Speaking in tongues: genuine charism or silly gibberish?

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I had a childhood friend whose family was very charismatic Pentecostals. She (13-14 at the time) didn’t speak in tongues at the time, but the rest of her family, other than her younger brother did. She had told me that she wasn’t old enough yet (or something along those lines). That right there threw up red flags. How can an age limit be put on a gift supposedly given by the Holy Spirit?
 
There was this church I attended once and never again. The pastor told everyone to speak in tongues and they all, did. That wasn’t speaking in tongues. Speaking in tongues is a gift of the Holy Spirit given to some people, not all people.
 
I am a Catholic and have been praying in tongues for thirty seven years, receiving this gift in the early Charismatic renewal days. I would certainly not pray in this way for this many years if it was gibberish! I have been blessed beyond measure and would feel like my prayer life is totally lacking without praising God in this way! Please do not judge God’s gifts unless you personally have first hand knowledge of it, for that would be rejecting what God has for you and borders on blasphemy!
 
Viola said:
I am a Catholic and have been praying in tongues for thirty seven years, receiving this gift in the early Charismatic renewal days. I would certainly not pray in this way for this many years if it was gibberish! I have been blessed beyond measure and would feel like my prayer life is totally lacking without praising God in this way! Please do not judge God’s gifts unless you personally have first hand knowledge of it, for that would be rejecting what God has for you and borders on blasphemy!
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I don’t see it as blasphemy to question this.
It is not God that I’m questioning, it’s those that claim to speak in tongues.

michel
 
Speaking in tongues is speaking another language that is not your native tongue. It is not gibberish like those Penecostals who claim they speak tongues.

A prime example who can speak tongues. Pope John Paul II who can speak many languages.
 
1Cor 14:22 "Wherefore tongues are for a sign, not to believers but to unbelievers…

1 Cor 14:19 “But in the church I had rather speak five words with my understanding, that I may instruct others also: than ten thousand words in a tongue.”

Paul also says that tongues are a minor gift of the Holy Spirit and that tongues will pass. After the New Testament times they were no longer needed and they eventually dissapeared except for a few instances by a few saints.

The resurgance of “tongues” is another protestant error by misinterpreting the bible.
 
Let’s see what St. Teresa of Avila has to say about tongues:

“In the midst of these experiences that are both painful and delightful together, our Lord sometimes gives the soul feelings of jubilation and a strange prayer it doesn’t understand…What I’m saying seems like gibberish, but certainly the experience takes place in this way…”.

Saint Teresa of Avila
(Doctor of the Church)
The Interior Castle
The Sixth Dwelling Places
CHAPTER 6
 
Mannyfit75 said:
Speaking in tongues is speaking another language that is not your native tongue. It is not gibberish like those Penecostals who claim they speak tongues.

A prime example who can speak tongues. Pope John Paul II who can speak many languages.
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On my radio talk show I once interviewed Fr. Michael Scanlan, TOR, Chancellor of the Franciscan University of Steubenville. I asked him where the Catholic Church stood regarding the new Pentecost we call the Charismatic Renewal. Father told the listening audience that he once concelebrated the Eucharist with Pope John Paul II and during the Elevation, the Pope praised God in tongues (and it was not an earthly foreign language).

Personally, I will take Father Mike’s word for it because he is a very holy man.
 
I wouldn’t despise any gift of God – minor or major. 😉

It might interest everyone that Raniero Cantalamessa, the preacher to the papal household, is active in the charismatic renewal. You can search him on the web, and might find his perspective enlightening.
 
One time when I was recuperating from back surgery I was alone
and felt really badly. I lay on a couch and looked out a very
beautiful window at birds hopping around in a tree. I started to
sing to myself, but then I found myself speaking these words that seemed to me to be an ancient language. I was very puzzled by it
On speaking to my sister several years afterwards, this only
happend once, she said I was speaking in tongues. She said
there are those who speak in tongues and there are those that
interpret in tongues. I felt very special that I had been given this
gift, but I did not pursue it. She also told me that I was not supposed to speak it when I was alone if it ever happened again.
I did try it again and it just seemed to flow out of me. I have not
thought about it much but wanted to tell my story.
 
CHRIS_DICKSON said:
On my radio talk show I once interviewed Fr. Michael Scanlan, TOR, Chancellor of the Franciscan University of Steubenville. I asked him where the Catholic Church stood regarding the new Pentecost we call the Charismatic Renewal. Father told the listening audience that he once concelebrated the Eucharist with Pope John Paul II and during the Elevation, the Pope praised God in tongues (and it was not an earthly foreign language).

Personally, I will take Father Mike’s word for it because he is a very holy man.
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It’s earthly language not gibberish.
 
Speaking in tongues is one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit. It is very little understood – it’s power, I mean.

