Shawna Boswell
Ms. Terrell
Honors English 11
May 12, 2010
“Do Ghosts Really Exist?”
A controversial topic I have always been curious about is the debate over whether ghosts really do exist. I have family members and friends with stories that back up their opinion on why they do believe, but I also have an equal amount of others who think the idea of ghosts is ridiculous. Because I was too scared I would freak myself out, I never pursued any further research to try and make an official decision for myself. Usually I would just tell people that I was not sure if I believed or not, however, if I ever attended a supposedly “haunted” place, I was terrified. In my research project, I decided it would be more beneficial to visit Bass Cemetery for interaction instead of an interview. This way, if it really was haunted, I would have a chance of experiencing an actual ghost. Visiting Bass was by far the most interesting part of my entire project. It was scary, and we did not actually see any ghosts, however we did capture some orbs in the pictures we took. We also heard a scream in the woods. That definitely resulted in a full-out sprint to our car and speedy exit out of the cemetery. Technically, I did not learn anything while I was there, but I did learn something very interesting throughout this project. Throughout my life, I have always assumed that a ghost and an apparition were one and the same. It was not until I read a chapter called “Ghosts and Apparitions” from The Mystery Library: Haunted Houses, that I understood the difference. A ghost is simply a depiction of a person who has passed away or an object that no longer exists and can appear repeatedly for years. Usually, ghosts are unaware of others watching them, as well. In contrast, an apparition is figure of a person, place, or thing that appears solid but is not actually present. Apparitions are almost always aware of their surroundings and can appear anywhere, while a ghost would usually only appear in a specific place. This definitely caught my attention considering I never knew there was a distinction between the two. It did not, however, make a huge impact on my final opinion.
My ultimate conclusion, after researching whether ghosts do exist or not, is still somewhat hazy. I do think that if I had to make a decision, I would say that ghosts are real. Before I even started this project I tended to be more of a believer in ghosts than I gave myself credit for. I never realized how scared I actually got, and there is no reason why I would be scared unless I believed that ghosts existed just a little. Throughout this project, I found much more information, including scientific data, pictures, stories, and proof on how and why ghosts do exist instead of why they do not. However, I think more than anything, I learned more details about ghosts. I learned the different aspects, types, and varieties of them, as well as the different views people have toward them. While some see them in more of a spiritual realm, others see them more supernaturally. It is a lot more complex than I ever thought it would be. Throughout all the details, though, everything still lead to some sort of explanation as to how or why ghosts do exist, and in the end, it persuaded me to think so, too.
Overall, I do not think there is anything I would have done differently during this project relating to my research. I found very informative chapters and websites, interesting pictures, and a fantastic novel that provided me with a scientific outlook on my topic. I was also able to watch a couple of scary movies and visit a haunted place which was a thrill in itself. Although, I do regret waiting until the night before almost every due date to post my blog. Karli Estock would spend the night, and we stayed up, on average, until about two in the morning so we could each post our blogs because we were too scared to do them that late by ourselves. I also wish I would have taken a more positive outlook on my topic so I would not have been so scared from the beginning of my project. However, I have no regrets. I enjoyed learning about my topic and this project, altogether.
Thursday, May 13, 2010
"Are Ghosts Real?" truthaboutdeath.com. n.p., 2010. Web. 21 April 2010.
After reading through a page titled "Are Ghosts Real?" on the website Truth About Death- which has an unknown author- I learned that, today, many people believe that ghost sighting and haunting are increasing. However, they refuse to believe in the supernatural. Because of this, many are confuse as to what these sights actually are. IN order to find out exactly what these apparitions are, the only way one can truly know is by reading the Bible. Many websites claim to have videos and picture of such ghosts and spirits. While a lot of these are fake, some actually seem to be real. However, it clearly states in Job 7:9-10, "He that goeth down to the grave shall come up no more. he shall return no more to his house." This only helps prove that these are not spirits coming back from the dead. Instead, the devil is responsible for placing such things in the eyes of the living to cause fear. People who refuse to believe in an sort of apparitions are in the most danger because of their susceptibility to being deceived the easiest from seeing any sort of ghost. Thus, these ghosts are only the evil angels of the devil, sent to deceive God's followers.
This website definitely provided me with a different view of ghosts. I always though they were either real or not real. I never considered the fact that they may be real but not actual dead spirits. Instead they are the evil angels from the devil meant to trick us. This source provided numerous Bible verses to supports its theory on ghosts, and I felt like it was very persuading. I believe the Bible is the truth, and I live my life by it. To me, evidence from God's Work is the best proof there is. Personally, I felt like this website was very helpful by providing me with a different and reliable viewpoint.
