Its been said that certain animals such as dogs have the human understanding of a 4 or 5 year old human before a learning curb develops, along with heighten senses and awareness would make them good candidates to see what we don't.

imo

There are theories out there about what I would call Innocents that have a better ability to see ghosts. This means kids and animals can see spirits better than adults. No one knows why really. I tend to believe they are innocent of the world around them. They are still relying on instinct to make decisions whereas adults don't. Is it possible that the first time we commit a sin knowingly that we lose this ability?

What do you think?

I have a hard time with the the word Sin. Who determines what is or isn't actually a Sin? A book? A set of stone tablets? In one religion something may be and in another it isn't. According to Christianity lying is a sin. ... but children lie about stuff all the time. I live in Toronto, ON area. This is probably one of the most multi cultural areas of North America you can ever step foot in. One thing that I have come to a theory about is that we adults of Western Culture have become desensitized to the world of spirit because we become more materialistic as we get older. Children still live in a world of fantasy and imagination and it keeps them open to seeing spirit. It also doesn't help that us people of the Western hemisphere have really lost touch with spirit. It's like on that level we are just catching up to other places like India where their daily lives is spiritualism. I am friends with two families over there. When one found out about me doing paranormal investigations, every time they send me a family photo they ask if I see spirits in it and seeing auras is a normal daily thing. One of my friends is a Brahman in his village and people go to him all the time for things like amulets and cow blessing,where as I was stationed with someone who hit menopause quite early and she started hearing whispers. It freaked her out and she thought she was going nuts. The squadron thought she was going nuts too. I got a hold of her and explored what some of these whispers were saying and she told me a lot of it were things about people around her at that time, and for me she said "something about the police" and two weeks later ... sure enough ... something happened and the cops had to be involved. I personally just think that we adults of the western world have gotten to where that seeing, hearing, sensing spirit is being shrugged off as psychological problems and that's why we aren't in touch with them as much as our ancestors once were.

Still - I've seen, heard and read things with and about kids that really makes me wonder. It's hard to know what they pick up from conversation, popular culture and just keeping their eyes and ears open. At a very young age, Tanner would say things that shocked me though - and I'd wonder how on earth he had picked that up. What's very interesting is, that for a boy with an imagination as vivid as his, he NEVER had an imaginary friend, never had monsters under his bed or anything in his closet.

Along the lines of never really knowing what kids would pick up. When our youngest was 3, we stopped at the liquor store. I sat in the car with the kids while Jim ran in and purchased whatever it was that we were getting at the time. From the back seat, Kevin popped up with, "That store is closed on Sundays." On the door was a sign that said, "Closed Sundays." I turned to him and said, "Did you just read that sign?" His response? "I can't read." He insisted he couldn't read even tho after that he'd read every street sign we passed, etc.

You just never know with kids.

I'm experiencing first hand the wild imaginations of kids. My two boys keep me informed of all the things they dream up. Some of them are so off the wall that I know it's their imagination. But some stuff I hear from them let me know that their minds are very keen. They haven't told me of anything scary like ghosts or monsters yet.

The notion that kids see things not of this world more than adults, because they haven't developed critical thinking skills sort of works both ways, doesn't it? The same notion can both be used to logically prove or disprove that children are seeing something that is there or seeing something completely made up from their mind.

I remember as a child my mother said that I hallucinated all the time. As a matter of fact I had been take to the doctor a few times (not a pyschologist, just an MD). For the most part I remember them. I can say with certainty that some were my imagination, however, others I'm not so sure of. The only thing that I can prove to myself in that particular situation is that even being very young (3 and 4) I could at least discern some of what wasn't real. The problem is that I believed some of it to be real. So if a young child can at least be under the assumption that they can tell what is real and what is not already starts to prove that a child that young is infact aware of fanciful creations and reality.

These things can also be applied not just to an individual's age, but also a civilization. Older, less "modern" civilizations also seem to believe in the supernatural and "sees" things more than a more "modern" person. The reasoning is that because of ignorance of science, events and the reasons behind them are personified to explain these things away. Obviously this is the correct answer in many cases, but there are supernatural things that people even now in this civilization experience that can't exactly be explained through current science. The assumption there is that we simply do not understand what is going on, which seems to be true to an extent.

