Download or read book Believing in Ghosts and Spirits written by Hu Baozhu and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2020-09-21 with total page 298 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The present book by Hu Baozhu explores the subject of ghosts and spirits and attempts to map the religious landscape of ancient China. The main focus of attention is the character gui 鬼, an essential key to the understanding of spiritual beings. The author analyses the character gui in various materials – lexicons and dictionaries, excavated manuscripts and inscriptions, and received classical texts. Gui is examined from the perspective of its linguistic root, literary interpretation, ritual practices, sociopolitical implication, and cosmological thinking. In the gradual process of coming to know the otherworld in terms of ghosts and spirits, Chinese people in ancient times attempted to identify and classify these spiritual entities. In their philosophical thinking, they connected the subject of gui with the movement of the universe. Thus the belief in ghosts and spirits in ancient China appeared to be a moral standard for all, not only providing a room for individual religiosity but also implementing the purpose of family-oriented social order, the legitimization of political operations, and the understanding of the way of Heaven and Earth.
Download or read book Scientifical Americans written by Sharon A. Hill and published by McFarland. This book was released on 2017-12-08 with total page 255 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the 21st century, reality television and the Internet have fed public interest in ghosts, UFOs, cryptozoology and other unusual phenomena. By 2010, roughly 2000 amateur research and investigation groups formed in the U.S.--ghost hunters, Bigfoot chasers and UFO researchers, using an array of (supposedly) scientific equipment and methods to prove the existence of the paranormal. American culture's honorific regard for science, coupled with the public's unfamiliarity with scientific methods, created a niche for self-styled paranormal experts to achieve national renown without scientific training or credentials. The author provides a comprehensive examination of the ideas, missions and methods promoted by these passionate amateurs.
Download or read book American Secularism written by Joseph O. Baker and published by NYU Press. This book was released on 2015-09-25 with total page 303 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A rapidly growing number of Americans are embracing life outside the bounds of organized religion. Although America has long been viewed as a fervently Christian nation, survey data show that more and more Americans identify as "not religious." American Secularism documents how changes to American society have fueled these shifts in the (non)religious landscape and examines the diverse and dynamic world of secular Americans. Baker and Smith offer a framework for understanding nonreligious belief systems as worldviews in their own right, rather than merely as negations of religion. Drawing on multiple sources of empirical data, this volume explores how people make meaning outside of organized religion, outlines multiple expressions of secular identity, and connects these self-expressions to patterns of family formation, socialization, social class, ethnicity, gender, and sexuality. Further, the authors demonstrate how shifts in secularisms reflect changes in the political meanings of religion in American culture. Ultimately, American Secularism offers a more comprehensive sociological understanding of worldviews beyond traditional religion. -- from back cover.
Download or read book Ghosts written by Roger Clarke and published by Macmillan + ORM. This book was released on 2014-10-07 with total page 401 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A New York Times Book Review Editor's Choice A comprehensive, authoritative and readable history of the evolution of the ghost in the west, examining the behavior of the subject in its preferred environment: the stories we tell each other. "Roger Clarke tells this [the story that inspired Henry James' The Turn of the Screw] and many other gloriously weird stories with real verve, and also a kind of narrative authority that tends to constrain the skeptical voice within... [An] erudite and richly entertaining book." —New York Times Book Review No matter how rationally we order our lives, few of us are completely immune to the suggestion of the uncanny and the fear of the dark. What explains sightings of ghosts? Why do they fascinate us? What exactly do those who have been haunted see? What did they believe? And what proof is there? Taking us through the key hauntings that have obsessed the world, from the true events that inspired Henry James's classic The Turn of the Screw right up to the present day, Roger Clarke unfolds a story of class conflict, charlatans, and true believers. The cast list includes royalty and prime ministers, Samuel Johnson, John Wesley, Harry Houdini, and Adolf Hitler. The chapters cover everything from religious beliefs to modern developments in neuroscience, the medicine of ghosts, and the technology of ghosthunting. There are haunted WWI submarines, houses so blighted by phantoms they are demolished, a seventeenth-century Ghost Hunter General, and the emergence of the Victorian flash mob, where hundreds would stand outside rumored sites all night waiting to catch sight of a dead face at a window. Written as grippingly as the best ghost fiction, A Natural History of Ghosts takes us on an unforgettable hunt through the most haunted places of the last five hundred years and our longing to believe.