After reading through a page titled "Are Ghosts Real?" on the website Truth About Death- which has an unknown author- I learned that, today, many people believe that ghost sighting and haunting are increasing. However, they refuse to believe in the supernatural. Because of this, many are confuse as to what these sights actually are. IN order to find out exactly what these apparitions are, the only way one can truly know is by reading the Bible. Many websites claim to have videos and picture of such ghosts and spirits. While a lot of these are fake, some actually seem to be real. However, it clearly states in Job 7:9-10, "He that goeth down to the grave shall come up no more. he shall return no more to his house." This only helps prove that these are not spirits coming back from the dead. Instead, the devil is responsible for placing such things in the eyes of the living to cause fear. People who refuse to believe in an sort of apparitions are in the most danger because of their susceptibility to being deceived the easiest from seeing any sort of ghost. Thus, these ghosts are only the evil angels of the devil, sent to deceive God's followers.
This website definitely provided me with a different view of ghosts. I always though they were either real or not real. I never considered the fact that they may be real but not actual dead spirits. Instead they are the evil angels from the devil meant to trick us. This source provided numerous Bible verses to supports its theory on ghosts, and I felt like it was very persuading. I believe the Bible is the truth, and I live my life by it. To me, evidence from God's Work is the best proof there is. Personally, I felt like this website was very helpful by providing me with a different and reliable viewpoint.
Ghosts, Apparitions, and Their Aspects
"Ghosts and Apparitions." The Mystery Library: Haunted Houses. Patricia D. Netzley. United States of America: Lucent Books, Inc., 2000. 13-29. Print.
When referring to ghosts, many people do not understand that there is a distinct difference between a ghost and an apparition. A ghost is always a representation of an object that ceases to exist or a person who has died. Also, a ghost can appear for years. An apparitions is a figure or image of a place, person, or thing that is seen as solid but is not really there. In comparison to ghosts, apparitions are only seen for a short period of time. There are different types of apparitions, as well. One common type of apparition is called a crisis apparition. This is an image of a person who is about to die or just had passes, and it usually only occurs one time to a person who has a close relationship with the person passing. Another type of distinction between ghosts and apparitions, is how, or if, they communicate. Apparitions seem to know that they can be seen by the living, are aware of their surrounding, and tend to communicate. They usually have a purpose for communicating with that specific person, such as giving a warning or revealing something hidden. After their message is given, the apparition will vanish forever. Ghosts, however, appear to be oblivious to those watching them and rarely communicate at all. Thirdly, while apparitions can be seen anywhere that the person intended to see it is, ghosts usually have a close tie with the place they appear. Many ghosts haunt the place they died. For example, Westover Plantation in Virginia has been the sit of numerous deaths, from suicides to fatal accidents. Each spirit haunts the area where he or she died. Other ghosts may linger in other places closely related to them while living, such as where they may have worked. Ghosts and apparitions, however, claim to have been caught on photographs. The first reported spirit photograph was taken in 1862. After this picture was taken, many more of the same started to show up. A lot of people were accused of being frauds by creating a ghostly image in the film by using a technique called double exposure. Other pictures that seem to have a ghost in them can be explained. However, there are pictures that remain a mystery as to how something ghost-like appeared while the environment the picture was taken in could not, in any way, have affected something like that to show up on film According to Hans Holzer, "We still don't know all of the conditions that make these extraordinary photographs possible and, until we do, obtaining them will be a hit-and-miss affair at best" (Ghosts 24-25). Lastly, imaginations and telepathy are often theories to why ghosts and apparitions claim to be seen. Parapsychologists believe that any apparition of ghost being seen, is simply created by the experient, or person seeing the ghost. Other theories include a deceased person's spirit either sending and image telepathically or leaving one behind for living person to see. For example, former deceased house owners may leave behind images that future owners see of experience themselves. Such distinctions make clear whether someone is seeing a ghost, an apparition, or is intended to receive some sort of message.
This article was very beneficial to my research project overall. Not only did the author provide researched example of the different things she was explaining, but she also included quites from respectable professional. I never understood the difference between apparitions and ghosts, but now i am able to clearly see the contrast between the two. Now, when i watch ghost shows or read stories, I will definitely have a better understanding of what they may be seeing. Also, when the book mentioned such things as certain houses obtaining telepathic messages or images left by the deceased for future owners, I knew exactly what it was talking about. Stories such as The Amityville Horror or The Haunting in Connecticut are both said to be based on true stories and contain ghosts that have a past with the house. These ghosts affect the current owners of the house by allowing them to see or feel certain things. Overall, I think this chapter was incredibly helpful and I do believe it swayed my opinion a little more towards ghosts being real.
