Editing Ghost (section)

==By religion==

===Judaism===
{{See also|Dybbuk}}[[File:Witch of Endor (Nikolay Ge).jpg|right|thumb|upright=1.3|''Witch of Endor'' by [[Nikolai Ge]], depicting [[King Saul]] encountering the ghost of [[Samuel]] (1857)]]

The [[Hebrew Bible]] contains several references to ''[https://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?Strongs=H178&t=KJV owb]'' ({{langx|he|אוֹב}}), which are in a few places akin to [[shade (mythology)|shades]] of classical mythology but mostly describing [[Mediumship|mediums]] in connection with [[necromancy]] and spirit-consulting, which are grouped with witchcraft and other forms of [[divination]] under the category of forbidden [[occult]] activities.<ref>[[Deuteronomy]] 18:11</ref> The most notable reference to a shade is in the [[Books of Samuel|First Book of Samuel]],<ref>[[1 Samuel]] 28:3–19</ref> in which a disguised [[Saul the King|King Saul]] has the [[Witch of Endor]] conduct a seance to summon the dead prophet [[Samuel]]. A similar term appearing throughout the scriptures is ''[https://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?t=kjv&strongs=h7497 repha'(im)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190306043436/https://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?t=kjv&strongs=h7497 |date=2019-03-06 }}'' ({{langx|he|רְפָאִים}}), which while describing the race of "[[Rephaite|giants]]" formerly inhabiting Canaan in many verses, also refer to (the spirits of) dead ancestors of [[Sheol]] (like shades) in many others such as in the [[Book of Isaiah]].<ref>[[Isaiah]] 14:9, 26:14-19</ref>

[[Jewish mythology]] and folkloric traditions describe ''[[dybbuk]]s'', malicious possessing spirits believed to be the dislocated soul of a dead person. However, the term does not appear in the [[Kabbalah]] or [[Talmud]]ic literature, where it is rather called an "unclean spirit" or {{Transliteration|he|ru'aḥ tumah}} ({{Langx|he|רוּחַ טוּמְאָה}}). It supposedly leaves the host body once it has accomplished its goal, sometimes after being [[Exorcism#Judaism|helped]].<ref name="Falk">{{cite book |last=Falk |first=Avner |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=z10-Xz9Kno4C&q=dybbuk&pg=PA538 |title=A Psychoanalytic History of the Jews |date=26 May 1996 |publisher=Fairleigh Dickinson Univ Press |isbn=978-0-8386-3660-2 |via=Google Books |access-date=5 November 2020 |archive-date=24 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231024084904/https://books.google.com/books?id=z10-Xz9Kno4C&q=dybbuk&pg=PA538#v=snippet&q=dybbuk&f=false |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Citation |title=Encyclopædia Britannica Online |url=https://www.britannica.com/ |contribution=Dybbuk |contribution-url=https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/174964/dybbuk |access-date=2009-06-10 |archive-date=2018-01-26 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180126232606/https://www.britannica.com/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="EJ">[http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/judaica/ejud_0002_0005_0_05197.html "Dibbuk", Encyclopedia Judaica] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161009154955/http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/judaica/ejud_0002_0005_0_05197.html |date=2016-10-09 }}, by [[Gershom Scholem]].</ref>

=== Christianity ===
{{See also|Allhallowtide}}
In the [[New Testament]], [[Jesus]] has to persuade the [[Twelve Apostles|Disciples]] that he is not a ghost following the [[resurrection of Jesus|resurrection]], [[Gospel of Luke|Luke]] 24:37–39 (some versions of the Bible, such as the KJV and NKJV, use the term "spirit"). Similarly, Jesus' followers at first believe he is a ghost (spirit) when they see him [[Jesus walking on water|walking on water]].<ref name="Oxford">{{cite book |url= https://archive.org/details/peterpaulmarymag00ehrm_0 |url-access= registration |page= [https://archive.org/details/peterpaulmarymag00ehrm_0/page/17 17] |title= Peter, Paul, and Mary Magdalene: the followers of Jesus in history and legend|quote=Jesus then walks out to them, on the water. When they see him, in the middle of the lake, the disciples are terrified, thinking it is a ghost. Jesus assures them it is he, and then Peter, in a characteristically unreserved moment, calls out, "Lord if it is you, command me to come to you on the water" (Matt. 14–28).|publisher=[[Oxford University Press]]|author= Ehrman, Bart D. |year= 2006|isbn=978-0-19-530013-0 |access-date= 14 November 2015}}</ref>

