We opened the newspaper on a recent Friday to a section called ACCENT that has ‘soft’ news, consumer info, and entertainment. At the top of page 2 was a picture of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie (they had the names backwards, but we figured it out – we’ve seen plenty of those two). Bumping up next to Angelina was a religious column–the God Squad–with this headline: Do ghosts exist? Judeo-Christian tradition says no.
What a let down. Here we are in the midst of writing a book about synchronicity and contact with the other side, and the newspaper informs us that we’re barking up the wrong tree, so to speak. In spite of all the books and all the testimony from ancient times to the present, God Squad columnist Rabbi Marc Gelman informs its readers there are no ghosts. But what about angels? Aren’t they part of Judeo-Christain tradition? Rabbi Gellman tells us that “angels are not ghosts, nor are they good dead guys. Angels are spiritual beings who help God run the world and keep track of our lives.”
Okay, now we know it’s not Obama or the Republicans running things in the U.S. We can blame the angels for the high unemployment, enormous deficit, and the war-mongering. But the God Squad was just getting warmed up.
We learn from the rabbi that guardian angels are either “cheering us on or ratting us out,” depending on our behavior. Hm, they must not have very much to do. Some of them apparently weren’t looking forward to their work following us around and became demons, “angels who didn’t want God to create us in the first place.”
But let’s move on to ghosts. “Ghosts are supposedly the souls of dead people ‘trapped’ in this world, unable to proceed to their final destination in heaven or hell. Both Judaism and Christianity hold to the belief that ghosts are not real because souls can’t linger in the world after death. According to Hebrews 9:27, our destiny is to die once and then face judgment.”
Apparently the God Squad isn’t high on the idea of purgatory, which seems like a traditional religious way of explaining phenomena such as ghosts.
Now for all the mediums and medium-goers out there, the rabbi has this to say: “Consulting the dead is a sin.” He added that most psychics are charlatans “using grief to extract money from vulnerable people.” We could say the same about religions.
Finally, the rabbi concludes: “I believe that consulting with ghosts or spirits wherever they reside is a spiritual boundary mistake. We’re in the world of the living until we die, and our total focus must be on this world.”
It sounds as if Rabbi Gelman wrote himself out of a job with that last comment. However, he’s probably telling us not to question religious authorities or to explore spirituality on our own. Our next book on spirit contact coming out in 2011 probably won’t be looked upon favorably by those of like mind.
For our part, we suggest you keep your feet on the ground and your head in the sky and beware of priests, gurus and rabbis telling you otherwise.
Ditto, Natalie!! cj
Pffft! Such small minds.
AHhha! Stay focused, I say. Be open and alert to the many forces around you.
More on the God Squad:
https://www.wchstv.com/abc/gma/godsquad.shtml
Oy Vey!!
It seems the Rabbi didn't read the files of Rabbi Gershom. In his book "Beyond the Ashes", Rabbi Gershom recounts his many client's stories of having memories of dying in concentration camps, and being reborn again- some within their own families. Definitely the defying the "you only die once" declaration of the God Squad.
Yikes! I actually can't believe they published that!
I guess we have to believe – but only what they tell us to believe. It's what organised religion has been doing for … well, since it began.
Strange you mentioning Guardian Angels as I just finished writing a post about this (for Friday)before visiting your blog.
(All clear now on the snow front where I live)
This is exactly why I left the clutches of religion. What a double standard here!….are they listening to themselves when they say these things? I look forward to your new book. Maybe you could send a copy to the rabbi!
fantastic post! been hearing those contradictions from the boys in caps and gowns all my life, as we all have – their own contradictory rhetoric slipping from under their velvet robes off their gold jewelry and under their little beanies –
and for my part, i'll just continue with my feet jumping into the air, my head in the clouds, headed into the opposite direction of all of them –
great post!!!
get the wv here – mesteriz!!!
Lauren – you should write a rebbutal to the rabbi!
These arguments are used all the time by skeptics of every stripe. The discrepancy cj and djan noticed is too funny!
I think you folks shouldn't be too worried about being unpopular in certain segments of the population – that is a professional liability no doubt, one you're well used to!
Angel comes from the Greek, "Angelos", which simply meant messenger. To my mind, a messenger is one who brings messages from other realms – we're the ones who try to figure out what they mean. Hell is from the name of the Nordic goddess of the nderworld/nether world, "Hel" or "Hella". Her realm included the souls of those who had died, with some areas reserved, apparently, for the wicked (to the Nordic, these were icy realms, not hot, because their idea of a nasty afterlife was to be cold all the time)…..in the realm of Hel, the realm of the spirits, there were also many areas of healing and comfort, and chambers reserved for those awaiting rebirth.
Sorry to go on, but the evolution of mythology always fascinates me……
Yeah, I caught that discrepancy. Sounds like he really DOES believe in them but doesn't want to. Interesting.
Interesting and contradictory. First the rabbi says ghosts don't exist, then says don't try to communicate with them. Uh……anyone else catch that? cj
I've also heard the anti-ghost arguments made by the scientific community, that there are neurological as well as psychological reasons for apparent contact with the other side. Regardless, you write the book you want to write, and to purgatory with the rest of 'em!