I think that many of the things we describe as paranormal are fascinating, and it is hard to choose one that I would put at the top of the list as being what I would most like to know more about; however, I think the one that affects me personally the most, is the one I would most like to understand better.

That one would maybe be described variously as divine intervention, answer to prayer, or maybe a process of our unconscious mind.
 Let me give you an example.

When I was a little girl, our family was driving to a nearby town down the highway from where we lived.   It was an old, windy road in some places, and one place was a blind "S" curve, where you went under the concrete train overpass as you went through the blind curve.
Just as we got to the underpass, my mother suddenly pulled off the road and stopped. Before we could even ask her why she stopped, a large semi-truck that was transporting a double load of cars came towards us through the underpass, barely missing the concrete wall on OUR side of the road.
 If we had not stopped when we did, we would have literally been smashed between the semi and the concrete wall ! !

Later, I asked my mom how she knew to stop right then.  She said that sometimes God would tell her  to do (or, in this case, not do) something, and she was just obeying what he told her. 
This was only one instance of this happening in our lives, but a very unforgettable one for me.

I , too, try to listen to that "inner voice" , and sometimes , I hear it, sometimes not.

Sometimes, I feel like I can trust that particular events shall unfold in the best possible way if I just listen to how it should unfold.

Other times, I feel as if I should never have thought that way and bought into such dangerous silliness, and that I should commit to never thinking that way again.

But then some things happen, and I interpret that as a pattern, and I start to trust again.

Or, I get the familiar feeling that I recognize as intuition, and I ignore it because it's unreasonable, and then I get the woulda-coulda-shoulda's and heeding my "intuition" was one of them.

So, I begin to listen to my intuition and people begin to call me unreasonable and crazy, which indicates to me that I should re-think how I live my life if the intuitive way that I live is so harmful to other people that they must complain so loudly.


So, I basically flip-flop.

There's nothing to prove that any paranormal sightings are anything but coincidence, and I have no reason to believe otherwise.

If prayers were answered by someone then there would be no wars in the world right now.

I can completely relate to your mum, that's happened multiple times for me too.

Bsthebenster that's not true, some people pray for war and also not all prayers are answered the way we want them to be. Also, since we all have free will not all CAN be answered because it might conflict with free will.


I don't think answered prayers are our subconscious. I've had one too many prayers answered that could be chance, and others that are uncanny and have no explanation for. I think sometimes it can be us doing it, but sometimes too it's god .

Thank you for the wonderful reply, Bunny !  I also wish we didn't have wars, or hunger, and all the other things we hate to have happening here.
The only way that would happen is if everyone were totally controlled, and no one could have an original thought. There are too many evil and greedy people in the world who start wars; and even though most of the people don't want those wars, we are not the ones who are in control.

To me, that does not mean that there is not a God, or that he does not answer prayers. I also think that if we ask for help and guidance, we can receive it.
Even people who do not believe in God per se, often believe in "collective consciousness" or "universal mind"; and I think that there are enough things happen that sheer coincidence cannot account for, to make me believe in a Higher Power. 

happyflowerlady (09:46pm Wed, Jul 16, 2014)

I also wish we didn't have wars, or hunger, and all the other things we hate to have happening here.
The only way that would happen is if everyone were totally controlled, and no one could have an original thought.

I disagree, in a world as terrible as this one, a bit of kindness, some particular types of courage, and honesty are very original!

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even though most of the people don't want those wars, we are not the ones who are in control.

I'm a bit ambivalent about this... I don't consider it quite so simple. We're in conscious control to an extent, but controlling somebody--or several somebodies--who want a war, can't be the only way to stop a war...because it's no way, really, so just go, "Don't be yourself. Be like me, and don't want war." All that wanting war comes from somewhere, which pacifists--not that pacifism is an innately bad thing--I think wouldn't understand, due to an already rather proscriptive decision that the entire act is just plain wrong. Which it is, but to undo that wrong then we ought to examine what went wrong rather than what is wrong. That can be exhausting and none of our business anyway, or it can be immensely enlightening although it can also be humiliating and painful, or it can be frustrating because now that understand it when you previously only thought you did...nobody's trying to understand you and what you understand still.

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To me, that does not mean that there is not a God, or that he does not answer prayers. I also think that if we ask for help and guidance, we can receive it.
Even people who do not believe in God per se, often believe in "collective consciousness" or "universal mind"; and I think that there are enough things happen that sheer coincidence cannot account for, to make me believe in a Higher Power.

I agree, up until the last part. I think of the power as not so much Higher as it is sort of...fractured and split up among us, and hidden. I used to struggle to exorcise the idea of a monolithic absolute deity-like power from my mind, and now (successful only after I stopped trying) I can't unsee the myriads of co-creators that we all are in the world. So, we're common enough that we may have a plot arc of sorts, so to speak. Although to me this model of synchronicity could only really with with, yes, a higher power and/or singular intelligence... definitely need to mull over all this some more...

