Speaking in Tongues

[Gooding]

How interesting.A friend and I were actually talking about this at work yesterday.I'm rather of the opinion that the ecstatic trances and speaking in tongues might perhaps be compared to Shamanic trance states, or the condition some mediums get into when they're speaking to their spirits. I visited an Assembly of God church with my father three times and while there, I was freaked out by all the emotion (not exactly the sedate decorum of a Catholic Mass or the austere order of a Presbyterian service), when I began examining comparative religions, I saw a great similarity between Shamanism and Pentecostalism. The human experience always astonishes me and similarities found between different religions I happen to find fascinating.

[Absinthe]

Enlighten me...please

[Gooding]

I would call it a "stream of consciousness" expression. Objectively, it's babble.For others, subjectively, it's participating in passionate communication with their god. Glossolalia is what it's religiously labelled. It's an incomprehensible stream of verbiage that means something to whoever's uttering it, usually intended as a prayer or an expression of thanksgiving, etc..
This practice is mentioned in the Bible, by St. Paul, in a couple of his letters.This mention is usually used as an important reason for the churches glossolalia is used in. From what I've seen, this practice does not exist in LDS (Mormon) sacrament meetings, although they have their own unique practices that people might find odd, but is perfectly reasonable to them.

[Frigga]

Me too! Can you still speak in tongues?

Now now. You know that you can only speak in tongues when the Spirit of the Lord descends on you?

[Loki]

Now now. You know that you can only speak in tongues when the Spirit of the Lord descends on you?

Actually, this is not correct theologically. Pentecostal/charismatic denominations believe that any believer has the ability to speak in tongues, an utterance from the human spirit, after an initial "baptism in the Holy Spirit" ... an experience in which the believer is filled with the Spirit of God.

Speaking in tongues is a very Biblical part of the Christian faith, and very prominent in the Book of Acts, after the ascension of Jesus and the coming of the Holy Spirit. The initial church practised it regularly according to Paul. Throughout the ages since then, it has appeared sporadically among believers, but has only really returned as a common phenomenon in the 20th century.

[Eldritch]

Noigel era ew.

[Loki]

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

In 2006, the brains of a group of individuals were scanned while they were speaking in tongues. Activity in the language centers of the brain decreased, while activity in the emotional centers of the brain increased. There were no changes in any language areas, suggesting that glossolalia is not associated with usual language function. Other brain wave studies have also found that brain activity alters in glossolalia.

[Gooding]

From my years as a Catholic, I remember attending a Charismatic Catholic meeting and that wasn't overly different from a Pentecostal service, and the tongue speaking there was odd, but more restrained.

[WinterMoon]

The human experience always astonishes me and similarities found between different religions I happen to find fascinating.

Oh, yes, speaking in tongues can be found in many cultures and religions worldwide. There are actually different forms and even different purposes. If I had to select just one article to read on this topic it would be:

May, L.C. (1956). A survey of glossolalia and related phenomena in non-christian religions. American Anthropologist, 58, 75-96.

From what I've seen, this practice does not exist in LDS (Mormon) sacrament meetings, although they have their own unique practices that people might find odd, but is perfectly reasonable to them.

Would it surprise you to know that early Mormoms engaged in speaking in tongues, and that at one time it was considered one of the evidences of true faith?

Again, if I had to choose one article I'd say to read:

Fanning, D. (2009). Pentecostal and charismatic movements. Trends and Issues in Missions.

From my years as a Catholic, I remember attending a Charismatic Catholic meeting and that wasn't overly different from a Pentecostal service, and the tongue speaking there was odd, but more restrained.

I think it might surprise some people to know that there are Catholics who speak in tongues. Your post here is mainly about Charismatic Catholics, which does not mean specifically those who speak in tongues; however, considering the theme of the thread it is a good place to mention that there are Catholics who engage in the activity.

Since I am giving you "one articles".... I'll give you one which provides some research on Catholic Charismatics.

Louden, S. H., Francis, L. J. (2001). Are catholic priests in England and Wales attracted to the charismatic movement emotionally less stable? The British Journal of Theological Education, 11(2), 65-76.

[Thorum]

Rubbish...