by Cowboy Bob Sorensen
In Part 1, we looked at how paranormal activities are on the increase, and much of it appears to be documented in videos. While many on YouTube say they are for entertainment, many are treated as if they were factual.
There are many reasons to reject them. The reasons include suspicious presentations, video qualities, and circumstances. Also involved are mistakes and faulty reasoning on the part of the presenters as well as those who comment. Today, we will look at reasons to take some of them seriously. More importantly, we'll look at the spirit behind them.
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| Modified from an image by Pete Linforth [42] on Pixabay |
Reasons to Consider the Videos
It must be terribly frustrating and disheartening to have an experience and catch it on video (decent cameras on smartphones and elsewhere are so common), then have people poke holes in it. Although a passel of allegedly supernatural videos are fake, what is a sincere person to do? They know what they experienced, nobody else was in the room at the time, and so on.
- While a video or photograph may seem suspicious, it is extremely difficult to debunk from a monitor. It would be nice if skilled, trustworthy people were available to examine the scene and interview the people involved. Obviously, because we cannot debunk something from far a is not a reason to accept a video as genuine, but knee-jerk rejection is the opposite extreme.
- Although some people can be skilled actors, the reactions of people involved often seem real.
- Photos and videos (many streamed live) contain images and such that were not noticed at the time, but were pointed out by others.
- For many years, UFO and spirit sightings could get someone labeled as a kook, but that stigma is in the past for the most part. Even so, there are still people who shun publicity and wish to remain anonymous.
- They can't all be hoaxes or mistakes, especially when credible witnesses — people who may risk their reputations — are involved. We have seen reports of UFOs by military personnel (here is just one recent example [21]), or paranormal footage on police body cams (like this tragic situation [22]), as well as from others who are respectable.
Now we'll move on with a bit less emphasis on the videos themselves and ride up on the hill to look down at the bigger picture.
Perhaps some are not Spirits
Have some of our senses been lost or diminished since the creation of Adam and Eve, who would have been physically perfect? I reckon so. Most of us are familiar with the feeling of being watched, then looking up and seeing that it was so. I have no explanation, but I've read suggestions of "pressure waves". It may be worth investigating.
The human body has electrical energy, just like other living organisms. It affects several (if not all) of our senses. We react to some energies without knowing it. Poorly-shielded wiring can cause what paranormal investigators call the "fear cage effect [23]". This can make people physically ill and even induce hallucinations. Feel creepy in that old basement? You may want to get an electrician to check out the electromagnetic fields around the wiring.
Moving on, it should not be surprising that we also react to sound waves and other vibrations. Infrasound is below the limits of human hearing, but has been reported to cause physiological effects on the eye as well as the ears. It has been linked to depression and hallucinations.
In both of those examples, the spirit activity isn't.
By the way, how about a little experiment if you're feeling depressed, angry, or something else that's negative? Give rock, rap, metal, country, and other music with lots of beat and bass a rest for couple of days. Go for baroque [24], see if your emotions improve.
This part may get me kicked out of some Christian circles. Animals, children, other sensitive people are more likely to see or hear things that escape the rest of us. Is that the result of heightened senses?
Let's continue with that. Imagine if you will that (like other people) you see someone dressed in clothing from long ago. This "ghost" goes on about some business, but does not interact with you. This kind of thing has been termed a "residual haunting". It is like a recording. These are more likely when a structure is built on a foundation that has substantial amounts of quartz or limestone. The "stone tape theory" may have some validity, and some material in this article could prove useful [25]. Or at least, be interesting. At any rate, there may not really be spirits present after all.
Creepypasta
This is a new word for me. Essentially, creepypasta is a category [26] of horror stories and urban legends spread online with variations. A famous example is called Slenderman (get the skinny on him here [27]. Related to this (maybe his cousin) is Hat Man [28]. Seeing either fictitious being is supposed to be a harbinger of disaster, depending on the storyteller. These may have their origins in the shadow beings [29] common in some religions as well as legends around the world. People claim to have seen this character in their videos and photos.
