Speaking in tongues

AllyG303

This last post got me to thinking...who believes in it?  Who doesn't? 


I've been to churches both ways.  To be honest, the first time I went to my church in college, I was with my sister and it was a sermon on speaking in tongues.  At the end of the service, they invited everyone who had never spoken in tongues to come down to the front (it was held in a large lecture hall on campus).  Then they had people pray over us...in tongues...My sister and I were a little um...taken aback.  I continued going to that church, but honestly never got into the speaking in tongues.

AshNoel8

I honestly don't know much about it. I haven't ever been to a church like that. I grew up in a Presbyterian church and now my H and I are members and very involved in a different Presbyterian church. I like non-denominational, contemporary churches a lot and would probably join one if we ever decided to leave where we are now. But of all the non-denominational churches I have been to, none of them have ever had anything spoken in tongues. It honestly makes me feel uncomfortable and is a little scary to me, but I try to understand and accept it. I think anything that is different than what we are used to or that we don't understand can be scary. But as long as a church is teaching Bible-based things, treating others as Jesus would, and considers Jesus Christ their Savior and Son of God, it's good with me! 

sessionswedding

I went to a church where speaking in tongues was practiced, and I have done it myself.  I have seen it done "fake," but there is genuineness in it for a lot of people.  Even though I now attend a church where it is not believed in, I still believe in it.  And sometimes when I need to cry out to God and can't find the right words to pray, I find that I just start speaking in tongues.  (But that is only in my personal prayer time, not in public.)

agape1cor813

I have seen "speaking in tongues" videos in the past where people cluck like chickens, groan, and make other strange sounds akin to barnyard animals ... I'm inclined to think those people were faking it. I generally tend to shy away from instances like that.

From what I've read, some churches of the Assemblies of God denomination believe that a person is not truly saved by the Holy Spirit until they speak in tongues. I personally find that claim unrealistic. I know that there are instances of speaking in tongues in the Bible, but Jesus didn't say "No one see my Father except through me ... and by speaking in toungues." I feel like the newly baptized may have a feeling of disappointment if they don't necessarily have a physical manifestation after baptism.

I am certainly not claiming to be an expert, but am speaking based on what I have read.

DramaGeek

This is one of the major things that drove H away from the church.  He was raised Assemblies of God and was told in 5th grade that if he couldn't speak in tongues it was because he wasn't faithful enough to God.  They harassed him and made fun of him - yes, grown adults in the church did this!  He told his parents and they told him he still had to go, even though people were being so awful to him, and it really ruined church for him.

The first time I ever attended ILs church, there was someone speaking in tongues and people were rolling in the aisles.  I was *really* uncomfortable.  I didn't do myself any favors when I called them on the fact that there was no translator, which is something the Bible says about speaking in tongues.  It all seemed very fake and for show to me.  I've been in situations where it was very obvious the Holy Spirit had descended upon  the worshippers, but this just seemed staged and like it was done to pressure people into believing.

mrandmrsbrist

The only experience I've ever had with it was in a campus ministry I was apart of. There was a lady who worked with the ministry (she didn't go to school, she lived in the community) and would pray for people when they asked for it, etc. She was so sweet and caring. We were at our fall retreat and I had been talking to the campus pastor about something and Teresa came up behind me and put her hands ony my shoulder. I tried to turn around, but she wouldn't let me and then I started hearing this clicking noise. It took me a few minutes to realize it was coming from her mouth. Basically, it totally distracted me.

I was taught growing up that it's a spiritual gift that is not frequently used (correctly) today. In the Bible, it was used for translation purposes. When there isn't a translator, it's generally not being used correctly.

I think I still agree with that, but I don't know for sure. I think I get along fine without it, so why change that now?

faith415

I grew up non-denominational and my church did not believe in speaking in tongues. Frankly, I always thought it was weird and any experience I had with it was freaky. When I came to college I started going to this really great church, but they believed in speaking in tongues. At first I was worried about it, but never even saw anyone speaking in tongues or doing weird noises/rolling around that I had seen other churches who believed in that do.