Download or read book Haunting Experiences written by Diane Goldstein and published by University Press of Colorado. This book was released on 2007-09-15 with total page 282 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Ghosts and other supernatural phenomena are widely represented throughout modern culture. They can be found in any number of entertainment, commercial, and other contexts, but popular media or commodified representations of ghosts can be quite different from the beliefs people hold about them, based on tradition or direct experience. Personal belief and cultural tradition on the one hand, and popular and commercial representation on the other, nevertheless continually feed each other. They frequently share space in how people think about the supernatural. In Haunting Experiences, three well-known folklorists seek to broaden the discussion of ghost lore by examining it from a variety of angles in various modern contexts. Diane E. Goldstein, Sylvia Ann Grider, and Jeannie Banks Thomas take ghosts seriously, as they draw on contemporary scholarship that emphasizes both the basis of belief in experience (rather than mere fantasy) and the usefulness of ghost stories. They look closely at the narrative role of such lore in matters such as socialization and gender. And they unravel the complex mix of mass media, commodification, and popular culture that today puts old spirits into new contexts.
Download or read book Priest Answers 27 Questions You Never Thought to Ask written by Fr. Michael Kerper and published by Sophia Institute Press. This book was released on 2017 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Do ghosts really exist? Do I have to give money to every beggar who comes along? Is it okay to be cremated? How many times have you asked questions such as these but never took the time to seek the answer? And not just any answer — a Catholic answer! With wit and enthusiasm, Fr. Michael Kerper — a popular Catholic priest in New England — tackles over two dozen such questions in this fast-paced and thoroughly enjoyable book. Read this book, and you’ll soon know the answers to questions such as: Holding hands and kissing: why does everyone do something different at Mass?What is — and isn’t — a heresy?Why doesn’t Pope Francis like pets?What ever happened to Limbo?Why can’t women become priests?Can Catholics believe in reincarnation?Is it okay to be cremated?Why are the psalms so violent?Was Christ really born on Christmas Day?Do ghosts really exist?Why do priests get moved? Fr. Kerper tackles each question head-on, relying on Scripture, tradition, the Catechism, and the writing of the saints. Read this book, and you’ll soon be armed with little-known knowledge that will fascinate and impress all those who have never taken the time to seek the Catholic answer.
Download or read book Introduction to International and Global Studies Third Edition written by Shawn C. Smallman and published by UNC Press Books. This book was released on 2020-07-06 with total page 377 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Shawn C. Smallman and Kimberley Brown's popular introductory textbook for undergraduates in international and global studies is now released in a substantially revised and updated third edition. Encompassing the latest scholarship in what has become a markedly interdisciplinary endeavor and an increasingly chosen undergraduate major, the book introduces key concepts, themes, and issues and then examines each in lively chapters on essential topics, including the history of globalization; economic, political, and cultural globalization; security, energy, and development; health; agriculture and food; and the environment. Within these topics the authors explore such diverse and pressing subjects as commodity chains, labor (including present-day slavery), pandemics, human rights, and multinational corporations and the connections among them. This textbook, used successfully in both traditional and online courses, provides the newest and most crucial information needed for understanding our rapidly changing world. New to this edition: *Close to 50% new material *New illustrations, maps, and tables *New and expanded emphases on political and economic globalization and populism; health; climate change, and development *Extensively revised exercises and activities *New resume-writing exercise in careers chapter *Thoroughly revised online teacher's manual
Download or read book The Truth Behind Ghosts Mediums and Psychic Phenomena written by Ron Rhodes and published by Harvest House Publishers. This book was released on 2006-09-01 with total page 162 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Psychics, mediums, and ghosts have become a sensation in our culture today. As a result, there are many confusing and deceptive beliefs presented. Ron Rhodes, respected and popular biblical scholar, tackles the truth about ghosts and those who say they communicate with them and answers the questions: Do ghosts in any shape or form exist? Why is there a rise in psychic phenomena today? What do psychics believe about God, Jesus, and salvation? What is Satan's role with the paranormal? How can parents protect their family from the psychic trend? This reader-friendly presentation of intriguing facts and biblical insights will help Christians know how to respond to this fascination with the ultimate truth.
Download or read book From the Grave written by David Housewright and published by Minotaur Books. This book was released on 2020-07-28 with total page 237 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A past case comes back to haunt Twin Cities P.I. McKenzie as a stolen sum of money threatens to resurface in From the Grave, the next mystery in David Housewright’s award-winning series. Once a police detective in St. Paul, Minnesota, Rushmore McKenzie became an unlikely millionaire and an occasional unlicensed private investigator, doing favors for friends. But this time, he finds himself in dire need of working on his own behalf. His dear friend and first love Shelby Dunston attends a public reading by a psychic medium with the hope of connecting with her grandfather one final time. Instead, she hears McKenzie’s name spoken by the psychic in connection with a huge sum of stolen—and missing—money. Caught in a world of psychic mediums, with a man from his past with a stake in the future, and more than one party willing to go to great and deadly lengths to get involved, McKenzie must figure out just how much he’s willing to believe—like his life depends on it—before everything takes a much darker turn.
