Residual Haunts and Energy

By Reverend Mark Hunnemann

Continued from Residual Haunts & the Laws of Thermodynamics

This is the second in a series on the theory of residual haunts. We noted that  this theory allegedly explains the majority of true paranormal activity, and that alone is sufficient to call this a crucial issue. What I find odd is that, I cannot find any serious self-reflection or analysis of this theory--it is simply presupposed to be true. Personally, it takes considerable serious analysis of a theory before I can find "cognitive rest" regarding it. The fact that residual haunts is considered to be so common is reason enough to warrant sustained scrutiny. In addition, many Christians who are adamantly opposed to the notion of trapped intelligent spirits, DO believe in the residual phenomenon. My thesis is that these alleged residual haunts are not only intelligent, but they are demonic

Energy is energy is energy regardless of its outward form. We noted that energy is part of God's good creation, and it must "behave" according to the invisible scientific laws the Lord has interwoven throughout reality. One such law of God is the Second Law of Thermodynamics.(please see last week's blog for discussion of this phenomenon) Put succinctly, whenever energy is released into the environment, then this absolute law dictates that the released energy cluster will immediately begin to break apart and separate--entropy occurs until the energy has dispersed enough to reach equilibrium.Hence (and this is key) it is impossible for prison walls to retain within them an energy cluster. Once that convict was slain in a violent fashion, whatever energy that was released by that violent event will immediately begin to disperse in all directions. It CANNOT remain trapped in an inanimate object--to do so would be a blatant contradiction or violation of an absolute law of science (this is usually referred to as a miracle).

On The Haunted Collector tonight John Zaffis commented as he pointed to two stuffed fish, "Even though these fish have been through the taxidermy process, they still may retain some energy from when they were alive." I respect Mr Zaffis, but that is nonsense. During our lifetime, our perception of the very nature of reality has changed drastically--energy is king! But how many folks heard that comment on TV and it cemented in their minds the unscientific notion of a residual haunt? A worldview which has an infinite/personal God as primary reality, has given way to a worldview in which today most folks--perhaps unconsciously--see energy displacing God as prime reality. We need to recognize this shift in presuppositions regarding the nature of reality because it is this non-biblical worldview which gave rise to this notion and is causing it to grow like kudzu. To sum up this review, all energy is subject to the Second Law of Thermodynamics. Since I first introduced this objection in Seeing Ghosts through God's Eyes, nobody has offered a serious rebuttal.

There is a problem that plagues virtually all investigative groups that operate autonomously (self-guided, and not bible/God guided).--and that is the arbitrary nature of determining if the paranormal activity is residual or intelligent. What are the criteria one should look for to make this very significant determination? When you have been in an active location, what indicators do you look for to make this decision? Is a single EVP which appears to be non-intelligent? May I suggest that we be ruthlessly honest with ourselves here because our advice to the client is directly affected, and hence their welfare.. Again, how folks determine if a haunting is residual is usually based on woefully insufficient evidence..Determining if activity is intelligent is not as simple as many seem to think.

With the peer agreement within the paranormal community, it is not uncommon for folks to assume--even before arrival--that the odds are high that whatever activity there will likely be residual in nature. With this tacit assumption, we would be naive to assume that it is not affecting our judgment, and even how we :see: the data..

"I know it is residual if it is non-intelligent." But again, the 64,000 dollar question is:how do you determine if the entity is intelligent? Residual activity allegedly can do virtually anything an intelligent spirit can--cause smells, touch you, appear, make wide variety of sounds--even move and change forms right before your eyes.

1. What quantity of evidence is needed to be sufficient? One weird EVP... or three ...or just enough until you FEEL that you got it right?

2. Is it not true that many come to snap decisions because you believe you can intuit intelligence in a spirit or activity?

3. Has anyone ever ignored you? Of course....well, then why do we come to the conclusion the activity is residual due to lack of verbal response?

4. Do we not automatically assume some activity is residual (e.g. Footsteps), when we  also hear footsteps in undeniably intelligent haunts? How does one discern an intelligent footstep?

