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Question for Christians about the gift of tongues.
13 Answers
I want to ask what your personal views are on speaking in tongues. I'm particularily interested to hear from Theland, Lighter and Mani Potter on this one, who I'm sure will have different views to myself.
I like most Catholics don't speak in tongues although I know people who do and it's definately an amazing gift from God. I believe that this is a gift only given to certain selected people and that it is something we should be very careful about as the devil can also do these tricks. This is backed up by the fact that many devil worshipers also speak in tongues.
Some Protestant denominations teach that when a person is saved, or slightly later, the believer will be "baptized of the Holy Spirit." One automatic manifestation of this baptism is the gift of speaking in tongues. Essentially all of their members do exhibit this gift when or after they are saved.
I consider this unbiblical and dangerous, what are your thoughts?
I like most Catholics don't speak in tongues although I know people who do and it's definately an amazing gift from God. I believe that this is a gift only given to certain selected people and that it is something we should be very careful about as the devil can also do these tricks. This is backed up by the fact that many devil worshipers also speak in tongues.
Some Protestant denominations teach that when a person is saved, or slightly later, the believer will be "baptized of the Holy Spirit." One automatic manifestation of this baptism is the gift of speaking in tongues. Essentially all of their members do exhibit this gift when or after they are saved.
I consider this unbiblical and dangerous, what are your thoughts?
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Hello Fingerprint - This question was asked in October. Have a look at the answers as they might surprise you.
http://www.theanswerbank.co.uk/Society-and-Cul ture/Religion-and-Spirituality/Question313047. html
http://www.theanswerbank.co.uk/Society-and-Cul ture/Religion-and-Spirituality/Question313047. html
Hi Cetti, thanks for your post thats really helpful and interesting. I think your answers were really fascinating aswell, it seems that you take the Pentecostal position of the gift being avaliable to everyone.
I think this issue is a reallly difficult and controversial one. I don't really agree with your view but my opinion on this is a bit more complicated as I actually had a really strange experience as a teenager in Africa. Whilst taking lessons in spirituality from a Priest in Church a number of our group began to speak in tongues. I suddenly had an overwhelming feeling of Euphoria and then felt that I was on the ceiling looking down at everyone in the room for over a minute. In was really amazing but I'm sceptical about these things as I think the devil can also use his powers in this way.
I think this issue is a reallly difficult and controversial one. I don't really agree with your view but my opinion on this is a bit more complicated as I actually had a really strange experience as a teenager in Africa. Whilst taking lessons in spirituality from a Priest in Church a number of our group began to speak in tongues. I suddenly had an overwhelming feeling of Euphoria and then felt that I was on the ceiling looking down at everyone in the room for over a minute. In was really amazing but I'm sceptical about these things as I think the devil can also use his powers in this way.
There is so much misunderstanding about this and literally hundreds upon hundreds of books have been written - most of them in a very strange 'churcified' language and about as clear as mud to boot!
You are right to test everything as this is what we have been taught to do, but the danger here is analyzing ever little thing that seems a bit odd to us - then blaming Satan. It's quite true he will use every doubt to his advantage, but when we know that what is happening is biblical (Acts ch2) - the Holy Spirit comes from God through Jesus, then we can be assured that this is part of the Christian life and can only be to our advantage.
It doesn't matter where you are in a church - Catholic, Protestant, Methodist, Anglican - or anywhere in between, God doesn't see denominations stuck on our foreheads, all He sees is Jesus, and without the resurrection and ascencion there would be no need of a Holy Spirit. We would be left in a right old mess as the disciples were at first before this descended on them.
This was given as a Helper to aid us in our day to day life. It's Jesus with us, in us, beside us - and as a person He has a language.
I tend to write in the same manner that I speak - all over the place and I'm sure you see I don't go into deep Theological debates either, just tell it how it is. Much easier.
You are right to test everything as this is what we have been taught to do, but the danger here is analyzing ever little thing that seems a bit odd to us - then blaming Satan. It's quite true he will use every doubt to his advantage, but when we know that what is happening is biblical (Acts ch2) - the Holy Spirit comes from God through Jesus, then we can be assured that this is part of the Christian life and can only be to our advantage.
