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Should we fear the paranormal?
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Will a ghost possess my body? Should I fear demons? Is it possible that a poltergeist is trying to kill my family? All of these questions and so many more are a direct result of people watching televised ghost hunting programs and Hollywood film portrayals of paranormal investigations. And the unfortunate reality is that it is doing much more harm than good.
The most popular of the televised programs is Sci Fi Channel's "Ghost Hunters." Led by Jason Hawes and Grant Wilson of T.A.P.S, they are portrayed.as plumbers by day and ghost investigators by night. If you are a regular viewer of the show, you will know that, within the past couple of seasons particularly, they are finding more evidence than ever. But, is any of it real?
During their last live Halloween special at Fort Delaware, Mr. Wilson had his jacket tugged several times, seemingly by unseen hands. Also, an angry disembodied voice told the duo that they were "not supposed to be here." Unfortunately for them, a great many of their fans; die hards who had never doubted the sincerity of the show or the investigations portrayed, were flabbergasted. They believed what they witnessed was an out and out fake. The jacket tug could be easily recreated by sewing a piece of fishing line through the jacket and having Mr. Wilson tug on it. Repeated viewings of the incident show that the entire time the jacket incident is occurring, Mr. Wilson's right hand never leaves his side. And the disembodied voice? Well, that just didn't sound right.
Still, though thousands cried foul, many more saw what they felt was legitimate proof of a haunting, and something of an aggressive one at that. Tugging on a person's coat collar? Telling them they aren't supposed to be there in an mean voice? Ghosts aren't just a little scary for some people now; they're angry!
In subsequent episodes, more disembodied voices have been heard and wire hangars have been thrown across a room by an unseen force. Ghosts could be dangerous!
And what about shows like "Paranormal State" on A&E and "Ghost Adventures" on the Travel Channel? Demonic entities who cause legitimate physical harm to people are nearly a regular occurrence. It seems like no more than a week or two can go by before one of the investigators on these shows are burned, scratched, or yes, even possessed!
So what is the truth? Are we to fear ghosts? Most serious paranormal investigators and researchers would say no.
What is a ghost, after all? They are believed by most to be the consciousness of a once living person. Without vocal cords, their ability to communicate is difficult, so they do other things to let you know of their presence. Perhaps they make themselves physically noticeable, or they touch your shoulder or move an object. However, what very few legitimate case reports have them doing is harming people. The ghost, demon, or other unknown presence almost never throws someone against a wall or scratches and burns them outside of a televised investigation. And the heads of children don't spin around on their necks without the aid of camera tricks and special effects on a movie set.
What do you think? Are paranormal television shows causing more harm than good? Are they causing people who are not knowledgeable about the field of paranormal studies to fear ghosts unnecessarily? Share your thoughts.
Thanks for reading.
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