The paranormal

[Minty]

(30-10-2011 03:30 AM)simman23 Wrote:  ghosts, mediums, demons, etc. Seeing as it is around Halloween time or whatever, I thought that this thread might be an interesting discussion (even though there is like no one on any more). I want to know what is your opinion on this topic? real? fake? What do you think?

I'm a definite believer in the paranormal. Not any of that "orbs" crap you see on TV on places like "Most Haunted", but with only 10% of matter discovered it stands to reason there could be phenomena currently outside our current science to explain. When I was younger I must have bought every true ghost stories book around!

The problem is the field has become so much the preserve of religious nutters, charletans and conjourers that any real phenomena recorded will never be taken seriously. Ghost photographs for instance are no longer of any interest in the age of digital cameras making it too easy to fake and impossible to prove a picture is genuine.

The other problem is so many ghost stories down the years have become embellished or rewritten to make for better reading that what is true and what is made up blur. Peter Underwood of the Ghost Club is easily the worst for this, going on and on about Borley Rectory long after it had become an embarrassment to serious paranormal researchers.

In years to come, our view of the paranormal ought to become like that towards wildlife. In the 19th Century, explorers still told wild tales of fantastical scary creatures in jungles and misty mountains in order. By the 20th, people realised the true stories were far more fascinating and needed no embellishment. Maybe one day people will react in a similar way, instead of the "Scooby Doo" mentality we still have towards what lies beyond.

In a previous workplace, some of them went to a Spiritualist church (they are supposed to receive messages from "the other side") for a laugh, and the best bit of the night was one guy saying he'd a message for Mary from Jimmy. When asked what it was, the guy looked embarrassed and asked if he could tell Mary in private. When told he had to say it out loud so Mary could remain anonymous amongst the congregation if desired, he said the message he'd been given was, "I thought you told me Mary you didn't believe in any of this rubbish!"