Download or read book Hauntings Possessions and Exorcisms written by Adam C. Blai and published by Emmaus Road Publishing. This book was released on 2017-08-01 with total page 156 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: How do you fight an enemy you can’t see? In this field guide to defense against the demonic, Adam Blai, an expert in religious demonology and exorcism for the diocese of Pittsburgh, shares information and advice gained over years of extensive experience with the paranormal. Review the scriptural evidence about demons—who were cast down to earth, not hell—and the tricks they play to try to gain influence in our lives. You’ll also discover the tools the Church has developed for us to combat and resist the forces of evil. Written in an easy-to-read style, this book is perfect for the Catholic looking to learn more about the invisible forces hell-bent on the destruction of your soul—and how to claim the victory Christ has already won.
Download or read book Chasing Ghosts written by Marc Hartzman and published by Quirk Books. This book was released on 2021-09-28 with total page 257 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “A fantastic book.”—Ben Kissel, co-host of Last Podcast on the Left Take a spirited tour through the supernatural history of America—from haunted sites and famous ghosts to the paranormal investigations of The Conjuring’s real-life Ed and Lorraine Warren. Ghosts are everywhere—whether you believe in them or not. Every town has its local legends, and countless books, movies, and TV shows are haunted by their presence. But our obsession with ghosts runs deeper than we know—and is embedded in the very fabric of American history. Writer and historian Marc Hartzman dons the mantle of tour guide, taking readers on a fascinating journey through supernatural history, including: • The Fox Sisters and the rise of Spiritualism • The supernatural obsessions of famous figures like Sir Arthur Conan Doyle • Haunted Sites: Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia; LaLaurie House in New Orleans • Famous Ghosts: Bell Witch of Tennessee; Greenbrier Ghost of West Virginia • Paranormal Investigators: Ed and Lorraine Warren Deeply researched and highly entertaining, with archival images and black and white illustrations, Chasing Ghosts will satisfy believers and skeptics alike. “If you care about ghosts . . . this is the guide you've been waiting for.” —Grady Hendrix, New York Times bestselling author of The Final Girl Support Group
Download or read book The Apparitionists written by Peter Manseau and published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. This book was released on 2017-10-10 with total page 322 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A story of faith and fraud in post–Civil War America, told through the lens of a photographer who claimed he could capture images of the dead. In the early days of photography, in the death-strewn wake of the Civil War, one man seized America’s imagination. A “spirit photographer,” William Mumler took portrait photographs that featured the ghostly presence of a lost loved one alongside the living subject. Mumler was a sensation: The affluent and influential came calling, including Mary Todd Lincoln, who arrived at his studio in disguise amidst rumors of séances in the White House. Peter Manseau brilliantly captures a nation wracked with grief and hungry for proof of the existence of ghosts and for contact with their dead husbands and sons. It took a circus-like trial of Mumler on fraud charges, starring P. T. Barnum for the prosecution, to expose a fault line of doubt and manipulation. And even then, the judge sided with the defense, suggesting no one would ever solve the mystery of his spirit photography. This forgotten puzzle offers a vivid snapshot of America at a crossroads in its history, a nation in thrall to new technology while clinging desperately to belief. An NPR Best Book of 2017 “A rare work of historical nonfiction that is both studious and just plain entertaining.”—Publishers Weekly, Top Ten Books of 2017 “An exceptional story.”—Errol Morris, New York Times Book Review “Manseau has become the foremost chronicler of the deep American desire to believe in the weird, the strange, and the oddly wonderful.”—Jeff Sharlet, New York Times–bestselling author of The Family: The Secret Fundamentalism at the Heart of American Power
Download or read book Ghosts Believe in Me written by Rick McCallum and published by Independently Published. This book was released on 2020-08-30 with total page 222 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Rick McCallum has been a professional stuntman, actor and stunt coordinator for over 35 years, and has more than 75 movie and TV projects to his name. He has been in many horror movies, most notably Hatchet 2 where he is chain sawed in half by his best friend Kane (hey, what are friends for?).. He frequently played monsters or paranormal characters. He has stunt doubled for many well-known actors, including Barry Bostwick, Oliver Platt, Christopher Noth, and Greg Evigan among many others. Rick's real passion is the paranormal which began at age 13 and has been a lifelong pursuit. While working on a movie in Mansfield Reformatory, a very haunted prison in Ohio, he and Kane Hodder (Jason Voorhees in Friday 13th Parts 7, 8, 9, and 10) discovered a mutual interest in the paranormal and founded the Hollywood Ghost Hunters. They later added R.A. Mihailoff (Leatherface, Texas Chainsaw Massacre part 3). The three appeared on the TV show Ghost Adventures where they joined the GA crew in an investigation at the Pico House in Los Angeles. This book combines a unique blend of stories of movies, ghost hunting, and humor as Rick recounts the extraordinary happenings in his life. He has ghost hunted all over the United States, many times while on location for a movie, and has also ghost hunted at many of the most iconic haunted locations in Scotland, England, Ireland and Australia. The locations would be a bucket list for most paranormal investigators, including Waverly Sanitorium, the Queen Mary, Pioneer Saloon, Oman House, Rosslyn Chapel, Bachelor's Grove, Bolton Abbey, Greyfriars Cemetery, Hellfire Club, Leap Castle, and the Real Mary King's Close. Rick relays his time living in what may be the most haunted house in America, and the stories that happened there are incredible! Some of the hunts are fun, most are intense, and the one at Leap Castle in Ireland is the most terrifying ghost experience you may ever read. What others have to say?... Rick's connection with the afterlife is undeniable, the spirits of Leap Castle made their presence known to him before he even stepped inside the building'. Greg Stewart, Scottish Paranormal .. The female spirits, especially Ruby love Rick, and call out his name on the Spirit Box, or in an actual voice you can hear every single time he has been here, and he has been here about a half dozen times! Jill Allen Padovese, Director, Haunted Lockdown, Pioneer Saloon.. I remembered Rick telling me about what happened at Leap Castle, and when I read the book I felt everything he was going through and it literally brought me to tears!!!! Deb White, Paranormal Investigator.. Rick shows up with just a little case of equipment and he gets just as much as any of the big TV production companies.. David Oman, the Oman House.. My most favorite memory of Rick was Scarefest 2018, when I watched him push a wheel chaired attendee to an event about a mile down the road because there wasn't room for her on the shuttle. Shannon Byers, Paranormal Author.. Rick was ghost hunting with my group at the Norwich Theater here in England, when he and I both saw a full body apparition six feet from us, and we both turned and said "did you see it too?" Mandy Fellows, Anubis Paranormal Investigations... Rick's approach to investigating Mary King's Close made it an amazing and memorable experience, his perception of his surroundings and the effect it had on others was unforgettable. J Craig Miller, Manager.. If Rick is there, spirit is there.. Ally Reid. Scottish Paranormal
Download or read book Werewolves Witches and Wandering Spirits written by Kathryn A. Edwards and published by Penn State Press. This book was released on 2002-10-25 with total page 249 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Bringing together scholars from Europe, America, and Australia, this volume explores the more fantastic elements of popular religious belief: ghosts, werewolves, spiritualism, animism, and of course, witchcraft. These traditional religious beliefs and practices are frequently treated as marginal in more synthetic studies of witchcraft and popular religion, yet Protestants and Catholics alike saw ghosts, imps, werewolves, and other supernatural entities as populating their world. Embedded within notarial and trial records are accounts that reveal the integration of folkloric and theological elements in early modern spirituality. Drawing from extensive archival research, the contributors argue for the integration of such beliefs into our understanding of late medieval and early modern Europe.
Download or read book True Hauntings written by Hazel M. Denning and published by Llewellyn Worldwide. This book was released on 1996 with total page 238 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Do spirits feel & think? Does death automatically promote them to a paradise-or as some believe, a hell?
Download or read book Engaging the Spirit World written by Kirsten W. Endres and published by Berghahn Books. This book was released on 2012-03-01 with total page 244 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In many parts of the contemporary world, spirit beliefs and practices have taken on a pivotal role in addressing the discontinuities and uncertainties of modern life. The myriad ways in which devotees engage the spirit world show the tremendous creative potential of these practices and their innate adaptability to changing times and circumstances. Through in-depth anthropological case studies from Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Myanmar, Laos, and Vietnam, the contributors to this book investigate the role and impact of different social, political, and economic dynamics in the reconfiguration of local spirit worlds in modern Southeast Asia. Their findings contribute to the re-enchantment debate by revealing that the “spirited modernities” that have emerged in the process not only embody a distinct feature of the contemporary moment, but also invite a critical rethinking of the concept of modernity itself.
Download or read book Company Aytch written by Samuel Sam Rush Watkins and published by CreateSpace. This book was released on 2012-12-10 with total page 186 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This collection explores monetary institutions linking Europe and the Americas in the seventeenth to nineteenth centuries.