Some [[Christianity|Christian]] denominations such as the [[Roman Catholic Church]] consider ghosts as beings who while tied to earth, no longer live on the material plane and linger in an [[Intermediate state (Christianity)|intermediate state]] before continuing their journey to [[heaven#Christianity|heaven]].<ref name="Emissary">{{cite book|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=q469xc7mbksC&pg=PA69|title= A Faraway Ancient Country|quote= if we have ghosts, then where do we put them in the Christian universe? While they are tied to the earth, they are no longer living on the material plain. Heaven and hell are exclusive places, so it's extremely unlikely that people come and go from these destinations as they please. There must be a third state in the afterlife where souls linger before continuing their journey.|isbn= 978-0-615-15801-3|author1= Emissary|date= 2007-09-30|publisher= Lulu.com|access-date= 2010-03-27|archive-date= 2023-10-24|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20231024084904/https://books.google.com/books?id=q469xc7mbksC&pg=PA69#v=onepage&q&f=false|url-status= live}}</ref><ref name="UMC">{{cite news |url= http://www.umportal.org/article.asp?id=5101 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090421023719/http://www.umportal.org/article.asp?id=5101 |archive-date= April 21, 2009 |title= Heavenly minded: It's time to get our eschatology right, say scholars, authors |quote= John Wesley believed in the intermediate state between death and the final judgment "where believers would share in the 'bosom of Abraham' or 'paradise,' even continuing to grow in holiness there," writes Ted Campbell, a professor at Perkins School of Theology, in his 1999 book ''Methodist Doctrine: The Essentials'' (Abingdon). |publisher= [[The United Methodist Church]] |access-date= 2010-03-27 }}</ref><ref name="Eleanor Prosser">{{cite book|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=1zasAAAAIAAJ&q=purgatory+ghost&pg=PA115|title= Hamlet and revenge|quote= Primarily the Purgatory ghost appeared only to ask for masses, alms, fasts, pilgrimages, and, above all, prayers.|publisher= [[Stanford University Press]]|isbn= 978-0-8047-0316-1|author1= Prosser, Eleanor|year= 1967|access-date= 2010-03-27|archive-date= 2023-10-24|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20231024084905/https://books.google.com/books?id=1zasAAAAIAAJ&q=purgatory+ghost&pg=PA115|url-status= live}}</ref><ref name="Paulist Fathers">{{cite book|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=X_kWAQAAIAAJ|title= Catholic world, Volume 162|quote= That the Ghost comes from Purgatory is evident from his description of his abode in the other world as primarily a state of purification, consisting of...|publisher= [[Paulist Fathers]]|author1= Fathers, Paulist|year= 1945|access-date= 2010-03-27|archive-date= 2023-10-24|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20231024084907/https://books.google.com/books?id=X_kWAQAAIAAJ|url-status= live}}</ref> On occasion, [[God in Christianity|God]] would allow the [[soul in the Bible|souls]] in this state to return to earth to warn the living of the need for [[repentance]].<ref name="J.P. Somerville">{{cite web |url=http://history.wisc.edu/sommerville/367/367-102.htm |title=Ghosts, Fairies and Omens |quote=The Roman Catholic Church taught that at death the souls of those too good for hell and too bad for heaven were sent to Purgatory. Here they were purged of their sins by punishment, but might on occasion be allowed to return to earth to warn the living of the need for repentance. |publisher=[[University of Wisconsin–Madison]] |access-date=2010-03-27 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040423145229/http://history.wisc.edu/sommerville/367/367-102.htm |archive-date=2004-04-23 }}</ref> [[Christians]] are taught that it is [[sinful]] to attempt to [[necromancy|conjure or control spirits]] in accordance with [[Deuteronomy]] XVIII: 9–12.<ref name="Eric Stoutz">{{cite web |url=http://catholicexchange.com/2006/10/07/83644/ |title=Do You Believe in Ghosts? |quote=Ghosts can come to us for good, but we must not attempt to conjure or control spirits. |publisher=Catholic Exchange |access-date=2010-03-27 |date=2006-10-07 |archive-date=2010-08-31 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100831093104/http://catholicexchange.com/2006/10/07/83644/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Michele Klein">{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tqG29pi8HPUC&q=conjuring+spirits+bible&pg=PA171 |title=Not to worry: Jewish wisdom and folklore |quote=Jews have sometimes engaged in conjuring spirits when worried, even though the Bible prohibits this behavior. |publisher=[[Jewish Publication Society]] |isbn=978-0-8276-0753-8 |last=Klein |first=Michele |date=2003-06-30 |access-date=2010-03-27 |archive-date=2023-10-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231024084905/https://books.google.com/books?id=tqG29pi8HPUC&q=conjuring+spirits+bible&pg=PA171#v=onepage&q=conjuring%20spirits%20bible&f=false |url-status=live }}</ref>

