Ghost-Hunting Myths
Myth #1: If you enter a haunted location, you will see a ghost or experience the paranormal.
Reality: This is a common criticism of people who spend the night in a haunted house and nothing happens so they label the case debunked. It is absurd to believe that because you enter a haunted house, you will see a ghost. Ghosts are not here to put on a show for the living. The expectation to see a ghost immediately is unreasonable. The misperception of ghosts and haunted houses originate from popular culture movies and books. Real ghost hunting requires patience and diligence. Putting the timetable at one night or even one weekend to experience a ghost is ridiculous at best. It could take months or years to investigate the claims of a haunted house thoroughly.
Myth #2: Ghost hunters and pseudoscientists suppress or distort unfavorable data.
Reality: Without a doubt, there are hoaxers and frauds in the field of ghost hunting but the criticism suggests that if you are a ghost hunter then you will commit intentional deception. This complaint is a human flaw and not an inherent characteristic of a ghost hunter. In fact, a study conducted by researchers from the University of Edinburgh, Scotland, published in the journal PLoS One, discovered that one in seven scientists report that they have known colleagues to falsify or slant the findings of their research. Forty-six percent admitted to knowing of colleagues who had used questionable practices. The study found, “increasing evidence suggests that known scientific frauds are just the tip of the iceberg and that many cases are never discovered.” So do not be fooled by agenda-driven propaganda aimed to discredit ghost hunters by spreading unproven lies. There are no studies that prove this myth to be true.
Myth #3: Ghost hunting cannot be a science because it cannot produce a repeatable experiment.
Reality: If that statement is true, the following fields of science must also not be considered science: astronomy, geology, paleontology, epidemiology, economics and much of the social sciences. Of course, it would be ridiculous to make that conclusion. The person who believes ghost hunting cannot be science because it has no repeatable experiment would never make the same complaint about astronomy so we must then examine the mindset of the person making the complaint. Typically, people repeat what they have heard without question if the statement fits their ideology. Ideology is a set of beliefs that form the basis of a political, cultural, economic, religious or other system. Many critics of ghost hunting do not do criticize from a scientific standpoint. The critics use experimental science as an excuse for an ideological attack.
Myth #4: You need a psychic power to be a ghost hunter.
Reality: No, having a psychic power is not a prerequisite of becoming a ghost hunter. Prospective ghost hunters should study the field, learn critical-thinking techniques and the ability to observe and listen. A ghost hunter should demonstrate how to think logically and reasonably. Other skills, even psychic powers, are secondary to cognitive reasoning.
Myth #5: It is a waste of time to ghost hunt because there is no such things as ghosts.
Reality: That is a personal opinion presented as fact and should have no influence on the study of ghosts. Skeptics often attempt to push their opinions onto others, presenting their opinions as fact. This type of propaganda is meant to discourage discussion and exploration of the subject. Ghost Hunters and parapsychologists should never be intimidated to investigate claims of the paranormal. The primary function of science is to examine extraordinary claims.
Myth #6: Ghosts can be summoned and controlled.
Reality: It is unlikely that someone can summon and control a ghost. Most of these beliefs come from a mixture of religions and new-age practices. There is no documented evidence of anyone being able to summon or control a ghost. There are individuals that claim to have this power but are unable to prove it when pressed. There is also a bit of fantasy involved. Some people like to feel that they have supernatural powers or magical ability to manipulate otherworldly entities.
Myth #7: Allowing electrical equipment near haunted sites during ghost hunts can harm ghosts.
Reality: Haunted houses are full of electrical wiring and countless electrical devices that are much more powerful than the equipment carried into a ghost hunt. It is extremely unlikely that a ghost hunter carrying a cell phone or EMF detector is causing harm to a ghost let alone the argument that the living can even harm a ghost. If an electrical trap is built to capture and restrain a ghost, then that could be considered harming a ghost.
Myth #8: Ghosts are indestructible, and the opposite, ghosts can be destroyed.
Reality: There is not enough factual information to make a solid conclusion. No one can be absolutely sure what a ghost is let alone whether or not it can be destroyed. There are too many unknown factors to present an absolute right or wrong answer.
Myth #9: EVP recordings are hoaxes because they never occurred until recently.
Reality: Recording the voices of the dead is not a new phenomenon. EVP recordings have become popular in recent years because of the ease and clarity of digital audio recorders, but the phenomenon itself dates back over one hundred years. Thomas Edison was one of the first to try to build a machine to communicate with ghosts. In October of 1920, an article appeared in Scientific American Magazine entitled, “Edison Working to Communicate with the Next World.” This article confirmed that Edison was working on a secret project, the goal of which was to communicate with the dead. Edison explained to Scientific American, “I don’t claim anything because I don’t know anything, for that matter, no human being knows. But I do claim that it is possible to construct an apparatus which will be so delicate that if there are personalities in another existence who wish to get in touch with us, this apparatus will at least give them a better opportunity.”
On June 12, 1959, Friedrich Jurgenson, considered the father of EVP, was recording bird songs when he noticed unexplainable voices recorded on the tapes. At first, Friedrich believed that he was picking up radio signals. He was intrigued by the voices and continued recording inside his home. His controlled experiments produced results and he recorded more strange voices, some of which called him by name and commented on his work. Jurgenson’s work continued for another twenty-eight years until his death in 1987. He was convinced that the voices originated from the deceased.
An interesting fact that is unknown to many Catholics and Christians is that the Vatican was one of the first to study EVP phenomena. Two of the earliest EVP investigators were Italian Catholic priests, Father Ernetti and Father Gemelli, who came upon the strange phenomena by chance while recording Gregorian chants in 1952. The priests were deeply troubled by the paradox of recording ghostly voices and the Catholic teachings regarding contacting the dead so the two priests visited Pope Pius XII in Rome. The Pope reassured them:
- Dear Father Gemelli, you really need not worry about this. The existence of this voice is strictly a scientific fact and has nothing to do with spiritualism. The recorder is totally objective. It receives and records only sound waves from wherever they come. This experiment may perhaps become the cornerstone for a building for scientific studies which will strengthen people’s faith in a hereafter (Italian Journal Astra, June 1990 quoted Kubis and Macy, 1995:102).
The Vatican then gave permission for priests to conduct research into the recorded voices. Father Leo Schmid, a Swiss theologist, collected more than ten thousand EVP recordings, which were published in his book, “When the Dead Speak” in 1976, shortly after his death. Another Vatican-approved researcher was Father Andreas Resch who conducted his own EVP experiments and began courses in parapsychology at the Vatican’s school for priests in Rome.