There are many instances of “wildfire”, which is a person riding on their own self-centered emotional roller coaster…however, this is not the spiritual gift of “Speaking in Tongues”.

It is a truly beautiful gift – and tool – and can be used in prophesy, healing, praising, and acquisition of inner knowledge. I love this gift!🙂
 
I speak in tongues. It is NOT a human language. It IS my prayer language. And it is a tremendous blessing and joy. It is also available to any believer who wants it. Scripture makes that abundantly clear. Check it out. 🙂
 
as i recall, the gift of speaking in tongues was a gift of the Holy Spirit given to the Apostles and others after them, which made them able to speak to anyone of any different language and be understood, it was a gift that went on for a couple hundred years, over which time it was given to fewer and fewer, until it was gone completely.

this speaking in tongues that you refer to is nothing like the true gift that the Holy Spirit gave to the Apostles, and i recall no catholic teaching or example in the bible of this way of “speaking in tongues”
 
EmeraldWings said:
as i recall, the gift of speaking in tongues was a gift of the Holy Spirit given to the Apostles and others after them, which made them able to speak to anyone of any different language and be understood, it was a gift that went on for a couple hundred years, over which time it was given to fewer and fewer, until it was gone completely.

this speaking in tongues that you refer to is nothing like the true gift that the Holy Spirit gave to the Apostles, and i recall no catholic teaching or example in the bible of this way of “speaking in tongues”
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Right…the gift of tongues was given to the apostles so that they could go out into the world to preach to others in their own languages. It was not given to them just to make them feel good or make them feel special.

The idea that one gets the “gift” in a language that nobody understands promotes the idea that the “gift” is personal and is not meant to be shared. This smacks of “Jesus-and-me” Protestantism.

Everyone wants to feel special and think that they have an inside line to God, and babbling away with unintelligible noises is a way to do that.
 
EmeraldWings said:
as i recall, the gift of speaking in tongues was a gift of the Holy Spirit given to the Apostles and others after them, which made them able to speak to anyone of any different language and be understood, it was a gift that went on for a couple hundred years, over which time it was given to fewer and fewer, until it was gone completely.

this speaking in tongues that you refer to is nothing like the true gift that the Holy Spirit gave to the Apostles, and i recall no catholic teaching or example in the bible of this way of “speaking in tongues”
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Acts Chapter 10 Cornelius the Centurion, specifically Verse 44: “While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon ‘ALL’ those who were listening to the message.”

Who was “ALL” ? Certainly, Cornelius, but also we see in verse 24 of that same chapter: Now Cornelius was waiting for them, and had called together ‘HIS RELATIVES AND FRIENDS.’ Plural and Uncircumcized Gentiles at that!

Do you want the gift? Simply pray and ask our heavenly Father in Jesus Holy Name to send you the Holy Spirit and be bold enough to believe that you have already received what you have asked for and just begin to praise God out loud, and continue to praise his Holy Name, and he will give you the peace that surpasses all understanding.
 
Lepanto said:
Right…the gift of tongues was given to the apostles so that they could go out into the world to preach to others in their own languages. It was not given to them just to make them feel good or make them feel special.

The idea that one gets the “gift” in a language that nobody understands promotes the idea that the “gift” is personal and is not meant to be shared. This smacks of “Jesus-and-me” Protestantism.

Everyone wants to feel special and think that they have an inside line to God, and babbling away with unintelligible noises is a way to do that.
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The gift of tongues is not what gives us strength, it’s the Holy Spirit that gives us strength. The gift of tongues is simply a manifestation given to some who have received the Holy Spirit. It is by no means an end unto itself, rather the least of all the gifts, used to edify.
 
Of particular note, the greatest Pentecostal revival in the history of the Catholic Church (up until now, of course) began in a little tiny town in Italy called Assisi by a little man known as “il Poverello d’Assisi” (the little poor man of Assisi) whom we all know as Saint Francis.

Want to fall in love?

Read “Little Flowers of St. Francis.”
 
CHRIS_DICKSON said:
Acts Chapter 10 Cornelius the Centurion, specifically Verse 44: “While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon ‘ALL’ those who were listening to the message.”

Who was “ALL” ? Certainly, Cornelius, but also we see in verse 24 of that same chapter: Now Cornelius was waiting for them, and had called together ‘HIS RELATIVES AND FRIENDS.’ Plural and Uncircumcized Gentiles at that!

Do you want the gift? Simply pray and ask our heavenly Father in Jesus Holy Name to send you the Holy Spirit and be bold enough to believe that you have already received what you have asked for and just begin to praise God out loud, and continue to praise his Holy Name, and he will give you the peace that surpasses all understanding.
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how does that contradict anything i just said?
 
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