Is It Sinful to Want to Learn More About Ghosts and Demons?

Question: Is it sinful to want to learn more about ghosts and demons?

Answer: Learning about ghosts and demons is part of our Catholic Faith. The key is not becoming unduly curious about or preoccupied with either, especially demons.

Ghosts are disembodied human beings, something we all become at death. Praying for the repose of the faithful departed and others who have died is a good thing. In addition, asking the prayerful intercession of the saints is also a good thing.

What is not good is seeking out communication with the dead, e.g., through séances. This is an example of divination, which is strictly prohibited (see CCC 2117-19). These are the problematic activities people often have in mind re: learning about ghosts, not praying for the dead, learning about the saints or asking for their intercession.

Demons are fallen angels and thus pure spirits who have irrevocably chosen against God and his people. They are powerful and malevolent, and we must not make ourselves vulnerable to their nefarious machinations.

Rather, we must be wary of their activity and resist them as Sts. James and Peter counsel (Jas. 4:7-8; 1 Pet. 5:6-10). In that light, it’s good to know ourselves and our weaknesses, and how the devil operates in general in trying to lead us away from God, and how he might try to tempt us in particular.

At the same time, we must not become preoccupied with either ghosts or demons. Instead, our minds, as St. Paul reminds us, should be focused on that which is good (Phil. 4:8).

Subjects like this have fascinated people for centuries, and the Bible has a surprising amount to say about each of them.

Jimmy Akin has spent years studying the mysterious, and in his new CD set he shares the results of his studies with you.

He and Catholic Answers Live host Cy Kellett look at three enigmas that everyone wonders about, discussing questions such as:

• Do ghosts exist?
• How can we tell the ghostly from the demonic?
• How many antichrists are there?
• What is the antichrist’s deception?
• What happened to the “lost tribes” of Israel?
• Where are those tribes today, and will they ever return to the Holy Land?

With his extensive knowledge of Scripture, Tradition, and the teaching of the Church, Jimmy tackles these mysterious topics with precision and clarity.

Listen to Ghosts, Antichrists, Lost Tribes: Catholic Mysteries Exploredand find out what the Church teaches about these mysteries.

Order your copy of Ghosts, Antichrists, Lost Tribes: Catholic Mysteries Exploredtoday!

Also available as an MP3 - CLICK HERE TO ORDER