I'm not very religious, I do believe in God however and I do believe he'll understand regardless of the language we speak. If people choose to talk like this in order to communicate with God then so be it, that's between them and God, I shall not be the one to judge. I'm actually glad to meet another Pentecostal person, the first one I met would of shamed many church goers because all he did was lie and mess with people and run up to people and demand them to praise God. He just wasn't a good, caring person and gave gave a bad image religious people when the good majority of them are nice, kind hearted people who would go out of their way to help you.

I think talking in tongues is a joke, I mean why wouldn't God just speak to people in languages that they understand. If there are indeed people who can translate this mysterious language then why isn't there any information about it. If I were to miraculously gain the understanding of such a language (how exactly does a translator learn it??) pretty much the first thing I would do would be to write it down and teach people how to speak it.

A few years ago I read (I believe it was Christopher Hitchens but don't quote me on that) that this "language" will differ depending on what the speakers native tongue is. For example, someone speaking tongues who only knows English will be completely different from some one speaking in tongues who only knows Chinese. They will use syllables found in their respective dialect thus leading to a completely different sounding form of gibberish.

Sameel : To summon all I do is click the "Reply to Post" link. I'm not sure exactly how to summon multiple people. When I've tried it turns out just like yours did lol.

Anyways, I am having a hard time wrapping my head around just what exactly is the purpose of speaking in tongues. So it's not for God to talk to the speaker it's for the speaker to talk to God ... that is understandable. What I don't understand tho is why God would need someone to convey a random message to him. I mean it's as if God is using a human as a vessel to send a message to himself and that makes little sense to me.

The only purpose I can see is to show other people that the speaker has some sort of connection with God. Something along the lines of this, "Jim was speaking some gibberish that surely only God could understand. He must be in God's favour". I personally find this hard to believe. God is supposedly limitless in power and to show that he has a connection with some one he uses them as a vessel to spout nonsense? Really?

Singelli : I have a relationship with the Pastor of the Church and I love him with all my heart. He has no part in the animosity toward the church. I have known him for about nine years and he actually took me in when I was twelve when my Mother couldn't provide for me. That's partly why I still attend because of him and how much he cares for me. Also I have friends and people that I do like to spend time with.

The feelings I have toward the church are more based at the Spiritual Leaders and people of position of power.

I don't live with my Mother and my Dad passed away. I haven't lived with my Mother for about five years. I have been house hopping and living on the streets. Now I'm living with the Pastor again, he took me in when I was at my worst now I'm getting better and more healthy again. I was starving and all the bad things that come with being homeless and he still freaking took me in. Like I said before I love that man and his family with all my heart. I would die for any of them and protect them with my life if I had to, I'm actually crying right now because of how good they treat me I'm just so greatful for them.

This church will always be my church and I will always attend no matter the people or things that happen. Even if I feel like a outcast with the higher ups of the church, I don't mind them really I just pray about it and ask God to take my will and my life and show me how to live, almost like the serenity prayer.
 
When I walk through the doors I feel at peace then things happen to affect that. But it's not a big deal I just have to hold my head up high. I do have a Church that I grew up in and sometimes I go there with my Grandma because she enjoys me going. But that Church is dying because everyone in there is like 70+ and it's a Methodist Church so it's kind of mellow, to mellow for todays youth.

I would really enjoy it if you could look those up for me, because the Bible is 100% certain and true so I would know what to think about the subject and if you can convince your husband of that then it must be very powerful. Please and Thank You.

I was raised as a Pentecostal Christian and have witnessed people speaking in tongues- my grandma and my uncle both have this gift. I don't believe that you need to be able to speak in tongues to be saved, though.
I've heard of some churches actually teaching people how to do this- that doesn't sound right at all. 

I've never spoken in tongues but I gotta admit, my walk with God has been... inconsistent, for lack of a better word lol. I don't go to church as much as I should and I think that's mostly due to the fact that my mom isn't Christian and my dad has serious spiritual issues and we don't go to church as a family. But I do have faith God and pray everyday, read the bible (not as much as I should lol), and try to be as righteous as possible. Pray for me! 