5. Do you have a thought through, consistent criteria or is it more of arbitrary and subjective in nature?

6. Assuming for arguments sake that ghosts exist, could they not play around and intentionally try to throw you off?

7. The criteria varies from group to group. It is often assumed that battlefields will be full of residual activity.. However, tonight on Deep South Paranormal, it was manifestly clear to them, and the audience, that all of these entities on this Civil War battlefield were very much intelligent. Who is right  regarding battlefields?

8. It is generally agreed in the paranormal community that demons are rare (which of course is wrong) but it is also generally believed that demons are deceptive and that they can appear in any any form they wish--or mimic any activity of alleged trapped spirits. Is it not conceivable then, that they could intentionally attempt to appear to be non-intelligent--to deceive us and lure all involved into false sense of security.? Once you admit the existence of any demons, then you are faced with a huge problem...demons can mimic everything alleged residuals do. How can you be certain it is residual and not demonic? Remember that demons can make the room feel like it is full of light and love--discernment is a spiritual gift which is usually given to one at conversion. Out autonomous reason and intuition is no match for demonic deception...it is naive to think otherwise..

The bible is God's personal communication to us, and as His creatures we are to interpret His reality by humbly bowing before scriptures authority. It is autonomous (self guided instead of God-guided) reason that has created this unbiblical, non-real notion of a residual haunt. Further, can we not see by common sense how attractive it would be for Satan to deceive us by convincing us that the infesting demons are nothing but residual energy, which the client need not worry about? He knows that once deemed residual then invading spirits will be left alone. I shudder to think of the many thousands who have been informed that they have nothing to worry about because it was determined that it was nothing but trapped energy..Surely for the clients sake we should be willing to re-think our views of residual haunt.

It seems that Satan often alters or augments his strategy based on his observations of the current "lay of the land.” That is, Satan is a brilliant military strategist, and with the growing popularity of the notion of residual energy, he was only happy to oblige by assigning more of his subordinates to deceive us by "playacting" as non-intelligent. If humans can perform battlefield re-enactments, then it would be a snap for him (and demons) to play-act by intentionally appearing to be non-interactive. I have found that demons ability to deceive is as wide and diverse as their cruel creativity can conceive.


On a personal note, I have never encountered paranormal activity which did not respond to biblical provocation in some intelligent fashion. If it were merely residual energy, then it would not respond to such provocation. This is where my thesis is empirically verifiable--wherever there is genuine supernatural activity which is thought to be residual, the sustained and sincere biblical command to leave in Jesus name will eventually get rid of it.

In our next, and last, blog on residual haunts we will discuss the various analogies put

Residual Haunts & the Laws of Theromodynamics

By Reverend Mark Hunnemann

Perhaps no concept is so universally assumed to be true in the paranormal community than that of a residual haunt. Along with intelligent haunt, poltergeist, and demonic, the residual haunt is alleged to one of four forms of haunting. However, there is a strong consensus amongst paranormal investigators that the residual haunt is the most common type of haunt. In fact, for most, the vast majority of paranormal activity is attributed to residual activity. For this reason alone, the notion of residual haunt is of immense importance. One is left to wonder why there is so little self-reflection within the paranormal community regarding this topic—it is simply assumed to be true. My purpose here is to show that it is a vacuous notion, with no basis in fact.

For the sake of those without prior knowledge, a residual haunt is a paranormal hypothesis which states that inanimate materials can absorb some form of energy from living beings, during moments of high tension ( e.g. traumatic death). This stored energy can be released, resulting in a display of the recorded activity. These “hauntings" are not intelligent but simply non-interactive recordings similar to a movie or a tape recorder.

A moments communion with common sense reveals the crucial role, for good or ill, that this omni-accepted belief entails. It either has tremendous explanatory power (85% of paranormal phenomena), or Satan has us whipped. The stakes are high and Christians cannot afford to be wrong on this one--too much is at stake.

This is a relatively complex issue, so I have decided to break it down into manageable segments. In this section I want to focus on how the concept of residual haunts is contradictory to science—in particular, how it is contrary to the laws of thermodynamics. This will be an argument from science and not explicitly from the bible—all truth is God’s truth.

This may surprise you because oftentimes folks will appeal to the First Law of Thermodynamics (law of energy conservation) in support of either intelligent ghosts or residual haunts. The argument goes like this: since energy cannot be destroyed, then when people die, their energy has to go somewhere. With what I consider several steps of logic missing in-between, the conclusion is then made that this provides a scientific basis for intelligent or trapped spirits. Regarding residual haunts, it is stated that the first law (conservation) also can explain why these alleged non-intelligent haunts can morph and move so remarkably—it is simply energy changing its form.

