Why do people claim to speak in tongue?

Question

Is that a mental illness? How do people get that confused about something?

Answer 1

I believe that the speaking in tongues is when a person is in such close communion with God that they lose focus on their words, resulting in them becoming jumbled and indistinguishable. It is not "speaking in God's language", as God does not need a language for you to speak to Him.

Answer 2

Only the devout have the gift of tongues, given to the apostles, at Pentecost.

In Mark, and Acts, they are given the gift of being understood by any who hear them, but that is a bit difficult to demonstrate, if you only speak one language, but Saul/Paul, gave the early christians, an out.

1 Corinthians 12:10 To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues:

Diverse kinds of tongues, AKA gibberish.

To another the interpretation of tongues. (But no one in your church.)

So what you get, is people talking gibberish, under the pretext of speaking in some heavenly language.

I mean: Who wants to be thought of as, less than devout?

Answer 3

They are IGNORANT of what the Bible really teaches and to whom it teaches it, as well as being "carnal" and wanting to experience something in the FLESH, instead of simply believing God and allowing Him to live in and thru them.

Tongues were for a purpose. That purpose was served at the time the gift was used. There is no longer any need for any of the "sign gifts" as God has changed programs and we are to "walk by FAITH and not by sight."

www.graceteacher.com

Answer 4

That is something I wonder about.  

The "tongues" mentioned in the bible was not the gibberish some denominations think is needed for their salvation, or to keep their salvation.  They were actual languages spoken at the time the Gospel of Jesus was first being spread.  

There were no books in those days, or any of the cummunication devices we have now.  Any new information was passed by word of mouth.  The Holy Spirit came into certain men and blessed them with the ability to speak in different languages, so they could tell others from different lands about Jesus.   Once enough people in the countries knew enought to be able to teach others in their own tongue, the gift of tongues was no longer needed.  

Some say it is speaking prayers in the tongues of angels, and that angels hear and take those prayers to God.  This is nonsense.  As the only prayers answered as those that are through Jesus.  

Answer 5

It generally happens when they are deeply emotionally involved in what they are doing. I personally see it as a type of trance, like how a Shaman enters a trance through drumbeats.  

Answer 6

My best guy friend and his friends had to speak in tongues before they could go use the church game room!!!! Talk about crazy...

Answer 7

mostly it is because they have a need to feel holier than you they beleive that if someone can't speak in tongues then they are not truly one of His children

yeah im sure God wants to hear a bunch of mumbo jumbo jibbering babble from some one who wants to one up himself

what a load of c**p that stuff is called babble u know the tower of babel yep that is how God looks at it bunch of horse feathers

Answer 8

It is a spiritual gift. I do not think it should be allowed at the regular worship for there is no one to interpret and it can be disruptive

Answer 9

What they mean is that they speak some magical language with god that only they understand

Answer 10

Personally I think it just a harmless bit of getting carried away- some people think it is part of communicating with God.

Answer 11

Where they ever got that idea from beats me. The real meaning of speaking in tongues: an example.Place 12 people around a table, each person knows one language only, and each person knows a different language. The Holy Spirit chooses one of these people, to speak through, and EVERY person sitting at that table will hear the words spoken in their NATIVE tongue.Now, do you know any person on earth who can do that? I sure don't.It's called gibberish.

Answer 12

To gain attention from their fellow church goers.  It's a form of showing off how spiritual you are.

All a bunch of nonsense if you ask me.

Answer 13

I know.

It's really super annoying.

Answer 14

I do it all the time. It's fun and easy.

Listen to recordings of foreign languages that you don't understand. Then try to immitate the sounds without understanding the meaning.

If you practice this long enough, you will be able to speak in gibberish that actually sounds like an authentic language to other people.

Then you can claim that you are speaking to angels.

Answer 15

no idea, wats dat?

Answer 16

The lower your IQ the better chance you have to speak in tongues... unless you are a clergy-person then it is expected that you speak in tongues in some of the Christian brands...

Answer 17

I can't speak for other people you may have met but I speak to God in an unlearned language that he gave me because he knows better than me.

Far from mental illness, it helps make people well, understanding things as God ses them.

Answer 18

They "claim to speak in tongue" [sic] because they do.  Why should they claim they don't? If I were to play you a tape of them exhibiting glossolalia, would you deny hearing their speaking???

Whether it is a "mental illness" says more about you than about them. You are simply exhibiting your bigotry by concluding that someone who does something you don't understand is mentally ill.

People who exhibit glossolalia do so for many different reasons. Some such speakers whom I have personally studied were atheists -- and many of those who were theists nevertheless made no connection between their ecstatic speech and the "supernatural."   Glossolalia is found in a great many different cultures and contexts. Despite your small-minded assumptions, it is not directly associated with mental illness or "confusion."   [Exactly what are you saying that they are confused about?  Some of them even recommend it as a type of mental exercise that brings relaxation -- sort of like isometrics or yoga meditation.]

It amazes me that a forum dedicated to Religion & Spirituality is so filled with small-minded bigotry -- and an inferred "my culture and belief system is superior to everyone else's."    The fact that most of these postings come from citizens of the United States who supposedly believe in individual freedoms and tolerance is............both amazing and sad.