Two paranormal investigators claim to have filmed a strange monk-like figure during a visit to an ancient ruined church in Clophill, Bedfordshire. They're adamant that no one else was there at the time and are convinced it was a ghost. During the 1960s, apparently, there were strange satanic rituals at the church.
It has to be said this figure isn't all that convincing, and looks as if someone's visited a fancy-dress shop and hired a 'Spooky Monk' outfit. However, belief that the spirits of the dead somehow persist and can interact with the world of the living are common in every culture. There's a rich vein of storytelling on page and screen based on this belief, from the terrifying tales of MR James to the rollicking Bill Murray Ghostbusters film.
But are ghosts real, and what are Christians to think about them?
There are two Bible passages that might be relevant. One is the story of Saul and the Witch of Endor in 1 Samuel 28. He is terrified at the size of the Philistine army and asks the witch to raise the spirit of the dead prophet Samuel for him to consult. She sees "an old man wearing a robe", "coming up out of the ground". It looks as though Saul can't see him (he asks the witch what the figure looks like) but the two have a conversation.
The second is the story Jesus tells about the Rich Man (or 'Dives') and Lazarus in Luke 16:19-31. Lazarus is a beggar at Dives' gate. When both die, angels carry Lazarus to "Abraham's bosom" while Dives is sent to hell. Dives asks Abraham to send Lazarus to cool his tongue with a drop of water, but he replies: "Between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who want to got from here to you cannot, nor can anone cross over from there to us" (verse 26). This seems to tie in with verses like Hebrews 9:27, which says: "Man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment."
These biblical passages appear to contradict each other. But perhaps we need to understand a little more about them. To begin with, the Bible is not very interested in ghosts, and that is quite striking because of the length of time – around 1,000 years – over which it was written. The story of the appearance of Samuel is the exception. It looks as though it was a common enough belief, but the biblical writers didn't acknowledge or validate it.
But what was happening in the story? Some argue that it wasn't Samuel's spirit at all, but some sort of angelic figure whom God sent to speak in a way that Saul would understand and believe. Others say it was Samuel, not called up by the witch but sent by God for this special task. Others argue that this is literature, not history, and Samuel's appearance is like the ghost of Hamlet's father – a plot device rather than strict historical fact. Against this, Saul's story as a whole is certainly told as history.
However, Jesus' story in Luke 16 is perhaps not as relevant as it might seem, either. As an Evangelical Alliance report on The Nature of Hell says, it is based on "a well-established Near Eastern folk tale...in which the central concerns were avarice, stewardship and pride rather than the mechanics of heaven and hell".
From a biblical point of view, then, there isn't much to say about ghosts – though the Bible's virtual silence is an argument against being too credulous about them.
At the same time, belief in ghosts has always been very common. Back in the 18th century, the famous English writer Samuel Johnson – a devout Christian – told his biographer Boswell: "It is wonderful that five thousand years have now elapsed since the creation of the world, and still it is undecided whether or not there has ever been an instance of the spirit of any person appearing after death. All argument is against it; but all belief is for it."
In modern times, ghost hunters or 'paranormal researchers' go equipped with a full scientific apparatus. They might use infra-red cameras, electro-magnetic field meters, audio and visual recorders and digital thermometers. Believers in ghosts claim that sharp drops in temperature, a sense of physical or psychological discomfort, strange visual phenomena like floating orbs, or actual 'sightings' like the one in Copley, are evidence of ghosts. There's even a Ghost Hunters TV series on the Syfy channel.
It's fair to say that almost all scientists dismiss the ghost hunters' methods and overall worldview. But that doesn't stop people believing: in 2014 a YouGov poll found 34 per cent of British people believe in ghosts.
Perhaps the most interesting question, though, is why?
One reason is that even people who don't have an orthodox Christian faith are often open to believing in some sort of afterlife for those they've loved and lost. Belief in spiritualism – that it was possible for specially gifted 'mediums' to contact the dead – rose sharply after the First World War, because of the appalling scale of the losses suffered in every European country that took part. It didn't last long – the famous Noel Coward film Blithe Spirit, made in 1945, made gentle fun of the idea – but many people took it very seriously.
Another reason might be that many people have a sense that this world isn't all there is. The way they imagine another one is to think of it as being peopled with those they know who aren't here any more. And many of us, of course, are incurably romantic: there's something about the idea of ghosts walking the earth which is excitingly scary.
There is no real evidence for the existence of ghosts, in the sense of restless departed spirits haunting the scenes of long-ago battles and murders. But rather than just dismissing all belief in them as nonsense, perhaps Christians should be a bit more open to the implications of the doctrine of the communion of saints: that Christians living now and those in heaven are one body. If we have sometimes a sense that someone we've loved who has died is still with us, why should that surprise us? God gives good gifts to us, and perhaps this is one.
Follow Mark Woods on Twitter: @RevMarkWoods