However, there are THREE Laws of Thermodynamics, and the Second law is particularly overlooked in this discussion.The Second Law of Thermodynamics deals with entropy of energy. Energy experiences entropy until thermal equilibrium has been reached. This law explains why perpetual motion machines are impossible in the world God has created. All scientific laws, like gravity, have been woven into the fabric of His universe—ensuring that the cosmos coheres and works—and that it is discoverable. But we digress…

To help explain how the second law works, consider what would happen if you took a glass of water and put several drops of red food coloring in it. Immediately, the red drops will begin to disperse—without agitating or stirring the contents. This dispersion will continue until the red food coloring has reached equilibrium—it has been evenly distributed throughout the container. In the end, you have pink water all throughout the glass!

In like fashion, when energy has been released from its container (bio-electric energy from human body), then it will disperse until it has reached equilibrium in surrounding environment. Though the energy has not been destroyed, it has been very significantly “watered-down”.Just as it would be impossible for the food coloring to stay clustered in the center of the glass (unless acted upon by an outside agent), so it would be impossible for released energy to remain clustered somewhere in the environment.

It is vital to note at this point, that the Laws of Thermodynamics are considered by scientists to be absolute—there are no known exceptions. Though the Laws of Motion are, at least theoretically, seen to be non-absolute, that is not the case with thermodynamics. For example. The Second Law is considered to hold true across the board, regardless of circumstances. This is important to keep in mind, especially if one simply dismisses my argument by saying, “Well, the paranormal realm is full of mystery and energy acts differently in that realm.” A thousand times no! That line of “logic” is known as special pleading, and is logical fallacy. Also, energy is energy. We quantify paranormal energy all the time—why question an absolute law of science at this juncture?

Consider this scenario: in my hometown there was a bloody battle during the War for Independence.It is also where I had my first paranormal experience; I saw a shadow figure decked out in military garb of that era. Many consider battlefields to be the classic example of perfect conditions for the creation of residual energy. How did that happen?

The violent fashion in which these men died is said to do two things: it violently releases the bio-electric energy of these young men; and it creates “shock waves” due the violence involved. All this emotionally charged energy is then absorbed into the surrounding environment—in this case it would have been the soil beneath their feet and the air around them (there is nothing else around to be absorbed into).

For arguments sake, suppose there is an explosion of emotionalized energy when the guns go off.  This release of energy “hits” the soil (or the interior brick wall if you are in a building). Suppose further, it even penetrates the soil or brick. The alleged result is a cluster of energy that provides the basis for residual paranormal activity…a cluster of energy that is sufficient enough to cause all manner of paranormal activity.

This is where the residual theory slams head-first into an absolute law of science. ANY energy that was emitted by this traumatic event MUST immediately begin to disperse until equilibrium has been reached. This is entropy. Like the red drops and the glass of water, the alleged released energy MUST be un-clustered and “watered down”. But unlike the glass of water, the new container is the soil, air, or brick. Meaning that the cluster of traumatic, emotionalized energy particles will experience massive entropy or dispersion…losing any and all alleged ability to perform anything. Let me say it another way, the explanation for residual haunts contradicts one of the most absolute (no known exceptions unlike laws of motion) laws of nature.

Without the energy remaining clusterized indefinitely, then the whole foundation for residual haunt collapses, and the entire superstructure with it.

Unless there is an exterior force acting upon the released energy cluster created by the violent deaths, then the clusters of energy will immediately experience entropy. The same holds true of the walls of a penitentiary or asylum. The way some folks talk you would think that inanimate matter (walls) has assumed human characteristics. The walls do not “witness” anything because it is brick or rock. Once again, no matter how much violent energy has been released within those walls, in every case the alleged energy MUST have dispersed immediately. It  makes no difference if it is quartz or whatever—energy may conduct better through some material, BUT IT CANNOT BE STORED THERE FOR EVEN A SECOND.