Another creature is known as the Rake [30] is a monster that torments and kills people. While the modern version is based on old legends of creatures that came to harm people in the night, the name for the Rake seems to have an unknown origin. There are videos of creatures, sometimes in wooded areas, which are quite a bit different from the legends. Nuke posted this clip [31]. He did not say it was a Rake, but some commenters identified it as such. Kallen posted one that he identified as a Rake [32] that looks "quite authentic". And they know this because...? I'd like to know how to tell a Rake from a Skinwalker [33]. After all, the legends evolve through time, chance, and random processes.
Giving People What they Want
Is any of what we've been reading and viewing real? Although some people are extremely skilled and can make fabulous hoaxes, I believe some of these things are actually happening. UFOs (or to use the new term UAP, Unexplained Aerial Phenomena), scary monsters, ghosts, demons, and so on all have a basis in reality. But not in the way most people may think.
All around the world, there are regional creatures. Jinn, sprites (elves and fairies), tiyul [34], jiangshi, taniwha, tengu, La Llorona, banaspati — look them up if you have a notion, but they are creatures from all over the world. Some are found in creepypasta and videos ("Could this be La Llornona?"), and the legends vary like those just above. In the Old Testament, we read that enemies of Israel had various regional deities.
People who are reading this expecting something esoteric may be disappointed to learn that I fully believe that these spirits are the work of Satan and his demons. Stay with me, you've read this far and there are important things to know.
Satan has been around since creation, but he rebelled against God (Isaiah 14:12-14, Ezekiel 28:11-17). He hates us (John 10:10, 1 Peter 5:8), the crown of creation (Heb. 2:5-16), and has set up false gods — demonic spirits — to deceive us. Watching some of the people in these videos talking to demons as if they were stupid human spirits ("Do you know you're dead?") is cringeworthy.
They are not stupid! In fact, they have been around for thousands of years, and have plenty of experience. People working from guesswork, speculations, and mythology — that stuff is harmful. I agree with others who point out that they are not only evil and deceptive, but brilliant and cunning. Those people who are telling spirits "this is a camera" are wasting their time. They know that, pilgrim.
Satan is giving people what they want, what they expect. Things have changed over time, but consider: Hat Man and other things are not really new. They are new appearances of the same old demons, sometimes appropriating popular culture. A spirit peeking around the corner or a shadow figure in the doorway is scary and gets our attention, doesn't it? We focus on that, and maybe "cleanse" the house with more occult practices and paraphernalia, but those results are inconsistent at best. Why is palo santo or sage supposed to "cleanse", anyway? Perhaps the demons like it.
People expect spirit manifestations in cemeteries, or places of tragic death, so Satan gives it to them. They wanted regional spirits, he supplied them. Oh, you want something new? Okay, UFOs. He may be holding a demonic committee meeting while you're reading this to see what else can distract people from the truth and have them burrow into occult traps.
Terrible Truth and Opening Doors
Let's be blunt: spirits (which are demonic entities) want to harm people's souls by taking them captive and keeping them away from saving faith in Jesus Christ. When watching some videos, I have not seen people who are knowledgeable Christians who "walk the talk". Some may be token religious folks, and when they say, "In the name of Jesus", it does not go well (an example is in Acts 18:13-16). Just like the Mohammedans who keep shouting bismillah but the activity continues or even gets worse, only the name of Jesus used by a born-again believer is effective.
People can open themselves up to demonic oppression [35]. Not necessarily possession, that can come later. One of the first ways is through occult involvement. Ouija boards are not fun toys, they are dangerous. In fact, King Frostmare said on more than one occasion that using them is foolish. (In addition, the Randonautica app has been likened to a digital Ouija board. I referenced this video earlier, but it's worth mentioning again: Leonore at The Darkest Secret strongly warns against it [36].) Occult activity is essentially inviting the spirits into your life. Continued activity is courting not only demonic oppression, but possession. Know what the people who used occult arts did in the book of Acts? They repented and chose to burn their paraphernalia (Acts 19:19).
Someone was told that he himself is haunted, that it is a problem passed along through ancestors. Indeed, people who have had demonic problems have examined their family history and learned that, for instance, a great-great-grandmother practiced witchcraft, or one of the multi-great ancestors was a shaman.
