Speaking in tongues in church?

[kiltedsheep]

Hello all 👋

Am just wondering whether any of you have had any experience of speaking in tongues, or whether you've witnessed anyone else having that experience. What happened and how did you feel about it?

Personally, I'm not even sure what 'speaking in tongues' means. In Acts 2, the apostles are said to have been filled with the Holy Spirit 'and began to speak in other languages'. But surely nobody's suggesting that people who speak in tongues today are suddenly fluent in a language which they previously didn't know, but in which they can suddenly communicate to other native speakers of that language?

Or is that a total misunderstanding? Grateful for your thoughts!

(Am also interested in similar experiences in non-Christian contexts, too.)

It's an unfortunate manifestation of mental illness, attributed to religious enlightenment by way of an explanation.

I don’t have a mental illness as far as I’m aware and pray in tongues sometimes. It’s hard to explain the feeling but it’s normally when I’m praying and can’t find the words to express what I want to say.

It feels different from normal prayer. It’s heartfelt and somehow just feels right in that moment.

Religious people who have analysed passages spoken in tongues have demonstrated that speakers only use phonemes (linguistically meaningful sounds) from their own language. Which proves to me that it comes from the person not from any supernatural source.

For me as an atheist, it's the antithesis of the spiritual gift described in Acts, which was a miraculous increase in understanding, not a barrier to it.

The only time i heard it, there were two competing interpretations produced. It all seemed like a distraction tbh.

My view is that it is rubbish.

My sister speaks in tongues on a weekly basis at her church.

Linguists have analysed the "words"- it all rubbish.

Not sure why people do this (I find it cringe worthy and embarrassing to watch) but it is rather entertaining...

St. Augustine talks about people who are so joyful that they begin a song with words and then the words run out and they just continue to make a joyful noise (he's talking specifically about harvesters, in a non-religious context, and uses the example to explain what happens in a religious sense). And Scripture speaks about when we can't express our prayers in words, the Holy Spirit intercedes through 'wordless groans' (Romans 8). In this sense, I am comfortable with the idea of a prayer that goes beyond the power of language.

I have seen people 'praying in tongues' in the way that you often see in certain churches and been encouraged to do it myself but I've never really felt it. I'm not against it but it's just not my thing.

I agree that it's different from the passage in Acts 2.

I am reminded of the story ex-bishop Richard Holloway tells of his experience of speaking in tongues. He was convinced he was speaking Mandarin. So impressed was he by his ability that he approached a random Chinese-looking woman at a station and treated her to a sample. She ran away quickly!

He was clearly fooling himself. Still, in an altered mental state you might be surprised by how much you know of a language to which you have had some exposure. A few people have seemed to gain instant fluency in a language after experiencing a stroke or after emerging from a coma, particularly if access to the customary, dominant language is compromised.

A lot goes into the mind at a subliminal level.

If I were religious, I don’t think I’d feel comfortable in a church full of people swaying with their hands raised and talking in tongues. It’d be a bit too much like being the only sober person at a party.

I think there are three main things it seems to do in the bible and today.

The first is the Acts 2 model- in order to speak to someone in their language, to tell them the gospel etc

The second is to edify others or prophesy and is accompanied by interpretation as Paul wrote to the Corinthians when he was trying to get them to be a little more orderly and stop shouting over each other

And the third goes in line with the whole 'praying in groans too deep for words' which is a more personal means of communicating with God / worshipping.

In my fairly lively CofE church it's not something you hear regularly, just on occasion. I think it's so important to think about visitors too. It can look a bit erm...odd, really but it can also be incredibly powerful used correctly.

A friend had the Acts 2 thing happen. She was in South America and just speaking with God by herself. A bloke came up to her and told her she'd said something in his language which changed his life. Asked her where she'd learned it etc.

I realise this all sounds bizarre. But you know, if Christianity is going to make all these out there claims, might as well add speaking in other (and heavenly) languages

I don’t think when people in Pentecostal churches babble that it’s the gift of the Holy Spirit called speaking in tongues because the whole point of that was to preach the gospel to all the nations. If no one is there that speaks the “language” you are speaking then it is pointless.

I do think the Holy Spirit could grant such a gift today, but since for the most part it is not necessary so doesn’t happen.

Jesus says not to make a show of gifts and that those who pray prominently have their reward in the form of people’s perceptions in the here and now.

I do think the Holy Spirit could grant such a gift today, but since for the most part it is not necessary so doesn’t happen.

There is an anonymous text from the early church we have in the liturgy before Pentecost that says just this: on the day of Pentecost the whole Church was contained in the apostles so they needed to speak in tongues in order to evangelise all people; nowadays the Church is spread over the world and so speaks all languages through her members. The gift of tongues isn't needed anymore because the Body of Christ can evangelise through all languages naturally.

I've always loved that reading.

Doesn't Corinthians make clear that it must always be accompanied by the interpretation of tongues (another gift) and should only ever have 2 or 3 at the most at any given time? That is my understanding of it, and by that definition anything that appears to be tongues but is numerous or not accompanied by interpretation such as one sees in some of the US mega churches particularly cannot be from God?

My uncle is an evenelical minister. Years ago I went to his church to watch my cousins get baptised. Full immersion. They were young teenagers and had first had to give a testimony about how they'd found god. This was mostly whilst away at church camp.