Consider the most powerful display of the release of energy in nature—lightning. When it hits an object, how long does that object remain “energized”? How long does the energy remain clustered in the tree? If lightning hits a tree, then a second after the strike this massive amount of energy has virtually disappeared. Compare this with the relatively tiny amount of energy allegedly released during a traumatic death. If…if there is any release, it is gone IMMEDIATELY…the victim of entropy.

Remember, energy is energy, and we need to stop anthropomorphizing it…giving it personal traits—even if these personal traits are “non-intelligent” (that gave me a headache because it is so absurd) Unless you create a different category of energy unknown to science, then it must obey the law of entropy and quickly move out to equilibrium.

I am not going to drag this out. The only thing I would reiterate is that entropy of released energy is immediate and quick…much quicker than the food coloring analogy. Next week I examine other issues related to residuals. For now, science…SCIENCE tells us that what I saw on the battlefield was not a residual playback. (interesting that it took off when provoked biblically).

SCIENCE TELLS US THAT THE FOUNDATION FOR THE THEORY OF RESIDUAL HAUNT IS CONTRADICTORY TO AN ABSOLUTE LAW OF SCIENCE…ENERGY CANNOT REMAIN CLUSTERED—NO MATTER WHAT THE SUBSTANCE OR CIRCUMSTANCES. PERIOD.

Musings on Energy & Epistemology (How We Gain Knowledge) Part 2

By Mark Hunnemann

Continued from Part 1 

True knowledge of God and of the spirit realm cannot be acquired via ourselves; it must come from the infinite-personal God who is really there, revealing Himself to us. The bible speaks of the radical corruption of human beings (total depravity), and there is no part of us that is not tainted by sin—including our minds or consciousness. Looking ever deeper or higher within ourselves for certain knowledge of ultimate realty, is to overlook the severely corrupted nature of the human heart/mind (Jer. 17:9). Besides, as we have noted several times before, Rom.1:18ff states that we have exchanged the glory of the Creator God for a lie, and have begun to worship the creation instead of the Creator. Embracing an energy-centric worldview—energy is seen as ultimate reality—obliterates the Creator/creature distinction. What hubris to think that finite and sinful creatures can auto-generate pure and certain knowledge of God by a flight into higher consciousness. That is a Satanic reversal…we make God in OUR image.

Let me say it again—the vertical memory is alleged to be able to give us sure and accurate knowledge/answers to all of the profound questions raised earlier. An autonomous epistemology, like vertical memory, cannot accurately identify spirit beings either. Starting from ourselves, what is the basis for certainty regarding anything in the spirit realm? Earlier today I saw a thread on Facebook that was discussing Josh Gates and crew (Destination Truth), regarding an episode in which they re-visited a haunted forest—their camera guy had been thrown. Several people were intensely discussing what kind of entity/s were present there…the option most folks were espousing was that they were elementals—spirits which protected the forest. What struck me was how speculative the whole discussion was…one or two readily admitted they were left to mere guesswork…the truth would out when they died, was their contention. I could not refrain, and so I jumped in and, as gently as I could, pointed out that, with their epistemology, guessing was all they could do. There is a better way…

In contrast, in the book of Numbers, God in His infinite kindness and love has REVEALED Himself to us….when God “revelates” there is no need to speculate! In the ancient world, tassles were worn by nobles and other high class people. In Israel they are to be worn by everyone as a sign of being God’s chosen people. In observance of this requirement, Jesus would have worn these tassels. In Matt.9:20; 14:36 it clear that the “fringes” touched for healing by the sick would have been these tassels (same Greek word in Septuagint for “tassle” is used in Matt. for fringe…kraspedon)

Blue was used in the tabernacle, and so the blue threads reminded the Israelites that they were “a kingdom of priests and a holy nation (Ex. 19:6).They served a two-fold purpose (v.39): to bring to memory all the commandments of the Lord and do them; and the blue-laced tassles were a memory aid to not follow after their own hearts. There is a play on words with the expression “to follow” because this verb (tur in Heb.) means both “to spy” (an allusion to the disastrous results of the spies giving a bad report in ch.13) and “to follow”. Hence, this is a warning of the danger found in following their own whims rather than being absolutely loyal to the divine commandments or revelation.

But how many times have we said, “I will follow my heart to find God’s will? How many of us have walked through a forbidden relational door because that is what our hearts directed? When we come to our senses, it feels like death to put an end to what should have never happened. Verse 39 tells NOT to follow after our hearts because we are listening to our speculation and not God’s revelation…and He calls that whoring. My marriage and the unity of my family was destroyed due to a spouse who did not heed these words.

