Sunday, April 8, 2007
Ghosts
A charming little thought just sprung into my head and so I sprung out of bed so that I might get your thoughts on it. I was thinking about ghosts and the spiritual world and all the different accounts we have of ghosts (some people hear footsteps and other times just doors open by themselves. Or other times people feel or see the ghost but don't hear it. And yet other times ghosts have picked things up while others have trouble touching tangible things). So my question is this. What if the traits of these ghosts are determined by the sins the these people committed in their life on earth? For example, say a man often stole things and now as a ghost he cant pick things up. Or another man would break into places (houses, stores, cars etc) and now as a ghost he cant move through walls. Is this too much like purgatory?
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6 comments:
Weird... interesting thought though.
That is really weird... But I have to say that I just can't buy ghosts. I really see no reason to believe that people go anywhere else than heaven or hell after they die (though, I suppose, the could be summoned - What's his face was summoned up by that witch that King Saul found. . . hm). However, maybe we are limiting the spiritual world when we think of there being only demons and angels. What I mean is that there is the only the really good guys and the really bad guys. Maybe there are neutral spirits? Like in That Hideous Strength when Lewis talks about the neutral beings. Things like... well, Puck I guess which aren't particularly evil but are mischievous. Why shouldn't the spiritual world be as rich and full of beings as the physical world?
Consider also 3am. It is the time in the morning when not only the demons come out and cause havoc among the peacful but it is also filled with souls who seek only to speak with the living. (Hamlet's father for example). So I agree that there are neutral spirits, but I wonder where these neutral spirits really are from. If from heaven, why are they not purely good? If from hell, why not entirely evil and truely seek to cause mischief? (why can't the world be so black and white sometimes)
Like faeries and stuff.
Dear Empress:
I am not familiar with any scriptural reference to something other than a passed on person, demon, or angel in the non-physical sense. I think sprites and fairies are right out.
I would tend to agree with the semi-mad writer on the morals of angels and demons. But where do my friendly guests at the Hardware Store fit in? There is nothing intrinsically evil or good about their presence - just creepy.
Which is why I was theorizing about a set of spiritual beings rather like, say, dogs or something. Which, of course you're right, is not in any way supported by scripture. But it's interesting to think about.
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