Pentecostal Religion

[James1234]

Who believes in speaking in tongues? If I were baptized and I didn’t speak in tongues does that mean I am not saved?

 

[jmm08]

James1234:

Who believes in speaking in tongues? If I were baptized and I didn’t speak in tongues does that mean I am not saved?

Quite a silly question. But I like it because it helps me to grow. So thank you.

Yes, you can be “saved” and not speak in tongues. My advice is to work on the “saved” part as the higher priority. I am going to RCIA / RCIC this year.

There are some that think you must speak in tongues to be saved. If somebody talks like that, it is already obvious that they are wrong. Because it contradicts Holy Scripture and St. Paul. See 1 Cor 12:29-30 (Paul is rhetorically asking questions where the answer to each question is no). And 1 Cor 12:11 says the Holy Spirit distributes the gifts as He wishes. Don’t strive against God’s will.

However, if you think God didn’t give you a gift, it could be that you have the gift but didn’t open it up yet. I hear it explained that some Confirmed Catholics haven’t really stirred up their Sacrament of Confirmation.

And some might not have a gift because they didn’t ask. See Luke 11:9-13. But don’t ask for any gifts only to edify yourself. You must be willing to do what God wants you to do.

A lot of people pray to be “Filled with the Spirit” and then go home and never have any desire to tell somebody else about Jesus. To me there is something suspect in that. Acts 1:8 says “But you will receive power when the holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

If you are quite willing to have God use you in a mighty way, go ahead and ask God. Luke 11:11. God won’t bring disorder. He may give you a call to a vocation. Or He may use you where you are. But don’t put your lamp under a cover to hide it.

I am not stepping into the controversy on whether tongues are for today or not (I’ve been to churches either way – and now I’m “coming home”). There are many Protestants and Catholics who say they have spoken in tongues. I just want my wife and family to join me in the Roman Catholic Church – or to show me the error in my ways. I don’t want to split the family.

 

[mark_a]

I don’t think I’m creative enough to speak in tongues.

 

[Sherlock]

Jmm,

Great post. I learned a lot from it, as it is a topic that has never really engaged me for whatever reason, and so I simply haven’t given it much thought. You clearly have…

Hey, I am so pleased to hear that you’re starting RCIA. Welcome home!! I really hope you have a good, orthodox RCIA director (unfortunately, it’s not a given that you will). If you don’t, please ask around on this forum and perhaps someone might be able to direct you to one.

Have you read much Chesterton?

 

[DaveBj]

Good job, jmm. I’m joining you in RCIA later this month–well, maybe not in the same class, but in the same spirit.

I was raised in the Church of God (Cleveland, Tennessee), a “classical” Pentecostal denomination (as opposed to those johnny-come-lately charismatics). Within that denomination there were many who were considered to be genuinely saved, but had not yet “received the baptism in the Holy Ghost with the initial evidence of speaking in other tongues.” That was considered to be a subsequent experience to salvation, an enduement of power for service.

I have never been to a church that preached tongues = salvation; I think I would have walked right out if I had heard that. I am not real sure (someone with more direct info can correct me if I’m wrong), but I think the United Pentecostal Church does teach tongues = salvation. This is the “Jesus Only” branch of Pentecostalism that denies the Trinity.

For my part, I believe that the supernatural gifts/manifestations of the Holy Spirit enumerated in 1 Cor 12 are still valid and operative today. However, from my experience of 30 or so years in Pentecostal churches I think I can safely say that 99.9% of what goes on in those churches has more to do with manifestations of the flesh than manifestations of the Holy Spirit. I wish I were wrong about that, but I don’t think I am.

DaveBj

 

[Anonymous_47fdd0dd46b23c8f8b10017e34bccb8b]

James1234:

Who believes in speaking in tongues? If I were baptized and I didn’t speak in tongues does that mean I am not saved?

Guess what ?

 

[MariaG]

posted by DaveBj **: **However, from my experience of 30 or so years in Pentecostal churches I think I can safely say that 99.9% of what goes on in those churches has more to do with manifestations of the flesh than manifestations of the Holy Spirit. I wish I were wrong about that, but I don’t think I am.

I think that number is too high. Although I was only in one for a couple of years, I would say about 50% is of the flesh, 25% of the Holy Spirit, and 25% satanic. Like you I certainly could be wrong, but as a speaker of tongues, a one time gift of interpretation, and the manifestation of the gift of tears I would like to think there is more than 0.1% working of God in those churches. Thankfully, I am home now though!

 

[RNRobert]

One thing about the Pentecostal “tongues” business puzzles me. In the Book of Acts, when the Holy Spirit came down on the Apostles, they spoke in tongues that people who spoke languages other than Aramaic could understand (Acts 2:4-11). Similarly, I have heard stories of missionaries who had been given the gift of tongues to speak to people of foreign nations. Yet, the “tongues” in Pentecostal churches seem to be nothing but gibberish. I read a book by an ex-Pentecostal entitled The Corinthian Catastrophe, and in it he stated that gifts were primarily a sign gift to the Jews, and he pointed out that the gift of tongues was manifested only when there were people around. For instance, when we read of the baptism of Ethiopian Eunuch, or of Paul, there is no mention whatsoever of them speaking in tongues. Also, elsewhere in this forum, someone quoted several early church fathers who stated that the gift of tongues was no longer being seen.

 

[MariaG]

The gift that is seen in many churches is considered to be the tongue of angels as per the Bible. However, some people have thought that what they were speaking was a tongue of the angels only to find out from someone who hears them that is Hebrew or an island dialect or something else that a person hears and does recoginize.

 

[asquared]

we baptize infants 6 times a year, about 45 English, 25 in Spanish each time, and I can testify that the vast majority of babies speak in tongues quite loudly when they are baptized. the adults at the Easter Vigil, however, are more sedate.

 

[Catholic4aReasn]

James1234:

Who believes in speaking in tongues? If I were baptized and I didn’t speak in tongues does that mean I am not saved?

I pray in tongues so, of course, I believe in it. No, one does not have to have the gift of tonuges to be saved. I think that teaching is very frightening and sad.