Ghosts, and Goblins, and Fairies oh my!

[Bob Kelso]

I don't know about the rest of you, but I often get asked (when the subject of the supernatural comes up) if I believe in ghosts, or other mythical creatures of some nature. My response is, as always, "No. Show me the evidence and I'm open to changing my position.".

I interact with a few atheist/humanist/secularist groups over different social media, and I've met more than a few atheists who believe in ghosts. This confuses the fuck out of me. If you're going to treat god claims with skepticism and demand evidence, why aren't you doing the same for other supernatural claims?

Anyway, I know this kind of thread has probably been done to death;

but I just wanted to see what your opinions over the subject were.

[BrokenQuill92]

I'm not saying I believe in any of that stuff I just can't prove a few weird things that happened YET. I will find reasonable scientific explanations for my few freaky experiences.

[Confused Ape]

I interact with a few atheist/humanist/secularist groups over different social media, and I've met more than a few atheists who believe in ghosts.

Anomalous Experiences

Anomalous experiences, such as so-called benign hallucinations, may occur in a person in a state of good mental and physical health, even in the apparent absence of a transient trigger factor such as fatigue, intoxication or sensory deprivation.

It is now widely recognized that hallucinatory experiences are not merely the prerogative of those suffering from mental illness, or normal people in abnormal states, but that they occur spontaneously in a significant proportion of the normal population, when in good health and not undergoing particular stress or other abnormal circumstance.

A common type of anomalous experience is the apparitional experience, which may be defined as one in which a subject seems to perceive some person or thing that is not physically present. Self-selected samples tend to report a predominance of human figures, but apparitions of animals,[4] and even objects[5] are also reported. Notably, the majority of the human figures reported in such samples are not recognised by the subject, and of those who are, not all are of deceased persons; apparitions of living persons have also been reported.[6]

I've got the kind of brain which produces 'ghosts' only I see them in a way which I can only describe as being 'behind the eyes'. It's like I'm dreaming while I'm awake and the dream is 'overlaid' on the real world. The experiences seem very real at the time.

Ghosts have been reported all around the world throughout history even though humans have worshipped and still do worship many different deities. Atheists can 'see' ghosts too so a belief in deities isn't necessary.

If you're going to treat god claims with skepticism and demand evidence, why aren't you doing the same for other supernatural claims?

An atheist who 'sees' a ghost can find umpteen other people who have had similar experiences. They can compare notes and this could reinforce the belief that ghosts are real.

[vorlon13]

Imagination and stress have conspired to give me a couple of experiences that might qualify. Once when visiting a friend of mine in the hospital, literally hours before he died of AIDS, I 'saw' an angel outside the hospital window. I was almost immediately aware that "Steve" was in such dire condition (he looked worse than individuals being buried with bulldozers at Dachau) I was having a strong reaction to what I was seeing and the angel was a manifestation of the horror that had befallen my friend.

The other occurrence happened when I was driving. For a moment "Bill" was in the backseat of my car, and he was bemused I was having such a rough go with him being dead. That one is a little 'weirder', as "Bill" was 'in character' with the bemusement, but that is not what I wanted from him.

With having lost over 40 friends, boyfriends, and acquaintances to AIDS over the years, might be surprising I haven't had more challenges beyond the angel and the ghost experience.

[thesummerqueen]

Not believing in god doesn't actually make someone a skeptic - they're just believing in one less god than other people do (because everyone assumes their religion is right).

Being a skeptic is a way of life, not a default position. If you don't fill the void that the absence of one belief or other makes with critical thinking, you're just as likely to believe in new age shit.

[Autumnlicious]

The only thing that defeats magical thinking is through questions and rigorous examination.

[BrianSoddingBoru4]

Ghosties and ghoulies and long-legeddy beasties are no different than other supernatural phenomena (or impressions of phenomena): As long as there are mundane explanations that can cover what the witness saw, felt, heard, et c, supernatural explanations can be discarded without a qualm.
Boru

[Minimalist]

Humanity loves scaring the shit out of itself.

It's all bullshit.

[Dragonetti]

Oh I thought this would be about Super Ghoul's N Goblins!

I miss that game!

[Elskidor]

I would love to believe in ghosts, but that voice of reason in the back of my head knows something just isn't right when there has still never been any evidence. I'd love to be proven wrong, but I doubt it'll ever happen.