Glossolalia

[Dondi]

Analysis: My experience with tongues

As the years passed, tongues have held a decreasing importance in my life. I don't deem it necessary for salvation, nor do I believe it is important to practice on a regular basis. I believe it is far more important to seek God out in one's heart, believe and trust Him for your life, and obey Him in love.

I used to think that speaking in tongues had some magical significance, like if I were to speak it I would be more spiritual. It sorta puffed me up that I had something other Christians didn't have, and I wanted so much to experience what I had. I was disappointed in the responses from my mainline Christian friends.

But now I realize that it wasn't tongues or even some spiritual experience that should be the emphasis, but rather developing a relationship with God the Father through Jesus Christ that's important. (Yes, I'm a Trinitarian again) That God would much rather manifest himself in the work of one's walk than in experiences. Not that experiences are bad, for sometimes we need comfirmation that God is still with us.

But any phenomenom we experience ought come out of our walk with God. Even now, when I am praying and praising God in my car, I find myself just bursting out in tongues for a second. It only comes out of my exuberance for God and thinking of the wonderful things He has done in my life and the lives of others. Same goes for that indecribable sense of love that I get from the Holy Spirit, which by the way, is rarely ever accompanied with tongues. It is joy unspeakable and full of glory.

I do not seek tongues. But I do not have any judgements for those who do. And I never allow myself to be seen speaking in tongues, neither in my normal Baptist church I attend now, nor in front of my family. (My wife and kids do not know about my tongues. All those things happened when I was single). if it happens, it happens in my own privacy, usually in my car. It is an outflow of my relationship with God, rather than the cause of it.

Instead, I believe God wants us to heed the words in the Book that we do understand before even entertaining the idea of additional 'revelation" for our lives. I believe that God is more concerned for our love for one another and that we need to pray for one another in earnest, with or without tongues. Frankly, I think that God would rather have us pray honestly in the language we can understand and form the words that will show compassion to one another than some gobbly-gook that no one understands. I believe the Apostle Paul agrees with me somewhere. Everything must be done in Love, else it is nothing.

Did I really speak in tongues? I don't know. Maybe it was just psychosomatic. I really don't care. My duty is to obey God and trust him for my life and the life of my family, friends, church, job, and whatever work of the Lord He would have me to do. And you don't need tongues for that.

[InLove]

Thank you, Dondi. I didn't know. I am glad to have your thoughts and writings to consider. They mean a great deal to me.

InPeace,
InLove

[Francis king]

my experience with tongues...

I was involved with a xtian baptist/evangelical/pentacostal church for a while, many moons ago, and this organisation also believed that speaking in tongues was a sign that u had been baptized in the holy spirit... I was facinated by the whole tongues thing, and believed the tale in the bible about the pentacostal flame, etc, like most xtians do, although I had never witnessed ppl speaking in tongues, until I encountered this church... well, being a curious cat, I sat in their circle and listened to them pray in tongues, and was suprised to discover that I recognised about 70-80% of what they said, and I would not listen to one individual, but the whole group- and what I heard was a mix of european languages, some latin, some swahili, and a few words in sanskrit/hindi... what was curious, though was what the group said to me, in their admixture of tongues... it appeared that what they said was- they didnt really want me in their church, that I was a tramp, (I was homeless at the time..) but if I'd let jesus into my heart, I'd become okay, and they were all praying I'd become more committed to the church...

...I did not know whether between them they had concocted this speil for me to listen to, as they knew I was interested at that time in languages, especially sanskrit, or whether this experience was pure coincidence, and I was hearing my own fears, some kind of transference, etc, and so I shelved concluding until I had seen some more...

well, eventually, there came a day when ppl got baptised in spirit, by the pastor, and the flock, and they offerred it to me, but I wasn't buying, although a few ppl went for it, and I watched this young lad, about 18, who had aspergers, and was bang into jesus, be filled with the spirit by the pastor...

yet horror of horrors, it didnt work...

the lad was desperate to believe it was gonna happen, and then he'd be accepted by the church and god, and the spirit, etc, but no, no words came from his lil lips, even though he was trying his best to let the spirit in...unlike eveyone else, his condition meant even though he wanted to do it, he couldn't, cos he just couldn't pretend like that...

eventually the pastor spoke to him, loud enough for me to hear, and said- repeat after me, blah blah, babble, babble, which the lad did, and the pastor declared this a resounding success, which of course, ppl wanted to accept, as it tasted great in the mouth, but we were all left with a funny taste in our bellies afterwards...

