Speaking in Tongues

[Curtis]

For years I got shipped off to a Penticostal church camp every Summer. It was basically good times with a lot of basketball, before my knee went to shit anyway, with a very, VERY long church service every night. My... I think it was second year, I experienced something along these lines. Not full out speaking in tongues, but other, erm, "effects" of the whole Holy Spirit thing.

I was surrounded by people "Slain in the spirit", "Speaking in tongues," the whole nine. Never me, though. I got sucked in once, fairly young, but I think too damned much to fall into it like a lot of people do. I was sixteen when my last year going rolled around and by then I'd pretty much figured the whole thing out.

These "worship services" start slow and build and build and build... Think of those songs that give you goosebumps, the ones that play like an orgasm. Same thing happens when you pull a huge group of people into a confined area, play music they sincerely believe in and slowly build to your climax. You throw theology behind it, have a situation where people believe that these things are supposed to happen, and you've got a group of adults guiding a bunch of kids into pretending to pass out, babble, whatever. It might as well be a Michael Jackson concert.

I can only assume that doing this into adulthood can build a firm belief into some, but I honestly don't know. I never got that far. Just stood in the back, thinking too much, waiting for them to open the canteen so I could get nachos, some soda and head back out to play basketball.

[soundwave]

Speaking in tongues? Like the Micro Machines guy?

[AstroBlue]

Talking Heads are a great band, but Stop Making Sense is better than Speaking in Tongues.

But on a more serious note:

From a linguistic point of view, the syllables that make up instances of glossolalia typically appear to be unpatterned reorganizations of phonemes from the primary language of the person uttering the syllables; thus, the glossolalia of people from Russia, Britain, and Brazil all sound quite different from each other, but vaguely resemble the Russian, English, and Portuguese languages, respectively. Linguists generally regard most glossalia as lacking any identifiable semantics, syntax, or morphology-- i.e., as nonsense and not as language at all.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glossolalia

Wikipedia is your friend.

[Sqoon]

Speaking in tongues? Like the Micro Machines guy?

No, man. Like:

[Green]

Remain in Light is the best Talking Heads album.
Oh, and loglgolaogllrororloghgoglao.

[Master of 7s]

I'm not about to get into this, but I'll just drop this little tidbit.

Speaking in tongues publically is expressedly forbidden without an interpreter. The tongues are a private language given to Christians to use for purposes such as intercessory prayer.

Intercessory prayer requires extreme discipline and dedication because it means praying non-stop for hours at a time. Doing this while praying in any understandable language isn't possible because the mind fails after only a few minutes. Praying in the Spirit, however, is entirely possible because your brain is no longer a factor. You pray as the Spirit gives you utterance.

You understand none of what's being said, but then again that isn't the point. God understands you and that's all that matters.

[Drinky Milk]

My mom "speaks" in tongues as well, and I find it awkward. How do you start a conversation after my mom is like "EEE SHA KALA BALA BALA BALA BALA."

Oh wait, speaking in tongues. That's right. The internet has something like that.

It's called Babelfish BURNNNNNNNNNNN

[James]

Master of 7's, I'm sure there's some very strong theology behind it but if the person praying doesn't understand what he's praying for then there's no value in it. Conscious thought is what makes us, removing it from the equation means we're as capable of religion as baboons, crocodiles, and cats. If your brain isn't invloved then there can be no point.

-edit- Going back and rereading it makes it seem like it's God praying to God. "Spirit" is, as I understand it, another aspect of God, and I've always felt the artificial distinction between Father, Son, and Holy Ghost was a bit to close to pantheism. God is God, and if we want to chop it up into three parts to help our understanding of it fine, but treating it as three separate things is our mistake.

Any errors in the above sentences are due to it being years since my 18 years of churchgoing. Episcopalian, if that helps explain anything, and long behind me in my current happy and content world of agnosticism. Anyway, my experience with speaking in tongues lets me use this for the first time ever- At least among the people I saw doing it.

James

[Fe 26]

Master of 7's, I'm sure there's some very strong theology behind it but if the person praying doesn't understand what he's praying for then there's no value in it. Conscious thought is what makes us, removing it from the equation means we're as capable of religion as baboons, crocodiles, and cats. If your brain isn't invloved then there can be no point.

-edit- Going back and rereading it makes it seem like it's God praying to God. "Spirit" is, as I understand it, another aspect of God, and I've always felt the artificial distinction between Father, Son, and Holy Ghost was a bit to close to pantheism. God is God, and if we want to chop it up into three parts to help our understanding of it fine, but treating it as three separate things is our mistake.

Any errors in the above sentences are due to it being years since my 18 years of churchgoing. Episcopalian, if that helps explain anything, and long behind me in my current happy and content world of agnosticism. Anyway, my experience with speaking in tongues lets me use this for the first time ever- At least among the people I saw doing it.

James

he was quoteing the bible, dipshit. He isn't going to debate with you text from the Bible. Look at the name of the guy you are talking to. He isn't going to argue logistics.

[Master of 7s]

Master of 7's, I'm sure there's some very strong theology behind it but if the person praying doesn't understand what he's praying for then there's no value in it. Conscious thought is what makes us, removing it from the equation means we're as capable of religion as baboons, crocodiles, and cats. If your brain isn't invloved then there can be no point.

-edit- Going back and rereading it makes it seem like it's God praying to God. "Spirit" is, as I understand it, another aspect of God, and I've always felt the artificial distinction between Father, Son, and Holy Ghost was a bit to close to pantheism. God is God, and if we want to chop it up into three parts to help our understanding of it fine, but treating it as three separate things is our mistake.

Any errors in the above sentences are due to it being years since my 18 years of churchgoing. Episcopalian, if that helps explain anything, and long behind me in my current happy and content world of agnosticism. Anyway, my experience with speaking in tongues lets me use this for the first time ever- At least among the people I saw doing it.

James

Like I said, I'm not getting into this. Praying in the Spirit is a God-given gift, the end.

And reread the first epistle of John regarding the triune nature of God. This fact is mentioned all throughout the Bible.