A 1956 picture supposedly depicting a monk sitting in the pews at Eastry Church, Kent, England.

Would I Lie For You?

Would I lie about a “haunting” for my 15 minutes of fame? No. I am not a skeptic; I’m a believer. However, I am so deeply rooted to my beliefs that I don’t have to lie. I’m also a seeker of truth.

Don’t get me wrong. I blog to be read. I co-host a weekly radio show (Archer Paranormal Radio) to be heard. And I hope to convert just one person. Dangle the reality TV carrot and I will bite. Hint that I should over-embellish and I’ll refuse to swallow.

There is absolutely no reason to embellish and to stretch the truth. Some places are simply not haunted. When the Ghost Radar is silent, it’s S-I-L-E-N-T. Rarely do I capture EVPs. I get a lot of orbs; however, I usually take pictures only when the Ghost Radar displays a blip. So, really, it’s not most of the time. Even though some locations are not haunted, it does not diminish the history tied to the location. And those stories should be told. It is unfortunate that it does not make for “sexy” TV viewing.

Paranormal investigators should have dud cases. Helps us learn to use the tools and to root out the hoaxes (btw, topic of discussion next week on the radio show). Ghost hunters need to properly debunk evidence. If in doubt, throw it out. When we debunk, we gain credibility in the field. And this is a field of study!

Recently, my paranormal investigation group had to make the decision: Do we go along with the urban legend or promulgate the deception? Or do we turn down the TV appearance opportunity? We did the latter. Instead of simply saying no, we peppered our response with solid reasons why the location was bad choice. We took it a step farther and suggested a better (in our minds) location, a choice location with lots of evidence and great history. The production company passed. (Shocker!) They have their priorities and Archer Paranormal Investigations have ours. And I’m okay with that—well, sort of. Heck, I even believe they will call us back. Did I mention I’m an optimist, too?!

Famous faked image of Mary Todd Lincoln posing with the deceased president.

Note on Title: I cannot get the song “Would I lie to you?” out of my head. Whenever I am confronted with perpetuating an urban legend haunting, that song goes through my head. Only I revise it to sing “Would I Lie for You?”