Things that go bump in the night....

[caddyman]

Having been reading Lucya’s blog, syndicated on LJ As badwitchblog, I got to wondering about people’s attitudes towards ghosts and the supernatural generally.

I am generally sceptical about the entire business, but I do acknowledge that strange things do occur and that it is sometimes somewhere between difficult and impossible to think of a rational explanation. This does not, of course, mean that there is no rational explanation simply that it has not been found yet.

The interesting thing about belief, or lack of it, in the supernatural, is that it seems to operate separately to religion. I know more than one person who believes in God (the supreme supernatural entity!), but dismisses ghosts, goblins, fairies, sprites et al as flights of fancy. I don’t want to get into that, but as a matter of interest, I would like to know if you have religion of some kind. For the purposes of this entry, it doesn’t matter if you are (in no particular order) Christian, Moslem, Jewish, Buddhist, Hindu, Pagan or any of the other nine generally recognised world religions. It would just be interesting if you were to indicate belief in a deity or deities.

Even better, if you have any ghostly or strange experiences, it would be fun to read about them: annoyingly, I don’t as such. I have been in a few rooms with strongly unwelcoming atmospheres, but the nearest I ever got to a ghostly encounter was when I was about six or seven years old. I woke up one night and it seemed to me that there were two golden figures standing at the foot of my bed; one tall, the other short¹. There was no feeling of threat and they neither spoke nor moved. I thought they might be my Dad and little sister, but they didn’t respond when I spoke and I just lay back down to sleep. When I looked again (I think) a minute or two later they were gone. And that’s that: the nearest I have to a ghost story and it’s a damned boring one at that!

What strange experiences do you have?


[Poll #1253523]

¹They were not camels! (NWO in-joke).

Comments

[fencingsculptor.livejournal.com]

The more I hear of Dawkins almost fanatical anti-religious rants the less I respect him as a man and scientist.

He hasn't said anything that greater minds like Carl Sagan hasn't said before and with a great deal more compassion and humility.

"I would love to believe that when I die I will live again, that some thinking, feeling, remembering part of me will continue. But much as I want to believe that, and despite the ancient and worldwide cultural traditions that assert an afterlife, I know of nothing to suggest that it is more than wishful thinking. The world is so exquisite with so much love and moral depth, that there is no reason to deceive ourselves with pretty stories for which there's little good evidence. Far better it seems to me, in our vulnerability, is to look death in the eye and to be grateful every day for the brief but magnificent opportunity that life provides. " - Carl Sagan

[jfs.livejournal.com]

Having read excerpts from The God Delusion I did wonder how Dawkins got his reputation as a scientist, and had to re-read The Selfish Gene to remind myself.

He's really intelligent, and really good at what he does when it comes to science, but when it comes to religion he is, as you rightly point out, a fanatic.

Which is a shame, because he causes people to polarise; either for or against him, whereas someone like Sagan, from your quote, is reaching out to find common ground.

As an (atheist) friend of mine often says "I quite like Jesus, but I can't stand his fan club."

[squidb0i.livejournal.com]

I think that polarization has its uses. For example, Atheists are one of the few minorities that most people think it's okay to despise or discriminate against.

http://www.secularhumanism.org/library/fi/downey_24_4.htm

Polarizing puts a point on the meme, helps it travel. How many discussions has Dawkins sparked on the subject do you think? Quite a few.

Discussion sheds light.
Light is the way.