I had my pastor explain what their belief on speaking in tongues actually was and found that the way they believe in it is very rooted in scripture. Basically, they believe that speaking in tongues is a spiritual gift that you can recieve just like any other. It's rarely used in a large group/public place, but when it is there is ALWAYS a translator. A few times during a church service I have experienced someone crying out in an unknown language, but someone else immediately begins to interpret what they are saying. Everytime it happens our pastor gives a brief explaination of what happened and their belief on it so everyone else understands. More often, speaking in tongues is something that happens in a small setting of you and one or two others. It typically happens when you are trying to speak to someone and you end up speaking in their native language in order for them to understand you, even though you don't know their language.
As a side note, speaking in tongues biblically means speaking a different language, a real language, not random clickings and sounds.

I know for so many years it was something that I just said I didn't believe in, but speaking in tongues is biblically based. I don't think that most people use it correctly today. Partially that's the fault of churches like DramaGeek was talking about that make people believe they have to have it. God blesses everyone with their own spiritual gifts, so it's crazy to say that everyone should speak in tongues. I personally have never spoke in tongues before, but I do believe that people can be blessed with that gift.

Sorry this is so long, I felt the same way as most of you about speaking in tongues until someone explained it to me so I wanted to pass what I've learned in the last few years on!

DramaGeek

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/cultural-wedding-boards_christian-weddings_speaking-tongues?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Cultural Wedding BoardsForum:464687ae-7bc1-4360-9aea-999e11f1e1adDiscussion:749e9354-f449-4beb-849f-1eef083e560dPost:2f87ca6e-6545-468b-a88e-5963b58c0111">Re: Speaking in tongues</a>:
[QUOTE]I definitely believe in it and <strong>do it every day.</strong>  I've even had to write a 5 page paper about it for hermenuetics class. Just an FYI, if any Assembly of God church teaches that, they are not following the official stance of the Assemblies but are teaching something on their own. It is a gift from God, but the only thing that is required for salvation is a relationship with Jesus, not the baptism of the Holy Spirit.
Posted by djhar[/QUOTE]

You speak in tongues every day?  is there a reason?  I'm not trying to be snarky, but I always thought it was a special occasion kind of thing.

sessionswedding

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/cultural-wedding-boards_christian-weddings_speaking-tongues?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Cultural Wedding BoardsForum:464687ae-7bc1-4360-9aea-999e11f1e1adDiscussion:749e9354-f449-4beb-849f-1eef083e560dPost:8a5cf603-82cd-4d37-9b50-d467ccff7fe9">Re: Speaking in tongues</a>:
[QUOTE]I believe that it is part of my personal prayer language with God.  I believe that based on Romans 8, the Holy Spirit prays through us when we pray in tongues when we don't know what to pray.  There is always so much to pray for and some situations that I just don't know what or how to pray - so I pray in tongues and let Him guide.
Posted by djhar[/QUOTE]
This.  This is what I was trying to say earlier.

RebeccaJac

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/cultural-wedding-boards_christian-weddings_speaking-tongues?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Cultural%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:464687ae-7bc1-4360-9aea-999e11f1e1adDiscussion:749e9354-f449-4beb-849f-1eef083e560dPost:37c89953-e1db-428d-8443-c75f07267138">Re: Speaking in tongues</a>:
[QUOTE]I had my pastor explain what their belief on speaking in tongues actually was and found that the way they believe in it is very rooted in scripture. Basically, they believe that speaking in tongues is a spiritual gift that you can recieve just like any other. It's rarely used in a large group/public place, but when it is there is ALWAYS a translator. A few times during a church service I have experienced someone crying out in an unknown language, but someone else immediately begins to interpret what they are saying. Everytime it happens our pastor gives a brief explaination of what happened and their belief on it so everyone else understands. More often, speaking in tongues is something that happens in a small setting of you and one or two others. It typically happens when you are trying to speak to someone and you end up speaking in their native language in order for them to understand you, even though you don't know their language. As a side note, speaking in tongues biblically means speaking a different language, a real language, not random clickings and sounds. I know for so many years it was something that I just said I didn't believe in, but speaking in tongues is biblically based. I don't think that most people use it correctly today. 
Posted by faith415[/QUOTE]

