Talking to the Dead
Can the living and the dead communicate, or is any attempt to do so 'the
devil in disguise'?
Lilit Marcus and Lisa Schneider
This article also appears in Newsweek.

In the 1990s it was "Touched by an Angel." Then it was John Edward's
"Crossing Over." Now it's the increasingly popular "Medium" and "The
Ghost Whisperer." Americans have always seemed fascinated by the idea of
communicating with spirits in another world.

According to a recent study by the Baylor Institute for Studies of
Religion, 20 percent of Americans believe that the living can
communicate with the dead. In an online survey of over 10,000 Beliefnet
members, 77 percent said they'd felt the presence of a spirit, angel or
dead soul.

Both the survey results and the TV statistics indicate that women are
more likely to believe it's possible to interact with the spirit world.
Forty-six percent of women surveyed believed that "the souls of the dead
protect the living as spirit guides," compared with 27 percent of men.
Women were also more likely than men to believe that "the dead can hear
our prayers or intercede with God on our behalf."

Most interesting, people tend to view these spirits as protectors who
may intervene to help in their daily lives. Forty-two percent in the
Beliefnet survey said the souls protect the living by acting as guardian
angels or spirit guides. Can you communicate with the dead only if
you're a psychic-or a TV star? Thirty-six percent of Beliefnet poll
respondents believed that talking to the dead is "something that
everyone has potential for."

All this interest in communicating with the dead comes despite the fact
that Jews and Christians have prohibitions against it. The Bible says,
"There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his
daughter ... consulteth a ghost or familiar spirit, or a
necromancer"(Deut. 18:10). One respondent captured a common Christian
view when he said the appearance of a loved one is "the devil in
disguise." These spirits are "simply a way to try to move us away from
our close relationship with God."

Not everyone buys the idea that the living and the dead can connect.
Atheist Michael Shermer believes people are so eager to communicate with
those beyond the grave that they're willing to interpret signs
cre­atively. Deborah Blum, professor of science journalism at the
University of Wisconsin, suggests that science might do better to try to
explain paranormal activity rather than dismiss it. "We should never be
so ar­rogant as to assume that one group knows everything," she
cautions. "I don't think this interest [in talking to the dead] is ever
going away."