How do you know it's really the Holy Spirit?

  • Thread starter Thread starter BrethrenBoy
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
B

BrethrenBoy

Guest
I was listening to the podcast of a Catholic Answers Live show from a few months ago and in it Jimmy Akin answered a question about the Holy Spirit working in the Mormon Church. It was about an experience a Mormon acquaintance of the questioner had had. The acquaintance had talked about he had felt the power of the Holy Spirit in one of the Mormon temples, and was now going out to be a missionary. Jimmy said that if someone had an experience like that, it must have been a subjective experience they were misinterpreting, because the Holy Spirit would not confirm a non-Catholic or non-Christian religion. What makes the experience that this Mormon felt different from a religious experience that a Catholic may have? In other words, how can I know that an experience I have had is really the Holy Spirit, and not just a subjective experience I am interpreting as it?
 
BrethrenBoy said:
I was listening to the podcast of a Catholic Answers Live show from a few months ago and in it Jimmy Akin answered a question about the Holy Spirit working in the Mormon Church. It was about an experience a Mormon acquaintance of the questioner had had. The acquaintance had talked about he had felt the power of the Holy Spirit in one of the Mormon temples, and was now going out to be a missionary. Jimmy said that if someone had an experience like that, it must have been a subjective experience they were misinterpreting, because the Holy Spirit would not confirm a non-Catholic or non-Christian religion. What makes the experience that this Mormon felt different from a religious experience that a Catholic may have? In other words, how can I know that an experience I have had is really the Holy Spirit, and not just a subjective experience I am interpreting as it?
Click to expand...
From the example of St. Paul:

Galatians 2:2 I went in response to a revelation and, meeting privately with those esteemed as leaders, I presented to them the gospel that I preach among the Gentiles. I wanted to be sure I was not running and had not been running my race in vain.

Then from 1John 4… Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world……………6 We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us. This is how we recognize the Spirit[a] of truth and the spirit of falsehood.
 
BrethrenBoy said:
I was listening to the podcast of a Catholic Answers Live show from a few months ago and in it Jimmy Akin answered a question about the Holy Spirit working in the Mormon Church. It was about an experience a Mormon acquaintance of the questioner had had. The acquaintance had talked about he had felt the power of the Holy Spirit in one of the Mormon temples, and was now going out to be a missionary. Jimmy said that if someone had an experience like that, it must have been a subjective experience they were misinterpreting, because the Holy Spirit would not confirm a non-Catholic or non-Christian religion. What makes the experience that this Mormon felt different from a religious experience that a Catholic may have? In other words, how can I know that an experience I have had is really the Holy Spirit, and not just a subjective experience I am interpreting as it?
Click to expand...
The Holy Spirit gives you the gifts (Wisdom, Understanding, Counsel, Fortitude, Knowledge, Piety, Holy Fear) to help you make a choice. You choose with your free-will.

The Holy Spirit doesn’t make you do irrational choices. The case of the Mormon person is not the Holy Spirit because he is going out to preach error. We know that the Holy Spirit does not want people to preach error. So that is just a subjective “experience” he associated to the Holy Spirit. (The Catholic Church is guided by the Holy Spirit and therefore any revelation, experience, or suggestion that indicates us to contradict Church teaching is NOT from the Holy Spirit).

I personally think the problem today, especially in the Protestants camps is the expectation of some experience based guidance by the Holy Spirit. So an individual will keep praying for a sign or some experience. Same thing happens to Catholics who do “discernment” for vocations at times.

Rather than evaluating things using reason while asking God for the gifts to do so correctly, people just want quick directions. That is not how the Holy Spirit works (though he may for some people give a special private revelation, its rare and neither should we always strive for that). That Mormon person should first be asking if he is in the right faith to begin with. That is a matter he must settle by “thinking” while “praying for wisdom”. Instead, most people pray to give a sign to choose. That is not good.
 
The Holy Spirit leads to humble submission (obedience) and unity - always and everywhere. Any spirit that leads to division or disobedience is not from heaven.
 
