Is there a real connection between religion and belief in the paranormal? Some, particularly adherents of various religious faiths, will often argue that the two very different types of beliefs....

what do you think?

So here is where I come in with a different opinion:

I think it is totally cool if your group is religion based or if you go into it spiritually. However, I am in it for the science. We are pretty close to figuring out how to get things to manifest easier and getting better EVP's. I have to know how it works, I can just say... oh its because it is unknown... everything happens for a reason. Well there is SCIENCE behind it too. We dont use feelings, psychics, religion, or anything like that. I dont personally believe in religion but I dont dog on it either, I am pretty much open minded about everything. I take what I read, hear, etc and mold it all together to get a whole picture type of view... so to speak. But I know people in my group are Catholics and Christian's, which is awesome, but we dont incorporate that into our research.

Both for myself and my SO...we're both practicing Witches...his is different then mine, but we both believe in the paranormal. I've found that alternative religions are usually far more accepting of it, then the mainstream ones are. My brother is a born-again Christian, and he does not believe in the paranormal at all. My cousin is Church of England, and yet believes in it. So, I suppose, it just depends on your religion, belief system and personal view on it.

Recent science supports the idea that "conciousness breeds reality"

So, technically, every God ever worshiped probably exists in some form, because of the amount of energy people put into believing it.

My parents were devout Catholics yet they both believed in the paranormal because of all the experiences we have had over the years.

I don't think there has to be a connection between religion and belief in the paranormal. Believing in the paranormal is more of a personal thing rather than being connected to religion. Some religions might claim that believing in the paranormal is connected to the devil but since I don't believe in the devil, their claims are meaningless to me personally.

I was raised in a very Christian home. Through my childhood, I had tons of paranormal experiences and I found at the time, an anxiety about religion that has never quite gone away. Now that I am older, I do consider myself a Christian. I believe in God and pray often, however, I cannot denounce my experiences with the paranormal, and therefore my belief in such.

Quote:Is there a real connection between religion and belief in the paranormal? Some, particularly adherents of various religious faiths, will often argue that the two very different types of beliefs....

Well if you believe in something Supernatural. And religion is at it's base a belief in something Supernatural then the step to believing in something else Supernatural is allot shorter. If you believe that there are Gods, why not ghosts? Hell religion is a belief in the Paranormal. God or Gods sounds pretty Paranormal to me.

Being it is Sunday, which after church services, seems to reinforce my belief in the "Divine" but I can't see any relation between the "paranormal" and what I define as "religion". Having "odd' things going on in the house for years, nothing of a "religious" nature has taken place, at least as I define as "religious'". Not that I would be not open to such but I'm not holding my breath until it does.