain/32/12500_2.png) [@FinnAgain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinnAgain)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2009, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dead-contacting-the-living/502274/58 "2009-07-11T14:23:49Z")
To be honest I’d love if there were ghosts, or what have you. It’d be awesome to get to speak to my grandfather again. ---
**Author:** ![Anise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/anise/32/21721_2.png) [@Anise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anise)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2009, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dead-contacting-the-living/502274/59 "2009-07-11T14:57:33Z")
There’s an interesting conversation on the “Hypnagogia=Voices of the Dead” thread which is kind of about this topic. Basically, the question is whether [auditory hypnagogic experiences](http://http://neurology.health-cares.net/hypnagogic-hallucination.php) are actually the voices of dead people trying to contact the living. My vote is an emphatic no. However,others feel differently. It’s an interesting question, anyway. ---
**Author:** ![lekatt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lekatt/32/7269_2.png) [@lekatt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lekatt)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2009, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dead-contacting-the-living/502274/60 "2009-07-11T16:37:09Z")
> [@salinqmind](#): > > If one COULD contact ‘the dead’ - which one cannot, but books, TV, movies, ouija boards, etc. - people who think they do talk with the deceased - well, I don’t get it. Why? What would you ask them? ‘where’s the insurance policy you hid before you died?’ ‘is Uncle Joe there with you in the next world?’ ‘who shot and killed you, anyway?’ I suppose these are questions you could ask of the deceased. … But no one ever seems to ask things like: 'where are ‘you’ now? Floating in space? Do you see God and angels, or the Devil? What’s it like to die? Is there a white light, and heaven? Do you KNOW you’re dead, and if so, aren’t you supposed to move on to someplace instead of haunting your old house? Can you tell me anything about the future, should I take that plane to Des Moines on the 23rd? Did you actually hear me calling you at the seance and show up to talk, and if so, how do I know I’m talking to you, Dad?" Those are the kind of questions I’d want to ask, not blather about eternal love or who killed brother John in the rectory in the 1800’s. Amazing as it may seem, lost objects have been found, crimes have been solved, and many other things have become known through channelling, the board and other methods. Most posters here would not believe any of that however. The main reason of connecting is to receive guidance. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dead-contacting-the-living/502274.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dead-contacting-the-living/502274.md?page=4)