Bhoota (ghost)A bhoota or bhuta (भूत, bhūta) is a supernatural creature, usually the ghost of a deceased person, in the popular culture, literature and some ancient texts of the Indian subcontinent. Interpretations of how bhootas come into existence vary by region and community, but they are usually considered to be perturbed and restless due to some factor that prevents them from moving on (to transmigration, non-being, nirvana, or swarga or naraka, depending on tradition).
Non-physical entityIn ontology and the philosophy of mind, a non-physical entity is an object that exists outside physical reality. The philosophical schools of idealism and dualism assert that such entities exist, while physicalism asserts that they do not. Positing the existence of non-physical entities leads to further questions concerning their inherent nature and their relation to physical entities. Abstract and concrete Abstraction Philosophers generally do agree on the existence of abstract objects.
Ancient Mesopotamian religionMesopotamian religion was the original religious beliefs and practices of the civilizations of ancient Mesopotamia, particularly Sumer, Akkad, Assyria and Babylonia between circa 6000 BC and 400 AD. The religious development of Mesopotamia and Mesopotamian culture in general, especially in the south, were not particularly influenced by the movements of the various peoples into and throughout the area. Rather, Mesopotamian religion was a consistent and coherent tradition, which adapted to the internal needs of its adherents over millennia of development.
PreternaturalThe preternatural (or praeternatural) is that which appears outside or beside (Latin: præter) the natural. It is "suspended between the mundane and the miraculous". In theology, the term is often used to distinguish marvels or deceptive trickery, often attributed to witchcraft or demons, from purely divine power of genuinely supernatural origin that transcends the laws of nature. Preternatural is also used to describe gifts such as immortality, possessed by Adam and Eve before the fall of man into original sin, and the power of flight that angels are thought to have.
Witches' SabbathA Witches' Sabbath is a purported gathering of those believed to practice witchcraft and other rituals. The phrase became popular in the 20th century. Prior to the late 19th century, it is difficult to locate any English use of the term sabbath to denote a supposed gathering of witches. The phrase is used by Henry Charles Lea in his History of the Inquisition of the Middle Ages (1888).
OuijaThe Ouija (ˈwiːdʒə , -dʒi ), also known as a spirit board or talking board, is a flat board marked with the letters of the Latin alphabet, the numbers 0–9, the words "yes", "no", occasionally "hello" and "goodbye", along with various symbols and graphics. It uses a planchette (small heart-shaped piece of wood or plastic) as a movable indicator to spell out messages during a séance. Participants place their fingers on the planchette, and it is moved about the board to spell out words.
Deliverance ministryIn Christianity, deliverance ministry refers to groups that perform practices to cleanse people of demons and evil spirits. These groups attribute certain people's physical, psychological, spiritual and emotional problems to the activities of these evil spirits in their lives. The doctrines and practices of these ministries are not accepted by all Christians. Deliverance is meant to cast out evil spirits (a.k.a. "demons" helping people overcome negative behaviors, feelings, and experiences.
ZabaniyahIn Islam the Zabaniyah (الزبانية) (also spelled Zebani) are the tormentors of the sinners in hell. They appear namely in the Quran in verse . Identified with the Nineteen Angels of Hell in and , they are further called "angels of punishment", the "Guardians of Hell", "wardens of hell", and "angels of hell". Some consider the zabaniya to be the hell's angels' subordinates. As angels, the zabaniyah are, despite their gruesome appearance and actions, ultimately subordinative to God (Allah), and thus their punishment is considered just.
CelsusCelsus (ˈsɛlsəs; Κέλσος, Kélsos; ) was a 2nd-century Greek philosopher and opponent of early Christianity. His literary work, The True Word (also Account, Doctrine or Discourse; Greek: Λόγος Ἀληθής), survives exclusively in quotations from it in Contra Celsum, a refutation written in 248 by Origen of Alexandria. The True Word is the earliest known comprehensive criticism of Christianity. Hanegraaff has argued that it was written shortly after the death of Justin Martyr (who was possibly the first Christian apologist), and was probably a response to his work.
