Ghosts and spirits are a hot topic in today’s media. With TV shows and YouTube channels dedicated to proving the supernatural truth. Whether you are a believer or not, it certainly is an interesting topic in both nonfiction and fiction worlds. 

Ghosts are the souls of the deceased that were left to roam the earth. It is believed the dead would become ghosts, because of a tragic death, or unfinished business they have in the real world.

This has become the most widely accepted view on ghosts, but is not the only one. According to Mr. Winkelman, the church has a much different view. The Catholic Church believes that ghosts are one of three things, a demonic ghost, angelic ghost, and an imprint of a person who has moved on. The church believes that no person’s soul will be attached after they move on because they will have gone to heaven. 

The last type of belief that people will assume about ghosts is that they are not real. Many believe that when you are looking for something like a ghost, your mind will make it happen…a simple noise becomes a ghost screaming or something falling is more than just a breeze. 

We understand the logic behind ghosts, but where is the proof of the ghosts? Though nothing is concrete there are multiple stories from “haunted” locations. At these places things move by themselves, noises are heard and places give people an uneasy feeling. These have been caught on camera several times, but people are skeptical and believe it’s fake, or just staged for television.

Ghost hunters are very popular and have been in the age of TV and the internet. Some make a living going to the most haunted places and using technology to prove or disprove the claims. What technology you might ask. There have been many devices made to detect ghosts and allow them to talk.

Spirit boxes, EMF gauges, and flashlights are just some of the devices used. Spirit boxes allegedly allow ghosts to flip between radio channels to talk to the hunters. EMF gauges detect the electromagnetic fields and are based on the claim that ghosts can mess with or affect electromagnetic fields. Flashlights are often used for yes or no questions where the ghost can turn on and off the light to answer questions. 

All of these devices are based off of the “science” of ghosts which those who doubt will say are all fake and made up. They also believe the devices are designed to work. What does this mean? This means the devices are built to do exactly what they should do when a ghost shows up. The spirit box is programmed to flip channels and make sentences, the EMF is designed to go off when it’s near anything, and the flashlight is put to a setting where it will flash. 

Other proof that is often brought up is photos. Things like orbs are often said to be ghosts or spirits appearing in the photos. Some believe that this is just the way the light reflects off of the camera. Another way ghosts appear in photos is straight up seeing them in the background, in a window, or in a doorway.  This is explained away as a smudge, a person that people didn’t know was in the house at the time, or photoshop. 

No matter what you believe, you can’t deny that there isn’t enough proof either way to be considered correct. Humans may never know if ghosts are real, but maybe that’s why the topic of ghosts is so fun. The mystery of not knowing is fueling our curiosity and our need to understand.