Some ghosts are actually said to be [[Christian demonology|demons]] in disguise, who the Church teaches, in accordance with [[I Timothy]] 4:1, that they "come to deceive people and draw them away from God and into bondage."<ref name="Spotlight Ministries">{{cite web|url= http://www.spotlightministries.org.uk/hauntings.htm|title= A Christian Perspective on Ghosts and Hauntings|quote= The Bible warns of the very real danger of seductive spirits that will come to deceive people and draw them away from God and into bondage: "But the Spirit [the Holy Spirit] explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons..." (1 Tim. 4:1).|publisher= Spotlight Ministries|access-date= 2010-03-27|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20100109131921/http://www.spotlightministries.org.uk/hauntings.htm|archive-date= 2010-01-09}}</ref> As a result, [[necromancy|attempts to contact the dead]] may lead to [[demonic possession|unwanted contact]] with a demon or an [[unclean spirit]], as was said to occur in the case of [[Robbie Mannheim]], a fourteen-year-old Maryland youth.<ref name="Sue Lim - Contact">{{cite book|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=_ZH_CdJpxoUC&q=Phyllis+Mannheim&pg=PA98|title= Good Spirits, Bad Spirits: How to Distinguish Between Them|quote= Robbie's playing of the Ouija board gave occult spirits the jurisdiction or right to control him, which they did until they were commanded to leave (cast out).|publisher= Writers Club Press|isbn= 978-0-595-22771-6|author1= Lim, Sue|date= 2002-06-18|access-date= 2010-04-02|archive-date= 2023-10-24|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20231024085405/https://books.google.com/books?id=_ZH_CdJpxoUC&q=Phyllis+Mannheim&pg=PA98|url-status= live}}</ref> The [[Seventh-Day Adventist]] view is that a "soul" is not equivalent to "spirit" or "ghost" (depending on the Bible version), and that save for the [[Holy Spirit in Christianity|Holy Spirit]], all spirits or ghosts are demons in disguise. Furthermore, they teach that in accordance with ([[Book of Genesis|Genesis]] 2:7, [[Ecclesiastes]] 12:7), there are only two components to a "soul", neither of which survives death, with each returning to its respective source.

[[Christadelphian]]s and [[Jehovah's Witnesses]] reject the view of a living, conscious soul after death.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://christadelphia.org/reject.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030408015940/http://christadelphia.org/reject.htm|archive-date=8 April 2003|title=Doctrines to be Rejected|date=8 April 2003}}</ref>

===Islam===
[[File:Muhammad ibn Muhammad Shakir Ruzmah-'i Nathani - A Soul Symbolized as an Angel - Walters W65944A - Full Page.jpg|thumb|Muhammad ibn Muhammad Shakir Ruzmah-'i Nathani – A Soul Symbolized as an Angel]]
''Rūḥ'' ({{langx|ar|روح|links=no}}; plural ''arwah'') is a person's immortal, essential self — [[pneuma]], i.e. the "spirit" or "[[soul]]".<ref>{{cite book |editor-last=Carmona |editor-first=Alfonso |last=Bedir |first=Murteza |year=2006 |title=El Sufismo y las normas del Islam—Trabajos del IV Congreso Internacional de Estudios Jurídicos Islámicos: Derecho y Sufismo |chapter=Interplay of Sufism, Law, Theology and Philosophy: A non-Sufi Mystic of 4th–5th/10–11th Centuries |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_W8a2UbniY8C&pg=PA262 |pages=262–3 |publisher=Editora Regional de Murcia |isbn=84-7564-323-X |oclc=70767145 |access-date=2017-07-15 |via=Google Books |archive-date=2023-10-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231024085406/https://books.google.com/books?id=_W8a2UbniY8C&pg=PA262#v=onepage&q&f=false |url-status=live }}</ref> The term is also used for ghosts.<ref>{{cite book |first=Gerda |last=Sengers |title=Women and Demons: Cultic Healing in Islamic Egypt |publisher=BRILL |year=2003 |isbn=978-90-04-12771-5 |oclc=50713550 |page=50}}</ref> The souls of the deceased dwell in [[barzakh]]. Only a barrier in [[Quran]], in Islamic tradition this refers to an entire intermediary world between the living and the afterlife. The world, especially cemeteries, are perforated with several gateways to the otherworld or barzakh.<ref>Christian Lange ''Paradise and Hell in Islamic Traditions'' Cambridge University Press, 2015 {{ISBN|978-0-521-50637-3}} p. 122</ref> In rare occasions, the dead can appear to the living.<ref>Werner Diem, Marco Schöller ''The Living and the Dead in Islam: Epitaphs as texts'' Otto Harrassowitz Verlag, 2004 {{ISBN|978-3-447-05083-8}} p. 144</ref> Pure souls, such as the souls of [[Wali|saints]], are commonly addressed as [[rūḥ]], while impure souls seeking for revenge, are often addressed as [[Ifrit|afarit]].<ref>Jane I. Smith, Yvonne Yazbeck Haddad ''The Islamic Understanding of Death and Resurrection'' Oxford University Press 2002 {{ISBN|978-0-19-515649-2}} page 153</ref> An inappropriate [[Islamic funeral|burial]] can also cause a soul to stay in this world, whereupon roaming the earth as a ghost. Since the just souls remain close to their tomb, some people try to communicate with them in order to gain hidden knowledge. Contact with the dead is not the same as contact with [[jinn]], who alike could provide knowledge concealed from living humans.<ref>Werner Diem, Marco Schöller ''The Living and the Dead in Islam: Epitaphs as texts'' Otto Harrassowitz Verlag, 2004 {{ISBN|978-3-447-05083-8}} p. 116</ref> Many encounters with ghosts are related to dreams supposed to occur in the [[Malakut#Suhrawardi and the Imaginal Realm|realm of symbols]].

