Do you believe in the Supernatural

[Thespeckledkiwi]

Historian side says no, there is no definitive proof of the supernatural

Writing side says yes, just because somethings simply cannot be explained.

 

[Miss Chicken]

At one point I took a strict atheistic perspective but it just never seemed right to me; it seemed almost too easy. So, yes, I think there are things out there that we've yet to find.

I don't see how thinking that there are things left for us to discover is going against atheist belief in any way at all.

Depends on how you define atheist, I guess.

Atheist = someone who doesn't believe in God. people can believe in other "supernatural" phenomena and still be atheists. Most don't.

 

[sidious618]

Atheist = someone who doesn't believe in God. people can believe in other "supernatural" phenomena and still be atheists. Most don't.

You're right. Nowadays, though, when people hear "atheist" they automatically think the person does not beleive in anything.

 

[Locutus of Bored]

I don't believe in anything that allegedly airs on the so-called WB network. Except Chloe on 'Smallville.' She's real, and we are in love. She just doesn't know it yet.

In seriousness, I've never seen anything that would lead me to believe in the supernatural as defined by the OP. I still enjoy a good supernatural thriller novel, TV show, or movie though.

 

[Zulu Romeo]

All together now...

"If there's a steady paycheck in it, I'll believe anything you say!"

 

[ShamelessMcBundy]

I most certainly believe they exist.

 

[RAMA]

I don't mind an occasional story about the supernatural, but I don't believe in any of it, including any gods with powers beyond the natural laws of this universe. Mileage in other universes may vary.

RAMA

 

[The Sneeze Police]

No, but I love reading and watching stories about the supernatural.

 

[StarryEyed]

The word itself PROVES it doesn't exist. If any of it is ever found to be real then it'd be natural.

That's the best part about the 'Ghostbuster' films. They simply assume that if ghosts are ever found then science would be able to track and capture them. It's not even questioned in the movie, it's simply the way the universe works. Ghosts aren't 'supernatural' in that movie. They're just 'natural.'

Same thing in our reality. If ghosts are real, we'll be able to detect them in some way.

Does that mean they don't exist? Of course not. There are TONS of things science hasn't discovered yet. There very well could be ghosts out there. I'm just saying that there's no point whatsoever in believing in them before someone makes a machine that proves they exist.

My thoughts exactly. The very word is an oxymoron.

 

[Mr Awe]

I'm a skeptic but with an open mind. I recently went ghost hunting just to see what it would be like and to see what I could experience. Who knows. We went to this very old asylum that is considered to be very active and very reliably so. We went there and did a full bore ghost hunting, video cameras, audio recorders, etc. Not a single freaking thing. I came out of there more of a skeptic than ever. Instead of catching anything paranormal we just noticed tons of way people could confuse themselves with sounds and shadows. We heard noises, and tracked them down to natural things. We saw shadows move, but connected those to a moving light source. Etc. Of course, we just visited one place for one full night. It was a very cool experience though to explore this creepy ass place in the dark of night with nothing but small flashlights!

So, mostly, no I don't believe. I have had a few dreams that seemed to predict the future (very specifically down to exact conversations). But, I would never remember the dream until the event was taking place so I'm am suscipicious of mind tricks.

Mr Awe

 

[Mr Awe]

Everybody believes in the Supernatural. Some of us just use a different word for it. Anything that can't be explained that doesn't occur naturally as we know it is supernatural.

There is so much that we don't understand ... there is always a mystery out there that brings added depth and meaning to life, and of course, the occasionally apparently unexplainable event.

Sorry, but that's just not correct. Something can be unexplained but still have a natural explanation. Yes, there are mysteries but they probably have a perfectly natural, normal explanation.

Now, I think there are people who will tend to fill in these knowledge gaps with supernatural explanations while other people will assume that there are naturual, but unknown, explanations.

Mr Awe

 

[-Brett-]

I don't believe that anything supernatural exists. There's just natural phenomena that isn't understood.

 

[SilentP]

I'm generally a skeptic, but contrary to what people may expect of my atheistic disposition, I wouldn't rule out the possibilities that may be tied to the abilities of a living creature's mind, though I highly doubt it.

However, I do enjoy reading about the supernatural, stories and all, and I'll admit I'm a somewhat jumpy person, so I'd probably end up being a somewhat jittery person to take on a ghost hunting night.

 

[ManOnTheWave]

I believe there are things which go unexplained. I think most of the so called supernatural is bullshit. However, I find much of the stories entertaining. Even the outright charlatanry.

 

[RJDiogenes]

I have a great interest in the Supernatural, both as a sociological phenomenon and as a literary or artistic device, but I don't believe in it at all.

 

[iguana_tonante]

Everybody believes in the Supernatural. Some of us just use a different word for it. Anything that can't be explained that doesn't occur naturally as we know it is supernatural. For that matter, most of modern life would have once been filed in the "supernatural" category.

I disagree with your definition. Supernatural does not equal unexplained.

Those things that once were not explained but have since been were never supernatural - they were just unexplained but were always natural.

Everything in this entire universe is natural. Nothing that exists in this universe is supernatural.

Totally agree. I cannot fathom how one can confuse supernatural with unexplained. The universe is full with unexplained things. Supernatural? No, by definition.

 

[Middle Earther]

Yes I do. Since some say the word "supernatural" proves it doesn't exist: God is perfect, and it would be imperfect to not exist. Therefore, God exists. (Sorry, had to do that!)

 

[CaptainStoner]

Once you've lived enough of it, there's no need to wait for science to play catch-up. Although it is catching up.

 

[Unicron]

The word itself PROVES it doesn't exist. If any of it is ever found to be real then it'd be natural

I agree, but until we have the ability to better define this phenomenon (if it exists) in natural terms, I think the term supernatural is valid.

Same thing in our reality. If ghosts are real, we'll be able to detect them in some way.

Possibly, although the chance exists that we won't ever be able to construct a device that could do so reliably. Assuming for the sake of argument that ghosts exist and spend most of their time in some other reality, there's no reason to assume the rules of that reality would match ours.

Does that mean they don't exist? Of course not. There are TONS of things science hasn't discovered yet. There very well could be ghosts out there. I'm just saying that there's no point whatsoever in believing in them before someone makes a machine that proves they exist.

Agreed. I find the idea of ghosts fascinating, but I always say I'm interested in the possibility of their existence rather than believing that they're real. I don't think the evidence is that solid at present, and there are many reports that are either mistakes or people lying to get attention. I think the best perspective is a good blend of open-mindedness and healthy skepticism.

 

[Gryffindorian]

I believe more in paranormal than in supernatural phenomena. Say, what the hell's the difference anyway?

I think "paranormal" was popularized by The X-Files ; thus I tend to associate it more with UFOs, modern and urban myths like Big Foot, the Loch Ness Monster, clairvoyance, and psychic phenomena. When I hear "supernatural," I immediately think of ghosts, hauntings, demonic possessions, exorcism--aspects of religion that deals with death and the afterlife.

The truth is, I want to believe.