Officially the Catholic Church does not subscribe to belief in disembodied spirits, what we call ghosts. Officially.
Unofficially it's a big question mark to me, though I tend to lean in the direction that paranormal events are all demonic in nature and have nothing to do with ghosts.
But the question I grapple with is why is belief in ghosts so prevalent and deep seated in the human psyche? Every corner of the globe they are believed in and for the entire history of man. Remember when even the Apostles at one point thought Jesus was a ghost?
If ghosts exist, they seem to have a few commonalities described by paranormal investigators. The death of the person was a result of a gross injustice, an infamous crime. They seem to be moored to the location where the events were reported, and they seem to have a limited understanding of their condition, their circumstances, and the living world around them. And more compelling is the fact that experience of these entities is not purely subjective because a house that's haunted affects several residents, one that moves out is followed by another resident or family that experiences similar unexplained events and apparitions.
But I have an alternate theory that points more to demons than ghosts. Because poltergeists seem to exhibit an impish desire to frighten and toy with people maliciously, it's hard for me to imagine them as human spirits. I believe when a heinous crime is committed, say a family that's slaughtered by the father, a rift is opened in the supernatural realm allowing Satan a greater manifestation than otherwise allowed. The demonic realm has to follow rules and can't do whatever it wants. It manifests itself by permission given by people, by their actions that grant consent to infestation and even outright possession. Places where these crimes occurred are "haunted" because the evil committed opened a door to the spirit world that would not otherwise be opened.
This is the theory I favor. I think the Bible is clear that it's appointed for man once to die and then comes the judgment. (Hebrews 9:27) This works against the idea of disembodied spirits haunting the earth, even in spite of the popular belief in every human culture that ghosts exist.
But I would like to hear what others think about this too.
Unofficially it's a big question mark to me, though I tend to lean in the direction that paranormal events are all demonic in nature and have nothing to do with ghosts.
But the question I grapple with is why is belief in ghosts so prevalent and deep seated in the human psyche? Every corner of the globe they are believed in and for the entire history of man. Remember when even the Apostles at one point thought Jesus was a ghost?
If ghosts exist, they seem to have a few commonalities described by paranormal investigators. The death of the person was a result of a gross injustice, an infamous crime. They seem to be moored to the location where the events were reported, and they seem to have a limited understanding of their condition, their circumstances, and the living world around them. And more compelling is the fact that experience of these entities is not purely subjective because a house that's haunted affects several residents, one that moves out is followed by another resident or family that experiences similar unexplained events and apparitions.
But I have an alternate theory that points more to demons than ghosts. Because poltergeists seem to exhibit an impish desire to frighten and toy with people maliciously, it's hard for me to imagine them as human spirits. I believe when a heinous crime is committed, say a family that's slaughtered by the father, a rift is opened in the supernatural realm allowing Satan a greater manifestation than otherwise allowed. The demonic realm has to follow rules and can't do whatever it wants. It manifests itself by permission given by people, by their actions that grant consent to infestation and even outright possession. Places where these crimes occurred are "haunted" because the evil committed opened a door to the spirit world that would not otherwise be opened.
This is the theory I favor. I think the Bible is clear that it's appointed for man once to die and then comes the judgment. (Hebrews 9:27) This works against the idea of disembodied spirits haunting the earth, even in spite of the popular belief in every human culture that ghosts exist.
But I would like to hear what others think about this too.