When referring to ghosts, many people do not understand that there is a distinct difference between a ghost and an apparition. A ghost is always a representation of an object that ceases to exist or a person who has died. Also, a ghost can appear for years. An apparitions is a figure or image of a place, person, or thing that is seen as solid but is not really there. In comparison to ghosts, apparitions are only seen for a short period of time. There are different types of apparitions, as well. One common type of apparition is called a crisis apparition. This is an image of a person who is about to die or just had passes, and it usually only occurs one time to a person who has a close relationship with the person passing. Another type of distinction between ghosts and apparitions, is how, or if, they communicate. Apparitions seem to know that they can be seen by the living, are aware of their surrounding, and tend to communicate. They usually have a purpose for communicating with that specific person, such as giving a warning or revealing something hidden. After their message is given, the apparition will vanish forever. Ghosts, however, appear to be oblivious to those watching them and rarely communicate at all. Thirdly, while apparitions can be seen anywhere that the person intended to see it is, ghosts usually have a close tie with the place they appear. Many ghosts haunt the place they died. For example, Westover Plantation in Virginia has been the sit of numerous deaths, from suicides to fatal accidents. Each spirit haunts the area where he or she died. Other ghosts may linger in other places closely related to them while living, such as where they may have worked. Ghosts and apparitions, however, claim to have been caught on photographs. The first reported spirit photograph was taken in 1862. After this picture was taken, many more of the same started to show up. A lot of people were accused of being frauds by creating a ghostly image in the film by using a technique called double exposure. Other pictures that seem to have a ghost in them can be explained. However, there are pictures that remain a mystery as to how something ghost-like appeared while the environment the picture was taken in could not, in any way, have affected something like that to show up on film According to Hans Holzer, "We still don't know all of the conditions that make these extraordinary photographs possible and, until we do, obtaining them will be a hit-and-miss affair at best" (Ghosts 24-25). Lastly, imaginations and telepathy are often theories to why ghosts and apparitions claim to be seen. Parapsychologists believe that any apparition of ghost being seen, is simply created by the experient, or person seeing the ghost. Other theories include a deceased person's spirit either sending and image telepathically or leaving one behind for living person to see. For example, former deceased house owners may leave behind images that future owners see of experience themselves. Such distinctions make clear whether someone is seeing a ghost, an apparition, or is intended to receive some sort of message.
This article was very beneficial to my research project overall. Not only did the author provide researched example of the different things she was explaining, but she also included quites from respectable professional. I never understood the difference between apparitions and ghosts, but now i am able to clearly see the contrast between the two. Now, when i watch ghost shows or read stories, I will definitely have a better understanding of what they may be seeing. Also, when the book mentioned such things as certain houses obtaining telepathic messages or images left by the deceased for future owners, I knew exactly what it was talking about. Stories such as The Amityville Horror or The Haunting in Connecticut are both said to be based on true stories and contain ghosts that have a past with the house. These ghosts affect the current owners of the house by allowing them to see or feel certain things. Overall, I think this chapter was incredibly helpful and I do believe it swayed my opinion a little more towards ghosts being real.
Thursday, May 6, 2010
BONUS MATERIAL!
One night, we were also at Bradlie Gaiser's house, when we encountered an actual ghost. We got in on camera. Watch at your own risk.
http://www.facebook.com/#!/video/video.php?v=417900153625&subj=658734688
http://www.facebook.com/#!/video/video.php?v=417900153625&subj=658734688
Bass Cemetery
There's an orb in the top right corner!
A few of the graves.
Close up on some graves.One night, Bradlie Gaiser, Tatum Buzbee, Karli Estock, and I all vistited Bass Cemetery in Birmingham, Alabama. It was a chilly and clear Saturday night when we went. Jake Fagan and John Huffman drove us, and tried to act brave, but they were just as scared as us. I think we freaked ourselves out more than need be. We only walked around a few graves, and Karli took a picture of us. We did hear some noises in the woods. They were scream-like noises, but not blood-curdling. After we heard the noises, we took off. We had made a video, too, but it was too dark to see anything.
Bass Cemetery is over two hundred years old and is the grave site of numerous slaves and Civil War soldiers. It is said to be haunted. Many have reported going out to the cemetery at night and seeing ghosts, hearing screams and other strange noises, and finding animal corpses. People practicing satanist rituals have also been seen here at night. This causes differing opinions of the cemetery actually being haunted. Some believe it is the souls of the deceased who are buried there, while other believe it is simply evil from the horrid practices of satanists and people involved with the occult. We visited on a Saturday night, and took pictures. Although we never saw any dead animals, satanists, or ghosts, we did hear noises and captured a few orbs in our pictures. I am not sure if the orbs were supernatural or just dust particles reflecting light. Either way, it definitely freaked me out. I do not think it had a major effect on my opinion of ghosts existing or not. Although we never saw any, I was praying the whole time that I wouldn't see any, because I was so scared. So, I do not think it made me believe in them any less. Overall, I learned a lot about the haunted Bass Cemetery, but I do not think it majorly effected my overall view of ghosts existing or not.
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