A great many people allow themselves to believe in ghosts per se precisely because they have had an experience with a loved one that seemed to suggest contact with the dead was possible. I have family members similarly affected. But the Scriptures do not anywhere suggest contact with the dead is either possible or desirable, except perhaps in the very dark case of Samuel and Saul. We are told instead that Satan and his minions are deceptive to the core. And we are told to avoid any attempts at contact with the dead. Those of us who are not Catholic find this sufficient grounds to direct all our prayers to God directly, to the exclusion of all others.
As for paranormal phenomenon, much of it can be swept aside as pure human psychology. Voices of loved ones in our head, saying what we would expect them to say, probably are of this category. Other phenomena, such as items taking flight out of kitchen cupboards, witnessed by two or more otherwise normal, healthy persons, are more difficult.
But I will say this, and this is purely anecdotal I recognize, but this is what I have seen, that whatever is behind some of these more difficult cases, no matter how they originally present themselves, they do seem to respond to the authority in the name of Jesus. In this the pattern is closer to the Scriptural encounters with demons than mere Hollywood ghostliness.
BTW, just for you, gop4lyf, yours is the second account I have heard of a shadow figure. I knew a young woman (well before I was married) who told me she was seeing such an entity on a regular basis in her apartment, again at the door of her bedroom. Turns out, if I recall correctly, she and a friend had been dabbling with a Ouija board. Subsequently, the board was destroyed and the situation placed under the authority of the name of Jesus, and the apparitions stopped. Not the sort of thing that could be submitted to a scientific journal for peer review, granted, but given the good character of the young ladies involved, I had no reason to doubt the account either. Just thought you might like to know.
Oy, that sort of freaked me out, not having read the previous post.
Well, I am Catholic and my own mother did warn me (in no uncertain terms) against attempting to contact the dead and yes, ouiji boards too. Those are not to be messed with in any way.
Let me raise this with you, it’s a little random but you seem to know what you’re talking about and it just occurs to me now.
like i said I’m Catholic and we are not raised in Bible reading, but I did once start reading the Bible and in the Old Testament God says to Moses (I think it was Moses, whoever saw the burning bush): I’m the greatest of all the gods, that’s why you must worship me.
Now this really startled me, so I asked a Jewish friend about it. She just said - yeah I know, that’s really weird.
so, what’s the story with that? Is God saying there are lesser gods than He?
It was a King James bible, fwiw. And I stopped reading when they were building the Ark of the Covenant for what seemed like forever.
Well, I’m sure I sound like a dreadful heathen now!