Belief in Ghosts, Spirits, and Afterlife - Article Example

GHOSTS AND SPIRITS A ghost has been defined by FreeDictionary.com as “the spirit of a dead person, especially one believed to appear in bodily likeness to living persons or to haunt former habitats, the center of spiritual life (or the soul) or a demon or spirit” (The free dictionary 2011). Belief in ghosts and in the afterlife has long been practiced, and even primitive societies are believed to share some ideas in this aspect. The concepts of ghosts and spirits are often used interchangeably, one being a manifestation of the other. Ghosts are perceived to be the spirit of someone who has crossed the afterlife border. In some cases, spirits are sometimes regarded as higher beings that need to be worshiped. In any case, for the majority it is a representation of the unexplained. In an article by Bill Knell, historical evidence points to the fact that people developed the idea of worshiping a higher form of being because of the belief that they will be compensated for it, thus, the concept of spirits arose (History of Ghosts and Spirits 2011). The never ending battle between good and evil, as well as the idea of being rewarded and punished, may also be one of the reasons why people came to believe in the existence of such supernatural things. The concept became the basis of the main principle according to which your good deeds will be rewarded and you'll reap good fortune. If you do harm to another person or to nature, the spirits will punish you. Misfortunes are often perceived to be brought about by bad or mischievous spirits who find delight in seeing bad luck among mortals. Most spiritualists and individuals who have encountered, experienced or came close to a near-death experience describe ghosts as spirits of individuals who died but have not crossed over the so-called “passage of light”. In the article “Angels, Spirits or Ghosts” they are thought to be found in places which they used to frequent during their lifetime; they may have an attachment to our human world due to an unfinished business (Angel, Spirits or Ghosts 2011). They are often associated with haunting, oftentimes perceived to be harmless, but occasionally wanting to communicate something through human channels. Proof of sightings have manifested itself over the years; some of the noteworthy reports were recorded in the first century AD, when supernatural presence was haunting the house of Pliny the younger (Signs of the strange and supernatural 2011). It was said that ghost visits were usually experienced after a war with thousands of victims, or in places where there is unexpected death toll. The Catholic Church believes that spirits exist; there is a spiritual realm that we do not see. This realm is inhabited by angels and demons, our God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. The souls of those who have died are also part of this spiritual realm, but they are not allowed any contact with humans without permission from God. The process of the dark forces disguising themselves to deceive human beings and test their faith is described in various parts of the holy Bible. Quotes from the Book of Corinthians read as follows: “And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light” (2 Corinthians 11:14). Further, it is also written in the same book “So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal”. (2 Corinthians 4:18). Catholics believe that the Lord God will not allow the spirit of those who already passed away to come into contact with those still living. As such, they should be vigilant of supernatural manifestations because of the fact that evil forces may masquerade themselves as the image of one’s loved one, to test his faith and confuse him. Angels, on the other hand, are God’s messengers, also from the supernatural realm. They protect the humans and do only good unto them. Hindus, on the other hand, believe in reincarnation and in karma. Spirits of those who died have various processes to undergo, depending on how they conducted themselves on earth during their lifetime. In Hinduism, unless a soul is set free, it continues to go through the cycle of living and dying, cleansing and resuming its journey. Each life becomes an opportunity to make up for the irregularities so that it can become whole (Hinduism and Death 2011). The soul needs to be born over and over again; in such a manner it overcomes its irregularities and achieves completeness. Reincarnation talks about the rebirth of the soul or the self in a “series of physical or pre-natural embodiments, which are customarily human or animal in nature, but are in some instances divine, angelic, demonic, vegetative or astronomical” (Reincarnation in Hinduism 2011). Hindus believe that life and death are both temporary states which the soul or atman goes through as a journey towards cleansing and self-actualization. However, that phase between dying and being reborn remains a mystery. No one can actually describe that phase – that time when the soul is supposed to go to another world before it returns to another form. It is a journey when the soul reflects on the past life and prepares its plans as it embarks on another life, or a new leg of its journey. However, Hindus believe that there are two paths that this journey takes. First is the path of the sun, which is otherwise known as the bright path of the path of the gods. When a soul travels this path, it never returns again. To explain how this path is taken, Lord Krishna provides the clue (Hinduism and Death 2011): “Controlling all openings of the body, with the mind established in the heart, fixing the prana in the self, at the top of the head establishing oneself in the Yoga, uttering the monosyllable AUM, which is Brahman, who leaves the body remembering Me, he achieves the highest goal. (8.12-13) The other part is the path of the moon; the dark path or the path of the ancestors. The soul travels back to life after going through this path. Karma plays a big part in the Hindu faith. Karma represents every action, good