Belief in spirits have not ceased to exist in Muslim belief. Smile of new-born babies is sometimes used as a proof for sighting spirits, like ghosts. However, the connection to the [[Barzakh|other world]] fades during life on earth but is resumed after death. Once again, smiling of dying people is considered as evidence for recognizing the spirit of their beloved ones. Yet, Muslims who affirm the existence of ghosts, are carefully when interacting with spirits, as the ghosts of humans can be as bad as the jinn. Worst of all, however, are the devils.

Muslim authors, like [[Abu Hamed Mohammad ibn Mohammad Ghazali|Ghazali]], [[Ibn Qayyim]] and [[Suyuti]] wrote in more details about the life of ghosts. Ibn Qayyim and Suyuti assert, when a soul desires to turn back to earth long enough, it is gradually released from restrictions of Barzakh and able to move freely. Each spirit experiences afterlife in accordance with their deeds and condictions in the earthly life. Evil souls will find the afterlife as painful and punishment, imprisoned until God allows them to interact with other others. Good souls are not restricted. They are free to come visit other souls and even come down to lower regions. The higher planes (''[[Illiyin|ʿilliyyīn]]'') are considered to be broader than the lower ones, the lowest being the most narrow (''[[Sijjin|sijjīn]]''). The spiritual space is not thought as spatial, but reflects the capacity of the spirit. The more pure the spirit gets, the more it is able to interact with other souls and thus reaches a broader degree of freedom.<ref>Jane Idleman SMith Yvonne Yazbeck Haddad ''The Islamic Understanding of Death and Resurrection'' State University of New York Press Albany 1981 {{ISBN|0-87395-506-4}} p. 117-125</ref>

The [[Ismailism|Ismailite]] [[Falsafa|Philosopher]] [[Nasir Khusraw]] conjectured that evil human souls turn into [[Demon#Islam|demons]], when their bodies die, because of their intense attachment to the bodily world. They were worse than the jinn and [[Peri|fairies]], who in turn could become devils, if they pursue evil.<ref>Valery Rees ''From Gabriel to Lucifer: A Cultural History of Angels'' Bloomsbury Publishing, 04.12.2012 {{ISBN|978-0-85772-162-4}} p. 82</ref> A similar thought is recorded by [[Muhammad ibn Zakariya al-Razi]].<ref>Gertsman, Elina; Rosenwein, Barbara H. (2018). The Middle Ages in 50 Objects. Cambridge; New York: Cambridge University Press. p. 103. {{ISBN|978-1-107-15038-6}}. {{OCLC|1030592502}}. Retrieved 25 February 2020</ref>

The ghosts of saints are thought to transmit blessings from God through the heavenly realm to whose who visit their graves. Therefore, [[Ziyarat|visiting the graves of saints and prophets]] became a major ritual in Muslim spirituality.<ref>JOSEF W. MERI ''ASPECTS OF BARAKA (BLESSINGS) AND RITUAL DEVOTION AMONG MEDIEVAL MUSLIMS AND JEWS1'' in "Medieval encounters" 1999 NV, Brill Leiden p. 47-69</ref>

