One of the Six Constant Commands (mitzvot) of God is, "Don't be misled by your heart and eyes." Why is every Jew commanded to develop the recognition of Divine truth attained by Abraham: a recognition so absolute that it can, by the force of reason alone, dispel a universally entrenched doctrine, while Christians are taught NOT to use reason and logic? (Hebrews 11:1)
Other
religious groups have been observed to practice some form of speaking
in tongues - theopneustic
glossolalia. It is perhaps most commonly in Paganism, Shamanism, and other mediumistic religious practices.] In Japan, the God Light Association used to practice glossolalia to cause adherents to recall past lives.
Certain Gnostic magical
texts from the Roman period have written on them unintelligible
syllables such as "t t t t n n n n d d d d d..." etc. It is
conjectured that these may be transliterations of the sorts of sounds
made during glossolalia. The Coptic
Gospel of the Egyptians also
features a hymn of (mostly) unintelligible syllables which is thought
to be an early example of Christian glossolalia.
In
the 19th century, Spiritism was
developed by the work of Allan
Kardec,
and the phenomenon was seen as one of the self-evident manifestations
of spirits. Spiritists argued that some cases were actually cases
of xenoglossia.
Glossolalia has also been observed in the Voodoo religion of Haiti, as well as in the Hindu Gurus and Fakirs of India.
Learned behavior
The
material explanation arrived at by a number of studies is that
glossolalia is "learned behavior".
What
is taught is the ability to produce language-like speech. This is
only a partial explanation, but it is a part that has withstood much
testing. It is possible to train novices to produce glossolalic
speech. One experiment with 60 undergraduates found that 20%
succeeded after merely listening to a 60-second sample, and 70%
succeeded after training:
Our findings that glossolalia can be easily learned through direct instruction, along with demonstrations that tongue speakers can initiate and terminate glossolalia upon request and can exhibit glossolalia in the absence of any indexes of trance[…] support the hypothesis that glossolalia utterances are goal-directed actions rather than involuntary happenings.
The
admittedly fraudulent preacher Marjoe
Gortner described
in a 1977 interview how people learn glossolalia in a highly
emotional religious setting.
"Tongues is something you learn," he emphasized. "It is a releasing that you teach yourself. You are told by your peers, the church, and the Bible – if you accept it literally – that the Holy Ghost speaks in another tongue; you become convinced that it is the ultimate expression of the spirit flowing through you. The first time maybe you'll just go dut-dut-dut-dut, and that's about all that will get out. Then you'll hear other people and next night you may go dut-dut-dut-UM-dut-DEET-dut-dut, and it gets a little better. The next thing you know, it's ela-hando-satelay-eek-condele-mosandrey-aseya ... and it's a new language you've got down."
That
glossolalia can be learned is also seen in the traces left behind by
teachers. An investigation by the Lutheran
Medical Center in
Brooklyn showed that the influence of a particular leader can shape a
group's glossolalia: where certain prominent glossolalists had
visited, whole groups of glossolalists would speak in his style of
speech.
Kavan
found that most New Zealand Pentecostals and Charismatics did not
experience trance except during the baptism of the spirit. However,
meditators in a yoga-based purification group experienced frequent
intense trances, of which glossolalia was an occasional
manifestation. Kavan suggested that there are two types of
glossolalia – spontaneous and context-dependent – and the former
is more likely to occur in groups that are radical, experiential and
charismatically led.
Tongues
Pentecostals, members of the Assemblies of God churches, and some other charismatics usually place great emphasis on spiritual "gifts and manifestations, claiming that there is a special post-salvation gift/experience called the "Baptism of the Holy Spirit" or "Second Blessing", in which the Holy Spirit, in all His fullness, is poured out on the believer and that the initial evidence of this "Second Blessing" is speaking in other tongues as the Spirit gives utterance.
When someone is "overcome by the Spirit" they often begin speaking gibberish, wave their arms, or even fall writhing on the floor. Apparently the speaker is said to be possessed by the Holy Spirit with the person himself having no control over his own tongue, which is is usually taken as absolute proof that one has been baptized in the Spirit, a highly prized spiritual goal.
But if, as shown, tongues were a known language in the New Testament and there is absolutely no evidence to show that it was some form of ecstatic speech, and Paul instructed that everything was to be done decently and in order, where does the the unintelligible gibberish, jerking, twitching, falling on the floor etc. all come from? Is it even possible that the devil has substituted the true gift of tongues with a knock-off version? Has the allure of receiving some form of deeper spiritual experience deceived countless millions into accepting this counterfeit? -
Pentecostals, members of the Assemblies of God churches, and some other charismatics usually place great emphasis on spiritual "gifts and manifestations, claiming that there is a special post-salvation gift/experience called the "Baptism of the Holy Spirit" or "Second Blessing", in which the Holy Spirit, in all His fullness, is poured out on the believer and that the initial evidence of this "Second Blessing" is speaking in other tongues as the Spirit gives utterance.