I try to look at it this way guys....When you're in a room that's lit all the time you can't tell it's lit, and you can't tell there's darkness. So...sometimes you need darkness to be able to see the light. And sometimes you need to walk in darkness to fully appreciate the light.

And I mean that purely on a good vs evil bad vs good wavelength.

I was raised to believe in God, and taught that praying was the answer to everything; however when a prayer did not seem to be answered, then I was told that God had a different answer than I wanted, or that God's timing was not the same as mine. Or even that I wasn't praying with enough faith.
Pretty much, I grew up thinking that I just wasn't "connecting" with god right, and it was all my fault for one reason or another. However, then there have been times in my life where I was pretty sure that it would have turned out different if God hadn't intervened; so it has been really confusing to me.
Now, I am at a place in my life where I am questioning everything I was taught, not because I don't want to believe it; but because I want to know the truth.
At this point, I do believe that there is a creator, but I think that what I was taught in Sunday School is not how it actually works.

I personally feel it is a bit of both. I think that it comforts the mind to believe that there is a higher power - that we go somewhere beautiful and peaceful with all the people that we love when we die.
i think that if you pray and you pray hard and you believe with all of your heart, body and soul that sometimes they are heard. Maybe by God, maybe by your deep inner self; pushing you to be better, do better, get better. I believe in being positive. Sometimes thinking and being positive is just good karma.

I don't believe that we will ever know how the world started, or if there is or is not a God. I don't believe that it was ever meant to be proved to begin with. I think that whatever comforts those in need of being comforted should believe in that

Since no one on this earth actually has any idea of how or when, or even why it started; there is not much likelihood of us actually figuring out the answers to those questions. Many wiser people than I have tried, and all that any of us have is our own theory.
So, I guess that is what I am also trying to discern and attain, is simply my own theory of where we came from, why we are here, and where we are going.
Yes, it is wonderful to believe that when we die, we will go to a wonderful place called Heaven, and again be with all of the people (and animals) we have loved here on earth while we were alive.
Will that actually happen ? Who knows, but at least it gives up something to hope for , and a reason to keep on when life seems hopeless.

I agree, It is a question that we will never be able to answer until its too late for us to share it with anyone. I certainly hope there is. I don't want to believe I die and am just going to rot in the ground somewhere. I also want to believe that when I lose a loved one they are somewhere happier and more beautiful. <3

Char, I don't see any reason why people should not think these kind of happy thoughts, true or not, it gives us comfort to think that, and it doesn't do any damage, even if it isn't actually what happens.
I think that the more we can be happy with life, and live it to the fullest; the better that it is. Why think depressing thoughts about things that neither ourselves, or anyone else, has the actual answer to ?

We still live our lives the same whether we believe in Heaven or not, but I have read that people who do have a faith that they believe in, are happier in life overall, and I am definitely in favor of that.

Absolutely. I agree with you completely.
I honestly am unsure what I believe in.
I question things the same as I am sure a lot of us do,
but i certainly use it as a tool for comfort and encourage my children to do so also.
I teach them that I am here for them if they need to talk,
and if it's something they don't want to share with em, God is ALWAYS there to listen to them.
He doesn't always answer, we can't just wish for new things - that isn't what he is there for. Sometimes unanswered prayers end up being a blessing. BUT.. he always hears them, and always listens.
I find it gives comfort to everyone

I believe there are forces that watch over us and guide us. There are unexplained things that do happen and we use our intuition or we hear a voice in side us telling us something we need to know.

Most of my writings are centered around the concepts and theories of Fate, Destiny and Free Will. In my novels I use them to highlight doubts and coincidences, to make us think about what things have happened. Are they coincidences or were they planned? Can we escape our Destiny or change it?

People have free will to choose their path, they can choose to be good or evil. Whichever way you turn, you must face the consequences of your actions. You can choose to do the right thing or the wrong thing, those who crave power know it's wrong but convince themselves it's good.

God and I believe in guardian angels can only do so much, they can guide and protect, but we also have to listen and be aware. They cannot help if we don't ask (and only when necessary) or if we don't listen. Sometimes it may not be what we want to hear and we have to accept that too. Not everything works out to how we would like, that would make life too easy!

Alvin, I think that is a good way of looking at life, and you expressed it very well, too.  We all have the right, and the responsibility , to make the decisions in our life; and then to live the consequences of those decisions.
Sometimes, things happen that there is no natural way to explain it , at least with the information we have now about how this world works.
One time, my ex-husband was in a car wreck and he called me from the hospital the next morning to tell me what had happened, and ask me to come and get him. I asked him how bad the car was wrecked, and he said that he knew that the windshield was gone, because he had crawled out of the car that way.
So, we went out to the wrecking yard to get his linework tools and lunch pail, and see what was left of the Corvair. The first thing the wrecker driver asked was how my husband had gotten out of the car.
He said that when he got there to tow it, the car was upside down, and wedged between two trees, and all the windows were still rolled up.
So, how did he get out of that car ? No one knows for sure; but I think it was his Guardian Angel.