=== Hinduism ===
A [[Bhoota (ghost)|bhoota]] is the ghost of a deceased being in [[Indian religions]].<ref>{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Kpd9lLY_0-IC | title=Students' Britannica India | isbn=978-0-85229-760-5 | last1=Hoiberg | first1=Dale | date=2000 | publisher=Popular Prakashan }}</ref> Interpretations of how bhootas come into existence vary by region and community, but they are usually considered to be perturbed and [[restless ghost|restless]] due to some factor that prevents them from moving on (to [[reincarnation|transmigration]], non-being, [[nirvana]], or [[swarga]] or [[naraka]], depending on tradition). This could be a violent death, unsettled matters in their lives, or simply the failure of their survivors to perform proper funerals.<ref name="ref88muliq"/> Belief in ghosts has been deeply ingrained in the minds of the people of [[Indian subcontinent|the subcontinent]] for generations. There are many allegedly haunted places in [[Indian subcontinent|the subcontinent]], such as cremation grounds, dilapidated buildings, royal mansions, [[haveli]]s, forts, forest [[bungalow]]s, burning [[ghat]]s, etc. Ghosts also occupy a significant place in the [[Bengali culture]]. Ghosts and various supernatural entities form an integral part of the socio-cultural beliefs of both the Muslim and Hindu communities of [[Bangladesh]] and the Indian state of [[West Bengal]].

The Bhutas (singular 'Bhuta'), spirits of [[Apotheosis|deified]] heroes, of fierce and evil beings, of [[Hindu deity|Hindu deities]] and of animals, etc., are wrongly referred to as "ghosts" or "demons" and, in fact, are protective and benevolent beings. Though it is true that they can cause harm in their violent forms, as they are extremely powerful, they can be pacified through worship or offerings referred to as Bhuta Aradhana.<ref>"Museums of India - National Handicrafts and Handilooms Museum, New Delhi" ({{ISBN|0-944142-23-0}}) by Jyontindra Jain and Aarti Aggarwala.</ref>

The [[Churel]], also spelled as '''Charail''', '''Churreyl''', '''Chudail''', '''Chudel''', '''Chuṛail''', '''Cuḍail''' or '''Cuḍel''' ({{langx|hi|चुड़ैल}}, {{langx|ur|چڑیل}}), is a [[myth]]ical spirit of a woman who died during pregnancy or childbirth, which may be a [[demon]]iacal [[revenant]] said to occur in [[South Asia]] and [[Southeast Asia]], particularly popular in [[India]], [[Bangladesh]], [[Nepal]] and [[Pakistan]]. The churel is typically described as "the [[restless ghost|ghost]] of an unpurified living thing", but because she is often said to latch on to trees, she is also called a tree-spirit.<ref name="test">{{cite book|author=Crooke, William |author-link=William Crooke|title=An Introduction to the Popular Religion and Folklore of Northern India|date=1894|url=https://archive.org/stream/introductiontopo00croorich#page/69/mode/1up|page=69|via=Internet Archive}}</ref> According to some legends, a woman who dies during childbirth or pregnancy or from suffering at the hands of her in-laws will come back as a [[revenant]] churel for revenge, particularly targeting the males in her family.

The churel is mostly described as extremely ugly and hideous but is able to [[shape-shift]] and disguise herself as a beautiful woman to lure men into the woods or mountains where she either kills them or sucks up their [[Vitality|life-force]] or [[virility]], turning them into old men. Their feet are believed to be turned the other way around, so the toes face the direction of their back. The churel is called as [[Pichal Peri]] in [[Punjab]] and [[Khyber Pakhtunkhwa]].

There are many [[folk remedies]] and [[folkloric]] [[sayings]] that elaborate on how to get rid of [[revenant]], bhoot and churels, and a number measures that supposedly prevent churels from coming to life. The family of a woman who dies a traumatic, tragic, or unnatural death might perform special rituals fearing that the victimised woman might return as a churel. The corpses of suspected churels are also buried in a particular method and posture so as to prevent her from returning.

==== Buddhism ====
In Buddhism, there are a number of [[plane (esotericism)|planes]] of existence into which a person can be [[wikt:reborn|reborn]], one of which is the realm of [[preta|hungry ghosts]].<ref>Firth, Shirley. ''End of Life: A Hindu View''. The Lancet 2005, 366:682-86</ref> Buddhist celebrate the [[Ghost Festival]]<ref>Jose Vidamor B. Yu ''Inculturation of Filipino-Chinese Culture Mentality'' Gregorian Biblical BookShop, 2000 {{ISBN|978-88-7652-848-4}} p. 110</ref> as an expression of compassion, one of [[Buddhist ethics|Buddhist virtues]]. If the hungry ghosts are fed by non-relatives, they would not bother the community.