Dig Deeper: One to One

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

The BBC is running a three episode series on Radio 4 called “One to One” in which the presenter Selina Scott interviews three individuals on the subject of ghosts and spirits. In her first interview, which aired on Tuesday morning, she interviewed Canon Paul Greenwell from Ripon Cathedral. He is licensed by his diocese to carry out “home blessings” and even exorcisms and he provides advice to clergy about what to do if they encounter something or someone from “the beyond”. During the course of the interview he recounts a number of interesting, but in my opinion unconvincing, anecdotes about ghosts and his role in apparently getting them to “move on” from peoples’ homes or lives.

Selina Scott Source: www.mirror.co,uk

Canon Paul Greenwell Source: www.riponcathedral.info

Whilst very interesting to listen to, ultimately I found two things unconvincing about his interview.


1. Throughout the interview Canon Paul tries to use pseudo-scientific terms to describe these phenomena; terms such as “place memory”, “poltergeist”, “negative energies”. He tries at one point, rather lamely, to suggest that “in the brain, memory and smell are very close together” to explain why a family were being haunted by the smell of mothballs. He even professes to be a “Scientific Vicar” and claims that his training as a Biologist means that he is a rational thinker. Yet he does not offer any actual evidence for this paranormal activity beyond anecdotes and even says that what he does “is very hard to explain scientifically or rationally” and “don’t ask me how it happens”. He comes across as little more than a charlatan relying on the irrational fears of people to make them feel better. Do the ends justify the means? Surely just being a good priest and discussing with them their fears would be enough? Why does he need to go round sprinkling holy water everywhere?

2. The second thing I found frustrating was his lack of coherent theology to explain what was happening when he performed his “house blessings”. He suggests that the Church needs to “bring Christ’s healing touch to that situation” and that these souls are “lost” or cannot “pass on”. This sort of talk is totally spurious and baseless within the Christian tradition. OK, the Church could have a more systematic and complete explanation for what happens after death but one thing that Christians profess to on a weekly basis is that they believe in the Resurrection of our bodies and that Christ will come to judge between the “quick and the dead”. The Church may not teach very much but nowhere does it teach that souls of the unhappy in life hang around to bother the living. Certainly in the course of this interview he makes no real attempt to make coherent his belief in Christianity and his belief in the paranormal.

Next week’s episode is a discussion with Yasmin Ishaq, a spiritual healer, who does not believe in ghosts but in Jinn; supernatural creatures in the Islamic tradition. I hope you’ll be listening to dig deeper...

Click here to listen to "One to One"