Ghost In The Woods. Illustration: The Real Estreya
As Interest In Christian Spirituality Wanes, Fascination With Ghosts And The Paranormal Has Been Booming
People the world over seem to have a longing for the unknown and the unknowable in one or more of the many forms in which they are encountered. Throughout the millennia, whenever one set of spiritual beliefs has crumbled or faded, another has risen from the earth or descended from the sky to take its place. And sometimes, rather evolving, spirituality returns to its earliest roots, and the beliefs of old gain a new hold over the human heart and imagination.
In Western Europe, for instance, while Christian churches have been losing adherents, interest in the supernatural—specifically in ghosts and spirits—has been gaining greatly in popularity.
According to a recent New York Times article, this trend is especially pronounced in Norway, where television shows about ghosts are popular, ghost hunting is growing as a pastime, and people are increasingly willing to blame sprits for small mishaps, strange noises, and other unexplained phenomena.
The Times reports that the Lutheran Church, to which most Norwegians at least nominally belong, has decided to adapt to this new spiritual reality rather than battle against it. According to the newspaper, the church has even “adopted a so-called ‘ghost liturgy’ for use by preachers who get asked by parishioners to help cleanse haunted houses.”
