Do you believe in spirits/ghosts?

[Hardbopjazz]

The home I grew up in, the basement was haunted by a spirit of a little girl. We would hear her cry at night. The light would turn on while you would be in the basement. The faucets on the sink also would turn, and even your clothing would be tugged. I am a believer.

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

Nope.

MG

[Royal Oak]

No

[erwbol]

No.

[Shawn]

Open to the possibility but doubtful.

[alankin]

Boo.

[BillF]

[robertoart]

When it suits me.

[GA Russell]

The novel/movie The Exorcist was based upon the true story of a boy named Bobby who was inhabited by an evil spirit in the late 40s after his aunt taught him how to play with a ouija board. That's what I believe.

[sidewinder]

I voted 'on the fence'. The logical person in me says no. However, there have been a couple of strange occurences in the past though in old houses (plus one pub in Cornwall) that I can't fully explain (but maybe it was down to atmospherics and the mind playing tricks). Note though that these were in the UK and not once in North America have I ever had such occurences.

Edited July 29, 2013 by sidewinder

[Dan Gould]

"Yes" based on the experiences we had in our house and that I had in my parent's house a number of years ago, which I posted about back when.

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

Oh yes, I remember. Strange...

MG

[Hardbopjazz]

Yes, I remember thread now.

[A Lark Ascending]

Definitely not.

Though I do like the use of the word 'ghosts' to describe the sense of the past that can seem to haunt certain places. I recall Chris Wood enthusing about an old cinema he was playing in and referring to the 'ghosts' present. Not a supernatural statement but a reference to the way some places can affect your mood and give you a sense (real or imagined) of a continuum with past.

Edited July 29, 2013 by A Lark Ascending

[jeffcrom]

Definitely not.

Though I do like the use of the word 'ghosts' to describe the sense of the past that can seem to haunt certain places. I recall Chris Wood enthusing about an old cinema he was playing in and referring to the 'ghosts' present. Not a supernatural statement but a reference to the way some places can affect your mood and give you a sense (real or imagined) of a continuum with past.

That perfectly states how I feel about certain places. I do not believe in ghosts or spirits in any literal sense, but I feel the "ghosts" in the air every time I visit New Orleans. I showed some bandmates around the city when I played there last month, and some of them "got" it and some didn't. One of them instantly felt the significance of Congo Square, and understood exactly what I meant when I mentioned the ghosts in the air.

Avebury, on your island, also affected me like that.

[A Lark Ascending]

I'd say we read that into these places, based on what we know of their history plus the impact of their visual appearance. Doesn't make it any the less powerful. It's not hard to see why certain places have fed a belief in the supernatural.

The old Cornish tin mines that surround where I am now have that effect on me. Made more powerful by the fact that my family's genealogy can be traced back to people who worked those places in the 18th and 19thC.

Edited July 29, 2013 by A Lark Ascending

[Swinging Swede]

No.

[BeBop]

^{As a long-long-time subscriber to Skeptical Inquirer magazine and Skeptic magazine, a supporter of the Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal, Committee for Skeptical Inquiry, supporter of the James Randi Foundation, believer in science and ration, that'd be a "no".}

Edited July 30, 2013 by BeBop

[Tim McG]

I believe in the Father, Son and Holy Ghost...does that count?

[robertoart]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vIPqUJiiMwc

[Royal Oak]

I believe in the Father, Son and Holy Ghost...does that count?

Coltrane, Ayler and Sanders?

[Jazzmoose]

Can I change my vote?

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

I believe in the Father, Son and Holy Ghost...does that count?

Sure - counts as a yes vote.

MG

[Tim McG]

I believe in the Father, Son and Holy Ghost...does that count?

Coltrane, Ayler and Sanders?

Now that's funny

I believe in the Father, Son and Holy Ghost...does that count?

Sure - counts as a yes vote.

MG

Well, OK then!