When people speak in tongues, do they realize they're doing it or are they "zoned-out"?

Answer 1

One of the funniest Bible verses is in Acts, when it tells of how everyone thought the apostles were drunk when they were speaking on tongues.

Some things never change.

Answer 2

If you are thinking of the kind of "speaking in tongues" that is mentioned in the New Testament and which is a gift of the Holy Spirit given to people who are seriously following Jesus Christ - then the answer is definitely the former. The Holy Spirit never takes over anyone's tongue like automatic speech or a psychic going into a trance, and one can choose to start or stop at will.

The expression "tongues" is unfortunate, as it sounds so old-fashioned and even a bit gross.....really it means to speak in different LANGUAGES than one's own native language or anything one has learnt in the natural. Some people have spoken recognisable languages by the Holy Spirit, and what they have said has not been understood by themselves, but has meant a lot to someone present who happens to speak that language - I have heard of many examples of this, and it always makes a strong impression on the hearer. At other times, someone speaks a few words in "tongues" out loud in a Christian gathering, and then they or someone else present will be able to give an interpretation for the benefit of one or more who is present.

At other times "tongues" can be used quietly as a way of devotional prayer or petition to God - often going beyond the bounds of the speaker's natural mind, but never being out of control! Sometimes "tongues" is useful in prayer for freedom from spiritual oppression or illness.

I am trying to say that once you have given your heart to Jesus Christ, you can receive the supernatural gift of tongues as a sign of being filled with the Holy Spirit, and it is a wonderful gift to help in living a powerful and real Christian life, and is not at all spooky!

Answer 3

Depends on the person. Glossalalia has been documented as being both an unconscious linguistic switch, and a conscious attempt at universal communication. It has been theorised that it is linked to what Chomsky called the deep language center of the brain, wiring directly into our hypothetical inherant grammal and language capabilities. This would make it a subconscious phenomenon, but people can still access their subconscious, especially when under the influence of what has been termed higher thought. This is when the brains activity briefly rises to extreme levels, and has been associated with religious experience, metaphysics and high level maths/physics.
So it all depends entirely on the person concerned; whether they were trying to speak in tongues, whether they knew they could, whether their conscious mind was engaged........ takes all sorts.

Answer 4

Referring to the Catholic Bible(the original bible) the apostles and others enlightened with the Holy Spirit at the time spoke in their own language and everyone who spoke a different language heard them in their language. So, no, they don't realize it because they are speaking many languages all at once.

Answer 5

They know they are doing it, and they are in complete control of it, that is to say they can stop any time they want to, and they can also choose whether to begin speaking in tongues or not.

Answer 6

you are not "zoned out" in fact, you are very aware that the spirit is with in you. That is why it called the Holy Spirit. And it shows completeness in the Trinity

Answer 7

They've just fallen asleep and are having a nightmare. It happens more often in Protestant churches because those preachers talk louder than Catholic and Orthodox priests.

Answer 8

I'm usually totally in a trance, and not a good time to do it in the backseat of a cab, when i woke up I was in Cleveland...

Answer 9

They are not zoned, they know.

Answer 10

They know they are doing it