The Birth of Jesus, Part II: Paul and the Virgin Birth

Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on 15 November 2012 3 Comments
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Question

You may not remember me but I grew up attending St. John's Boonton with Father Jack Thorn. Back then I was known as Cindy and the daughter of Ian and Allie Moricz. Ian was the " Lay Person" who helped Father Thorn. I know you always meet so many people, but I did have a question and thought you would be the best person to ask.

As a child I knew that there were things we could and could not see around us. I am not just talking about the Holy Spirit or God, but ghosts, angels and demons. As an adult, I been involved with paranormal investigations. I have had some incredible experiences and began a blog site to share my personal stories as well as evidence I have captured (www.originalcynpi.com).

I always had an inclining that I wanted to write a book on the subject but there are so many out there that I wanted to be different. This past year, I have been praying to find a topic for a book that I could use to educate people on the paranormal - the good and the bad. The answer came to me that it should be about Religion and how it perceives the paranormal world.

My issue is I don't know where to start. Other than angels and demons, I haven't found any mention of ghosts. I am not really sure where to begin looking to find this information.

I know that you are truly busy but wondered if you could push me to a starting point as you are a publishing author.

PS - Thank you for being who God intended you to be. Your ability to question, allowed me to question and get some answers. Although, I know I have a long way to go before all my questions are answered.

Thank you for your consideration.

Best regards,

Cynthia A. MoriczdeTecso

Answer

Dear Cynthia:

Yes, I do remember you and your family and I am pleased to her from you once more.

You have chosen a complex area to study. It is a legitimate field of inquiry. You do need to be aware that this field attracts lots of people to venture into it, who are on the border of mental stability. this means you need to make clear the boundaries of your study, so as not to be identified with these fringes. Do not waste your time reading on the fringes. The whole subject does not lend itself to verifiable study.

There are some resources that can guide you. A generation ago a professor at Duke University, Dr. J.B. Rhine devoted his life to the study of parapsychology and the near death the out of body experiences. If you can find any of his work, it is worth reading. It should be in libraries.

A second source is a theologian named John Hick, a citizen of the U.K., now in his nineties, who taught for years at Claremont in California. He did a massive study in this area in a book entitled: "Death and Eternal Life." That book is also probably available in a good library and his bibliography would open many more doors for your study.

I hope this will get you started. The closest I came to the subject in my career was in my book Eternal Life: A New Vision -- Beyond Religion, Beyond Theism, Beyond Heaven and Hell. Your topic was not germane to mine in this book, but I did allude to it. I remain a sceptic about its reality, but I am an open sceptic.

My regards to you and any members of your family that might remember me.

~John Shelby Spong

 

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