[ironknee]

if you do...

1) is it a real language another human can understand?

2) are you aware of what you are saying?

3) can two people speaking in tongues communicate with each other?

4) can god understand you?

YouTube - Robert Tilton Speaking Gibberish a.k.a. Modern Day Speaking in Tongues

[imitchellg5]

That is the creepiest thing I have ever seen. I don't think that it happens on demand.

[Kerrigan]

No, can't say I do.

[ironknee]

do you know someone who does?

[reader50]

Several explanations come to mind.

Drinking enough vodka. Hasn't kicked in yet? Open another bottle.
Electroshock therapy.
Life after the lobotomy.

[imitchellg5]

Those are all very pleasant things.

[brassplayersrock²]

This one's better YouTube - Speaking in tongues (from Religulous) oh, NSFW btw

[lpkmckenna]

When I was a kid, I knew a family that spoke in tongues, but I never heard them do it. My personal experiences with them were instrumental in developing my wary attitude to evangelicals.

Their son, who was my friend, would occasionally blurt out anti-Catholic stuff, which his mom would quickly stop by telling him that it was rude. But it gave me a clue regarding the kind of junk they were stuffing his brain with when non-Evangelicals weren't around.

I remember them showing me this creepy anti-Mormon video. Why they thought a 12 year old non-Mormon would care about this, I don't know.

[hyteckit]

These guys speak in tongues.

YouTube - Talking Twin Babies - PART 2 - OFFICIAL VIDEO

[ghporter]

Back in the day, I was a member of a small evangelical church. Many people spoke in tongues during prayer. None made anywhere near the same sounds during their prayers. In this particular group, I would say that they did not all speak a common language, though I cannot say they were not speaking different, real languages.

[Waragainstsleep]

Its gibberish.

If it happened anywhere but a church, they would be sent for a psychological consult.

[Buckaroo]

When I was a teenager, a friend of mine invited me to his church, and they spoke in tongues. I was kind of shocked and never returned. It was not for me. Although I'm a Methodist, I do not attend any church services. My problem is that I realized that there are too many religions, and when God wants me to attend, he'll tell me which one is the true religion, until then I don't trust any of them. I believe my belief in religion was affected by the fact that there is another religion, "Muslim" that believes in killing other people in the name of God.

[reader50]

There was a recent study across languages, to see if there is underlying similarity. The point was to figure out if our brains are wired for a common language. The study suggests nothing is hardcoded.

This result rules out speaking in tongues. Either the study is flawed, or they're babbling nonsense.

[olePigeon]

I think an "authentic" case of tongues is the speech center part of the brain misfiring, causing a person to form random strings or fragments of words and sounds they've previously heard. The brain's ability to try and make sense of seemingly random patterns helps us to possibly identify words or sound fragments that lend some people to think it has some sort of actual meaning.

Otherwise people are simply putting on a good show.

[Laminar]

New Testament speaking in tongues involves a speaker and an interpreter, not just a bunch of people babbling.

[olePigeon]

Originally Posted by Laminar 

New Testament speaking in tongues involves a speaker and an interpreter, not just a bunch of people babbling.

Kind of like how the Book of Mormon needed a rock and magic hat.

[ghporter]

Originally Posted by olePigeon 

I think an "authentic" case of tongues is the speech center part of the brain misfiring, causing a person to form random strings or fragments of words and sounds they've previously heard. The brain's ability to try and make sense of seemingly random patterns helps us to possibly identify words or sound fragments that lend some people to think it has some sort of actual meaning.

Otherwise people are simply putting on a good show.

The are enough well recognized brain-dysfunction speech irregularities ("foreign accent syndrome," etc) that I don't think it's biological. I think it is psychological for most people. They genuinely believe that the Lord is speaking through them, and they just utter the syllables that come out. While I won't discount plenty of "good show" speakers, most who speak in tongues appear toe genuinely convinced they are the instrument of God's words.

[ironknee]

thanks for all the replies

but let's get back to the point..

1) is speaking in tongues is / isn't real?

2) if real, it is a "language" that is meant to be understood by someone.... right?

who? god? friends? you? me?

so,

why then have a language (talk/listen) without others to understands?

discuss....

[Laminar]

Originally Posted by ironknee 

thanks for all the replies

but let's get back to the point..

1) is speaking in tongues is / isn't real?

What's "real"? People have done and do perform an activity that resembles what the New Testament describes as speaking in tongues. As it's not easy to objectively measure the cause of someone speech, it's hard to say whether the speech is truly divinely-inspired.

2) if real, it is a "language" that is meant to be understood by someone.... right?

who? god? friends? you? me?

so,

why then have a language (talk/listen) without others to understands?

discuss....