When someone is "overcome by the Spirit" they often begin speaking gibberish, wave their arms, or even fall writhing on the floor. Apparently the speaker is said to be possessed by the Holy Spirit with the person himself having no control over his own tongue, which is is usually taken as absolute proof that one has been baptized in the Spirit, a highly prized spiritual goal.
But if, as shown, tongues were a known language in the New Testament and there is absolutely no evidence to show that it was some form of ecstatic speech, and Paul instructed that everything was to be done decently and in order, where does the the unintelligible gibberish, jerking, twitching, falling on the floor etc. all come from? Is it even possible that the devil has substituted the true gift of tongues with a knock-off version? Has the allure of receiving some form of deeper spiritual experience deceived countless millions into accepting this counterfeit? -
Speaking in Tongues 2.0
The Six Constant Mitzvot are:
Know there is a God. Don't believe in other gods. God is one. Love God. Fear God. Don't be misled by your heart and eyes. Every moment of awareness is another occasion to actualize these goals. None of the other mitzvot has that same constant opportunity, and that's why the Six Constant Mitzvot are our priority. All the other mitzvot only build and bolster these goals.
INTELLECTUAL KNOWLEDGE OF GOD The first of the Ten Commandments declares: "I am the Lord your God who brought you out of Egypt" (Exodus 20:2).
This is the mitzvah (commandment) to "Know there is a God."
The logic underlying this commandment seems difficult to understand. Someone who already observe God's commandments obviously believes in His existence -- so what need is there for a new command to do so? And if someone doesn't know that God exists, why should he listen to this command?!
So exactly who is this mitzvah for?
The answer is that we should not believe in God "on faith" alone. Investigate the evidence. Get knowledge. Research. Study. Analyze. It is a fundamental principle of Judaism: You have to know, not just believe.
EMOTIONAL TRUST "You shall know this day, and understand it in your heart, that the Almighty is God" (Deut. 4:39, the "Aleynu" prayer).
But there's more. It is not enough to intellectually know that God is in charge of everything. You must also know it in your heart. This emotional knowledge is much more profound, because it affects how a person actually conducts his life.
The circus performer is willing to walk the tightrope because he is confident there's a net below to catch him. Similarly, a child will jump down off a ledge into his father's arms, completely confident that his father will catch him.
The whole point of life is to strengthen your awareness of God. How do you know if you're really aware of God? Through trust. If you are, then you are willing to walk the tightrope, so to speak, or jump into your father's arms.[a]
The Experience of the False Prophet
by yourphariseefriend
What is a “false prophet”? Is it someone who makes up a story out of his hat but never had any experience to back up that story? Or is it perhaps someone who had a profound experience but the experience is actually misleading?
There is no question that some false prophets simply concocted “visions” out of thin air but the Bible also teaches us about another type of “false prophet”.
In the First Book of Kings chapter 22 we are introduced to Zedekiah son of Chenaanah. This Zedekiah prophesied to King Ahab but his prophecy was false. Michaiah, who was a true prophet of God, described how Zedekiah had been misled. Michaiah describes God’s heavenly court sitting in judgment over Ahab. The court seeks to destroy Ahab and a medium is sought to accomplish this goal. A spirit is sent forth to persuade Ahab to go to battle where he will meet his fate. This spirit sent from on high was a real experience that Zedekiah and the other false prophets truly felt. But it was sent to mislead and to confuse.
It is clear that the fact that someone undergoes an “experience” does not prove anything. When Moses teaches us about the miracles of the false prophet he describes them as a test from God (Deuteronomy 13:4). Moses doesn’t tell us that the false prophet cannot perform miracles, signs and wonders. Instead Moses tells us that we need to measure those experiences, we need to evaluate those miracles and use our sense of discernment to understand if the miracles and the experiences are tests from God or if they are true prophecy.
The yardstick that God granted our nation so that we can evaluate these supernatural experiences is the testimony of our nation. Is the experience leading us in the path that God set us on when he took us out of Egypt or are these miracles introducing a “new” and “better” path?
Throughout history many people have attempted to market their “new paths” by claiming to be the real and rediscovered “old path”. But the path that God set us on travels through the hearts of His witness nation. And the only way that these people can claim our path for themselves is by dismissing our testimony.
As the nation chosen by God we have the responsibility toward ourselves and towards the world to remain loyal to the testimony with which we were entrusted. And the prophet Isaiah prophesied that the purpose of the Lord will indeed be fulfilled through our people. With our hearts on fire for God we will yet illuminate the world (Isaiah 60:3). [4]
This is a series of videos [below] to challenge people to search the scriptures, to see if what they were taught is actually in the Bible. Many of us heard things said over and over, so much so that we started believing the Bible verses were there. Sometimes we neglected to check. Other times we read things into a verse or pieced together passages to make a doctrine.
