[vera-icon]

well... when i was growing up i was taught that ghosts were very different from demons. ghosts are kinda like a recording that plays over and over at a certain time and place, but they never communicated with anyone living because they were just an imprint in that area and weren't aware of any living being around them. demons on the other hand were something different, they could communicate with the living but they were tricky and evil. they could take other forms, like that of a loved one who passed away. then they would use that image and communicate to gain a person's trust but eventually they would turn and harm them.
i've often heard about people having their bodies stolen... kinda like a possession but instead of an evil entity invading you, they just kick you out of your body and take it, leaving you a "spirit" and stuck in this plane of existance. i'm not sure if it's true or not, but it might explain why some people like John and Sylvia claim to speak to the "dead". they could just be talkin to ousted spirits who have no physical body anymore.
but who knows?
i do believe that some people have a "gift" that enables them to speak to the dead or spirits, but i don't believe that they turn it into a cash cow... so maybe John and Sylvia or others who gain a profit from using people's memories and emotions are being "influenced" by demons. :p