For centuries, the Catholic Church has warned the faithful against spiritualism – conjuring spirits is considered a sin against the First Commandment , as it involves entering into a relationship with entities other than God. The Catechism of the Church clearly rejects the practice of spiritism as spiritually dangerous: according to doctrine, even if any entities respond during a séance, they are not the souls of the deceased, but evil spirits impersonating them to deceive people.
Catholicism teaches that only God can allow the dead to contact the living (e.g., saints or souls in purgatory for a specific purpose), and that humans have no right to "draw down" spirits on their own – attempting to do so violates the biblical prohibition (in the Bible, for example, the story of King Saul summoning the spirit of the prophet Samuel ends in severe punishment). Consequently, according to the Church, those who practice mediumship expose themselves and others to serious spiritual harm – they even speak of the risk of demonic enslavement, possession, etc.
From a Catholic perspective (and similarly in Orthodox Judaism and Islam), EVP recordings are at least a game with evil forces, and at most a simple fraud – in both cases morally reprehensible.
Other belief systems, however, may have a more favorable view of contact with the dead. Spiritism and religions derived from the spiritist tradition (e.g., the popular Brazilian spiritist movement, which draws on the teachings of Allan Kardec ) posit the possibility and even the usefulness of communicating with spirits. For spiritists, such practices are a way of exploring the immaterial world and bringing comfort—the medium serves as an intermediary with a mission.
In traditional cultures (e.g., shamanic practices in some Asian and African societies, or among Native American peoples), contact with ancestors and spirits is embedded in religious rituals and treated with respect. A key difference, however, is that this is usually done within the strict context of rituals, with due solemnity , and not for the purpose of staging a spectacle for the masses. Insulting the memory of ancestors is one of the greatest offenses in many cultures—therefore, using spirits for entertainment would be unthinkable for them, even if spiritual contact itself is accepted.In Western pop culture, the spirits of the dead have long been a feature of horror literature, films, and games, leading some in society to treat the subject in a more casual, entertaining way . For many young people, a séance is a form of exciting fun (hence the popularity of challenges like the "3 AM challenge" on YouTube, where people try to summon spirits at 3 a.m. for a thrilling experience).
However, even in popular culture, there is a certain limit to good taste – it's customary to respect the memories of real people. Creating a horror film about a fictional ghost is different from claiming that a real dead person speaks in our video from a spirit box or a static radio.
Attributing alleged messages obtained this way to the deceased borders on the sacred and social memory, which causes discomfort. Even those who don't believe in ghosts often say, "It's simply not appropriate , " "The dead deserve silence ." Many languages have sayings like " either well or nothing about the dead "—which indicates a strong cultural norm not to misuse their name after someone's death, not to sully their memories. EVP recordings—especially pseudo-entertainment ones, created for applause, reach, and the resulting financial gain—seem to violate this norm, because while they don't speak ill of the deceased, they put words in their mouths that they might never have uttered, turning them into "characters" in a media play.
However, there are also paranormal subcultures for which such practices are a passion or hobby. Paranormal communities (forums, groups, channels) have their own ethos – they believe that contact with the dead is a real possibility and a valuable experience , and sharing EVP recordings is a pro bono activity, intended to prove the existence of the afterlife.Such enthusiasts would likely say that criticism from a religious or ethical perspective stems from a misunderstanding—after all, they believe (and some even know ) that they help spirits convey important messages or that they are seeking truth. In their eyes, this may even be a form of honoring the deceased ("we allow them to speak").
It's important to note, however, that even among paranormal researchers, an ethical question arises: is it appropriate to record and publish the "voices" of recently deceased people , especially victims of tragedy? Some paranormal YouTubers focusing on so-called "ghost hunting" (literally, hunting for spirits ) deliberately avoid recent deaths, considering it unethical and dangerous (there is a belief that recently deceased souls "haven't yet crossed over" and shouldn't be disturbed). However, as examples show, many have no such qualms.
In summary, most traditional cultures and religions condemn attempts to contact the dead or take them very seriously . From their perspective, online EVP and alleged messages from celebrities and victims of high-profile tragedies are a sign of spiritual immaturity and disrespect. There are groups that allow spiritistic contact, but even these would typically require adherence to certain ethics (e.g., family consent, the intention to bring comfort, not sensationalism).
In a pluralistic, secular society, everyone is of course free to believe whatever they want – but cultural norms clearly suggest that publicly “summoning” the dead for empty spectacle is socially unacceptable or at least controversial.
A wide selection of so-called spirit boxes is available on an online auction site. Spirit boxes are simple radio receivers that operate by randomly scanning the AM/FM bands. Paranormal enthusiasts (and internet anglers ) use them to record alleged messages from the afterlife. Apophenia and pareidolia love this!
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