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"Believer or Skeptic?"

I may have set up this thread before (would have been an age ago mind you) but are you a believer in the paranormal, an out-and-out-skeptic or sit somewhere in the middle (an open-minded skeptic...somewhere I believe myself would be situated).

Many of you know I am a part-time paranormal investigator for the Bristol Paranormal Research Group and I find it really interesting just talking to people about their thoughts and feelings on the matter. Have you had an experience that you cannot explain, seen and heard things that send shivers down your spine or just been spooked by something that has happened. Or, like some people I have met (and worked with) they think it's a complete load of excrement and a waste of time.

Machie insisted I post some sort of intelligent debate, so why not have one that combines people's views on science with a spiritualism touch.

It'll be interesting to hear what you guys have to say whilst I'm away scanning eyes at work - and I will pop back lunchtime-ish (if possible) to discuss what I really think.

You do get them on these trips - some of them are absolute nutters. But sometimes they do provide light entertainment on uneventful nights. And I guess there are a few stunners on these trips - what else would keep me going?

Maybe the reason you gave for thinking it's cobblers is that you have never experienced anything is right. I get phases where I start thinking it's rubbish, but then something will happen that will cause me to believe again. The shadow from the Ouija board and it's messages is one of those examples.

I'll keep you posted on anything I do uncover though...

hippyman wrote:

And what kind of trip did you go on Pete? Was it a proper
investigation with a licensed group, or just a fright-night kind
of trip. There have been many trips I've been on that have
turned up nothing - fright nights just throw in the scares for
entertainment if nothing comes up.

It was a trip organised by a local paranormal group.Got dragged along by my mate.He wanted to go as he fancied one of the girls in the group like mad !.She was pretty but clearly mad as box of frogs if you ask me !.Anyway a few people there reckoned they had 'experiences' but neither me or my friend did TBH.As I said Jason I reckon its all rubbish myself but that could be because I have never seen anything to convince me otherwise ?.Oh yeah,and the mate got nowhere with the girl either.

Cold rooms mean nothing in fairness - even in my hospital, one corridor is warmer at one end than the other. What is odd is when a spot in the room suddenly gets a lot colder than the rest of the room - not just slightly colder, we're talking a drop of 10-15oC. No draft, no A/C nothing like that - just gets cold for a minute or so and then warms back to normal. Not necessarily a ghost or anything like that, but it is hard to explain, hence beyond the normal.

Most haunted play it up so much. They even invent stories, such as the dog with glowing red eyes at Pengersick Castle. Just a complete lie!

And what kind of trip did you go on Pete? Was it a proper investigation with a licensed group, or just a fright-night kind of trip. There have been many trips I've been on that have turned up nothing - fright nights just throw in the scares for entertainment if nothing comes up.

You mean guys you don't believe Derek really does get possessed ?

Still can't believe people fall for this idiots pantomime TBH.

Still reckon the whole paranormal thing is cobblers.Went on a trip to a supposedly haunted house up near me called Plas Teg a few years ago.People in our group claimed one room in the house was much colder than the rest.Well that convinced me,one room in my house is colder than the rest,maybe I should charge suckers to walk around that ? :S

Sonic Chris wrote:
> Quite simply, i don't believe in paranormal activity at all. Most
> Haunted sends me into giggles ^^

Most Haunted has that effect on most true paranormal researchers. Their aim is just entertainment - but unfortunately the amount of hoaxing that goes on actually hinders any real groups' attempts at conducting their research.

Although watching Yvette Fielding scream at anything makes it worth watching :p

Quite simply, i don't believe in paranormal activity at all. Most Haunted sends me into giggles ^^

Maybe it's a trip to WHSmiths for me at lunchtime tomorrow. Usually only look at my local newsagents, so that may be why I can't find it.

Now I have that nice new leather jacket, the thousand or so big issue sellers that line the streets of Bristol won't recognise me on my trip to the store :) I somewhat doubt it, but I shall make the effort of going to look for it!

hippyman wrote:
> It's true - it's like looking for a needle in a haystack, but not
> knowing if there is a needle there. And likewise with the
> measuring it - if you don't know if it is there or not, you can't
> say how big it is, what colour, what weight etc.
>
> As science is trying to catch up, I think the only option in this
> field is to use the technology we have already available to us,
> and just record and document anything that occurs out of the
> ordinary and then use that as a starting point.
>
> I really must start reading the Fortean Times. Never manage to
> find it though :( Guess there is always t'internet

it's always in every WHSmiths I go in, usually near to the computer mags and special interest like Bizarre and Fortune Teller monthly or whatever!

It's true - it's like looking for a needle in a haystack, but not knowing if there is a needle there. And likewise with the measuring it - if you don't know if it is there or not, you can't say how big it is, what colour, what weight etc.

As science is trying to catch up, I think the only option in this field is to use the technology we have already available to us, and just record and document anything that occurs out of the ordinary and then use that as a starting point.

I really must start reading the Fortean Times. Never manage to find it though :( Guess there is always t'internet

I'd like to think that the many counts of ghost sightings around the world over the years add up to something more than a simple explanation but I do tend to need answers and won't accept anything unless it is fully explored. Same with anything classed as Paranormal or Extra-terrestrial.

I guess I sit somewhere between Mulder and Scully! I'm also a long time Fortean Times subscriber and have read Charles Fort's books which deal with many of the issues of the paranomal.

The issue with finding 'scientific fact' for these things, though, is that science hasn't really caught up yet and when you don't know really what you're looking for you can't measure it (or at the least come up with any results that will tell you anything useful).

For instance, is it logical to measure electrical disturbance when we don't even know why we are measuring it?