1. She did it herself for whatever reason. Perhaps she didn't want to but just freaked out. Then had to make up some nonsense to explain it. The co-workers that quit were obviously hungry for some superstitious garbage.
2. Someone hid in a bin, box, under a table or in a cupbord, and hid back in there before she came back into the room... making their escape after she fled.
There are so many possibilities that to conclude ANYTHING supernatural as the cause is pushing the boundaries of credibility somewhat. And adding details about former burial grounds is adding to the spiritualist mumbo jumbo. To me that's a sure fire certification for the funny farm.

(July 20, 2011 at 3:20 pm)fr0d0 Wrote: To me that's a sure fire certification for the funny farm.

Oh fr0ds, why do you do this to me? Sometimes you are so reasonable, and other times you drive me up a wall.

Quote:I keep forgetting about your American buildings. We have old cottages and mills that have been converted into restaurants and some very fancy windows. Some are a good few hundred years old.

Aha, true. I'm from Canada, an America with a leaner waistline, more hockey arenas, trees, water and wildlife, and full healthcare

Quote:I'm not saying she did absolutely, I'm saying it's a distinct possibility. Go for the most likely, until there is evidence to suggest otherwise. Or just stick to Occam's Razer, the simplest explanation is most likely and often correct. The explanation requiring the fewest assumptions is the one you should go for. You're more likely wrong the more assumptions you make. You should only go for a more complex explanation when there is evidence to support it. It's a basic scientific principle. Use it.

Quote:But why would she lie?

Look into her personality and any possible motives. If she was the only one present, she is the first you look into. Some religious nuts have done some pretty nasty things simply because they 'believed' god told them too. Don't just assume god did it.

Quote:To quit her job?

Possible.

Quote:If she was a nut case, other coworkers would know and tell the store owner that she may have done it.

Not if they shared her crazy beliefs. Some people go around claiming god spoke to them, yet many fellow Christians see nothing unusual about it.

Quote:This shows that they trust her.

Do you?

Quote:However improbable/probable, it's still possible.

Possible? Yes, Probable? No.
Go for the most likely, then work from there. Superstition should always be last on your list, because there is no evidence to support it. Stick to Occam's Razer.

Quote:You can speculate better than that. I know you can.
I often work in the woods, sometimes I see shady objects moving in the distance. I never jumped to any conclusions. I stated the obvious then worked up from there. The obvious was: There are objects in the distance, and they're moving. It was only till later that I learnt that they were in fact cars. I never knew the road was that close. If I jumped to "goddidit", I'd feel pretty damn stupid.
Start with the obvious, then work your way up from there. You might just find out what caused that mess, then you'll notice just how silly jumping to "goddidit" was.

Sounds like an interesting job. Where are from, the Finland?

Well, I can see it takes a faithful leap (more of a hop IMHO) in believing that the girl was telling the truth and wasn't exaggerating anything. All this debate is coming down to is "I believe her!" and "No, I don't..."

(July 20, 2011 at 6:00 pm)TheCarlisle Wrote: Well, I can see it takes a faithful leap (more of a hop IMHO) in believing that the girl was telling the truth and wasn't exaggerating anything. All this debate is coming down to is "I believe her!" and "No, I don't..."

When you enter a room full of skeptics, which the majority of atheists happen to be, it takes more than simply "I believe her!"

We want you to explain why you believe her. We want you to justify that belief. Belief without reason is... stupid.

Quote:Sounds like an interesting job. Where are from, the Finland?

England old chap! Jolly old England. I work in the forest as a lumberjack and general labourer. Not a bad job.
Quite nice spending the day working in the forest.

Quote:Well, I can see it takes a faithful leap (more of a hop IMHO) in believing that the girl was telling the truth and wasn't exaggerating anything. All this debate is coming down to is "I believe her!" and "No, I don't..."

It's not a matter of faith. It's all down to how you go about searching for answers. So far you have only assumed that a god did it. What I'm saying is that, you're jumping to huge assumptions long before you've even tried to solve the problem through rational means. Aim for the most likely, then work your way up from there. That's how you get to the truth.
State the obvious, then work your way up.

If you can't find any other rational and likely conclusion other that the likely conclusion that she was responsible, then all that's left is: accepting that as a distinct possibility. Never assume with absolute certainty, but keep to the simplest explanation and most likely and go where ever the evidence points. Following simple and basic principles is what helps us separate fantasy from reality. To help us see what is real and what is not.

To me it's not so much of whether to believe her or not, but it comes down more to were her observations correct. Was there really no way to get in? All we have is her word on it, so it is much more likely that she just missed something about the situation than actual spirits were throwing trash.

On the old native graves trope. Hopefully we all realize that after 10,000 years or so of habitation, you could probably kick a rock and hit a native grave. If "indian cemeteries" had power, we'd be seeing a lot more power, don't you think?

Quote:You draw your facts from stories that were made to entertain? That is truly bizarre.

You draw your "facts" from a book which was designed to terrify goat herders. I'll stick with the jokes, thank you.

(July 20, 2011 at 7:33 pm)Minimalist Wrote:

Quote:You draw your facts from stories that were made to entertain? That is truly bizarre.

You draw your "facts" from a book which was designed to terrify goat herders. I'll stick with the jokes, thank you.

Wow, that's a new unproven hypothesis.

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(July 20, 2011 at 6:37 pm)Rhythm Wrote: On the old native graves trope. Hopefully we all realize that after 10,000 years or so of habitation, you could probably kick a rock and hit a native grave. If "indian cemeteries" had power, we'd be seeing a lot more power, don't you think?

True enough. However, with all of today's technology, true ghosts seem camera shy

(July 20, 2011 at 7:50 pm)TheCarlisle Wrote: True enough. However, with all of today's technology, true ghosts seem camera shy

Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence.

So far, I've yet to see the latter, but no shortage of the former.

Sure you're not grasping at straws instead of thinking about the true mysteries of the Universe today, like dark matter?