<div>This. </div><div>
</div><div>I've heard it many times but never publically always in private prayer groups. It's not one of my gifts, but I believe in it and believe in using it the way it was intended to.</div>

DramaGeek

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/cultural-wedding-boards_christian-weddings_speaking-tongues?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Cultural%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:464687ae-7bc1-4360-9aea-999e11f1e1adDiscussion:749e9354-f449-4beb-849f-1eef083e560dPost:8a5cf603-82cd-4d37-9b50-d467ccff7fe9">Re: Speaking in tongues</a>:
[QUOTE]I believe that it is part of my personal prayer language with God.  I believe that based on Romans 8, the Holy Spirit prays through us when we pray in tongues when we don't know what to pray.  There is always so much to pray for and some situations that I just don't know what or how to pray - so I pray in tongues and let Him guide.
Posted by djhar[/QUOTE]

<div>Got it.  I've never heard that before.  I've always hear of tongues being used in public settings (usually very public - see my earlier post about H's family church).</div>

iamjoesgurl

The church that I grew up in was a holiness church and there is no speaking in tongues, prophecy, dancing, etc. during the services.  The only time I ever attended a church where people were speaking in tongues, it was most of the congregation all at once and there was no interpretation so I felt REALLY uncomfortable.  I asked the friend that I was with about it and she said that the church taught her how to speak in tongues when she was younger.  This didn't seem right to me.

I believe that this is a spiritual gift but I am still so confused about why nobody in any church I've regularly attended had the gift.  It is one of those questions that I would like to ask about when I get to Heaven. 

teamUS2012

I also speak in tongues, as Djhar explained.

I'm Apostolic (not Assemblies of God). Although the Apostolic church typically practices speaking in tongues in very public settings, quite audibly and often all at one time, I don't believe that is appropriate, so I don't usually do that. If I do speak in tongues during a service, I do so quietly.

fpaemp2011

I was raised Baptist and have never experienced it and I'm not sure if I've heard it or not.  One of my roommates' moms prayed over one of the girls on our hall when she was sick and started praying in non-English.  She's from Trinidad, though, so I don't know if she was praying in her native language or in *tongues.*

Being Baptist, I haven't really explored how I feel about it.

teamUS2012

Trinidadians' native language is English, so she was probably speaking in unknown tongues.

mrandmrsbrist

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/cultural-wedding-boards_christian-weddings_speaking-tongues?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Cultural%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:464687ae-7bc1-4360-9aea-999e11f1e1adDiscussion:749e9354-f449-4beb-849f-1eef083e560dPost:4f251083-415b-437b-8b27-917bac2494a9">Re: Speaking in tongues</a>:
[QUOTE]Trinidadians' native language is English, so she was probably speaking in unknown tongues.
Posted by teamUS2012[/QUOTE]

Not quite...

"<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_language" title="English language">English</a> is the country's official language (the local variety of standard English is known as <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trinidadian_English" title="Trinidadian English">Trinidadian English</a>), but the main spoken language is either of two <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English-based_creole_languages" title="English-based creole languages">English-based creole languages</a> (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trinidadian_Creole" title="Trinidadian Creole">Trinidadian Creole</a> or <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tobagonian_Creole" title="Tobagonian Creole">Tobagonian Creole</a>) which reflects the Indian, African and European (including <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_Language" title="Spanish Language" class="mw-redirect">Spanish</a>) heritage of the nation. Both creoles contain elements from a variety of African languages; Trinidadian Creole, however, is also influenced by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_language" title="French language">French</a>"

At least check Wikipedia...

teamUS2012

I'll own up to being wrong, but I didn't see a need to check Wikipedia when I grew up around hundreds of Trinis and attended a Trini church for years. Even now, I have a bunch of Trini colleagues. I've never known any who spoke a language other than zenglish as their primary language. I would guess that it's not much different than other countries whose official language is English, but their citizens speak other languages at well. I didn't mean to imply that there weren't any citizens of Trinidad who could speak languages other than English. My sincerest apologies. It is certainly possible, perhaps even likely, that the PP's roommate's mom was speaking in Creole.