In Numbers 1:1 we read, “The Lord spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, in the tent of meeting, on the first day of the second month, in the second year after they had come out of the land of Egypt, saying…” This seemingly insignificant verse (the Lord spoke to Moses) is pregnant with epistemological meaning! Five words which should send us to our knees in worship and wonder. How often do we thank God for having revealed Himself to us in the bible? In a culture drowning in subjectivism and evil, we have a sure word from the Creator Himself!

A fairy tale begins, “A long time ago, in a faraway place…” or, ancient myths are a-historical regarding the bizarre stories of sexually heated gods and The Fates (one never knows which is ultimate). However, the book of Numbers is replete with verses like the one above. The revelation of God to us was done in space and time! Space: in a specialized tent which was located in a real geographical location…the wilderness of Sinai. Time: the precise date is given when Yahweh spoke to Moses, presumably in Hebrew, as He did to Saul on the road to Damascus. The simple but profound point is that God’s revelation to us took place within the space-time continuum. Thus, our epistemology is certain fact, and not some airy fairy flight of fancy, nor imagination dreamed up by a drunken monk, nor some subjective state called vertical memory or higher states of consciousness. No, God has revealed Himself to us in space and time.

God wants us to be holy as he is holy (v.40), and the key is to remember and do all his revelation tells us to do. Christianity is a system of truth; it is more than a system of content and truth, but it is not less. Meditating on the content of truth is biblical meditation, as opposed to content-less eastern meditation, which may open the door to the demonic—as can “ascensions” into higher states of consciousness. In v.40 He is revealed as the God who saved them by grace out of Egypt, which is a type/symbol of the coming greater Exodus through the Person and work of Jesus. The commandments are set firmly in the foundation of God’s gracious dealings with us!

V.37..”The Lord said to Moses…” About 2,000 times in the Old Testament we have that cosmos-shattering epistemological utterance (thus saith the Lord). The first sin of Satan in the Garden was to question the veracity of God’s word…”did god really say…?” But these words regarding the use and meaning of tassels was a direct revelation from the Living God—now THAT is certain knowledge! Whether it is the nature of God, the true identity of spirit beings, our eternal existence in heaven or hell, and grace (as opposed to karma and reincarnation) we have true objective truth. His revelation is certain, true truth OUTSIDE of us…concerning things impossible for a creature to know without divine revelation. The reason we can have confidence in what we believe regarding these vital matters, is that the Creator God has lovingly and truly revealed Himself to us: regarding what He is like, who dwells in the spirit realm, true wisdom, and that history is truly His-story…culminating in His imminent Second Coming.

“Thus saith the Lord” versus “thus feeleth the heart/higher consciousness”—that is the issue facing us and our culture. When the heart takes primacy it is an invitation for disaster due to its deceitfulness. Let us not forget that the Lord views following our whims as whoring. If the Father ever has to choose between our whims and the singular honor and dignity of His beloved Son, He will always choose the honor and dignity of His Son…He has made that abundantly clear.

The Problems With Believing That Energy Is Ultimate

By Reverend Mark Hunnemann

“Come this way, please.” The life coach and wellness expert pleasantly coaxed his client into his office. “Our goal today is to teach you how to raise your vibrational levels…this will relieve stress, enhance overall health, build confidence, and make you more successful in every area of your life. Just think, you will be tapping into the same cosmic energy that surges through our galaxy —synchronicity! I can guarantee you that your public speaking as well as your love life will take a quantum leap forward!” Sounds enticing, does it not? And no holy God that we have to be accountable to…yeeaay!

Energy…our country has become fixated with it. The scene above, with ten-thousand variations, is played out in similar fashion everyday across our country. We saw last time that the notion of ghosts did not just pop out of thin air; it is no coincidence that the birth of the New Age (around 1990) occurred at generally the same time that the notion of ghosts started taking off in popularity—moving from a few fringe groups to where CBS says that now one-half of Americans believe in trapped spirits. I personally do not know of another significant belief that has grown this quickly in such a short period of time. The point is that the belief in ghosts is under the extensive umbrella of what we call New Age…or occult/pagan. First is the worldview shift—energy displaces God as ultimate reality—then aberrant beliefs (such as trapped spirits) start mushrooming across the landscape of our culture. Very few in the supernatural community seem to be aware of the causal connection between the two. And frankly, many don’t want to know because they simply have too much personally vested in the notion of ghosts.