Sameel : I also have a sort of childhood church my grandma used to take me to but is also "dying" because of the old age of its members lol. But it's not Methodist, though- actually, its teachings have been considered too blunt and harsh for today's youth xD but they do speak the truth and I guess some people just can't handle the truth, sometimes

Speaking in Tounges awesome another subject I'm interested in

Well first of all I would like to say if you truly speak in tounges as in the bible that would be an absolutely amazing gift....

most who say yes I speak in tounges however do not.
 In the bible the apostles spoke and all who herd understood not said repetitive nonsense words that were not in any language or understood by anyone.

myself I enjoy chanting to God about many personal issues in church with out everyone else knowing what is between me and god but that is all it is I am by no means above any other Christian who dose not feel the need

oh and one last thing anyone who dose think they are more saved then any other just remember those who wish to be first must be last


OUR GOD REINS Amen

RetroSteve :  Where did the 'saved more than any other person' bit come in?  Did I miss something in this thread?

I have a question to ask you, because your post intrigued me.  Do you believe that you know what you are saying when you speak to God in tongues?  If so, and I hate to say this to you, but I don't believe you're speaking in tongues.  I can pull a biblical reference for you, but if you speak in tongues, you won't know what you are saying.  The communication is directly between your spirit and God, and your spirit knows your own needs better than your flesh ever could.

This is part o the reason that God dictates how to recognize someone falsely witnessing when speaking in tongues.  If somebody moves to the front of the congregation and begins to preach in tongues, they will not know what it is they are preaching.  Obviously, someone speaking to others in tongues should have at least ONE interpreter, or the speaking in tongues is pointless.  There should be at least one person in the congregation being preached to that understands what is being said.  This could be one person the message is intended for, or one person who feels led to interpret to everyone.  If neither of these happen, the person speaking in tongues is a liar.

Of course, if the message is only meant for one person, that person might keep it private and not tell anyone.   Thus, it can be hard to discern the truthful ones from the not- so truthful ones.

{And just to be clear, there is a difference between speaking to GOD in tongues (something between you and God alone), and speaking to the congregation and tongues (a message from God to one person or many, relayed through the person speaking).}

This is my take on it, but I'm willing to learn if I'm wrong.

Singelli : the saved more then anyone else came from a personal experience of someone telling me that if I did not speak in tounges I was not saved somthing that I find absolutly incorrect.

as for knowing what I say well I find that yes when I speak to god in tounges I atleast know what I want to be saying and often end up thinking words that I did not mean to be.

I personally have never spoken to the congrgation in toungues but I have seen people do it just because they wanted to be as good as another ...
that is why I said first off if somone dose that it would be an amazing gift but I have been to a few churches that just chant nonsence words and claim speaking in tounges.

as for interpreter well god is the only interpreter

no offence intended I just think that it is alot rarer then some churches would have us beleve

To be honest, I have thought nothing else of the Pentecostals except they are a blowhard cult and a safe haven for pedophiles and power mongering tools. Same as the catholic church.

Sorry if I offend anyone by saying this but it has been proven so many times over here already. All the Laestodians, Catholics, Jehovah's witnesses... al these "god fearing true congregations of Christ"... nothing but abuse, false hope and lies in my eyes.

Well to accuse some folk of paedophilia, it is hard, I know so I have to stand up for this. All these people I mentioned have this thing called penance after you have confided with your sins. To another true believer. Then you are supposed to forgive and "not to tell anyone, especially an outsider". And that is just bull. This is where lots of these child molesters hide behind and have done so for years.

There will be a place for these kind of people with both this life and the next. And at the same time, these people as the sinful and vain as they are, try to tell people than no good Christian ever sins or even thinks of such a thing and having some epileptic seizure in some barn suddenly means you can do whatever you wish in this life since you are okay in the next.

I don't think so, my good folk.

Like I have said before as the good book has said: "Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves."

#spit#

Edit: And sorry again for my harsh words but all these local sexual abuse cases are really getting on my nerve. I truely belive these people take more people away from Christ that they are leading towards to.

