Pondering the existence of ghosts, demons and angels – Part 33

Have you seen the movie Ghostbusters? Well, I’m sorry to inform you that there is no such things as ghost traps or holding tanks. Scientific proof is only possible to a certain degree, and that’s very debateable. A larger percentage of our populations does believe in ghosts, but the only way to convince the rest would be to put a live (?) ghost on display at the Smithsonian. That’s not likely, but let’s take a brief look at some of the gadgets of the trade…

EVP are allegedly voices from the other side that are captured on both tape and digital recorders. Some of these disembodied voices seem to carry on conversations with the researchers, while others are as mindless as the apparitions that people see doing the same things over and over again. Some believers even question the validity of EVP; thus, proof positive that these recordings are the voices of the dead is impossible.

Thermal imaging cameras pick up heat discrepancies, and many of these images are VERY compelling. In one particular episode of Ghost Hunters, an alleged spirit picked up on one of these “heat” cameras actually interacted with the investigators. When “it” nodded, as if to acknowledge the presence of the TAPS members, it actually sent chills down my spine. Likewise, there are some good photos that have been taken on both standard and digital cameras. I am hardly the expert, but I understand that it is fairly easy to “create” ghost photos, via double imaging, on a standard Kodak-style camera. Nevertheless, there is a very creepy ghost photo that was taken in Bachelor’s Grove Cemetery in Chicago, Illinois. Check out www.bachelorsgrove.com and judge for yourself. If the photo is no longer there please correct me on this one!

Many other devices are easily written off. Digital thermometers may pick up cold spots, but many skeptics will tell you that these are merely drafts. Dowsing rods could easily be manipulated by the holder, and the list goes on and on. Like it or not, the belief in the existence of paranormal phenomena is pretty much in the eye of the beholder. I lived in what I truly believe was a haunted house for four years, and I wrote about it in another article. I have witnessed or imagined two other really odd events outside of that house, and I have never explained either one of them to myself, let alone anybody else. I think I’m as sane as anybody I know, but I’ll let you be the judge.

I was born and raised in a rural area just outside of Morgantown,