Christian critics condemn ghost hunters by supposedly relying upon scripture in the Old Testament. They use Lev. 19:31 that according to Christian critics reads as follow: Do not resort to ghosts and spirits, nor make yourselves unclean by seeking them out. I am the Lord your God.

However, in the King James Version, this verse says: Regard not them that have familiar spirits, neither seek after wizards, to be defiled by them: I am the Lord your God. The King James Version does not speak about ghosts or spirits, but about using people who channel entities and from those who seek wizards. This verse is directed toward mediums and psychics who call upon their guides, not about documenting the existence of the spirits of the dead.

Christian critics also quote Lev. 20:6 which they quote as: I will set my face against the man who wantonly resorts to ghosts and spirits, and I will cut that person off from his people. Not true. In the King James Version, this verse reads as: And the soul that turneth after such as have familiar spirits, and after wizards, to go a whoring after them, I will even set my face against that soul, and will cut him off from among his people. Again some Christian critics have taken the term, "familiar spirits" to mean ghosts and spirits, but according to the full verse, the warning is to avoid those who have familiar spirits, such as mediums and psychics and to avoid wizards. No where in the verse does it talk about ghosts or ghost hunters.

Christian critics also use Lev. 20:27 which they claim says: Any man or woman among you who calls up ghosts or spirits shall be put to death. The people shall stone them; their blood shall be on their own heads. Again, according to the earlier King James Version, the verse really says: A man also or woman that hath a familiar spirit, or that is a wizard, shall surely be put to death; they shall stone them with stones; their blood shall be upon them. Again the verse speaks about mediums and psychics who call upon their familiar spirits to channel information. It says nothing about ghosts. The God of the Old Testament does not want competition from mediums and psychics, but wants the people to turn only to Him for answers and guidance.

Just as there are over 38,000 Christian sects, there are multiple interpretations of the Bible, each as different as night is to day. The King James Version is the earlier version and from that version, Christians have created another dozen plus versions of the Bible. Some Bibles rely upon paraphrasing, but it is still according to the men and women who rewrite the King James Version, which can be totally different from what was stated in King James. Familiar spirits has never been identified with ghosts, but with mediums, psychics and wizards.

Consider the verse in St. Luke 24:37 when Jesus appeared to his eleven gathered together. The verse reads: But they were terrified and affrighted, and supposed that they had seen a spirit. The verse did not read a "familiar" spirit, but just a spirit. In verse 39, Jesus said: Behold my hands and my feet, that is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have. Again, Jesus did not refer to himself as a "familiar" spirit, but simply as a spirit. If Jesus did not refer to a spirit as a "familiar" spirit, how can Christian critics claim they know more than Jesus?

The problem with quoting from scripture is that they were written to a specific person or group of people and must be read in its completeness. For example, the scriptures quoted in Leviticus was directed to Moses by God. If Christian critics feel it is proper to quote the above verses, what about the warnings in Leviticus, chapter 19 that says men and women should not get haircuts, that men should not shave their faces, or that clothing can only be worn made of one material, not two. The warning that our gardens must not have more than one type of seed planted or that we must leave a portion of the crop in the field so the poor has access to it.

These sundry laws and ordinances were given by God to Moses for how we needed to live our lives. If we shave our faces or get a haircut, we are breaking God's law, the same as calling upon a familiar spirit or wizard. Christian critics cannot pick and choose which scriptures they will follow and which they reject.

One cannot use Leviticus as evidence of God's condemnation of ghosts. Quoting out of context is perhaps the greater sin, as the true meaning is lost. Ghosts are not "familiar' spirits. Jesus himself never called spirits as being "familiar" spirits.

Jesus did not condemn his eleven for speaking to him when the eleven thought him to be a ghost. Jesus explained the difference between ghosts and himself. If Jesus did not condemn his eleven for speaking to a ghost, why are the Christian critics condemning ghost hunters who only record the existence of ghosts. Seems to me some of the critics must have slept through their Sunday School classes.

The Bible reflects the philosophy that mediums, psychics and wizards were a threat to a jealous God, who required his people to turn only to Him for help, guidance and answers. The "familiar" spirit refers to the spiritual guides used by mediums, psychics and wizards. The Witch of Endor spoke with her guide for answers that King Solomn asked. He was condemned for not asking God. The 66 books of the Bible is considered complete, but we know that the Coptic and Gnostic texts that referenced Jesus were not included, nor any of the other texts from splinter Christian groups that were rejected in AD 325 when the Bishops voted on which books to keep and which to toss.

Ancient scriptures are in conflict with todays society. Today mediums and psychics are a part of our society. Their services to the Law Enforcement community is well documented as they help find lost people and buried bodies. Our purpose in this article is not to condemn or judge mediums, psychics, and wizards, but to show how they were targeted and condemned in the Old Testament just as ghost hunters are judged and condemned by various Christians today.

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