It doesn't matter where you are in a church - Catholic, Protestant, Methodist, Anglican - or anywhere in between, God doesn't see denominations stuck on our foreheads, all He sees is Jesus, and without the resurrection and ascencion there would be no need of a Holy Spirit. We would be left in a right old mess as the disciples were at first before this descended on them.
This was given as a Helper to aid us in our day to day life. It's Jesus with us, in us, beside us - and as a person He has a language.
I tend to write in the same manner that I speak - all over the place and I'm sure you see I don't go into deep Theological debates either, just tell it how it is. Much easier.
Cetti and Clanad, (on the link above), seem to have covered the whole topic extremely well.
I am not an expert in this area but I have just two observations.
1) A pastor whom I respect immensely, describes himself as a, "moderate pentecostal," and believes in speaking in tongues. I presume from this, that he has experienced this himself.
2) This same pastor warns against what is known as, "the Toronto Experience," whereby people supposedly filled with the Holy Spirit, become babbling idiots, making animal noises, and falling about in uncontrolled laughter.
This apparently demonic possession, a deciet for the real thing. The Alpha courses culminate in a, "Holy Spirit weekend," where this phenomena is passed on to the "students." I have no personal experience of this, but am reliably informed that this is so.
Some of the "Televangelists," do this in front of the camera, ("God cahannel"), and I find what I have seen ridiculous and unedifying.
I am not an expert in this area but I have just two observations.
1) A pastor whom I respect immensely, describes himself as a, "moderate pentecostal," and believes in speaking in tongues. I presume from this, that he has experienced this himself.
2) This same pastor warns against what is known as, "the Toronto Experience," whereby people supposedly filled with the Holy Spirit, become babbling idiots, making animal noises, and falling about in uncontrolled laughter.
This apparently demonic possession, a deciet for the real thing. The Alpha courses culminate in a, "Holy Spirit weekend," where this phenomena is passed on to the "students." I have no personal experience of this, but am reliably informed that this is so.
Some of the "Televangelists," do this in front of the camera, ("God cahannel"), and I find what I have seen ridiculous and unedifying.
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Another misunderstanding Theland, is that there are some people in the church hierarchy (pastors, vicars, whatever) that either say you must, or must not speak in tongues. No wonder this causes confusion!
Anyone who has been baptised in the Holy Spirit has this option - if they wish. That's what it boils down to - personal choice, pure and simple. You are not made ,/U> to speak, you choose to. The Holy Spirit is not removed if you choose not to. It's given to the individual to use personally - not the whole church body. That is something completely different. In fact it would be better if speaking in tongues was known as the 'prayer language' .
The outpouring at Toronto was on a large scale and when thousands are in one place some strange manifestations will occur. We are imperfect human vessels after all. What we need to do is yes, I agree, guard against anything that causes us to question whether it is from God or not, but after these events (the most recent was Brownsville, Pensacola, Florida) when we are back in our normal surroundings we must look to the remaining evidence and see if a change has taken place. Much too much has been made of the side effects and not enough of the positive.
God's ways, as you know, are not our ways, so if He chooses to make His presence known by laughter (this happened to me on numerous occasions!) then we should accept it. Look at the disciples, they were accused of being blind drunk on the very first Pentecost.
Anyone who has been baptised in the Holy Spirit has this option - if they wish. That's what it boils down to - personal choice, pure and simple. You are not made ,/U> to speak, you choose to. The Holy Spirit is not removed if you choose not to. It's given to the individual to use personally - not the whole church body. That is something completely different. In fact it would be better if speaking in tongues was known as the 'prayer language' .
The outpouring at Toronto was on a large scale and when thousands are in one place some strange manifestations will occur. We are imperfect human vessels after all. What we need to do is yes, I agree, guard against anything that causes us to question whether it is from God or not, but after these events (the most recent was Brownsville, Pensacola, Florida) when we are back in our normal surroundings we must look to the remaining evidence and see if a change has taken place. Much too much has been made of the side effects and not enough of the positive.
God's ways, as you know, are not our ways, so if He chooses to make His presence known by laughter (this happened to me on numerous occasions!) then we should accept it. Look at the disciples, they were accused of being blind drunk on the very first Pentecost.
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