Are Spirits Really Demons in Disguise?

_"For the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing; they have no further reward,
and even the memory of them is forgotten."  Ecclesiastes 9:5 NIV

"As a cloud vanishes and is gone, so he who goes down to the grave does not return.
He will never come to his house again; his place will know him no more.” Job 7:9-10 NIV

Are the dead no longer on this earth in body or in spirit?  Are mediums really talking to the devil and not your dead grandmother? 

This subject came up when speaking with a Catholic friend of mine about spirits.  Needless to say, she is not thrilled about my hobby.  We were talking about what ghosts really were.  Her answer was people who passed away but were waiting in purgatory to be cleansed of their sins until they eventually went to heaven.  I said what about children spirits.  There are known cases of the same child spirit being seen for many years.  Such as the spirits of two young girls aboard the Queen Mary.  One of these girls, named Jackie, drowned in the pool and has been seen and heard repeatedly ever since.  I didn't think a child could do something so terrible they would be sentenced to purgatory for a long period of time, especially decades.  That statement made my friend think.  She didn't know the answer but said she would ask her priest.  And that she did. 

I was anxious to receive an answer from my friend.  She informed me that not only did she receive an answer from one source but that immediately thereafter, another source confirmed her suspicions and this message could not have been coincidence but was intended only for me.

My friend contacted a Catholic radio station and asked her question.  She was informed by a priest all ghosts were really demons.  Humans who died could not be spirits.  They were gone from this earth forever.  If that answer wasn't enough, a special speaker came to her church, Zachary King, a former satanist, and also concluded there is no such thing as a ghost, only a demon in disguise.

I was mighty suspicious, after pestering her for months for an answer, she received not one, but two repetitious answers.  So I investigated.

There are many religions and cultures that do believe in ghosts.  The Chinese believe their departed loved ones' souls must be kept happy with offerings and honor.  The seventh month of the Chinese New Year is Ghost Month and is celebrated with the Ghost Festival.  It represents the connection between the living and dead.  During this month they believe spirits come to visit earth.  Buddhism, Judaism, and Hinduism all believe ghosts are deceased people who need our help to move on.  Ullambana is a Buddhist festival celebrated to ease the suffering of ghosts.  In the Latin American culture they celebrate Day of the Dead.  People go to cemeteries, build alters with food, drink, and photos for their deceased loved ones in hopes they will be visited by their soul. 

I spoke with a couple other friends of mine who are Catholic.  They said they do not believe all spirits are demons.  One even believes her mother's spirit visits her occasionally.

According to the Bible "... he who goes down to the grave does not return."  Does that mean the dead cannot come back to life or does that pertain to their spirit as well?  I think it's a matter of interpretation.

I find it hard to believe mediums are speaking with demons.  Why would demons want to comfort you or help you obtain closure of the death of your loved one?  It doesn't make any sense to me.  Demons are out to do bad, not good.  Demons can physically attack humans by scratches or other bodily injury and inflict mental oppression, ghosts cannot.  Don't demons have better things to do than haunt a house?   

I do believe demons can disguise themselves as a child or other spirit and can answer any question you ask them correctly but I am not convinced every spirit is a demon.  I don't think there is strong evidence either way.  For now it is a personal opinion.

I would love to hear what everyone thinks about this topic.  Are all spirits demons?__