I consider myself as a christian, many of my friends don't. They're those damn fundamentalists with their speaking in tongues theology. Yesterday those friends got me participating to a "musical event" organized by "life's word"-fundamentalist congregation.

So there was a famous preacher all the way from Sweden(I live in Finland). He started his holy spirit speech. After that he wanted everybody who wanted holy spirit to step out. This is what my friends wanted. I figured I had nothing to lose and it would actually be cool if I'd experience something supernatural. So I stepped out.

Ok, I was there sincerely and prepared for something holy. Then nothing happened...

Everybody started speaking in tongues and acting ecstaticly. Nothing happened to me. I didn't go 5-meo-DMT like others.

Why? Because the whole event was one big mass hypnosis. I've seen more divine things in my lunch box.

To continue chronologicly, I got interested in the tongues people were talking. Some of the were like: "mömblö mömblö bömblö jömblö gömblö" Not very convincing. Others were like: "I'm so holy, I'm speaking ancient semic languages: ashaka hasjaka hösjähä käshäkö". The languages sounded so fake, because they were. No real language would consist only of "mömblö" or "ashaka" and its variants.

Others didn't speak in tongues, they were jumping in ecstacy. Most likely thinking "ooooh Jeeeeeeeesuuuuus, I love u Jeeeeeeeeeesuuuuuuuuuus". It was just like two thousand years ago in the temples of Hera. It sucked. I din't believe they had guts for such a con. I started feeling sorry for those people, I don't know why. They looked quite happy.

The experience sure changed me as the preacher promised. I walked away more materialist than in three years. Please stay away from those meetings. Attending them, I believe, is dangerous for one's spirituality/mental health.

Oh btw, let's see what St Augustine says holy spirit is: "Understanding the divine through the future"(This is realted to Augustine's concept of time[Confessiones book 8, as far as I can remeber])

And St Paul himself once said politly that speaking in tongues is actually pretty futile(1 Cor 14:5 -> )

The point: Fundamentalists suck, stay away!

EDIT: some typos

[This message has been edited by jurainus (edited 12-05-2004).]

Behold- the new religious escapism

I'm pretty sure that somewhere in christian doctrine its written that people can't speak in tongues anymore. Don't quote me on that though.

There's one church i go to that does speaking in tongues/translating tongues, and i wonder what would happen if i just started babbling in the middle of the service and see if someone "translated" my intended gibberish.

Dont mean to be a dick though.

theBishop

for once bishop we agree. and yes there is something about the gift of tongues be no longer bestowed but for the life of me i can't remember where.

i get on fine with most of the members of various 'weird' denominations i meet (JW's,mormons, new apostolic, 7th day whatevers) but fundies get right up my nose.

I like this thread

I had an experience almost exactly like this once. it utterly devastated me spiritually. I was what I would call a christian but fundamentalists would not I was so upset with the idea of even being associated with people like this that I almost renounced my faith. I eventually found my way back to my traditional non fundamentalist faith, and steared clear of those snake weilding tounge babbling people.

It's probably better that they try to speak in tounges rather than drink poisen or play with snakes. If you read the NIV Bible when you get to Mark 16:9 there is a line and a note saying that verses 16:9-20 are not found in most most reliable early manuscripts. It's interesting that some of the more dangerous practices come from verses of questionable origin. I would assume that most snake handlers use the King James and think that it is better than anything in Hebrew or Greek.

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mark%2016:9-20;&version=31;

[This message has been edited by MasterPython (edited 12-06-2004).]

quote:NIV Bible when you get to Mark 16:9 there is a line and a note saying that verses 16:9-20 are not found in most most reliable early manuscript

LOL

most of the NIV isn't to be found in the most reliable early manuscripts...

Everyone i know who speaks hewbrew says that King James is the best translation. NIV is somewhat over simplified.

I can't claim to have a personal opinion though, i don't speak the language.

the KIng James is only the best for the beauty of its english but accuracy-wise it sucks.

since it was translated our knowledge of biblical texts and finds have increased a thousand fold.

you want accurate but readable (in english) then try 'The New English Bible' (but the original not the revised).

even more accurate is the 'Moffat' but thats becoming real hard to find.

The King James was written at about the same time Shakespeare was writting. Most people can not grasp the gross meaning of much of Shakespeare why would a Bible from that time be any diferent. Anyone who took the time to learn Hebrew can probably read Middle English just fine.

What do the people who speak Greek say about the King James?

quote:Most people can not grasp the gross meaning of much of Shakespeare why would a Bible from that time be any diferent. Anyone who took the time to learn Hebrew can probably read Middle English just fine.

which is a fair comment but the KJ was based on texts that most modern translators would reject and also was translated centuries before the great break throughs and discoveries of the last century.

middle english? i thought that was more chaucer but someone correct me please.

Good God, I thought us Americans were the only ones fucking crazy enough to go into that snake handling/tongues idiocy.

Fundamentalists. Key word Funda >Mental< ists

[This message has been edited by shiftyboyos (edited 12-07-2004).]

quote:Originally posted by jackketch:

middle english? i thought that was more chaucer but someone correct me please.

Not sure if it is middle english. I had a flash back to grade 10/11 english and thats what I remember.

Edit: took out some off topic stuff.

[This message has been edited by MasterPython (edited 12-07-2004).]

Either way, english from the 1600's isn't exactly a contemporary dialect.

quote:Originally posted by inquisitor_11:

Either way, english from the 1600's isn't exactly a contemporary dialect.



no thats true but most educated brits have little trouble understanding it. although some words have changed their meaning ( for example 'let' now means the exact opposite).

Most Fundies are not educated brits.

quote:Originally posted by jackketch:



no thats true but most educated brits have little trouble understanding it. although some words have changed their meaning ( for example 'let' now means the exact opposite).

Try analysing that from a Foucaultian perspective- you simply end up excluding alot of people from a message that was meant to be taken to the streets.

although i vaguely remember the name Foucault and that he was(is?) a french thinker of note , i confess to having no idea what he thought.

i think he wrote a fair bit on mental disorders (how appropriate when discussing fundies!).

but anyway i wasn't proclaimating the use of the KJ for anything just noting that its poetry is superb (its still my favourite translation for quoteable quotes).

personally i would neither use it for study nor preaching .

quote:Originally posted by jackketch:

personally i would neither use it for study nor preaching .

Ah, but its still good for layin' down some fire and brimstone Samuel L Jackson style...