The energy worldview is monism or one-ism. We saw last time that Energy has displaced the infinite/personal God of the bible as our concept of ultimate reality. Dr. Peter Jones has suggested that we think in terms of One-ism and Two-ism to describe the two fundamentally opposed worldviews. There is such a bewildering array of different beliefs and techniques that express this shift, that it is helpful to have some way of organizing all the data. (Peter was desk-mates for several years with John Lennon in Liverpool). John went on to be one of the most influential one-ist proponents ever, and his pal Peter one its biggest opponents.

One-ism is the belief that all reality is one…in this case, there is a divine energy that undulates throughout all the cosmos—making everything an expression of Energy—and by raising our energy vibrations to match that of the world around us, we begin to fire on all cylinders. You should note that, at the very heart of one-ism, is the obliteration of the distinction between Creator and creature. Energy is ultimate reality, but since everything is infused with this energy, then everything is one—all we have to do is have a spiritual chiropractic adjustment in order to maximally experience this divine energy. Sin and salvation take on an entirely different meaning in this worldview. Instead of us being saved from the clear and present danger of God’s holy wrath due to our trespasses against Him, instead our basic need is to be released from our ignorance regarding our divine nature and this is achieved via enlightened teaching or direct experience.

Two-ism is shorthand for designating the biblical worldview…there are two kind of reality: primary (the Creator) and derived (the creation).The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ is primary or ultimate reality, and He is distinct from His creation, which derives its very existence from Him. He created it out of nothing (ex nihilo…Gen.1:1), and He continues to sustain and uphold its existence (Col.1:16). The two-ist or biblical worldview upholds the Creator/creature distinction…two utterly distinct kinds of reality. (Do you see why a depth awareness of God’s holiness is so crucial?).

The one-ist worldview, (New Age or pagan/occult Energy) overhaul of our culture is so comprehensive and diverse, that it is easy to miss the forest for all the trees…the forest being a one-ist worldview, and the trees being the innumerable beliefs, methods, and techniques that are expressive of a one-ist paradigm.Whether it be Reiki, incarnation, astral travel, quantum jumping, acupuncture, the chakras in yoga, and so on—all are one-ist trees—that comprise the one-ist forest or mindset/worldview. That is what drew me to Dr. Jones simplified means of making sense of all this mind-boggling variety…it explains so much: Energy as ultimate reality is the one-ist worldview which is in vogue today. But as I mentioned last time, it is not without its problems..

In classical philosophy there is epistemology (theory of knowledge), metaphysics, ethics, logic, and aesthetics. Few of us are philosophers in the technical sense of that being our academic specialty. However, we are all philosophers in the sense that we all have a worldview (albeit usually unconscious) through which we interpret the world. In this series, I wish to show the epistemological, metaphysical, and ethical necessity of the infinite/personal God really being there and having spoken to us. Often, Christian leaders despise philosophy and discourage any interaction with it. This is sad because the questions philosophers have asked for millennia, can only be answered satisfactorily by biblical Christianity—philosophy and biblical theology fit like hand in glove—and for this, I bow before the Lord in worship. It isn’t just that biblical Christianity has the best answers; it has the ONLY satisfactory answer.

Today there is not so much a generation gap, as there is an epistemological gap…we view truth differently... Epistemology is that branch of philosophy that deals with how we acquire knowledge, whether it is of the natural or the supernatural. This where we must start, especially when it comes to this notion of Energy as ultimate reality.  I would gently insist that without the God of the bible, and the bible of God, we have no sufficient basis for knowing anything. I have a friend (call her Laura) who is well known in paranormal (whoops…I said it!) circles, she has written a book and has been investigating the supernatural for over 35 years…specializing in what she refers to as hostile haunts. Laura was deeply angered at me after reading my book and told me so. Thought I was too narrow…siiigh. She explicitly states that she does not believe in religious absolutes, and incredibly, after many hundreds of investigations of active houses, she says that she has never run into a demon! Never…