Originally Posted by Laminar 

New Testament speaking in tongues involves a speaker and an interpreter, not just a bunch of people babbling.

[torsoboy]

The way that I have seen/heard about "speaking in tongues" and "interpreting tongues" is when a person is speaking to a person (or group of people) that does not speak the same language yet both sides are able to understand each other as if they were speaking the same language.

[Jawbone54]

Originally Posted by ironknee 

if you do...

1) is it a real language another human can understand?
2) are you aware of what you are saying?
3) can two people speaking in tongues communicate with each other?
4) can god understand you?

Yep. For 20 years.

1. Sometimes.
2. Nope.
3. Nope.
4. Yep.

[turtle777]

Do you guys seriously think people will openly and honestly discuss their experience with glossolalia in a thread that's bound to ridicule and mock religious experiences like this ?

You're delusional.

-t

[Jawbone54]

Acts 1:4-8 (NKJV)

And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, “which,” He said, “you have heard from Me; for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” Therefore, when they had come together, they asked Him, saying, “Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” And He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority. But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

Acts 2:1-4

When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

Acts 8:14-19

Now when the apostles who were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them, who, when they had come down, prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit. For as yet He had fallen upon none of them. They had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then they laid hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.

And when Simon saw that through the laying on of the apostles’ hands the Holy Spirit was given (JB Note: there was clearly a similar circumstance that made it apparent), he offered them money, saying, “Give me this power also, that anyone on whom I lay hands may receive the Holy Spirit.”

Acts 10:44-48

While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who heard the word. And those of the circumcision who believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also.

For they heard them speak with tongues and magnify God. Then Peter answered, “Can anyone forbid water, that these should not be baptized who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?” And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. Then they asked him to stay a few days.

Acts 19:1-7

And it happened, while Apollos was at Corinth, that Paul, having passed through the upper regions, came to Ephesus. And finding some disciples he said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” So they said to him, “We have not so much as heard whether there is a Holy Spirit.” And he said to them, “Into what then were you baptized?” So they said, “Into John’s baptism.”

Then Paul said, “John indeed baptized with a baptism of repentance, saying to the people that they should believe on Him who would come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus.” When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. And when Paul had laid hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke with tongues and prophesied. Now the men were about twelve in all.

These are the first biblical references to speaking in tongues, which by Jesus' own words before His ascension, is the pouring out of the Holy Spirit upon individuals.

Upon being filled with God's Spirit, members of the church in the book of Acts began to speak in tongues. What Laminar is speaking of (tongues and interpretation) is not the infilling of the Holy Spirit, but a gift discussed in 1 Corinthians 14.

1 Corinthians 14:4

He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself, but he who prophesies edifies the church.

Speaking in tongues post-infilling builds up a person. Speaking in tongues in church, alongside a prophecy, is beneficial for the entire congregation. Basically 1 Corinthians 14 says that if everyone in church is speaking in tongues, and a person without any idea of what is happening walks into the church, they're going to think the churchgoers are raving lunatics.

Paul himself says:

1 Corinthians 14:18-19

I thank my God I speak with tongues more than you all; yet in the church I would rather speak five words with my understanding, that I may teach others also, than ten thousand words in a tongue.

Indications from the book of Acts show us that the infilling of the Holy Spirit is accompanied by speaking in tongues. 1 Corinthians 14 states that if you're going to be praying in tongues publicly (post-infilling), it should be accompanied by an interpretation, since it's not benefiting the rest of the crowd, and is confusing to newcomers. Private prayers, however (and in my opinion, those at church that aren't disruptive to the surrounding environment), are still encouraged and beneficial to the believer.

Romans 8:26

Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.

In other words, sometimes the Holy Spirit prays "for us" when we don't know exactly what to pray.

My church speaks in tongues, yes. My first experience was when I was 8. I'll try to answer some of the other questions later.

[Jawbone54]

Originally Posted by turtle777 

Do you guys seriously think people will openly and honestly discuss their experience with glossolalia in a thread that's bound to ridicule and mock religious experiences like this ?

You're delusional.

-t

Nahhhhh, I don't mind being ridiculed. I'm quite secure in my faith. And if these guys are condescending to me about it, I'm not going to hold it against them.

No harm, no foul.

[Phileas]

I would like to know how anybody has the nerve to claim that s/he knows how g/God experiences the universe.

That kind of thing always struck me as being breathtakingly arrogant.

[olePigeon]

Originally Posted by ghporter 

The are enough well recognized brain-dysfunction speech irregularities ("foreign accent syndrome," etc) that I don't think it's biological.