Remember, the mind matricing images from the abstract to impress faces on things, objects moving being explained by physics of some degree, disembodied voices being contrived as flights of fancy and coincidence - even en-masse of others, a memory or dream being projected into your "awake" reality can only explain things so far. The problem is that if you can't reproduce these with the same conditions in a reasonable manner, then there is no control and no proof and the supposed science becomes what science has regarded the paranormal scientists as being: baseless and only seeing what they want to see.

I know I've strayed (once again) off-topic. Sorry about that!

You hardly strayed at all - and made some great points in the process.

I remember as a child my mother said that I hallucinated all the time. As a matter of fact I had been take to the doctor a few times (not a pyschologist, just an MD). For the most part I remember them. I can say with certainty that some were my imagination, however, others I'm not so sure of. The only thing that I can prove to myself in that particular situation is that even being very young (3 and 4) I could at least discern some of what wasn't real. The problem is that I believed some of it to be real. So if a young child can at least be under the assumption that they can tell what is real and what is not already starts to prove that a child that young is infact aware of fanciful creations and reality.

These things can also be applied not just to an individual's age, but also a civilization. Older, less "modern" civilizations also seem to believe in the supernatural and "sees" things more than a more "modern" person. The reasoning is that because of ignorance of science, events and the reasons behind them are personified to explain these things away. Obviously this is the correct answer in many cases, but there are supernatural things that people even now in this civilization experience that can't exactly be explained through current science. The assumption there is that we simply do not understand what is going on, which seems to be true to an extent.

Remember, the mind matricing images from the abstract to impress faces on things, objects moving being explained by physics of some degree, disembodied voices being contrived as flights of fancy and coincidence - even en-masse of others, a memory or dream being projected into your "awake" reality can only explain things so far. The problem is that if you can't reproduce these with the same conditions in a reasonable manner, then there is no control and no proof and the supposed science becomes what science has regarded the paranormal scientists as being: baseless and only seeing what they want to see.

I know I've strayed (once again) off-topic. Sorry about that!

As to them seeing spirits more often than adults, I think it's for a lot of the reasons stated above, such as: their minds are un-formed as of yet, no critical thinking skills. they see what they see.

Wow! This struck me as quite profound - I, critical thinking girl, had not thought of that. Kids see what they see. They don't filter it.

I'm going to have to think about that one for a bit.

This is one great example of why I believe children can see spirits until they reach a certain age. They are just more open to it because they haven't been told "it's silly" or "no, that didn't happen" or "you are imagining it, that's not real."

I agree, I think that children are reacting to their "soul memories", which fade as they get older. If the memories didn't our minds couldn't handle it. (in regards to reincarnation)

As to them seeing spirits more often than adults, I think it's for a lot of the reasons stated above, such as: their minds are un-formed as of yet, no critical thinking skills. they see what they see.

I had a strange experience with my daughter once. She was about two and I was reading her a book in preparation to going to bed. I was lying on my left side and she was facing me. All of a sudden, she started to pop up and down and giggle like she was playing peekaboo with someone behind me. I didn't see or feel anyone behind me. Then she stretched out her hand like she was touching someone/thing. It must have disappeared and then she went back to listening to the story. She was clearly reacting to something I couldn't see.

This is one great example of why I believe children can see spirits until they reach a certain age. They are just more open to it because they haven't been told "it's silly" or "no, that didn't happen" or "you are imagining it, that's not real."

the mind doesn't preserve memory as a series of snapshots or a film that can be rewound and viewed again and again.

That's how eidetic memory works, simply speaking.

I would contend that the stage of development could be impacting these reports in other ways. Children have not learned basic critical thinking skills and are more prone to believing or thinking that something they are seeing is of a supernatural origin. This is exacerbated by cartoons, television shows, and children's fairy tales....In other words, they are surrounded by mythology, and so are much more likely to turn to that as an explanation.

I don't think it's just kids. (well the brain development thing, sure--hopefully you kwim) I know I have an active imagination--kinda have to with my job. That's why I never credit any of those "not alone" feelings I get as being something paranormal. I can never tell if something's really standing there, or if I imagine it. So, I err on the side of me imagining it. And it's not like it happens all the time or anything.

So there I go - arguing both sides of the fence again. It would be just easier if I could either fully believe or fully disbelieve. Seriously.

I'm with you on this one. I argue myself back and forth all the time. LOL