(11-03-2024, 12:12 PM)Michigan Swamp Buck Wrote: I love the stories. I believe what the Rogues have written here are truthful reports of their experiences.
This is a long thread and I've reread through page three before I posted this. So I don't know if anyone considered the question I pose now.
What is the definition of, or the use of, the word "spirit" in this discussion?
For myself, I would define it as a usually unseen, sentient, energy field. Now that definition is imperfect, as there are some hauntings that seem to not be sentient, but rather re-plays of past events as if they were mere recordings. Also, under certain conditions they can be seen, negating the "unseen" part of the definition I use.
"Demons" are an ancient Mesopotamian concept, spirit beings who have never been human to differentiate them from "ghosts", which are spirit beings that once were human. They have commonalities (both "spirit beings"), but also differences - whether they have ever been human or not. The concept of demons has been adopted by both Christianity and Islam - I don't know enough about Judaism to say whether they believe in demons or not - but they are a concept as old as religion, whatever that religion may be.
I think an "evil spirit" can be either one. There are definitely evil people around,and I can't imagine them suddenly becoming "good" just because they shuffle off this mortal coil. As my Dear Old Dad used to say, "if yer a sonofabitch while yer alive, yer gonna be a sonofabich after yer not."
The notion of an "unclean spirit" does imply the existence of "clean spirits". Otherwise, there would be no need to specify "unclean".
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