During the service most of the congregation were speaking in tongues at some point and I had never seen it or heard of it before and I was quite disturbed by it.

I am agnostic and haven't been to church since but I'm told it's a very regular thing in that church.

I was taught that it is a sign that the Holy Spirit lives in the person.
At our church there are people who babble away in tongues in every prayer meeting, so as soon as someone starts praying, off they go. I keep meaning to chat to the minister about it, as it is as if they are praying across the person who is praying aloud.

Interesting thoughts. I tend to agree about the loud 'babble' version, though this tends to be cultural expression. But there was definitely the idea in Paul's teaching that it should be used carefully and soberly, with interpretation. I think that's a separate use to the other languages use of it, as I said above - and I know God still uses it today, though I don't see it often. I do think a church full of people 'babbling' could be an intimidating experience and I'm not sure how it's particularly edifying - but despite that I've been in large worship meetings where tongues have added to sung worship and it's a very beautiful and profound experience if done carefully. This falls more into the third category of personal worship, which Paul refers to when he talks about the language of angels (the important thing there is of course that he's talking of love, and if any of these things are done with lack of love then they are 'clanging cymbals or resounding gongs' - so I think these more ostentatious displays you see can be done without love, whereas joining in that song is out of a place of love and never seems overwhelming or intimidating.

I don't think it's of great importance - I think some have built it to be. I do think that God uses it today though as in the case of my friend. I've seen and heard loads of other cases of this kind of thing happening- we may have access to all these languages but we can't always communicate, and God sometimes cuts through that in incredible ways.

For me it's more to do with the interceding in groans too deep for words thing. There are times when no words will suffice or even come; when you need to lament or weep or express something you just can't find the language for. It's also a language of worship which if not abused as in cases above can be sustaining and beautiful.

Ex Christian here. I used to do it. I now see that it is was very much something I was doing so it makes sense that linguists have identified that those who do it only use patterns of sounds that they're used too. In all the time I was attending a tongue speak church I never heard someone speak in tongues that sounded Chinese for example.

My sister talks in tongues at church on a very regular basis.
I have never seen her do it, but she has sent several videos of herself.

She and her church consider it a divine blessing or holy gift.

I find it a little disturbing to be honest.

I don't suppose they'll be harming others with these practices so I can't see a problem.

As an outsider if it makes them feel they're making a different then more power to them. But there's massive difference of opinion within the different denominations. For example I went to a brethren that maintained god didn't give these gifts out anymore and that anyone doing it was doing it via Satan.

speakout,

I find it a little disturbing to be honest.

What is it about it disturbs you? Looking at your posts on your witches thread I wouldn't have thought it was simply any supernatural phenomenon that it might involve.

I've experienced someone speaking in tongues and it was the day I lost my faith.

I went to New Wine in the early 90's for 2-3 years in my early teens. During the evening youth services, they'd encourage people to come up to the front and have people 'lay their hands' on them. There was much falling over, roaring like lions, and tongues etc. (Apparently this was quite the craze during that period and they don't like to do that anymore, which raises questions in itself).

Anyway, one evening, i decided to go for it and was excited to receive the Holy Spirit. After a few minutes with several people around me and thinking 'oh crap, nothings happening what do I do', I decided that this was the moment that you're meant to fall on the floor, and did just that. In that moment I realised that if I was faking it, then everyone else must be too, or if not they must have convinced themselves subconsciously that they'd been touched. Pfft in an instant - didn't believe in god anymore, and haven't since.

Anyway, back to tongues. That same night a friend had gone up and started speaking in 'tongues' and continued after the service. Now usually I'd have thought 'wow, this is amazing, the Holy Spirit has touched her!'. But of course, thought 'hmmm not buying this'.

This post is not meant to denigrate people with faith as my beliefs could be wrong and I respect other people's religions. This was just my experience and wanted to share as it was such a formative experience.

I think it's weird.

I don't like it.

But as a hysterical phenomenon, it's par for the course - there's a lot of hysteria in charismatic christendom. Not necessarily a bad thing if it's your cup of tea. Every spiritual experience also occurs on a psychological level.

However it's really really not (in my opinion) suitable for children and young people to be around. Adults should be adults. In control. And children/young people need no excuse to lose control or get hysterical - there's a reason why they can't drink etc.

However I do believe that there have been times when people have been miraculously able to understand other languages but only for a specific purpose.

heartshapedpositnotes

A similar thing happened to my mother a few years ago- in my sister's Pentecostal church.

My mother was - and still is a devout christian.

She loved the service, it was very fervent, tongues, healing, laying on on of hands.

There was a crowd around the Pastor and she watched as he went through the people touching their heads, where they would fall to the floor as they received the healing/ holy spirit.

When my mother's "turn" approached the Pastor laid his hand on her head, simultaneously and without warning one of the two Henchmen of the Pastor tripped her up from behind, with his leg, as she fell the other was exactly positioned to catch her like a falling tree and lay her on the floor.

She said it felt slick and well orchestrated.

To an onlooker it wasn't so apparent what was happening, it appeared that the holy spirit was moving through the congregation causing people to swoon.

She lay there for some time "faking it"- and felt just as you describe.

Well, of course, any type of fakery or con is always pretty disturbing.