Of course, unbelievers are already under the control of Satan (John 8:44, 2 Cor. 4:4), and it's only by the grace and mercy of God that they are not overwhelmed or destroyed. Bible-believing Christians can have demonic oppression, but can never be possessed. Knowing, flagrant sin in people's lives also gives Satan a foothold. People must humble themselves and repent.
The UFO Connection
All of these ghost and demon things tie in with UFOs. In this reported incident involving sleep paralysis [37], the demonic encounter is similar to that of people who have undergone alien abduction. There are reports of people who are Christians that have cried out to Jesus during an abduction and the activity ceased. Now, why would any self-respecting denizen of the Pleiades care about the name of a Jewish carpenter who was crucified?
Because they're not self-respecting and not from up yonder. They know who Jesus is and that he bodily arose from the dead. He is God the Son, the Creator. No wonder those sidewinders lit a shuck [38] out of there! For related material on the demonic nature of space aliens, I highly recommend the book Alien Intrusion: UFOs and the Evolution Connection by Gary Bates, and the companion movie, Alien Intrusion: Unmasking a Deception (which I reviewed here [39]).
Some readers may be interested in something that is beyond the scope of this article, but worth mentioning anyway. The article is "Astral Projection Exposed: Sleep Paralysis & The Demonic Realm [40]". Also, for immediate viewing on YouTube, Ian Juby has a series of four half-hour videos, "UFOs, Aliens, and Genesis" that I also recommend. The first part is here [41].
My Last Words
You may have noticed that I haven't mentioned spirits of the dead. That's because there aren't any. While some may protest that they have friendly spirits, that is a part of the deception. After all, they masquerade as angels of light when necessary (2 Cor. 11:14). People need to look to God, not spirits or traditions about contacting and dealing with spirits. That only leads to bondage, but repentance and salvation through Jesus Christ are our only hope. That applies to occult matters as well as eternal life.
Although this song is officially a parody, it's not funny in the least:
References and Notes
[21] https://youtu.be/MQv47CY7_Ok, accessed 21 October 2021
[22] https://youtu.be/acaJhNRR10k, accessed 21 October 2021
[23] https://www.diamondstateghostinvestigators.com/paratech/, accessed 21 October 2021
[24] https://youtu.be/BjnnUCmNREI, accessed 21 October 2021
[25] https://spookygeology.com/haunted-rocks-the-stone-tape-theory/, accessed 21 October 2021
[26] https://www.bark.us/blog/what-is-creepypasta/, accessed 21 October 2021
[27] https://theslenderman.fandom.com/wiki/Slender_Man, accessed 21 October 2021
[28] https://youtu.be/B22oTuVcjjQ?t=298, accessed 21 October 2021
[29] https://youtu.be/wncjXEMaQB0?t=201, accessed 21 October 2021
[30] https://urbanlegends.fandom.com/wiki/The_Rake, accessed 21 October 2021
[31] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ABdxBmve2lM&t=320s, accessed 21 October 2021
[32] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ichwBmXAvX8&t=649s, accessed 21 October 2021
[33] https://allthatsinteresting.com/skinwalker, accessed 21 October 2021
[34] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ku-yONYhDgw&t=86s, accessed 21 October 2021
[35] https://www.facebook.com/WHYOutreach/photos/a.1126558437373513/2732560766773264/, accessed 21 October 2021
[36] https://youtu.be/wlpWSc0djBA, accessed 21 October 2021
[37] https://youtu.be/U28EweoYkGU?t=334, accessed 21 October 2021
[38] Western slang for get out in a hurry, https://truewestmagazine.com/what-do-western-novelists-mean-by-light-a-shuck/, accessed 21 October 2021
[39] https://www.piltdownsuperman.com/2018/04/alien-intrusion-unmasking-deception.html, accessed 21 October 2021
[40] https://reasonsforjesus.com/astral-projection-exposed-sleep-paralysis-the-demonic-realm/, accessed 21 October 2021
[41] https://youtu.be/fzrsNNNiDSQ, accessed 21 October 2021
[42] https://pixabay.com/photos/spooky-fear-scary-mystery-2580619/, accessed 21 October 2021