Should Christians Ghost Hunt?

Paranormal investigation.  Over the past four or five years interest in ghosts…and hunting them…has grown by leaps and bounds.  According to the Harris Poll,, as of 2007, half of all American adults believe in ghosts.

Actually, belief in or speculation about ghosts goes back thousands of years.  Pliny the Younger is actually credited with recording the first actual ghost story.  Complete with all the typical goings on we've come to expect in modern tales.

 Let's face it…most people enjoy a really spooky story.  Most people have heard a spine tingling story of a local haunt legend.  Some might even have experienced some unusual activity themselves and are unsure how to deal with it.  The question is should we be investigating these goings on?  Which also begs the question…should Christians be ghost hunters? 

As a former medium and paranormal investigator my answer to this question is no. 

First…let's consider the process of a typical ghost hunt.  I can't say how other groups may operate, but I can recount how my team and I would conduct an investigation.

The primary step in the process would be to interview the person who requested the team to check out a location.  One member of the team, the case manager, would ask a series of questions and get as much information about what the client was experiencing.  This was usually done before the team came to the location, giving the case manager time to do whatever investigation into the claims, or find information about the property that they could from public records.  

When it came time for the actual investigation, two or three members would come to the location and take a baseline reading using EMF (electromagnetic field) meters, noting areas electrical boxes and outlets, exposed wiring, etc.  They would also take video and digital photos.  

After this, I would come in as a medium…with no previous knowledge of the case, the phenomenon being experienced, etc…and do a reading of the house.  One member of the team would follow with a video camera while I carried a digital recorder.  I'd give my impressions of the house, describe any energy or presences I sensed, point out hot spots of activity.

When it was time for "lights out", the team would set up cameras, audio, use EMF, etc., and attempt to make "contact" with any "ghost" or spiritual entity that might be present.  We would ask questions in an attempt to illicit a response on the digital recorders (EVP or electronic voice phenomenon).  We'd register changes or fluctuations in temperature, the EMF readers, etc.  Each member of the team would make note of any personal experiences.

Usually, if there was an area of intense activity, we'd hold a "vigil"….another name for a seance.  I would use a pendulum and we would ask questions and attempt to contact the "ghost".  Depending on the nature of the haunting and reaction of the client, some times we'd perform a house blessing or cleansing.

Most of the time our investigations were pretty boring.  I sensed little to nothing. Nothing registered on the EMF.  We'd get no legitimate evidence on recorder, digital cameras, or video.  However, there were more than enough times we did get something to keep us going back out for more.

The question remains…is this a pursuit for a Christian?  Certainly there is nothing in scripture to encourage ghost hunting.  Scripture condemns any kind of spirit communication or attempts to call upon the dead.

When men tell you to consult mediums and spiritists, who whisper and mutter, should not a people inquire of their God? Why consult the dead on behalf of the living?  Isaiah 8:19

Let no one be found among you who sacrifices his son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead. 
Deuteronomy 18:10-11

A Christian who is a ghost hunter might counter with "But we don't consult with or use mediums on our investigations!"

Yet you still attempt to communicate with the spirit via electronic voice phenomenon.  Using technology instead of an occult technique or supernaturally gifted person doesn't make it any less inquiring of a spirit.

Not to mention, the Bible teaches that when we pass from this life to the next those who are Christians go to be with the Lord.  Those who are not to a place of separation from God.  There is nothing to indicate human beings "haunt" the living or hang about places they used to frequent.

For this reason, I believe those hauntings and "ghost" encounters are perpetrated by demons as a means to harass or deceive people.  While there may be people who insist the contrary, I do not believe a belief in or attempt to "contact" the spirit world through ghost hunting brings people into a closer relationship with God.  

I truly believe Christians should not be involved in ghost hunting.  This doesn't mean a person who is called into a ministry of deliverance or spiritual warfare should avoid helping those who need assistance.

Some people truly do experience hauntings and they do need assistance…but not through ghost hunting.  Being in right relationship with the Lord, prayer and meditating on scripture, taking authority over the demonic spirit….this should be a Christians response to a paranormal event.

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