Today, my belief is this.... yes, maybe the holy spirit came down and set fire to ppl's hair, and gave them the power to speak in tongues, but maybe like so much else in the bible, this itself is allegory.. rather than be able to use foreign languages without knowing what u say, maybe the holy spirit allows u to be good at languages that u study, maybe the spirit helps u pick them up quickly, so that u can go off and tell ppl the good news...

[InLove]

Hi Francis--

Well, that certainly is another take on the subject. And I think that the experience you described is sadly all too often the case. But from what I have been able to glean so far, I still strongly suspect that there are genuine manifestations of glossalalia. If there are, then I think it is exceedingly . But for me (and as Dondi explained for himself) it is not necessary. Then again, I try to be open to any gift that may come my way....

InPeace,
InLove

[path_of_one]

Thank you, Dondi, for your testimony of your experiences (and analysis). It was very interesting to me. I had a very different background (in terms of denominations and such), but came to much the same conclusions.

I was raised Lutheran. It is a very peaceful and organized service. You don't speak in tongues, raise your hands, or cry/shout/dance/etc. during the service. It's only in the last few years that I've been to Lutheran churches that applaud after a solo musical performance.

I love the Lutheran church, and whether I became conditioned to be quiet and dignified in church or whether I would be anyway (as I am not extraverted anyway) I do not know.

But... I experienced the kind of thing Dondi talked about anyway. It normally comes to me when I am alone, often when I'm in nature or singing praise/worship songs. I feel an overwhelming sense of love and peace and joy. It is not always necessarily "happy" though it is always joyful. Sometimes I also feel an overwhleming sense of longing and a kind of grief (over what I am at times, over what we do to the world). I often break into tears, raise my hands to the heavens, and sing in a language that isn't a known language. I know what I'm saying, but it's like I'm not the one saying it, in a way. Or the part of me saying it isn't the usual "me." I've sometimes experienced the same kind of thing in art or writing while doing calligraphy and meditating on God. My hands form signs I don't really know, but I understand what I'm saying.

It doesn't happen that often, just here and there. I've never really sought after it, and since I grew up in a church that discouraged that sort of thing (and I am introverted and wouldn't want to draw attention to myself in a crowd anyway), it was just always my own kind of thing- between myself and God. I continue to really love going to the traditional liturgical churches best (I love coming out peaceful and like I spent an hour meditating- it's just the best thing for me), and sometimes I feel so odd that what I am led to in a church is not what I'm led to in my private times of worship. But it is what it is, and perhaps to everything there is a season... for every person too. What is right for some in a crowd may be right for others alone and may not be necessary for yet others.

As for how I think about it... I have some odd ideas about it, because I know from various stuff I've seen/read in anthropology that shamans and mystics of all religions experience this sort of thing. It seems to be a part of the whole trance/altered state of consciousness, to greater or lesser degrees. I tend to see it for myself as just part of how my brain works. I've always had a tendency to slip into trance states, though moreso as a child than as an adult.

I believe that such states are a doorway to, rather than a destination. That is, if you can (or force through various methods) enter an altered state of consciousness, you exist in a kind of doorway between the physical "world" and the spiritual one. I do not seek the doorway. It just happens. I also pray a lot that God protects me in that doorway, and I believe the more you are focused on God, the more likely it is that He meets you there. I believe there are others that can meet you there- not just demons but various other spirit entities as well, and those others are much like people. Some are good, some not so much. I suppose you could seek any one of them in the doorway; I just think God is the safest and best one to seek if you find yourself there.

[Dondi]

Thank you, path, for sharing your experiences. Now I don't feel so awkward and alone in this. You've pretty much hit the nail on the head with me, especially about God meeting us there. It's kinda like a spiritual hug from God.