Paranormal, What Does It Mean?
August 15, 2013 on 4:59 pm | In Article | No CommentsIf I had a nickel for every time someone asks what exactly is “paranormal”? Most of the general public refers to paranormal as simply being the unexplained. Any time we have an experience that we can’t explain away we refer to it as paranormal.
In truth the explanations are wide and varying. According to Wikipedia here is their take on what they list as paranormal.
Wikipedia.org: Paranormal is a general term (coined c. 1915–1920[1][2]) that designates experiences that lie outside “the range of normal experience or scientific explanation“[3] or that indicates phenomena understood to be outside of science’s current ability to explain or measure.[1][4] Paranormal phenomena are distinct from certain hypothetical entities, such as dark matter and dark energy, only insofar as paranormal phenomena are inconsistent with the world as already understood through empirical observation coupled with scientific methodology.[5]
Thousands of stories relating to paranormal phenomena are found in popular culture, folklore, and the recollections of individual subjects.[6] In contrast, the scientific community, as referenced in statements made by organizations such as the United States National Science Foundation, maintains that scientific evidence does not support a variety of beliefs that have been characterized as paranormal.[7]
According to Wikipedia the paranormal includes the afterlife, angels, astral projection, auras, clairvoyance, close encounters, cold spots, conjuration, cryptid, cryptozoology, demons, demonic possession, demonology, ectoplasm, electronic voice phenomenon or evp, exorcism, extrasensory perception, fear of ghosts, forteana, ghosts, ghost hunting, ghost stories, haunted houses, hypnosis, intelligent haunting, magic, medium ship, miracles, near-death experience, occult, Ouija, paranormal fiction, paranormal television, parapsychology, poltergeist, precognition, psychic, psychic readings, psychokineses, psychometry, reincarnation, remote viewing, residual haunting, shadow people, spirit photography, spirit possession, spirit world, spiritualism, stone tape, supernatural, superstition, telepathy, UFO, UFO sightings, ufology, urban legends, will-o-the-wisp.
Percentage of U.S. citizens polled |
||||
belief |
not sure |
belief |
not sure |
|
Farha-Steward (2006) |
Gallup (2001) |
|||
psychic/spiritual healing | 56 | 26 | 54 | 19 |
ESP | 28 | 39 | 50 | 20 |
haunted houses | 40 | 25 | 42 | 16 |
demonic possession | 40 | 28 | 41 | 16 |
ghosts/spirits of the dead | 39 | 27 | 38 | 17 |
telepathy | 24 | 34 | 36 | 26 |
extraterrestrials visited Earth in the past | 17 | 34 | 33 | 27 |
clairvoyance and prophecy | 24 | 33 | 32 | 23 |
communication with the dead | 16 | 29 | 28 | 26 |
astrology | 17 | 26 | 28 | 18 |
witches | 26 | 19 | 26 | 15 |
reincarnation | 15 | 28 | 25 | 20 |
channeling | 10 | 29 | 15 | 21 |
For each of us our culture, religion, and environment can make a huge difference in how we perceive the unexplained. Many back-woods cultures believe anything odd or unusual is paranormal. From a child born with an abnormality to seeing a shadow roaming ones property, anything different may be seen as paranormal. Many religions believe anything other than angels are always dark or evil. It is basically our own personal take that defines what is paranormal to us.
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