What Do You Believe...Ghosts Demons or Hoaxes

For a topic 3000 years older than Algebra we haven't made much progress have we?

Do you believe in Ghosts? Well if you do, not to worry, you're not alone; according to a poll conducted by Gallup 31% of Americans in 2000 believed in Ghosts too. This is a 20% increase since 1978. In fact another poll conducted by Gallup in 2005 concludes that 3 out of 4 Americans believe in at least one type of the paranormal.

Are Ghost less shy, are the living more enlightened or have movies like "The Conjuring" and authors like Stephen King changed our perceptions of the world?

With so many people who state they have seen a ghost why isn't the scientific community conducting any research?

1. The scientific community will not provide a definition for the word "Ghosts."
2. Ghost hunting has been declared a pseudoscience.
3. Ghost detecting techniques and equipment cannot be improved upon or further discovered until the above 2 issues are addressed.
   

One might wonder though, where we would be today if Christopher Columbus was told traveling around the Earth was pseudoscience? Or Newton was told understanding why an apple falls to the ground was pseudoscience? Does it really hurt anyone to define ghosts and have a serious discussion and investigation of them?

To move on to a more frightening topic: Demons

The difference between Demons and Ghosts is a truly frightening one. Ghosts come in all sizes so to speak, but they all were once people. Ghosts can be reasoned with and most are completely harmless. Demons though, they cannot be trusted and 100% mean you harm. They have the ability to infest objects or homes, oppress the living and possess the living. The Catholic Church has long practiced the Rite of Exorcism and there is plenty of proof of demonic activities. In fact the Catholic Church approaches Demonic activity as a scientist would, they start with a hypothesis that their is a demon and their objective is to disprove the hypothesis. Though modern science has never accepted the existence of demons or demonic activity. Even though this is potentially an area much easier to prove.

When possessed humans can display supernatural strengths and abilities, speak languages they do not know, read the thoughts of those around them and even predict future events. While anyone could move into an unfortunate house or obtain an unfortunate object and find themselves in contact with a demon; possession is more rare and usually those susceptible have suffered abuses, traumas or been exposed to the occult.

Science has a long ways to go. Perhaps the greatest improvement would be to decide whether calling anything pseudoscience is a fair practice?

Though More importantly... What do you believe? What have you experienced? Or maybe a loved one or friend of yours experienced?