Have you ever seen a ghost?

I'm glad you worded it like that. In truth, it was a poorly worded sentence, written off the cuff. However, I'm simply not going to let a golden opportunity like this pass. Yes, a fact is a provable thing (or a thing been proven not to work, like homeopathy). Ghosts, god(s) and aliens have not been proven to exist. Now, aliens - scientists working on that. Gods - there's no evidence, despite countless years of theological debate and scientific inquiry, hasn't got very far. Ghosts, after well over a century of thorough research, has yielded absolutely nothing to show for it. Absolutely nothing. Every hypothesis which has been put forward to show the existence of ghosts has failed. So, yes, a fact is a provable thing. It's a provable thing to say that after exhaustive searches, ghosts have been shown to not exist.

While we're on the subject of suggestions, I suggest you look up the burden of proof. I don't have to prove or disprove anything. You, as the claimant, have to. I, as the sceptic, simply have to sit back and wait for you to make your case, review it, and point out any errors and inaccuracies - or state that it's well-founded research with good evidence and a well-reasoned, thought out conclusion. Research into psi, ghosts, ESP and its ilk has never received the latter from any decent scientist. No one, after exhaustive research, has ever proved ghosts, aliens, bigfoot, Nessie, ESP, demons or psychics. Fancy that. So when I say it's a fact that ghosts don't exist, it is certainly not an entirely accurate summation, but for the layman, it'll do. It is a well established fact that all research into such paranormal phenomena has given us ... bugger all.

By the way, I'm not here for points. I'm here for a hopefully decent conversation. Failing that, I'm here to point out the fact that we live in a modern society, which operates on laws of evidence, not superstition that's best left in the middle ages.

This is a public forum. The administrators can do whatever they like with it. They can censor whomever and whatever they want, and that's their right. But if you think I'm going to sit by and let bullshit like this pass then you're sorely mistaken. It is, quite simply, not your place, not your right, to dictate what I can and can't say. Fuck you. less

I have felt and seen ghosts. One would harass me in my sleep, but he is gone now- he really scared me. I felt one at the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum in Weston, WV when I was coming home from a student government leadership conference. It was in the doctors' quarters, and I felt like someone was touching me. I tend to feel them more than see them- I try to ignore them. less

I grew up in a haunted house from the age of 6 until about 14. My parents would always try to explain things away when we lived there, but both admit the place was haunted now that we are no longer there and I'm an adult; light switching going up and down, crystal being "pinged," like someone was flicking it with fingers, notes being struck on our piano, when no one was in the room, the record player (an old manual-electric, which required you to turn a stubborn switch or move the arm to start) would drop a record and start, but only if it was a children's record. The basement door (very heavy oak, which had 3 locks on it on the first floor) would rattle and shake and sound like someone was banging on it. We would hear a ball bouncing down the stairs then little footsteps going after the ball, then back up the stairs, often many nights in a row. One of my cousins would "get locked" in the powder room nearly every time he came over. No one else ever had problems with that door, and he claimed HE didn't ever lock it. My mother would have to get in the room through the window and unlock the door. It only happened to him. A TV decided to turn off once and could only be used by plugging it in, but it would often turn off by itself (this could be explained by a short in the TV though.) Things would "disappear" and appear hours, days or weeks later in odd places.

I once saw ball lightening in the back yard when I was a child. Ball lightening is said to be seen more often (although it's very rare) in places where there is a lot of electrical activity. I didn't even know what "ball lightening" was, I just saw it, and my hair stood up on my head and my arms, and it raced towards the house, pulsating and humming, along the clothes line. Right before it got to the house (and I was getting really scared and kind of glued in the place) it went POP and disappeared.

One night, most of our family (including me) was staying at my grandmother's due to a death in the family. It was crowded so my dad and my uncle decided to go stay at our house. My uncle is a 6 ft 5 in Marine, tattooed and tough. He woke my dad up repeatedly in the night (he as sleeping in my bed and asked my dad if he would scoot over in his bed, because he was "hearing things." My dad said no and told him to deal with it.) Finally, after something happened in my room (the epicenter of the activity) which he would never talk about, he said, "Man, your fucking house is haunted. I'm out of here." and he left in the middle of the night to sleep on the floor at my grandmas'.

We had several electricians come out to the house and they could never find anything wrong. One guy jokingly suggested the house was haunted...

I've had other experiences and done some minor paranormal work with a group. There is too much that can't be explained, but oddly there are some people who never notice, even if something is right in their faces and everyone else can see, hear, feel or smell something odd. People can block their sense if they truly want to continue disbelieving.

Honestly, it makes no difference to me if people believe or not. It makes no impact on those of us who have experienced things that are unusual. It's like never seeing an elephant in person and then denying elephants exist, as far as I'm concerned. less