Accusations woman harbors ghost escalate into forced exorcism and libel complaint

[NCC1701A]

[lujanit]

Yeah she hasn't got a ghost of a chance winning this one!

Depends on whether on if the Judge believes in ghosts

[kannot]

If you think your Thai other half is above such nonsense, try whistling at night, preferably somewhere nice and dark. I am assured that "everybody knows" that whistling at night is sure to attract ghosts.

Thanks Im gonna start whistling profusely now

[tuanku]

I have experienced many Thai villagers possessed by spirits in the villages and towns of Thailand. The spirits are usually Lao Khao or Lao Dong which are IMHO two of the most dangerous ones in the Kingdom. Both men and women are affected but more commonly men. After a long period of possession a distinct yellow hue is seen on the skin and in the whites of the eyes. Exorcism is rarely effective but the monks at certain temples can provide a temporary or permanent cure.

[tuanku]

Possessed by a ghost? Wonder where they got that idea?

[biplanebluey]

That's must be one of the most frivolous and just as silly case I ever heard, as you can't prove or disprove

the presence of ghosts....

Yes you can------ I see people that look like ghosts every day

[gandalf12]

Does the saying "There are more things in heaven and Earth..." mean anything to you?

[Siamwhiteelephant]

A nation's unique culture can be something to be proud of - the 'glue' that binds a people together.

No one can dispute that Thailand has a rich and exotic culture that lures tens of millions of visitors to this country annually - and this is surely a good thing.

However, in every society there is a darker side to its culture that feeds on fear, hatred, intolerance, and ignorance - and this is not good.

In this case, it would seem that authorities are dealing with it appropriately, as the report notes that two people from the same village (as Phan) have been charged with defamation for spreading the rumour about her.

While we may well scoff at this example, we have to accept that Phi Pop have a long tradition in the Thai culture, and we need to remember too that Thais are not alone in believing in magic, spirits, and ghosts!

Yes, it's always great to play the culture card. It isn't silly or moronic - it's part of our culture. But as we learn more, our cultures change. It's called development.

Only problem is that this is 2016. There are no such things as ghosts. If you wanna believe in ghosts or god, etc, go nuts. Just don't be offended when people laugh at you and dismiss your opinions because they're based off nothing more than primitive rhetoric and old wives' tales.

"If science can't explain it, it must be supernatural or god". No, science can explain it, but we can't. That's why we keep doing scientific experiments. "But why can't we explain it?" Because things we don't understand are not obliged to make sense to us. That's the rationale of a child.

Let me add also that science should be promoted as it is a way to find out what we don't know or understand well, but a scientist can never create life, that is a living cell, or even explain how the complexity of it or matter first came into being. Furthermore, science in recent years has verified that our perceived reality of our existence through the senses is not the real reality at all. This is a major topic that can't be delved into here. On another note, a Jewish sage about eight centuries ago claimed there are more dimensions than the 3D we know, at least 10 in fact. It's taken until now for science to come to the same conclusion, amid many others I, again, can't delve into here.

I don't mean to come across as condescending to you, especially as you may know about this or more than I about other related areas, but this particular vantage point of the unknown, including the spiritual sphere which may or may not be related to this news story, may be of interest to readers.

[soc]

l believe that ghosts do exist.

l have seen many things that l could not explain.

No one can prove that they don't exist, but as to what form they take & what they themselves can or cannot do, l do not know.

Kirlian photography proves that there is a "life force" around all living things.

What happens to that "life force" when the material body dies?

ls that what we interpret as a "ghost"?

Of course people embellish & lie about spiritual(not religious)matters which causes others to disbelieve.

All cultures believe in the afterlife & of ghosts.

Comment away, l repeat, l have seen & experienced far too many strange instances that l cannot explain.

Edited June 21, 2016 by soc

[DrTuner]

never create life, that is a living cell, or even explain how the complexity of it or matter first came into being.

http://www.popsci.com/scientists-create-living-cell-with-minimum-number-genes

[Siamwhiteelephant]

[DrTuner]

Never been to Kanchanaburi, but once I go, I'll be sure to whistle the River Kwai tune before sleep. Just to see if my wife can levitate out of bed.

[halloween]

never create life, that is a living cell, or even explain how the complexity of it or matter first came into being.

http://www.popsci.com/scientists-create-living-cell-with-minimum-number-genes

"Look! It's moving. It's alive. It's alive... It's alive, it's moving, it's alive, it's alive, it's alive, it's alive, IT'S ALIVE!" Frankenstein (1931)

[Moonmoon]

Sigh..

[Siamwhiteelephant]

never create life, that is a living cell, or even explain how the complexity of it or matter first came into being.

http://www.popsci.com/scientists-create-living-cell-with-minimum-number-genes

In the area of synthetic biology, a "living" artificial cell has been defined as a completely synthetically made cell that

can capture energy, maintain ion gradients, contain macromolecules as well as store information and have the ability to

mutate.[4]

Of the article you referenced, the scientists began with a living cell (bacterium) and finished up with a modified living

cell (bacterium). Bacteria are the simplest of creatures that are considered alive (Viruses are not. Viruses are not cellular,

so it cannot be a single-celled organism). The scientists used an existing cell and eliminated certain genes within to the

minimal number of 473 essential to maintain life for that particular cell.

The writer, Alexandra (Alex) Ossola, is a freelance science journalist. She penned the somewhat misleading "Scientists Build

a Living Cell With Minimum Viable Number of Genes" title herself, not the scientists. An accurate title would have 'modify'

or 'alter' instead of 'build' and 'to have the' instead of 'with'. The title of the actual official published article she

referenced is titled: "Design and Synthesis of a Minimal Bacterial Genome". In a basic, simplistic way of explanation: the

scientists tinkered with the cells components.

A living cell is composed of genes, among other components. Genes are composed of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), except in some

viruses, which have genes consisting of a closely related compound called ribonucleic acid (RNA).. DNA is made of chemical

building blocks called nucleotides. These building blocks are made of three parts: a phosphate group, a sugar group and one

of four types of nitrogen bases.

A sperm has twenty-three chromosomes; even though it is alive and can fertilize an egg, it can never make another sperm. An

egg also has twenty-three chromosomes, and it can never make another egg. Thus, we have sperm that cannot reproduce and eggs

that cannot reproduce unless they get together. Human life begins at conception.

Scientists can explain life in terms of cellular physical properties, such as chemical composition, DNA structure, and cause

and effect of some processes within, but cannot define what life apart from that actually is. We know we are much more than

merely physical beings and 'What is a thought?', for example, or consider isolated interactions with the spiritual sphere

outside our 3D sensed being, and the non-physical entities behaving with wave form properties rather than particle properties.

Edited June 21, 2016 by Siamwhiteelephant

[HauptmannUK]

There's plenty of people in the West who believe in ghosts, spirits and all kinds on mumbo-jumbo. In fact Americans are particularly partial to this stuff - 42% believe in creationism:

http://www.gallup.com/poll/170822/believe-creationist-view-human-origins.aspx

[nottocus]

Primitive.