Interview with the hosts of ParaTrinity radio

Paratrinity Radio is a weekly radio show on All Souls Paranormal Radio Network 11pm to 12.30am American EST.


To quote from their page:
"Mike and L.E. host a new radio show titled ParaTrinity Radio on Saturday nights on www.asprn.com airing live every Saturday from 11pm to 12:30am EST. ParaTrinity Radio centers around the subject of religion vs the paranormal. How they collide or correlate; how all the faiths accept or don't accept the paranormal. This idea was triggered from a debate that the hosts, Mike and LE, had had several years ago: from a "see it to believe it" standpoint can one believe in God but not ghosts? From this debate many other questions arose that they hope to bring to the public's attention on ParaTrinity Radio!"


I (bryony) was a guest on their show one week to talk about paranormal and cryptozoology and generally have a good chat! It was great :)


I thought instead of Mike and L.E asking all the questions, I'd ask them some questions! So here goes...


Bry: How did you become interested in the paranormal?
L.E: I've always liked stories of ghosts (real or imagined) growing up and some of my favorite movies had to do with ghosts. When my family moved to NJ, we lived in a house that my mom, my brother, and I all felt and saw a person watching us. Once my fiancee had passed in the house, the other spirit left.
Bry: Did you find growing up in a haunted house scary or was it all pretty normal?
L.E: In all honesty, I never thought about it till I got older that it would not be a normal thing. I never told anyone other than Mike about it, mainly for fear of what others might have thought. But I never felt scared or in danger from it.
Mike: Sadly, to be honest, I got interested from watching Ghost Hunters. It started by someone telling me about a haunted road real close to where I lived, spending nights driving up and down the road looking for the ghosts. Then I started to watch Ghost Hunters and that is when I wanted more, to investigate, and research. And it was from there that I started a ghost tour, moved into a group, and started radio
Bry: What made you start the radio show?

L.E: Well, it started from a debate Mike and I had in the car one evening. He's better at telling it than I am

Mike: I started radio before ParaTrinity Radio when someone asked me if I would like to have a ghost tour commercial aired for free. I was excited and started listening to the show and then listened to others, and determined I could do that too. I could talk to some cool, interesting, funny and nice people. So my brother and I started a radio show. A while after I got used to radio, enjoyed it, and decided I wanted to do another show, but I didn't know what the topic would be, or who I would host it with. So I asked L.E., "If you did a radio show what would you make it about?"

She replied, without hesitation, Religion in the paranormal. And the light bulb went on in my head and everything came together. As for where that idea came from, that dates back a couple more years. Before I started radio, we were in the car and I said I was unsure of my belief in ghosts. I said I need to see it to believe it. So her reply was, "How can you believe in God if you need to see it to believe it?" And we debated this for days. From then on, both our interests peaked and started to wonder can one exist without the other. We had our thoughts, opinions, and beliefs, but we wanted to hear the thoughts and opinions of all religions. That is when ParaTrinity Radio was born.
Bry: Do you feel the show has strengthened/reinforced any of your beliefs in the paranormal or religion? Or has it changed your mind completely?

L.E: I feel the show has changed some of my viewpoints of church and religion, but for the most part it has strengthened my beliefs in God and religion. I believe in God, and less and less in the church

Bry: What viewpoints have changed about church, God and religion?

L.E:  I grew up believing in God, being taught about him from my parents, however my family rarely went to church. My parents could never find that right church to go to. With the show, it has strengthened my belief that having to go to church is fine for some, but to worship him one need not be in church. He is everywhere. And that we are meant to make our own decisions, not have someone make it for us. So I guess my viewpoint there has not changed much from before. 

About religion? Well, although I was baptized Episcopalian, I do not know much about my religion. I hadn't honestly followed a religion since I was 5 or 6, when we moved from Texas. I sat through many different types of services, as I got older and I loved all of them. I loved that the bible promoted love, however, even before the show, I realized the hypocrisy of religion. The elitist, exclusivity of certain religions made me rethink. When Mike and I began the show and began to talk more about religion from experts, it just solidified my thoughts that religion can be both freeing to some, but oppressing to others.

Mike: The show has had a huge affect on my religious beliefs and how I view the paranormal. I was born and raised to be a Roman Catholic, forced into weekly mass and 12 years of Catholic schooling. This became habit more than anything, I felt that is what I needed to be, so that is what I said I was, even after I stopped attending weekly mass. Since I started this show I have come to realize what I believe and feel is not truly Roman Catholic and I have been fooling myself. I have come to terms with my true beliefs and understand better what I am searching for in the end and that it is not all about church.

As for how my view of the paranormal has changed. It is a much smaller change. The radio show has mostly changed what I feel a spirit or ghost is; what happens after death. I have a better understanding. However, I am still a skeptical believer as I was before starting the show.
Bry: Why do you think that a lot of churches refuse to discuss the paranormal?

L.E: I believe it is sometimes a fear of the unknown....Or fear that people will try to communicate more with the dead, which is something they do not condone.

Mike: From my experience on the radio show, I don't think most churches object to the discussion. I think they make it as discreet as possible, however, are open to the idea of the existence. To believe there is an afterlife and not believe there is paranormal is an oxymoron, in my opinion. I think churches are afraid to openly discuss it due to how they could be proofed wrong. The church has a very organized view of things and it needs to be one way for their church to retain its morals and credibility. The existence and research of the paranormal and possible communication with spirits could disprove their studied theories.

Bry: What are your thoughts about communicating with the dead?
L.E: I think it is cool communicate with the dead. I know we're not "supposed" to, but to be able to possibly get answers to so many questions...Of course I want to be careful, I don't want them to follow me home or hurt my family. Mike I am sure would love that, but I don't.

Mike: If I were to say I disagree with it I would be a big hypocrit. I do EVP sessions all the time as a part of my paranormal group, Cincinnati Paranormal. So I am okay with communicating with the dead, I don't think it hurts anything or anyone. I can understand why the church is against it, (as I stated earlier) but I think the church is too worried about the organization of the way they think it should be run. Why would God not want us to learn about Him or what happens in the afterlife? What's the secret? The only reason I would ever beleive it is a secret is because its a lie, the church made it up, and there is no afterlife, no God. And that is not something I am ready to believe. So I do think communicating with the dead, as long as done respectfully, is okay and moral.

Bry: If you could interview anyone on your show, who would it be?

L.E: Alexandra Holzer

Mike: To be honest, there is not any ONE person in particular. It is the type person that interests me the most. As a religion/paranormal show, we are looking for people in the paranormal field from all religious backgrounds - from Catholic to Satanist to Jehovah Witness to Jewish and beyond. We want all the different views we can find to help us learn more and expand the possibilities.

Mike and L.E - Thanks for taking the time out to share your opinions :)