or bad, meritorious or non-meritorious, religious or worldly (Reincarnation in Hinduism 2011). What happens to a soul after death depends on various factors such as its previous deeds, its state of mind at the moment of death, the circumstances surrounding this death, and the grace of God. Its journey to the two worlds mentioned above depends on how the person lived his/her life, and how he/she actualized the plans made during that stint between death and life. Looking at these issues, it may be deduced that ghosts are not part of the Hindu beliefs, unlike the statements interpreted in the early part of this paper. Souls go through a self cleansing journey, and such appearances and manifestations may only mar their chances of achieving a good journey. They transform into other forms, non-human or ethereal, but would always have to be reminded of their karma. There are corresponding rewards and punishments for every good or bad deed. Hinduism sees the world as one family which worships the one truth (God), with a constant pull of good and evil. But there is always a consequence to every act, thus the concepts of karma and reincarnation. For them, the soul is eternal, and will join the gods upon achievement of full-fledged well being. Muslims, on the other hand, do not believe in ghosts categorically, but they acknowledge the existence of jinns, Allah’s creations that are not visible to the human eye. Their world is a separate and distinct world, with features hidden from humans, though both have commonalities - a possession of understanding and the choice between the way of good and the way of evil. Their purpose of existence is supposedly solely to worship Allah (The Jinn 2011). They have a specific purpose of existence and are not perceived to be like spirits of dead people. They live parallel to the human world, though they are invisible and are difficult to believe in. As referred to in the Quran: “Indeed We created man from dried clay of black smooth mud. And We created the Jinn before that from the smokeless flame of fire” (Quran 15:26-27) For the Muslims, Jinns existed before man did. They were created from fire, thus their ‘fiery’ nature. They are either Muslims or non-Muslims, and it is believed that non Muslims constitute the part of the army of Satan, who is also considered the most popular Jinn (The World of the Jinn Part 1 of 2 2011). In effect, non-believers are called devils. Since Jinns have also their free wills and special powers that exceed human ones, they can do many things that men cannot do. This capacity equates them now to what others call ghosts. They can take any form – a human, an animal, or other creatures which are deemed strange. These queer sightings are attributed to the Jinns, who can take any form as they will. However, it is also believed that with the free will comes accountability, and being Allah’s creatures, they are also subject to judgment, which coincides with the human beings' judgment day. Generally, they are prohibited to oppress a human being, but since the nature of some Jinns can be wicked and treacherous, unfortunately, they also cast harm upon people. Further, non Muslim Jinns can apparently convert to Muslim too, to quote the Quran: “Say (O’ Muhammed): It has been revealed to me that a group of Jinn listened and said; ‘Indeed we have heard a marvelous Quran. It guides unto righteousness so we have believed in it, and we will never make partners with our lord’.”(Quran 72:1-2) Muslims believe that free will, both for humans and Jinns, plays a great role on their journey towards salvation. Religion holds great, if not total, influence upon our beliefs. Somehow, our manner by which we understand these non-humans and supernatural creatures equates to the amount of faith, our belief in a supreme being. Religion and society are strongly intertwined. A belief in the afterlife goes hand in hand with believing that there is a greater entity out there that monitors our conduct on earth and has already prepared certain consequences for every good or misdeed we can performed. For some, it is the only way to understand the unseen, the supernatural. But in most religions, it is the very main reason why we exist, and why such unseen forces also exist. Key words “good”, “evil” and “free will” are common among the most popular religions in the world. That timeless battle between good and evil still goes on, both pulling every human into different directions, promising separate and distinct destinies in the afterlife. Ghosts are representations of the unexplainable; talking in terms of religion, they are believed to be a manifestation that there is definitely an afterlife, even sometimes a dimension existing parallel to ours. We exist; they exist too. To understand, we turn to religion. For most who do not specifically believe in any deity, ghosts and the spirits of nature are considered similar. In any case, ghosts remind us of our own mortality and make us do what is intrinsically good while we are still alive. Karma or not, we should reap our own rewards on earth, seeing the effects of our good deeds to the rest of mankind. Works Cited “Angels, spirits or ghosts”. The New Age Blog. November 20, 2011. http://www.thenewageblog.com/angel-spirit-or-ghost/ “Ghosts”. The Free Dictionary. November 20, 2011. http://www.thefreedictionary.com/ghost “Hinduism and death”. Hindu website. November 20, 2011. http://www.hinduwebsite.com/hinduism/h_death.asp “History of ghosts and spirits”. The New Age Blog. November 20, 2011. http://www.thenewageblog.com/history-of-ghosts-and-spirits/ “Reincarnation in Hinduism”. November 20, 2011. http://www.spiritual-wholeness.org/faqs/reincgen/hindrein.htm “Signs of the strange and supernatural”. Investigation Discovery. November 20, 2011. http://investigation.discovery.com/investigation/paranormal/spirit-world/spirit-world.html “The Jinn”. November 21, 2011. http://www.inter-islam.org/faith/jinn.html “The World of Jinn Part 1 and 2”. The Religion of Islam. November 21, 2011. http://www.islamreligion.com/articles/669/ Read More