I mention this as an illustration of the paramount importance of epistemology. The starting point for her in analyzing the supernatural is, well, herself…not any beliefs external to her. The fact that she is convinced she has never once happened upon a demon is terrifying to me, and it surely shows that 35 years of operating on a false presupposition, will only lead one ever deeper into darkness and folly (Rom.1:18ff). Consider this verse I happened upon in my quiet time yesterday, “And the angel…who swore by Him who lives forever and ever, who created heaven and what is in it, the earth and what is in it, and the sea and what is in it, that there would be no more delay.” (Rev.10:6 emph. added) The Greek word for heavens (ouranos) can mean the sky, the place where God dwells, and the supernatural realm. Regardless, John is emphatic and explicit in noting that it is the Lord who created the different realms and (this is key) what is in them. Since God is the Creator of the inhabitants of the supernatural realm, we must see reality through His eyes if we are to identify His creation accurately. His word is the necessary epistemological foundation for gaining true and accurate knowledge of the supernatural realm and its inhabitants… as they really are. On the contrary, the more experience and time one has spent analyzing the supernatural without reference to He who created it, will only lead to an intensification of ignorance and foolish conjecture.

The one-ist worldview states: In the beginning, there has always been impersonal energy, and this impersonal energy + time + chance = the current complexity of the heavens and the earth. That has many ramifications, but the epistemological are most fundamental. How do we acquire knowledge of the world?  Now, please consider this: suppose you are doing your thing (which is not God’s thing) and investigating the supernatural. You are observing with your five senses, while also using instruments…the observer and the thing being observed. If ultimate reality is impersonal energy, then you as observer are the result of: impersonal beginning billions of years ago + time + chance. Specifically, your eyes and your brain are the result of an impersonal beginning, plus time, plus chance (that is how evolution rolls). I gently insist that you do not import any notion of intentionality or design because that is being inconsistent (You can’t have your autonomous cake and eat it too).

In this scheme, you have no intellectual basis for claiming that what is coming to you is data. Call it blah, blah, but you have no epistemological basis for saying that you are receiving data. Why do I say that? How can you trust your brain which is a bunch of chemicals and billions of firing synapses? How can this process kick up a brain which conveniently has categories which corresponds with external reality? Your eyes…again, nothing but energy in motion, configured by chance. How do you know that what you perceive as a red apple is really red in color, and is really shaped as you perceive it? It was Immanuel Kant who dropped this bombshell on the philosophical playground about 200 years ago. To make matters more complex, in this scheme (impersonal energy is ultimate reality) how can you trust the information transfer from eyes to brain? How can we be sure that we are acquiring accurate knowledge regarding anything? What is the basis for believing in the basic reliability of our senses?

I have briefly sketched the epistemological problem of the one-ist worldview of Energy, which is the root of this explosive rise of interest in spirit beings/ghosts.I want to close with showing how biblical Christianity alone supplies the answer to the epistemological problem. God is infinite and personal, and we are finite and personal. When it comes to His infinity, God is utterly dissimilar to us…and all of creation (this is the essence of two-ist thinking), but when it comes to God being personal, then we are similar to God—we are made in His image. The same God who formed the external world for our enjoyment, also created our five senses to operate or function in this environment: do you see how massive this is epistemologically? A personal God of reason made our reason; a God who hears prayer made our ears to hear; the Creator who sees all and knows all created both our eyes and our minds—with categories which correspond to what is out there. We have a sufficient basis for knowing that what appears to be a red apple is precisely that. We have a sufficient basis for trusting in the basic reliability of our five senses. When it comes to the problems of this worldview now in vogue (energy is ultimate reality), we see that only the God of the bible, and the bible of God, provide the only solution.

Are We Merely Clusters of Energy?

By Reverend Mark Hunnemann

Energy…what is it? Some would answer, “E=mc squared”. Don’t want a mathematical equation… “Okay, energy is the ability to do work.” That is only a functional definition of what it can do—I want to know what it IS. Do you realize that physicists cannot even explain what energy is, and yet a growing number of people believe that energy is ultimate reality, instead of a personal God? The basis of a 1,001 self-help books, wellness techniques and therapies, is this undefined concept, and it is re-shaping our perception of what under-girds both the natural and the supernatural realms.

