Blog@GraceJunction

Mandy, Shelly and Nita allowed Soul Café to become a discussion ground for the biggest topic on the globe these days – a doomsday prediction of another kind – “environmental crisis”. We presented our arguments very strongly and there perhaps was a kind of consensus emerging at the end of the discussion.

However, what was going to follow was something beyond my expectation, especially since it was came from a young girl of the post-modern era! Read on to know why I say so! This is what Mandy disclosed.

“This is what happened a few days back. I was in my room sleeping and it was dark. I believe I was in deep sleep. Few hours into the night, it was cold. I could hear sounds and feel something unusual around me. I could feel someone walk up and down besides my bed. I initially thought that it was my room-mate who has a tendency to walk like this but something was weird. I opened my eyes and I couldn’t move. I tried to scream but I couldn’t, I was numb. I turned my head to see something I cannot forget to date. A girl with long hair and her face empty or probably dark, was staring right at me! Her eyes, I could see her eyes, innocent and pleasant! It is very disturbing. It was like the eyes of some lost kid! Then in flash of a moment she pounced on me. She was trying to choke me to death and I laid there helpless. I can still remember how her hair rubbed against my face and the grip of her fingers on my neck. For some reason she just left and the door shut with tremendous force.

With that I felt relieved and I ran out to check the door. It was apparently locked from inside and I could see Deepti my roommate awake in her bed. She looked paranoid. I went out and looked for others just to check if this was some kind of a prank that some student had played, but there was no one. When I returned back to the room, I saw Deepti in a traumatized state! I touched her and she was as cold as ice. She appeared as if she going through shock and hence I didn’t disturb her further that night by sharing my experience with her! Next day we both discussed about what had happened the night before and that’s when I discovered a very strange thing! She had apparently seen the exact same thing that I had seen. What we saw was not just a vision but it was as tactile and real as you and me.

Me and Deepti have had several incidents like this and the strangest thing is that it is not only us but also our seniors have had similar “visions and nightmares”, similar to what we had, when they stayed in the same space! Now Shelly tells me that perhaps you can help me with this whole thing. I mean can you explain what is all this! More than me, Deepti is in need of help!”

Let me begin by saying that I never expected to deal with such a story in Soul Café. Before I could grasp the story itself, the girls started shooting questions at me!

Mandy: What was this tactile experience I had? Was it a Ghost?

Me: Wait, let me get it clear. By referring to the word ‘Ghost’, do you mean the spirits of deceased human beings?

Mandy: Yeah, that is what the word ‘Ghost’ means, right?

Me: Ok. Since these kinds of things figure in activities commonly referred to as paranormal activities, I will rely on a text that explains reasons for paranormal activities very well to the best of my knowledge!

Nita: So are you going to explain these instances using some textbook of parapsychology?

Me: Well, I don’t know much about parapsychology, except that it is disputed whether it can be called a science at all. Most people prefer to call it pseudoscience. I would rather refer to the Bible because it explains a lot of paranormal activities.

Nita: How come a religious book! Why would I rely on anything that it says!

Me: Well, firstly, Ghosts refer to deceased human spirit and religious texts give explanation about human spirits unlike scientific texts, which still grope in the dark. Secondly, I have no other explanation to give on this entire incident rather than from a Biblical perspective! So are you sure you want to hear my views or opinions at all!

Mandy: First tell me how the Bible becomes more reliable! Just because Science doesn’t explain what it can’t empirically prove doesn’t mean that anything else that explains the same phenomenon should be relied!

Me: Bible explains a lot of issues about life to my contentment. It explains about origin, about purpose, about sin, about evil, about the future, about social equations, about guilt, about justice and many more things. I live by it and it has done me good. Your coming to me is also because of what I have become because of this book! I have found it to be true by my experience and there is no reason therefore that I should doubt its reliability on issues that even science is silent about.

Nita: Well, science is not absolutely silent about such things. There definitely are a lot of scientific explanations to these phenomena!

Shelly: Oh yeah, like these are the games played by a tired and over-stressed mind, hallucinations et cetera.

