How come over the years Pentecostals have been labled as crazy?

Question

I know for sure im not crazy and im pentecostal. almost everyone at my school has the wrong idea about the pentecostal denomination and it's very irritating that most of them are catholic. Trust me I dont have any beef with catholics but they seem to view other denominations as odd

by the way we do not kill children, keep snakes in in church, we do get to wear pants and cut our hair, it's not any kind of cult, and speaking in tounges is not some kind of devil worship or whatever! When you speak in tounges your acually talking to God. It's the only languge the Devil doesny understand.

WE ARE NOT A CULT AND WE DO NOT KEEP SNAKES IN CHURCH AND WE DO NOT KILL PEOPLE!!!!! WE WORSHIP THE LORD AND WE TRY OUR BEST TO LIVE THE RIGHT KIND OF LIFE!!! NO KILLING OR SACRIFICES OF ANY SORT GOES ON IN PENTECOASTAL CHURCHES!!!!! AND MOST PENTECOASTAL PEOPLE I KNOW HATS SNAKES AND I CETAITLY WOULDN'T DRINK ANY VENOM OR BLOOD!!!

Answer 1

Misinformation and prejudice: same as everywhere.

I grew up Catholic and I did hear horror stories about what supposedly went on in the local pentecostal churches: people getting "slain in the spirit" and falling and killing babies that were sleeping on the floor, people using paper bags to try to "catch the Holy Ghost," etc. Of course I learned pretty quick that it was all hoo-hah.

My Pentecostal and other protestant friends had their own horror stories to tell me about my Church too: we prayed to statues and waited for them to speak to us; the priest cut off pieces of his fingers to give us to eat at communion; that we weren't Christians.

One friend in high school was very worried about my being a Catholic because the preacher at her (Baptist) church told her that "if you added up all the Roman letters on the pope's crown, it would equal 666."

When I told her that a) the pope doesn't wear a crown and b) the funky hat he does wear has no letters or numbers on it, she was greatly relieved for the state of my soul. :)

Answer 2

It's because of the stereotype of the "Holy Roller" which used to describe most Pentecostal church worship services! When I was young, things got pretty loud and crazy in our Pentecostal church. I think for the most part the wild antics have been stopped, but there will always be that perception. What might be good is if you offered to visit a school mate's Catholic church, and maybe in exchange they'll visit yours and see that you aren't "crazy". Expect them to be a little bit shocked at how different the two services are, though. Pentecostal really isn't a denomination, but a doctrine which generally includes "speaking in tongues" and usually quite a bit of demonstrative worship practice. When you are raised in a quiet, reverent, traditional church, these things seem scary and weird.

Answer 3

I am a pentecostal as well. I was raised in the catholic church and attended a catholic school. We were taught that any religion other than the catholic religion was a false religion and a sure road to hell. In my late adulthood I switched and became a Pentecostal for many reasons but mostly by the holy spirit calling me. Read your bible and you will see why these things happen. Also try this website www.carm.org. Carm stands for Christian apologetics and research ministry. I believe you will not only find it intriguing but most informative.

Answer 4

I can understand you because I was one too. They are certainly crazy people, talking in tongues, falling about, following those money hungry evangelists etc etc, you know what I am talking about.
The true church of God is quite different and that is where I have been guided to after much soul searching. You see I have been in many places, even worked in Africa doing Missionary work, but all along being unsatisfied with my faith. It was until I left that place that God directed my feet into this true Church of God, where they preach the original gospel God gave us, namely the one called the gospel of the water and the Spirit.
You see not any church preaches the true gospel that can make us sinless and righteous before God. And no sinner will ever be allowed into Heaven. Contact me and we talk further :-)

I wanna ask you a qeustion, can the Holy Spirit who is Holy abide in a sinners heart? Never!!! Now this gets even more scary, if a Christian sinner says he is Spirit filled and speaks in tongues, who is speaking here...certainly not God!

That is why I ran out of these weird churches never to return!!!!

Answer 5

Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that your cult has killed CHILDREN and many other people because they take the end of Mark 16 seriously!

Response to details:

S: (n) cult (followers of an exclusive system of religious beliefs and practices)

http://wordnet.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=cult

From wiki on snake handling -

"In 2001, there were about 40 small churches that practiced snake handling, most considered to be holiness-Pentecostals or charismatics."

Pentecostals take the Bible for it's word and that is very dangerous. Snake handling and poison drinking has died down over the years, but it used to be a lot worse. About two years ago a pastor was killed by a snake about 50 miles from me. There is no telling how many people your cult has killed. The fault doesn't lie directly on your cult, but the savages who wrote the Bible.

And speaking in tongues is a totally natural phenomenon:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glossolalia#Scientific_perspectives

Answer 6

Probably because they believe in a burning hell. There is no such place and God in all his wisdom would never allow anyone to burn forever much less give Satan his own personal domain. He is God's worst enemy and will shortly destroy him. Also, Pentecostals speak in tongues and roll around on the ground and don't allow their women to wear pants or cut their hair. None of these things can be proven in the Bible.

Answer 7

Just live your life the way that you see fit and realize that not everyone will feel the same as you or as they do. In religions, most people think theirs is the one true religion and that will never change. Im condemned for my spiritual beliefs and I really dont care. Your views may or may not change but the important thing to remember is wherever you have been lead and whatever you may believe is exactly where you are suppossed to be in that moment in time.

Answer 8

Most pentecostals are labeled as crazy because whoever is labeling them sees them as something outside their box of comfort. What people need to realize is that the way people express their love and devotion to God can be demonstrated in more ways than one and some of those ways can be "odd". As long as the expression is in line with the Bible...more power to them.

You never know what God has brought them through...

Answer 9

Because there are a few Pentecostal churches that have rituals like snake-handling and speaking in tongues. Even though they don't represent all Pentecostals, they're hard to ignore.

Answer 10

If your religion makes you feel good, be a good person & treat others good ,then you should not care what others think of you, let your heart guide you.
We should all be able to worship in a way that makes/shapes us into knowing how to help, treat others in kind way.
None of us are really sure which is the true religion, but as long as we do believe in a higher power that molds us into good honest people, than I believe there is a place in heaven for us.
Those that think differently are uneducated !