[Deleted User]

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/cultural-wedding-boards_christian-weddings_speaking-tongues?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Cultural%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:464687ae-7bc1-4360-9aea-999e11f1e1adDiscussion:749e9354-f449-4beb-849f-1eef083e560dPost:474e247f-b8f5-4f02-af2b-103ee174a953">Re: Speaking in tongues</a>:
[QUOTE]I also speak in tongues, as Djhar explained. <strong>I'm Apostolic</strong> (not Assemblies of God). Although the Apostolic church typically practices speaking in tongues in very public settings, quite audibly and often all at one time, I don't believe that is appropriate, so I don't usually do that. If I do speak in tongues during a service, I do so quietly.
Posted by teamUS2012[/QUOTE]

hi!  me too.  :)

teamUS2012

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/cultural-wedding-boards_christian-weddings_speaking-tongues?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Cultural%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:464687ae-7bc1-4360-9aea-999e11f1e1adDiscussion:749e9354-f449-4beb-849f-1eef083e560dPost:4fa99d98-abfa-4396-be0f-c3d3d2a2cf51">Re: Speaking in tongues</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: Speaking in tongues : hi!  me too.  :)
Posted by CocoBellaF[/QUOTE]

Well Praise the Lord, sis! :-) Good to "meet" you.

ElisabethJoanne

I have never encountered a church that didn't believe in speaking in tongues. I have attended and been a member at many churches that did not practice speaking in tongues regularly.

Perhaps I do not understand what is meant by "not believing in speaking in tongues."

fpaemp2011

In Response to Re: Speaking in tongues:
[QUOTE Perhaps I do not understand what is meant by "not believing in speaking in tongues."
Posted by ElisabethJoanne[/QUOTE]

Some churches believe that "speaking in tongues" is a rare gift bestowed more in a missional context and not corporate/private worship.

i.e.- Missionary who only speaks/understands English is perfectly understood by a person who only speaks/understands Spanish.

There are other churches who believe speaking in tongues was only bestowed on those at Pentecost, and no one else, ever.

FaithCaitlin

I grew up Catholic. Speaking in tongues wasn't something that was even discussed. Having spent years at the Catholic Church, I am easily made uncomfortable by too much singing, dancing, "amen"ing, etc that FIs nondenominational church does. I would be SUPER uncomfortable if someone was speaking in tongues. I've seen videos of people speaking in tongues. I'm not quite sure what to think about it all. Sometimes it seems very forced... Other times it truly seems serious.

joysyear

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/cultural-wedding-boards_christian-weddings_speaking-tongues?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Cultural%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:464687ae-7bc1-4360-9aea-999e11f1e1adDiscussion:749e9354-f449-4beb-849f-1eef083e560dPost:8a5cf603-82cd-4d37-9b50-d467ccff7fe9">Re: Speaking in tongues</a>:
[QUOTE]I believe that it is part of my personal prayer language with God.  I believe that based on Romans 8, the Holy Spirit prays through us when we pray in tongues when we don't know what to pray.  There is always so much to pray for and some situations that I just don't know what or how to pray - so I pray in tongues and let Him guide.
Posted by djhar[/QUOTE]

I agree with this post, also I pray in tounges because the word says that deep calls unto deep so when you pray in tounges your able to enter closer and higher realms of kingdom praying. When I pray in tounges I can feel my spirit ascending to the father and feel his peace enveloping me.

If you haven't done it ask the holy spirit to speak through you and the words will come forth.  And when your flesh starts to question it just tell it to be queit and continue.  It will really boost your prayer life.