One of the most interesting things about the supernatural realm is that it is so intangible.
Some of the experiences are purely individual experiences, some are group experiences, but none of it seems to be able to be captured and analysed deeply enough to have absolute proof.
Some first hand conversations include:
"I saw my deceased son and he reassured me he was ok".
"I saw my deceased husband and he told me to go back to Church".
"I saw an angelic being"
"I saw a ghost like figure.."
"I hear a voice say to me.."
"I felt something touch me..."
"There was a presence in the room.."
Then occasionally, two or more witnesses see something tangible:
"We both saw the can move across the table..."
"My husband and I both had the same experience but were unaware of it until one day we discussed this strange phenomenon.."
"Everyone who worked in the back of the factory has seen the creature..."
"The whole group saw this blue ball moving back and forth above the graveyard..."
And then you have cryptozoology.
"...everyone on this street has seen the black panther.."
"..there was Yowie sign everywhere..broken branches, tree bites, stick formations.."
"..the whole group saw this large creature in the water that defied description and it was in an inland lake.."
But never any tangible proof for the scientific community. In a country where we have shot, skinned and stuffed every animal, why can't we catch a black panther (and I don't count the tail from the deer hunter that came back as domestic cat DNA as sufficient for the general community). Why no Yowie body? Why no anything.
I am not for one second discounting the experiences that people are having. But the weight of evidence suggests the encounters are less tangible than the paranormal community would like them to be. Which leads to all kinds of other theories - eg are these animals completely real or otherworldy by nature?
This week we celebrated a 2,000 year old story that a man was killed and then came back to life. That is very hard to prove scientifically. And I'm not going to try to.
Imagine if you were witness to that, and then had to tell people who didn't have the same experience. What would they think? Loony? Agenda? Easily influenced? Not rational enough?
Without a doubt, the weight of evidence of the supernatural/paranormal realm is found wanting. Yet even skeptics run blogs on it. Y'know why? Because the amount of experience far outweighs the amount of evidence and even without evidence, that is something that we all have to deal with.
Every week, someone tells me about a haunting but I can't prove it..
I saw a can move across a table and spin in a way that was controlled and sentient, but I can't prove it.
When I was a kid a saw a huge hairy thing on two legs in the bush, but I can't prove it.
I believe that Jesus is real, but in reality if you don't believe it, I can't scientifically prove it upon request.
And that's why, I believe that in sharing what we do believe, be it believer or skeptic, that we do it in "gentleness and respect".
Because the only reality is that we don't know everything and if you think you do understand a subject and refuse to move on it, your learning experience has ended and you are now in the realm of dogma.
My online friend who is known as Nightwalker has caused heaps of grief for people who are dogmatic in their thinking, simply because he challenges people to present their evidence. And they react angrily when they can't do it in the minimum way required by science. Yet he also respects my religious beliefs, even though he is agnostic and has insisted "there is a place for folklore, mythology and good old fashioned yarns" in cryptozoology. He's not saying it's harmful but is saying "lets not call it evidence, lets call it experiences" that take into account the whole physical, mental, emotional and spiritual range of human community.
So, in light of that, lets stay humble because whether you are skeptic, believer or something in between, we still have much to learn.
God bless you,
Pastor Baz.
No comments:
Post a Comment