Have you ever heard/seen anybody speak in tongues?

Question

I did once. A friend took me to a "holy roller" church - and a woman was doing it. It seemed real. After church she was eating cookies and sipping tea with the rest of us - as if nothing had happened. She seemed somewhat introverted and not like somebody who would want to draw attention to herself. Although my friend believed that it was absolutely real - I never knew whether it was real or not. And actually - I'd forgotten all about it until today when I saw another post about speaking in tongues.

What's the purpose of speaking in tongues? Why do people do it? Do you think it's real - or a bunch of bunk?

Answer 1

Yes I have seen it often. I am pentecostal so it is not an infrequent occurrence in my church. There are two purposes to speaking in tongues. One is a prayer language that is between us and God. We use this in private. A second use is like you observed in church. A person will stand up and speak in tongues. Afterwards someone will interpret what was said.

It should be done in order. The person given the message in tongues should not interrupt the preacher. Also it should be interpreted so the whole church benefits. Sometimes it may not be interpreted. This is often because the person who God has given the interpretation does not obey God and give it.

Answer 2

There are several types of 'speaking in tongues', not all of which are legit.
The most common is when whole congregations just let go and by faith allow God to control whatever comes out. That may be an acceptable prayer form, but I wouldn't trust it for much else.
Then there's the individual speaking in a strange tongue, then having another member of the congregation translate. That can be valuable, although it is also difficult to determine if it is indeed genuine.
Then there's the weird one, where the individual BELIEVES he is speaking his own native language, but the listeners hear him in THEIR native languages, which may be not only different from what he's speaking, but different for each hearer. I've known two people that THAT has happened to.
Weird.

Answer 3

Just due to the fact a individual speaks in tongues, does now not end up that they have got been full of the Holy Ghost. Many different "religions" reminiscent of Hinduism, and Haitian Voodists additionally talk in tongues.

Answer 4

Bunch of bunk.
Babbling in gibberish is a very easy thing to fake...no accident that it is so prevalent in *certain* churches...while true gifts, such as the gift of prophesy, are so rare.
So, it's been a "sign" through the ages...and "holy men" (and women) from all sorts of different religions have capered about, spouting nonsense syllables as a "sign" of their "special anointing"...and the uneducated, unwashed masses tear off their beads and throw them at the feet of these great ones.
And it's still happening. Only now they can "mass communicate"...and they live in billion dollar mansions and have chauffeurs driving their imported automobiles past the homeless shelter on the way to the television studio.
Charismatic Christians....

(pah)

Answer 5

Yes - in fact, I used to. I now realize that I was just under peer pressure to show that I had the Holy Spirit in me. I was just babbling.

I am still a Christian, but I don't think I ever really spoke in tongues. It seems like in the Bible that it is always a real language and this whole "prayer language" thing is a misinterpretation.

Answer 6

The bible teaches that, in any public place, if someone is "speaking in tongues" there should be an interpretation of that for everyone's edification. I was at a meeting once where everyone around me started babbling all at once. It truly freaked me out. That is not something that is of God, being freaked out by this "show" that people were doing. Some "believers" use it to show off, i.e., I can do this and you can't.

As with anything else, it should be done in an orderly fashion, not drawing attention to oneself, and in line with what the bible says about it.

Answer 7

I have when I was a kid. Assembly of God Church. Someone jumped up and started speaking in tongues. My grandfather stood up and interpreted the message. Scared me to death! I really don't think the people involved even remember it afterwards. It seemed pretty real to me.

Answer 8

yea i've seen it often and i know it's real. the purpose is to be closer to God. sometimes people have spoken in tongues and other people who were just walking by would suddenly be shocked because that person was speaking to them in their own language. also in heaven there's a completely different language that we will automatically understand when we go to heaven, so maybe that's kind of like it. you have to really want it and pray to God about it to speak in tongues. it's not just something where you can go "oh i want to speak in tongues, itd be interesting!"

Answer 9

"SPEAKING IN TONGUES" is but ONE gift of the Holy Spirit. There are many others, but SOME churches only get all excited about THAT ONE GIFT. No one gets excited about HE CAN PRAY! HE CAN TEACH!
I read where this one fella memorized 1 Kings 1 in Hebrew. Went to his 'tongue speaking church', stood up and started his recitation. One member stood up and said he was an interpreter and that the man was saying that their teacher was truly chosen by God to lead them...blah blah blah...
Then the reciter stopped and said, "No, that's not it at all. I was merely reciting part of 1 Kings 1 in Hebrew."
The church members ran him out of the building!
I think folks 'speak in tongues' to be 'one of the gang.' We had a lady come to our church, and subsequently joined, because her 'tongue speaking church' said she wasn't saved because she could not speak in tongues.
If you speak in tongues, you have the Holy Spirit. If you have the Holy Spirit, you're saved. Thus...he he..gag, puke...if you can't 'speak in tongues', you're not saved.
What a pile of male bovine excrement!

Answer 10

I have never done it before but seen it many times. Like it has been said it is a message from God that requires an interpreter.