“Sending prayers and positive energy”…gosh, how many times have I heard, or read on Facebook, a comment similar to that? How many times have you? The sending of positive energy has equaled, and in many cases eclipsed, the pledge of praying to the Living God from a friend to someone experiencing a trauma. Clearly, energy has taken on such a profound and practical significance for countless numbers of people—nothing reveals more about a person’s real, basic spiritual convictions than how they pray—that it has become THE central organizing principle in their worldviews. Hence, it is incumbent for Christians that we understand this issue and sift it through a biblical worldview grid…pulling down strongholds and arguments… that are raised against the knowledge of God (2 Cor.10:5).

Those who research and investigate the supernatural realm—from quantum jumping to spirit hunting—are increasingly seeing ultimate reality in terms of energy. Again, how many times have you heard, or said yourself, that trapped spirits are made of energy? EMF gauges certainly seem to verify that whatever is out there is emitting energy…that much is certain. However, it is a huge leap to go from energyto Energy, where the ultimate source of all reality is this Energy or cosmic consciousness. It has become not only personified but deified as well. This impersonal stuff that we call energy has now become our new god…our new reference point for defining the cosmos, mankind, and our relationship to the cosmos. In the beginning God created (bara—act of personal creating)…,has been replaced by…  In the beginning, Energy has always been there and is evolving….It has become commonplace to believe that we are currently experiencing a quantum leap into a higher form of consciousness or energy, and it is often stated that we are spirit energy in a body, and NOT vice versa. Welcome to Halloween 2012…

As I alluded to, this is no mere dry as dust academic theory, because it has become a paradigm or worldview shift in how one understands who they are, and how to become better at living and being human. Watch the plethora of energy healers attempting to adjust folk’s vibrational levels to harmonize with the vibrations of primal Energy.  And what must be noted with tears, is that often these energy therapies seem to work in terms of affecting vibrational change(what is really happening is not within our scope). May I suggest, though, that we are playing god in this respect, and are opening ourselves to deep demonic intervention. They (demons) are clever, and all it takes is openness to this Energy to potentially begin the possession process. Usually, at some opportune time, the demonic will find some imaginative way to gain permission for entry. We should have known better than to reject God and begin to call energy ultimate reality/god--Energy. Romans 1:18f speaks of the endarkenment, instead of the desired enlightenment, which comes when we deify, make ultimate, or worship any aspect of the Creator’s creation—including one of His greatest creations, which is energy.

To define human beings primarily in terms of energy clustering is to commit the reductionist fallacy. In other words, just because, in some sense, we are made of energy, it does not follow that we ARE energy. Consider a poem which is written in a book. There are levels of defining what that poem is, but we know instinctively that, saying that the poem is a collection of chemicals on a piece of paper, hardly does justice to explaining what a poem IS. Reducing a poem to ink on paper shows the absurdity of reductionism.  Though at the most basic level, this is technically correct, it hardly is the best, and certainly not the most comprehensive definition of a poem. What has happened to the distinctly human aspect of poetry—the expression of deep emotion, with an artistic, metric economy of wordsmithing, which is meant to communicate on a visceral level with others? You may define poetry differently, and much better, than I just have, but certainly this is much closer to the reality of what poetry is, rather than chemicals on paper. How much more horrible to take God’s image bearers and reduce them to matter/energy in motion? And if you are consistent, by rejecting an infinite/personal God, then this nihilistic definition of man is all you are left with.

It is not being intellectually consistent or honest to spell energy as Energy, because the bottom line is that this notion (energy is ultimate reality) implies that there was an impersonal beginning, and by adding upper-case you have imported personality—creating it out of thin air.The only reason why we sense or detect personality with the energy entities, is because they ARE personal beings—demons. Like humans, demons and Satan have a will, intelligence, and emotions. We have not dealt with ghosts per se, in this newsletter, but the concept of ultimate reality that often accompanies the belief in ghosts. In coming blogs we will look at specific examples of this Energy-centric worldview, as well as philosophical, scientific, and biblical problems it encounters. In the meantime, be wary of any talk of tapping into primal Energy or cosmic consciousness. In our weakness, let us cling to the God who was manifested through the burning bush—the infinite-personal God of the bible who has inexhaustible, omnipotent energy and power. The Lord is good…all the time.