Brigand : I don't hear a lot about a Pentacostal string of sexual abuse in my area, nor do I really even hear about Catholics doing that here. I mean, I'm sure it does happen, but I think it's a lot less common than people realize. People pounce on once or two cases when it happens because it's such an easy opportunity to discredit Christians based on the actions of a few.

As far as the speaking in tongues thing, even though it's an old topic, it's still interesting. I believe in speaking in tongues, and I believe that it is a sign of the Holy Spirit. As some people have mentioned, there is the speaking in tongues to a congregation, the Acts 2 tongues, in which an interpreter is present. One of my friends actually did this while talking to a guy from Cuba and another one or two of my friends, and I know they were telling the truth because he's not exactly the smartest guy I've ever met (i.e. he doesn't know Spanish). Then there is what I call "praying in tongues," which is speaking in tongues to God. I think everyone who has this gift has their own prayer language, and let me tell you I have no idea what they're saying, and they don't either. From my understanding, praying in tongues is edifying to the man doing it (I don't recall where that's at). At any rate, it's an interesting topic and one I'll be doing more of.

I, personally, don't speak in tongues, though I think it would be cool to do so. I'm not about to force it, though. I want it to be a genuine experience.

Pray 75:

I was not trying to discredit any actual Christians.

Oh and I might have said my mind about speaking in tongues. Those spoke in tongues who were mentioned in the bible in doing so. As for the rest of you trying to mess with that stuff. You may feel some kind of mass psychosis for sure and if it makes you happy, well why not but do not be deceived.

Here there was a flock who supposedly spoke in tounges, almost raised a dead body and did all other sorts of unholy, well, crap and the one who lead them to it admitted in a court of law in sexual abuse. Himself.

He sinned like the rest of us but he was one of these people who supposedly never sin, speak in toungs and by the power of god can even raise people from the dead.

Yet he sinned. He made some young lad who did not share his sexual trait to please him in the shadow of telling him it was gods will. And that is abuse of power if any.

But sure, many spoke in tongues and the corpse supposedly "twitched".

Pentecostals just take people away from god, church, their families and from themselves.

Reffering to these people in this case: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nokia_Revival

The snakes,the vipers,the fools.

Singelli basically summed it up, 5 posts up.  Speaking in tongues, or any other gift from the Holy Spirit is just that.  It's a gift.  It is from God via the Holy Spirit, where these gifts come from.  The Spirit gives these gifts to whom He chooses (1 Corinthians 12:7-11).  It cannot be determined by filling in a "spiritual gift survey" or by "practicing" it, or by willing it in our own strength.  The problem with us being so curios of how "gifted" we are, are often motivated by the wrong reasons and thoughts of our own importance.  The Holy Spirit does desire for us to know our spiritual gifts, but it's always for the best  so that the body of Christ can function in such a way that it will bring glory and honor to God alone.
The Greek translation for the word "tongues" (KJV) is glossa which is the normal word for any language.  Apart from the fact that the disciples were all untrained Galileans, in Acts 2:6-11 the people in Jerusalem were astonished by the "wonderful works of God" which they heard in their own languages.  It doesn't matter what other people or churches might teach, two things here are clear:  The people in the crowd HEARD and UNDERSTOOD what was being said about Jesus Christ AND they were told what language the message was received in.  Whatever gift you look at, gifts are given by God Himself and they are to be used for His glory in His church.

It is still alive. People still tongue speak and they still feel the Holy Spirit. I have felt the Holy Spirit and I have gone to a Pentecostal church. People have a bad opinion about it. We do not worship snakes. -.- Or control them.

Cloe :

It is not about worshiping snakes or controlling them. It is about if the snakes bite you or not if you truly believe. Mark 16:18 and Luke 10:19

I believe the snake will bite you if the snake feels you are threat to him and the snake doesn't ask if you are a Christian or not. 

there is really no way its real.
as has already been stated, why would god feel the need to talk in a different languahe to you.
if you cross analyse tge stuff people say in 'tongues' it would be vastly different each time.
because it is gibberish.

thenumberone :

Agreed. Anybody here speaking in tounges can send me a message. Or a private message. Ps. Google translator is not the Holy spirit.