Mandy: Well, I felt the hair of this lady rub against my face and her hand on my throat. I think I can make out when I am touched!

Nita: I suppose it is very similar to mass hysteria!

Mandy: I don’t think two people qualify as a “mass”. Also in our case, there was no communication between us prior to the incident or even during or immediately after the incident. We discussed and confirmed that we saw the same thing only the next day! So I don’t think that the tag of mass hysteria is appropriate.

Shelly: I agree to Mandy. But let’s listen to uncle about what he has to say! We have tried to hear to so many explanations, so why not one more! We can keep on arguing even later!

Mandy: Ok, that makes sense. So do you mean to say that in the Bible there are experiences similar to what I had!

Me: No. Not that I have come across. But Bible tells with certainty about what happens to man after death. The Bible says in the book of Proverbs that the spirit returns to the Creator who made it.

Shelly: But I thought the Bible said that it goes to heaven or hell.

Me: Well, not exactly heaven or hell. But it goes to a resting place of peace or torment. It’s referred to as Paradise and Hades depending on whether it is peace or torment respectively!

Mandy: So you mean to say that the spirit of a man doesn’t roam about after death!

Nita: Well, how then do you explain the occurrences to séances and what tantriks make possible!

Me: Spirit of a man doesn’t roam about after death. It goes to a definite place depending on how the person has lived his life.

Mandy: So then, what are these so called ghosts! And how do we explain séances?

Me: The only explanation is evil spirits and demons.

Nita: Incredible. I suddenly feel very gothic! I mean, the kind of things we are now talking makes me feel as if we are witches and warlocks, sitting in a coven around, not coffee, but some potion mixed by druids!

Shelly: (laughs) Don’t mind her overtly creative imaginations! Please continue. What are these evil spirits and demons!

Me: Well, the Bible talks about a story that was prior to the creation of man - the story of Angels. There were countless angels and different kinds, however in the book of Ezekiel, there is a description about one of them who was at the pinnacle of God’s creation. His name was Lucifer, an Archangel. He was positioned above the throne of God and he was extremely beautiful. He was like a worship leader and when he moved his wings, there was music. There was none like him but pride crept into his heart. He wanted the worship and adoration that was offered to God. He desired for a position above that of God. Creation wanted to supersede the Creator! It led to his fall. He was banished from heaven but before that happened, he somehow managed to convince one-third of the Angels in heaven about his greatness (rather his folly) and they all fell with him!

Nita: That’s absurd. If God is what he is ascribed to be, how could he allow one-third of the angels also to go against him!

Me: Well that’s a mystery, but I suppose God respects the free-will that he has given to his creation. Every being can decide their own stand, just like the free-will we humans enjoy. So even after Lucifer had the thought of surpassing God, God perhaps allowed him to conduct a campaign against Him in heaven and God didn’t intervene for a while!

Shelly: That makes sense, though I feel that it is speculation from your side.

Mandy: So after they were banished from heaven, these angels became the so called Satan and the demons and spirits?

Nita: I don’t understand why didn’t God destroy them immediately?

Me: Bible says that God will not destroy even evil and wicked men, let alone angels. Angels and humans are eternal beings. We will either spend our eternity with God or without God. God will never destroy us irrespective of whether we stand for him or against him!

Shelly: With God is heaven and without God is hell?

Nita: The concept of hell is something I really can’t digest. How can God make hell! How can a God who is called good, create something called hell and then punish beings there!

Me: Well, that is another topic. If we are going to talk about Mandy’s tactile experience now, we will have to postpone your concerns for the later. Is that ok?

Mandy: Oh yeah. Nita, perhaps you can come another time and talk about it. So you mean to say that what I encountered in that hostel room was a demon?

Me: Could be a demon or an evil spirit!

Mandy: Doesn’t it mean the same?

Me: Well most people use these words interchangeably but some prefer to use them more specifically. Demon word is used to refer to the fallen angels who fell with Lucifer and were banished from heaven.

Nita: Why are you using the word “fall”?