I'm not sure what you mean by biological. Do you mean people are born with it? Some might be, but it's mostly likely the result of trauma to the brain. Foreign Accent Syndrome is what happens when your speech slurs just a tiny bit, it makes it sound eastern European.

Originally Posted by ghporter 

I think it is psychological for most people. They genuinely believe that the Lord is speaking through them, and they just utter the syllables that come out. While I won't discount plenty of "good show" speakers, most who speak in tongues appear toe genuinely convinced they are the instrument of God's words.

I have no doubt they've convinced themselves that they're speaking through their god.

[imitchellg5]

Originally Posted by Phileas 

I would like to know how anybody has the nerve to claim that s/he knows how g/God experiences the universe.

That kind of thing always struck me as being breathtakingly arrogant.

Who has ever claimed to know how God experiences the universe?

[Big Mac]

I'm naturally very skeptical toward alleged religious experiences that appear equivalent to nonsensical babbling. The prophets of the Hebrew Scriptures never reported that kind of phenomena in interacting with G-d's spirit. They prophesied, but they never were said to utter foreign language. That includes when normal members of the assembly started prophesying (Num. 11) and some disapproved but Moshe (Moses) expressed his approval and told those who disapproved that he would prefer if all the people could maintain that elevated level and continue to be prophets permanently. Nothing about foreign speech was noted there or in any other legitimate prophetic experience that I know of.

The only time confused speech is mentioned in the Hebrew Scriptures as far as I know is at the Tower of Babel when the people building the tower are scatted across the face of the earth and have their language confused so that there no longer is a single language of humanity. That wasn't a gift - it was a curse because of disobedience. Just consider how much more difficult it is for humanity to interact because we don't share a single language and how much confusion and discordance results from that single fact. I'd assume that anything as strange as Christian foreign tongues would be placed by Judaism in the category of "avodah zarah" (strange worship, a synonym for idolatry). As Aaron's sons Nadav and Avihu experienced (Lev. 10), unusual alterations in the mode of worship that were never commanded aren't accepted kindly.

Jews pray daily for wisdom, understanding and discernment from G-d. Those who have understanding are praised throughout the Hebrew Scriptures, whereas those without understanding are not lauded. Speaking in gibberish and claiming it to be holy or a divine gift definitely isn't a Jewish thing. We also pray for the fulfillment of the promise that G-d made to us for the End of Days that He would restore to all of humanity a pure language for His children to worship Him in unity and complete clarity. So as a Jew I can safely say the practice is illegitimate. Christians who do it appear to me to be purposely speaking gibberish to try to make it seem like they have powers spoken of by the Christian holy books, just as certain very wacky Christian sects handle venomous snakes. Christians who speak in tongues may still be under the influence of a spirit, but it's not a holy one.

[Wiskedjak]

Originally Posted by ironknee 

1) is speaking in tongues is / isn't real?

Impossible to say. As with all things religious, the explanations are such that it can neither be proven nor disproved.

Originally Posted by ironknee 

2) if real, it is a "language" that is meant to be understood by someone.... right?
who? god? friends? you? me?

It is meant to be understood only by God, which also serves to explain why no human can understand it and why there is no consistency between how different people speak tongues.

Originally Posted by ironknee 

why then have a language (talk/listen) without others to understands?

I believe the belief is to be able to commune more directly with God ... without the limitations of human language getting in the way.

[Waragainstsleep]

Lets break it down.

Possible explanations (in no particular order) for speaking in tongues are:
1) Its a genuine religious experience and everything the people who do it tell you about it is correct.
2) Its a temporary or intermittent neurological disorder.
3) Its someone deliberately misleading one or more people into thinking that its reason 1 above.

The most likely explanation is that a preacher or minister read about it in the Bible and decided it would be incredibly easy to simulate and completely impossible to authoritatively disprove. This sadly is religions bread and butter.
One minister will have started the craze, others doubtless heard about it and copied what they considered to be a good idea for the same reasons the first guy did it: They appear more holy to their followers so they get more followers and more donations.

The audience members who follow along and join in are simply highly suggestible. Some will be planted just to get things moving. Its the same mechanism that makes people act drunk just because you tell them they are drinking alcohol even when they are not. Put a believer in a church and tell them it happens to everyone and they'll just copy it, some consciously, many unconsciously.

The whole charade is no different to faith healers and all the others performing 'live miracles'. Its smoke, mirrors, suggestible audiences and a fair few plants.
Giveaway: If they pass around a collection plate after the show, its fake.

Is it a real language? No.
Can two people communicate with it? No. Its not a real language.
Can God understand you? Pointless question. If you believe in God then you believe God knows everything so the answer is yes. If you don't believe in God then the answer is obviously no.