BrethrenBoy said:
I was listening to the podcast of a Catholic Answers Live show from a few months ago and in it Jimmy Akin answered a question about the Holy Spirit working in the Mormon Church. It was about an experience a Mormon acquaintance of the questioner had had. The acquaintance had talked about he had felt the power of the Holy Spirit in one of the Mormon temples, and was now going out to be a missionary. Jimmy said that if someone had an experience like that, it must have been a subjective experience they were misinterpreting, because the Holy Spirit would not confirm a non-Catholic or non-Christian religion. What makes the experience that this Mormon felt different from a religious experience that a Catholic may have? In other words, how can I know that an experience I have had is really the Holy Spirit, and not just a subjective experience I am interpreting as it?
Click to expand...
The Holy Spirit is not just a feeling you get after worship (you get the same feeling at secular events).

The Holy Spirit guides in truth. You can test to see if its the Holy Spirit by seeing if it’s in line with what the church teaches.

Unfortunately Protestants have traded the Holy Spirit in for their gut feeling or for a well planned decision.

My old evangelical pastor talked about the Holy Spirit leading the church to build a parking structure or remodel the sanctuary etc.,…

That’s not the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit is what guided you to this forum.
 
You ask a very excellent question and have received some very excellent answers.

The truth is that it can be very hard to know if something is the Holy Spirit or not because the evil one, the prince of lies, can seem like he is holy…but not…

In discerning a true spirit, one must begin with Love.
Does what is being offered stem from Agape?
Of course some things can seem loving - but either not be - or can later be twisted so we have to be careful in this - Yet Love remains the core principle of our faith.
Next one must evaluate if what is being suggested rings true. This requires prayer and study. Even the great evangelist St Paul, after his miraculous conversion, went off for three years of prayer and study before beginning his mission.
Finally - as mentioned above - we are to test the spirit. This is done by sharing and comparing. This is why we are an Ekklesia - a body - a Church.

Now - interestingly enough - many spiritual promptings can be both inspired and not.
Like the old cartoon of the angel on one shoulder and the devil on the other we can, and most often do, get (name removed by moderator)ut from both sides. So very often our output can be a mixture of truth and error.
This is yet another - and maybe the most important - reason for the ekklesia and the testing of the spirits. It is much more difficult for error to survive when subjected to the prayerful discernment of the group. This is why Jesus tells us to take disagreements to the Church and then to listen to the Church (Mt 18:17).
A person acting purely on their own without the Church - or without a willingness to submit to the church - can easily be misled.

Now in Catholic circles - and as Jon S mentioned above - we compare our spiritual revelations to Church teaching. Not because we are submitting to an arbitrary set of rules, but because the Church’s teachings, embodied in the Catechism etc contain the sum total of many meetings, discussions and prayerful discernment over the course of 2 millenia.

Hope this helps

Peace
James
 
If Mormons can’t feel the ‘power of the Holy Spirit’ to confirm their faith… can Protestants?
 
Sultan_Of_Swing said:
If Mormons can’t feel the ‘power of the Holy Spirit’ to confirm their faith… can Protestants?
Click to expand...
interesting false comparison–

now Mormons do apply the “burning in the breast” as a faith factor–

and as you need to bash protestants-- as well-- it does feed your “ego”

is there any additions “wisdom” that you have received by your version of the Holy Spirit?

do you function in any of the nine gifts of the Spirit? that Saint paul enumerates ?

a person only has to review the many replys to “twins” many postings on “ask a penecostal” to see the lack of understanding that catholics have on the prophetic

many protestants have experienced

New Living Translation
When Saul and his servant arrived at Gibeah, they saw a group of prophets coming toward them. Then the Spirit of God came powerfully upon Saul, and he, too, began to prophesy.

19 While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul took the road through the interior and arrived at Ephesus. There he found some disciples 2 and asked them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when[a] you believed?”

They answered, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.”

3 So Paul asked, “Then what baptism did you receive?”

“John’s baptism,” they replied.

4 Paul said, “John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance. He told the people to believe in the one coming after him, that is, in Jesus.” 5 On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 6 When Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in tongues** and prophesied. 7 There were about twelve men in all.

i have met many people who have been baptised in the Holy Spirit this way…

Have you??:confused:

and very few in the catholic sacrement of confirmation**
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top