By Gurnam Singh | Opinion |
One of the appeals of religious priests and Godmen is the belief that, equipped with divine power, they can help to ward off evil spirits and ghosts. Because ghosts and spirits are a logical impossibility, if somebody believes they are possessed, then, the best way to deal with ghostly possessions is a good dose of science and logic. Failing this, I would recommend a good psychiatrist.
Let me explain. Even though we live in an age where religion is rapidly on the decline, belief in ghosts seems to be pretty widespread. Across the world the existence of spirits and an alternative realm is normal. The obsession with the supernatural more generally is evident in the huge number of movies that we can see on multiple platforms, such as Netflix and Amazon Prime. So what’s going on? How can such irrational beliefs in ghosts and spirits, where the evidence is almost non-existent, continue to occupy so much our time?
Belief in ghosts is deeply embedded in human culture and is part of a wider set of related paranormal phenomena, which paradoxically both terrorises and comforts people. So, if the spirits are ‘good’ we love them, but if they are ’bad’ we become frightened, leading to all kinds of psychological disorders.
One of the reasons why ghostly myths survive is their obscure nature, which can range from creaking doors, to missing items, a cold area in a house, hearing voices, through to objects flying across a room and to visions of people, often dressed in white robes!
The fact that human beings have the capacity for reasoning is no guarantee that we will utilise this ability; we are evidently also ‘unreasonable’ beings. So how can we get rid of ghosts by deploying reason, logic and science?
First, one needs to identify the many contradictions that are inherent in ideas about ghosts and spirits. The most powerful one being, if ghosts are material, then they cannot be ghosts, and if they are metaphysical, then there is no way for us to register their presence; that is other than in myth and belief. One could also pose the question, if ghosts are human souls, why do they appear clothed and within animate objects, such as weapons, musical instruments, clothes etc? But perhaps the most powerful scientific argument is, if ghosts and spirits are so prevalent, then why is there no serious scientific proof of their actual existence? But if it were scientifically proven that such entities exist, I would be the first to change my view.
One counter argument that could be made from a Sikh perspective is, how one accounts for the various references in Gurbani to Jamdhooths and Ghosts. Discussing theology is a complex area and beyond the scope of this short piece. However, the starting point would be that Gurbani is in part telling us of a different truth than science. Gurbani is poetry that mobilises all kinds of linguistic tropes and is not intended to serve as a scientific or factual reference. It reveals an inner truth about our human consciousness, ethics, spirituality, etc. In this regard, one can totally see how myths associated with magic and spiritual tropes can provide valuable insights into the human condition. In this regard, it is beyond question that gurbani reveals truths that science and logic will never do. The key point is not not to mix the two.
So, one can conclude ghosts, spirits and the various myths that are associated with them exist in the mind and the realm belief and fiction. So as long as we can continue to hold onto this understanding, then there is no way for them to trouble you and hence no need for priests and god-men. So my advice is to save your money and invest your savings in proper critical education.
Gurnam Singh is an academic activist dedicated to human rights, liberty, equality, social and environmental justice. He is an Associate Professor of Sociology at University of Warwick, UK. He can be contacted at Gurnam.singh.1@warwick.ac.uk
* This is the opinion of the writer and does not necessarily represent the views of Asia Samachar.
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