This video challenges you to see if you can find the phrase in the Bible, "with the evidence of speaking in tongues."
For the Record
To my fellow member of the human race
Peace
It has come to my attention that certain members of my people have been promulgating a doctrine that distorts the essence of the teaching that we were entrusted with.
You have heard how the Creator of all took us out of Egypt with signs and wonders and how He taught us His Torah through national revelation and through His prophet. The open miracles that God preformed for us spread our reputation as the possessors of God’s Law. These men of whom I speak, exploited our reputation as possessors of God’s truth, and they spread a teaching that has no basis in the Torah that God has bequeathed to us.
These teachers taught you that all of mankind is damned before God to eternal punishment. They taught that if a person commits one sin it is as if he or she violated all of the commandments. These men taught that the God of Israel will not forgive your sins unless you present a blood sacrifice. These men taught that the God of Israel is unapproachable. And they taught that the good deeds that you do will not bring you any closer to God.
All of these teachings are blatant falsehoods. As a member of the people who were entrusted with God’s Law, I see it as my duty to correct these falsehoods that were taught as if they were the Law of my God.
God does NOT condemn everyone to the fires of eternal damnation. You can search the Jewish Scriptures from cover to cover; you will not find one verse that supports such a teaching.
A person who commits one sin is NOT equivalent in God’s eyes as if they violated the entirety of the Law. The Scriptures explicitly teach that God judges every deed, both bad and good (Ecclesiastes12:14). The conscience that God breathed into all of us tells us that there is a great difference in God’s eyes between a person who lived a moral life on the one hand and a person who lived a life of cruelty and immorality on the other hand.
The Jewish Scriptures do NOT teach that God requires blood sacrifice for the forgiveness of sin. The Scriptures openly declare that if you turn to God in sincere repentance, God will forgive you (Isaiah 55:7).
The Jewish Scriptures do NOT teach that God is unapproachable. On the contrary, our prophets declare that God is close to all who call upon Him in truth (Psalm 145:18).
If I were to say that the good deeds that you do will bring you closer to God, I will not have said enough. Our prophets taught us that the practice of justice IS intimacy with God (Jeremiah 22:16). When we follow the universal principle of justice: “that which you hate done unto yourself, do not do unto others”, we allow God’s truth to penetrate into our psyche. When we recognize the grace of God’s goodness that is expressed in every detail of existence, and we are moved to take the goodness that we were blessed with and allow it to flow towards another creation of God, we have then connected to the kindness and love of God. It is not that these activities bring us closer to God. The practice of kindness and truth are a connection to God in and of themselves.
There is one more false teaching that these men have propagated in the name of the Torah of my God. They have encouraged people to direct their hearts in worship of and in devotion to a man who walked God’s earth and breathed God’s air like the rest of us.
If there is any teaching that is contrary to the Torah with which we were entrusted it is this one.
My nation was called upon by God to serve as His witnesses (Isaiah 43:10). God taught us that there is none beside Him that is worthy of our worship and devotion (Deuteronomy4:35). Our core duty as a witness nation before God is to remain loyal to the truth that all created beings are equally subservient to the One Creator of all. Every facet of our existence, including our ability to love and to worship belongs to God and to God alone. It is my duty as a Jew to testify to you that your heart belongs to the One Almighty God who loved your heart into existence in the first place.
There is no greater joy on earth than approaching your Creator in heartfelt prayer. You don’t need anyone to plead for you and you don’t need to bring Him a blood sacrifice. The One who lovingly created every facet of your existence will accept you. All you have to do is to trust in His love.
We completely agree with what this Rabbi says. Give a listen!
We completely agree with what this rabbi says. Give a listen!
"It is a rule in the UPCI that no licensed Minister may publicly contend for any view that may bring disunity to the organization"
See: The New revised Covenant Of Christianity
by John Pringle
"God changed his mind about people having to follow his perfect (Psa 19:7) and eternal (Psa 119:152,160) laws and replaced them with a new system of faith in a human sacrifice."
EPISODE 35 - 'ACTS Chapter 2' with Rabbi MICHAEL SKOBAC
TONGUES?
What's wrong with this girl?
"It's a joke son." ~ Foghon Leghorn (the pic, not the article)
See: The New revised Covenant Of Christianity
by John Pringle
"God changed his mind about people having to follow his perfect (Psa 19:7) and eternal (Psa 119:152,160) laws and replaced them with a new system of faith in a human sacrifice."
EPISODE 35 - 'ACTS Chapter 2' with Rabbi MICHAEL SKOBAC
UPDATE: The Holy Ghost Gives a Break to Answer Cell Phone?
"When I stopped studying the Bible in order to support what I believed, and started studying it in order to learn what to believe, I realized how wrong I was."
A Child Parotting Speaking in Tongues
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