Hopefully the following is neither dismissive nor disrespectful… certainly not my intent, just writing in an honest and open way. As such I will say straight off, thank you for writing it and taking the time to explain to me.

Having read it though, it’s as if in a language I don’t understand…. Think that’s the best way I can describe it… but that’s not to say that it doesn’t have value. My dad was brought up as a spiritualist, his parents were part of the spiritualist church and, according to my father, my granddad could detect energy from artefacts like rings for example.

For my own growing up however, it was very much from my Mother… who was brought up right in the midst of the troubles in Belfast. Never really shared much with me as to why she is an atheist… but I think it has much to do with the conflict and what she saw as hypocrisy and the use of religion as an excuse for conflict. What she did impart to me was that she only believed in what she could see, smell, hear and touch… and that hit of a resonant chord with me.

I have never seen a ghost or spirit… and though I would never challenge someone who say they did, I’m a sceptic… I think of the variables that led towards that vision and I draw back to the ‘see, smell, hear and touch’... the tangible. Could very well be that I am closing my mind to it as it’s something I can’t comprehend… and let’s face it, so wrapped up sometimes in my own head that something would have to slap me in the face to acknowledge it.



Like I said though, I wish that I was more open to having faith… that my existence was not just a matter of circumstances and that I was not alone… but sadly that’s the way I see it

I apologise for getting into a debate on this, religion can be a contentious arena to talk on and I don’t want to offend anybody or rile up agitation. With that said, happy to chat (and I always try to stick to being respectful on topics like this) in pm