I don't remember what was said in reference to "Organic vs Inorganic ghosts."  What was the "theory" behind this one?

BD asked: "Human, animal ghosts?"

(Disclaimer - My response on this subject will be somewhat ambiguous and that is by design.  I wish to discuss religions, cultures, and countries in my argument.  So not wishing to offend anyone or having anyone declaring any holy war on me…I shall not name names nor post various links to support my argument.  So there… )

Some people believe in animal ghosts and other people who generally believe in human ghosts do not believe in animal ghosts.  Why?  The answer is that people's perception and beliefs of ghosts are dependent upon their religion, culture and their geographic location.  And…that answer is one of my biggest gripes against the entire "ghost thing."

In general, TAPS doesn't seem to believe in animal ghosts.  Why?  Because a couple of very popular religions here in America do not support this.  The souls of animals are viewed as "pure" or "without sin."  They die, they get a "Go directly to heaven" card.  No ghostly plane for them.

Now as we pull away from those popular religions, we see the "animal ghost-scape" change.  Some cultures have animals as guides, guiding humans to various destinations.  Other cultures have animals as guardians, guarding one against evil.  Still others have demons taking the shape of animals (still seen as "animal ghosts").  Some have animal ghosts with no strings attached…they simply exist and it's silly not to think that they don't.  After all, the wood-carvings around their homes pays homage to them.

So I ask you…who is right concerning animal ghosts?  Tricky, isn't it?  In fact…I can even give you a better example of what I'm talking about…

TAPS absolutely LOVES to record ghostly footsteps.  They talk about full-bodied apparitions all the time.  Many of them have claimed to have seen them.  Many of the guests on the show have also claimed to have seen the same thing.  Why bring this up?  Because in a particular country in Asia, ghosts are known not to have legs or feet.  This is symbolic of them not being able to rest until they do what they need to do or are laid to rest according to various rituals.

So depending upon what religion you worship, what culture you follow, and what cloth rectangle you salute, it will determine whether or not the ghost that you see has legs or not.  This is why I put stock in math and science.  No matter what you personally believe…2+2=4.  No matter where you live, the speed of light is still 299,792,458 meters per second.  I like that.  I like consistency.

Hmmm…upon thinking about it…maybe there is some consistency in this ghost thing.  Tell me where you grew up, where you currently live, what religion you worship, and what your cultural background is and I can probably tell you what your ghostly encounters consist of.  And if ghosts are "real"…why would any of that matter? 

(And again, if any chose to respond to this, please keep things as ambiguous as possible to avoid crazy flame-wars on this hot topic.  Thanks…) 

@ Learjet – In my intentionally ambiguous post, I should have been more specific on one point.  When talking of "ghost encounters (animals, ghosts with legs, ghosts without, etc)" I was really referring to TAPS or ghost-hunters in general…as in those searching for ghosts with NO personal interests (encounters with a departed loved one).  That was my mistake.  But, I will respond with why using a personal example…

A while back, I had to take one of my dogs into the vet for a couple of procedures.  She had to spend the night there.  Being 15 years old, any procedure is a roll of dice.  That night, while on the computer, I heard her coming around the chair as she always does.  I could hear her dog tags.  Problem was…she was stll at the vet and my other dog was fast asleep.  No ghost story here…my older dog was perfectly fine.  I was just worried about her.  I'm thinking that I heard another type of sound, but due to me worrying about my dog, my brain translated that into a familiar sound; her dog tags which, momentarily, made me feel better.

In NO way, shape or form am I relating that experience to the losses that your family had.  I am not even offering it as a subtle explanation for either of your stories.  I'm just pointing out, as respectfully as possible, that while one is stressed and depressed and grieving and facing a host of other emotions…one may not make the best observer.  For this reason, I would like to remove very personal ghost encounters from what I was trying to get across in my other post.

In fact, this leads straight into what Nosfer was saying: 

"What about the possibility that the ghosts are all in people's heads? I don't mean an illness or anything, but rather their presence is a result of "something" interacting with the mind, thus the way your mind interprets and puts form to it, is kept in line with your belief system? Some sort of stimuli prompts the haunting _in your head_ Your brain turns it into some sort of external manifestation and away you go."

As opposed to your fine example Learjet, I would offer another one.  A simple scent.  Aren't there times when you just catch a bit of an odor and suddenly you think of something that you haven't thought of in years?  Say you're just walking along and you smell something…and suddenly you're thinking of cotton candy.  You remember being at a carnival when you were 9 years old.  You remember the sounds of the cheap rides and the carnival barkers yelling.  You feel that warm breeze on your skin.  It's almost like being there.  All…from a simple scent.

I think this is what Nosfer was perhaps going for and what I had observed in some unusual way (what's new?  ).  What if there are environment conditions that trigger certain responses in our brain?  And while trying to process it, the brain then considers your tendencies (religion, culture, geographical location) and kicks out something that you can relate to?  So, if you, Nosfer, and myself went to Japan and collectively saw a ghost…just go with me here…"our" ghost would have legs and feet…even though that would not correspond with what is generally seen or experienced there pertaining to ghosts in Japan.

Hmmm…interesting, no?  Without having to re-invent the wheel here…didn't Richard Wiseman do a few studies along these same lines?