What the Bible REALLY Says About Ghosts, Hauntings & Speaking with the Dead
Kirk Cameron and author Billy (who wrote Playing with Fire: A Modern Investigation into Demons Exorcism and Ghosts) discuss the increasing cultural fascination with the supernatural, offering a grounded, biblical perspective on ghosts, demons, and the reality of spiritual battle.
The Cultural Obsession with the Demonic Realm
Hollywood has shown an exponentially increasing focus on the spiritual and demonic realms. Films about possession and ghosts are prevalent, particularly around Halloween. This cultural emphasis is occurring simultaneously with a decline in the number of people identifying as Christian.
This trend concerns some observers because Hollywood often tackles themes that should be “a church topic”. While the frequency of discussing these subjects may be higher in Hollywood than in some churches, the entertainment industry does not frame it “in the right way”.
Why the Intrigue?
People are inherently drawn to the spiritual because they “know that there’s something more to this life,” whether or not they are Christians. This natural curiosity, rooted in the human design, seeks answers to existential questions.
Furthermore, the source suggests that humans were made to interact with God, who is Spirit, and if someone does not know God, there is an “instinctual desire to connect with the spirit world” because we are partially made of spirit. When people are desperate for identity and seeking to fill that void, they turn to “strange places”. This desperation explains the rise in young people engaging in spiritual practices like tarot cards.
The public acknowledges this reality: about half of the American public reports believing in ghosts and demons, including many who are not “legitimate Christians”.
The Deception: Ouija Boards and Communication with the Dead
A primary concern addressed is the common practice of seeking communication with deceased relatives or spirits. Many individuals who use tools like Ouija boards or other methods genuinely believe they are communicating with the dead.
However, experts diving into this realm consistently assert that these practices involve communication with the demonic—the spiritual realm that actively “wants you to believe that” you are talking to the dead. The deception inherent in these contacts is a serious issue.
What the Bible Says About Ghosts and Hauntings
The book’s author, Billy, asserts his belief that the Bible does not support the world’s definition of ghosts—that people die and “remain behind and haunt” houses. The source suggests that holding onto the idea of hauntings “actually conceals the real issue that’s going on,” which is demonic activity.
When consulting Scripture, the source affirms that the Bible must be the “barometer”. While there are “interesting examples of things happening in the Bible,” there is no scriptural evidence of people dying and remaining behind to haunt.
Key biblical events often misconstrued as ghost sightings or hauntings are examined:
- Saul Summoning Samuel: In the Old Testament, Saul summoned the prophet Samuel through a medium. This event is notable because it seems God allowed the appearance to happen, but it is described as a vision or appearance, not evidence of a person remaining behind to haunt.
- The Dead Rising: After Jesus died on the cross, people came out of their tombs and went into Jerusalem. This event, described as “zombie-like” (though perhaps not the best descriptor), was a fascinating occurrence but was not a haunting.
- The Disciples’ Mistake: In Matthew 14 and Luke 24, the disciples mistook the resurrected Jesus for a “ghost” or “spirit”. Jesus corrected their assumption, asking, “Does a ghost have flesh and bones like you see that I have?”. Jesus, being unique in history as God in human flesh, returned with actual flesh and bones.
The fact that the concept of ghosts was known even back then suggests that the idea of deceased people communicating as ghosts has been present since “the beginning of time because the demonic has been with us”.