Is Glossolalia Christian? Is Rolling on the floor?
Aug 16, 2019 12:09:37 GMT -5
Post by Radrook Admin on Aug 16, 2019 12:09:37 GMT -5
Is Modern day Glossolalia Christian? Is Rolling on the Floor?
glossolalia noun
glos·so·la·lia | \ ˌgläs-ə-ˈlā-lē-ə, ˌglȯs- \
Medical Definition of glossolalia
: profuse and often emotionally charged speech that mimics coherent speech but is usually unintelligible to the listener and that is uttered in some states of religious ecstasy and in some schizophrenic states
www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/glossolalia
Pentecostals and other charismatic religious denomination claim that when they speak in what they refer to as tongues, they are imitating what occurred in Jerusalem after Christ's death on the day of Pentecost. But is that really so? To find out, read how the Bible describes what happened at Pentecost.
Acts 2:1-16 English Standard Version (ESV)
2 When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. 2 And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. 3 And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.
5 Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. 6 And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one was hearing them speak in his own language. 7 And they were amazed and astonished, saying, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 And how is it that we hear, each of us in his own native language? 9 Parthians and Medes and Elamites and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, 11 both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabians—we hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God.”
2 When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. 2 And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. 3 And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.
5 Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. 6 And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one was hearing them speak in his own language. 7 And they were amazed and astonished, saying, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 And how is it that we hear, each of us in his own native language? 9 Parthians and Medes and Elamites and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, 11 both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabians—we hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God.”
So what occurred on the day of Pentecost was not the Glossolalia or enunciation of meaningless sounds that the Pentecostals practice. They were languages specifically provided so that those present from other countries could understand the Good News of God’s Kingdom that Jesus had commanded his followers to preach and teach others.
Matt 28:19
19“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20teaching them to observe all that I commanded you;....”
19“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20teaching them to observe all that I commanded you;....”
In other words it had a specific purpose-communication of useful information. The garbled noises utter by Pentecostals convey no information whatsoever. So calling it an equivalent of what happened at Pentecost under the direction of God’s holy spirit, is tantamount to a mockery.
Also, people who practice Glossolalia display voodoo like bodily movements. They gyrate and twist in ways which indicate possession but some supernatural force. Some drop to the floor and begin rolling down the eyes. Others remain standing but quavering with only the white of their eyes showing.
Please note that nowhere in the Bible is any servant of the most high described behaving in that weird way. Instead, the only ones who are described rolling around on the floor are the demon possessed.
Below is my childhood experience with a family member who was one of such people.
Also, people who practice Glossolalia display voodoo like bodily movements. They gyrate and twist in ways which indicate possession but some supernatural force. Some drop to the floor and begin rolling down the eyes. Others remain standing but quavering with only the white of their eyes showing.
Please note that nowhere in the Bible is any servant of the most high described behaving in that weird way. Instead, the only ones who are described rolling around on the floor are the demon possessed.
Below is my childhood experience with a family member who was one of such people.
My Traumatizing Childhood Experience
When I was a child of approx. eleven. I was taken to visit my aunt who was a very religious woman belonging to the Pentecostal denomination. One of the things I first things I noticed about her was her disconcerting habit of suddenly slamming her palm on the Kitchen table in the middle of conversations and yelling “Barkay!”
Then she would resume the conversation as if nothing had happened. Another thing I noticed was that during a conversation, she would suddenly claim to be the Lord Jesus Christ and begin to provide advice.
I really didn’t understand this because I had associated with other Christians, and they had never behaved that way. But what affected me most was when she dropped to the floor, began rolling from one end of the room to the other, slowly rose to her feet as white as a bed sheet, drenched in sweat, arms outstretched with hands making clutching motions directed at me while uttering garbled sounds. She had immediately gone into this state after I had been a bit naughty with her brother, my father.
She slowly approached me with those threatening gestures asking me if I knew whom she was with this sarcastic smile on her gaunt, pale face. Then in this unnaturally calm deep male voice, she claimed to be the Lord Jesus Christ and began acting as if she was about to attack me. So I bolted out of her house into the night outside.
When I returned, after encountering what appeared to me as some three-horned man approaching me down the narrow dirt road, I promised to go to her church. She claimed it had happened because I did not go to church and had been disrespectful to my dad.
The next evening, when I arrived at her church, initially all seemed fine. Testimonies were offered. Songs were sung accompanied by piano and tambourines. But as the pastor began to lecture, a significant number of people began acting exactly the way my aunt had. I suspected that she had lured me there in order to finish me off. I considered bolting for the entrance into the night darkness as I had done before but imagined all of them following me with arms extended making clutching movements with their hands as my aunt had done and catching me. So I decided to sweat it out as people all around me began making garbled sounds and rolling the full length of the church.
Also, it confirmed my strong suspicion that whatever it was that had caused her to behave that way definitely was not God. Then I learned that speaking garbled sounds was not what Christians did on the day of Pentecost. Also, I learned that the holy spirit manifests itself in producing the following traits in a person:
Love
Joy
Peace
Long-suffering
Kindness
Goodness
Faithfulness
Gentleness
Self-control
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.” (Galatians 5:22)