[lpkmckenna]

Mormonism: a US religious movement
Scientology: a US religious movement
Jehovahs Witness: a US religious movement
Quakerism: a US religious movement
Pentecostalism: a US religious movement

Avoiding any religious movement from the US is a pretty good way to stay clear of the crazy. No Christian church from Europe would dignify a theology based around "quaking" and babbling.

[ghporter]

Originally Posted by olePigeon 

I'm not sure what you mean by biological. Do you mean people are born with it? Some might be, but it's mostly likely the result of trauma to the brain. Foreign Accent Syndrome is what happens when your speech slurs just a tiny bit, it makes it sound eastern European.

Actually I mean that there is no biological dysfunction involved in tongues. Many even modest brain injuries can cause significant impairments of speech, with FAS being a very mild example of such impairments. I stuck with FAS and didn't add more examples because I couldn't find enough "literature" supporting reported events where a person suffered some sort of event and then was only able to speak a second language, or similar problems. This is not what my experience with tongues indicates. To me, it's an example of simply not attending to the content and allowing the speech center to produce syllables.

Originally Posted by olePigeon 

I have no doubt they've convinced themselves that they're speaking through their god.

I think you stated it backward. These individuals are convinced that their god is speaking through them.

[imitchellg5]

Originally Posted by lpkmckenna 

Quakerism: a US religious movement
Pentecostalism: a US religious movement

Those both started in Great Britain and happened to make it across the pond due to varied circumstances.

[Shaddim]

My parents are Pentecostal, Church of God, and I spent 16+ years attending a Pentecostal church as a kid. Every week I heard speaking in tongues, sometimes trying to work out patterns. What I found is that the same people spoke the same things almost every service. Most of the time they were long strings of the same phrases, then every once in a while they would throw in something completely different. Those were the times I really paid attention, looking for similarities in the "off" words and phrases, and often finding them in the church at the same time by different members. At those rare times, it was almost like they were conversing, but they didn't have a clue that they were doing it. Then, just about every time, there would be a single speaker who would call out in that tongue and 10-20 seconds later someone would interpret it.

A couple years ago I went back to my parents' church to visit, and tongues started near the end of the service, so I stood with everyone else and recited/sang the 18th Enochian call in a fairly quiet voice (mostly because it's short but pretty to hear). Didn't want to disrupt anyone but was a little curious about what might happen. Well, not much, it seemed, except my wife elbowing me when she figured out what I was doing. But, as I was leaving the woman who was sitting behind me came up to us and said that my tongues touched her deeply, and said "the Spirit told me to tell you that His light is always there to comfort you". I thanked her, but it did I wig me out a little. Since that Call is all about the "Light and burning flame of comfort that is an opening to the glory of God".

[lpkmckenna]

Originally Posted by imitchellg5 

Those both started in Great Britain and happened to make it across the pond due to varied circumstances.

No, Pentecostalism definitely started in the US.

I guess you're right about the Quakers. But I've remembered another brand of crazy American religion: snake-handlers. Can't get more crazy American than that.

[Chongo]

Originally Posted by Shaddim 

A couple years ago I went back to my parents' church to visit, and tongues started near the end of the service, so I stood with everyone else and recited/sang the 18th Enochian call in a fairly quiet voice (mostly because it's short but pretty to hear). Didn't want to disrupt anyone but was a little curious about what might happen. Well, not much, it seemed, except my wife elbowing me when she figured out what I was doing. But, as I was leaving the woman who was sitting behind me came up to us and said that my tongues touched her deeply, and said "the Spirit told me to tell you that His light is always there to comfort you". I thanked her, but it did I wig me out a little. Since that Call is all about the "Light and burning flame of comfort that is an opening to the glory of God".

Who are John Dee and Edward Kelly?

[ebuddy]

The largest Christian congregations on earth regard tongues as a legitimate expression of the Holy Spirit. Prior to Mass each morning, about 25 nuns would sit in the front row of pews and speak in tongues, some of them singing, and it was one of the most beautiful things I've ever heard.

It is considered a gift of the Holy Spirit and while supposedly quite rare, does at times get abused with some believing you're not "Christian enough" if you do not express the gift regularly. I've been both disgusted by and awed by having witnessed it.

[Wiskedjak]

Originally Posted by ebuddy 

It is considered a gift of the Holy Spirit and while supposedly quite rare, does at times get abused with some believing you're not "Christian enough" if you do not express the gift regularly. I've been both disgusted by and awed by having witnessed it.

This has been my understanding and experience as well. When an entire congregation is speaking in tongues, you know that more than a few people are pretending just due to peer pressure.

[Shaddim]

Originally Posted by Chongo 

Who are John Dee and Edward Kelly?

A scholar (Dee) and a con man (Kelly).