Me: “Fall” in the eyes of God. Even our life will one day be judged with respect to the “Eyes of God”. It doesn’t matter how we appear in the eyes of men, what matters is - how we are in the “Eyes of God”.

Mandy: So what are evil spirits then?

Me: There are various schools of thought. But I ascribe to a school of thought that says that demons are evil spirits but all evil spirits are not demons. There is a class of evil spirits that have no body of their own and they look for bodies to dwell in, human or animal! There is a story in the Bible, in fact in the times of Jesus, where evil spirits were driven out of a man, and these spirits cry out to Jesus to allow them to possess a herd of swine!

Shelly: So what happened to the bodies of these evil spirits? What happened to them that demons escaped?

Me: Again there are various explanations. One of the explanations comes from an incident in Genesis chapter six where there is an instance of sons of God marrying daughters of men and forming a hybrid race that was not subject to the destiny of human spirits. Wickedness spread and God decided to destroy the human race with a flood.

Shelly: This hybrid race became the evil spirits!

Me: Well that is one of the explanations. But again this is all in the realm of speculation.

Nita: See, even the Bible is not explaining things properly.

Me: Well Bible doesn’t explain in detail about the structure and make-up of the spirit world but it very vividly explains the roles and interventions of the spirit world in the human world.

Mandy: And how all do they intervene?

Me: There are several levels of intervention. One of the ways of explaining it is deception, oppression, and possession. Deception is something that happens to most people and primarily happens due to ignorance. However, oppression is more serious wherein the person has got involved in something that is outright wrong. It could be wrong relationships, occult vows and practices, or even carrying unforgiveness and bitterness in one’s heart. In this stage the spirits influence and haunt the person in several ways. The third stage is possession and it is very severe in which the spirit takes over a person’s life. This is the stage in which the person becomes very violent at times, changes voice, and is extraordinarily strong.

Nita: As shown in the Exorcist movie?

Mandy: I suppose so. So you mean I am going through the oppression stage?

Me: I think so. The spirit world gets access into our life when we allow them by doing things that are blatant sins according to the Bible. In your case, it maybe a wrong relationship, some bitterness you are carrying inside you for years or some occult involvement like Ouija Boards or even too much of palmistry/astrology! Can you recollect anything specific?

Mandy: Nothing comes to my mind right now.

Me: We could sit together and make a list to identify the channel you created for such an experience. My experience tells me, that no evil spirit can oppress anyone who has given his life to Jesus Christ and has decided to live according to the Bible, obeying the commands and teachings of Jesus Christ.

Mandy: You are asking me to change my religion!

Me: Well, religion is something that man made to reach God. There is only one truth and it is out here somewhere. I found it in the Bible. It’s for you to search and confirm it for yourself! I can only recommend you what I know of!

Mandy: You mean to say that accepting Jesus Christ as God will solve my problem.

Me: It’s not that simple wherein you just say something and it happens. It’s a relationship that one forms with Jesus and so its mutual as in any other relationship!

Mandy: So then how do I get rid of these experiences and what should I tell Deepti? Will it help her too!

Me: Jesus will help everyone, provided He is asked to and with the right motives and intentions.

Nita: Frankly, all this is upsetting me. I really thought of getting some reasonable explanations to Mandy’s experiences.

Me: This subject is not a comfortable one for me too. I have explained in a way I understand it at this point. I am not an expert but I also know that science has no explanations or solutions for these. I know for sure that Jesus Christ is the answer to these issues. All other solutions are all more like “from the frying pan into the fire” kinds. Only in Jesus you get a solution to this problem without paying a price!

And the discussion continued for some more time. It was a topic that frankly made me sit back and I should say I was not very equipped to handle it comprehensively. For those interested, you should read some specialist books on the topic. As for me, I decided to read more myself and understand the dynamics of the unseen world better but more desperately, I started looking forward to some other issue to deal with next time in Soul Café. God bless.

Tags: demons, evil spirits, ghost, lucifer, paranormal, parapsychology

This entry was posted on Wednesday, March 17th, 2010 at 12:47 am and is filed under Geo, Soul Cafe. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.