Tongues: Spiritual or Learned Behavior?

[Michlow]

Quick Background: Most of you remember that I was UPC for approximately 10 years from my early 20's to early 30's before leaving around 2007 or 2008. In that time I became what I think of as an Agnostic Christian. In that I still believe in God, and I still think Jesus is the best image of Him, but after years of obsession over every minute detail of my spirituality, It was a relief to put everything else into a big box labeled "I don't know about any of this, but that's OK, because I don't think it matters".

And leaving the UPC, I was amicably divorced, and eventually remarried to an awesome guy, who just so happens to be an atheist, and after 12 years of bareness (in my 1st marriage), I got a wonderful surprise and now have a 16 month old daughter. And I am happier than I've ever been in my life.

But something I stumbled upon last month upset me quite a bit, and I find myself still wrestling with it. See, in all my post-UPC questioning, I never questioned the existence of God. My belief all hinged on one tiny little thing. I could logically explain away 99% of the things that happened to me in my time as an apostolic, but I never questioned that I had some kind of spiritual encounter that ended with speaking in tongues. Especially as it happened alone, in my bedroom. And all these years, I held onto that....that God must be real because of that experience.

The article that I read doesn't really matter, the gist of it was scientific studies regarding brain usage, (the language centers of the brain weren't used while speaking in tongues), linguistic study (none of the occurrences witnessed were real languages, or linguistically matched an unknown language) and that there was a similarity among speakers to the tongues of the leaders in that same area. The end results were that tongues were most likely learned behavior, and that the brain remembers the sounds and phrases and can repeat them basically subconsciously.

This was disturbing to me because, as I said, my entire belief in God, kind of hinges upon this one "proof". I am curious as to how the other side would respond.

I won't tell you not to post scripture, but I will add the corollary that it most likely won't have the same meaning/impact on me that it does on you.

[CC1]

Still praying for you Michlow. I think you certainly threw the scripture about being unequally yoked back in God's face when you married an atheist.

I am not sure there is anything anybody could say in response to your post that would really make any difference.

It is good to see your name pop up though and I wish you well.

[Michlow]

Originally Posted by CC1

Still praying for you Michlow. I think you certainly threw the scripture about being unequally yoked back in God's face when you married an atheist.

I am not sure there is anything anybody could say in response to your post that would really make any difference.

It is good to see your name pop up though and I wish you well.

Hey CeeCeeOne

I really didn't think of it as "throwing the scripture in God's face" when I married my husband. I didn't think of scripture at all. I don't say that smugly. I just came to think of the Bible as a book written by men, thousands of years ago and still being used as a "Rule Book" today. And where as I think it contains lots of wisdom, I don't think it is intended to be used as a rule book, or that it is necessarily THE WORD OF GOD. I came to believe that God didn't intend to send us a book, he intended to send himself. So I started living my life under the simple precepts: Are my actions wrong according to the laws of the land or are they hurtful (unloving) to another person. (Lest it sound like I'm leaving God out...I think that God's main concern is how we treat others)

[Cindy]

Our whole experience with God has to do with faith. Not proof, how can we prove that God is? Do you believe God created science and knowledge?

[Cindy]

If you will remember on the day of Pentecost, the listeners understood in their own languages. Which were unknown to the speakers.

[Praxeas]

Originally Posted by Michlow

Quick Background: Most of you remember that I was UPC for approximately 10 years from my early 20's to early 30's before leaving around 2007 or 2008. In that time I became what I think of as an Agnostic Christian. In that I still believe in God, and I still think Jesus is the best image of Him, but after years of obsession over every minute detail of my spirituality, It was a relief to put everything else into a big box labeled "I don't know about any of this, but that's OK, because I don't think it matters".

And leaving the UPC, I was amicably divorced, and eventually remarried to an awesome guy, who just so happens to be an atheist, and after 12 years of bareness (in my 1st marriage), I got a wonderful surprise and now have a 16 month old daughter. And I am happier than I've ever been in my life.

But something I stumbled upon last month upset me quite a bit, and I find myself still wrestling with it. See, in all my post-UPC questioning, I never questioned the existence of God. My belief all hinged on one tiny little thing. I could logically explain away 99% of the things that happened to me in my time as an apostolic, but I never questioned that I had some kind of spiritual encounter that ended with speaking in tongues. Especially as it happened alone, in my bedroom. And all these years, I held onto that....that God must be real because of that experience.

The article that I read doesn't really matter, the gist of it was scientific studies regarding brain usage, (the language centers of the brain weren't used while speaking in tongues), linguistic study (none of the occurrences witnessed were real languages, or linguistically matched an unknown language) and that there was a similarity among speakers to the tongues of the leaders in that same area. The end results were that tongues were most likely learned behavior, and that the brain remembers the sounds and phrases and can repeat them basically subconsciously.

This was disturbing to me because, as I said, my entire belief in God, kind of hinges upon this one "proof". I am curious as to how the other side would respond.

I won't tell you not to post scripture, but I will add the corollary that it most likely won't have the same meaning/impact on me that it does on you.

My "tongues" don't sound like most others in my church so who did I learn them from or memorize subconsciously?

The bible never says tongues are always known languages. Why would a linguist recognize them?

[Praxeas]

Why would the language portion of our brain be working when it's the Spirit and not us anyways?

[Michlow]

Originally Posted by Cindy

Our whole experience with God has to do with faith. Not proof, how can we prove that God is? Do you believe God created science and knowledge?

CC1 you were totally wrong

As I totally found Cindy's 3 sentence response very thought provoking, as she reminded me of something I already knew but had forgotten.

I told my husband long ago, to never expect any fancy apologetics from me, that I believe in God because I choose to.

(It was just a little easier to choose to before )

[Michlow]

Originally Posted by Praxeas

My "tongues" don't sound like most others in my church so who did I learn them from or memorize subconsciously?

The bible never says tongues are always known languages. Why would a linguist recognize them?

I think it was that all known languages have a distinctive pattern of breaks and repeating syllables, and that tongues didn't follow this?

Originally Posted by Praxeas

Why would the language portion of our brain be working when it's the Spirit and not us anyways?

Good point. It would be interesting to go back and find what parts of the brain were in use at that time.

[renee819]

Michlow, If you don’t believe that the Bible is the Word of God, then I don’t believe anyone can say anything to show you the truth about the Holy Ghost, or even God.

You are in a place where you are only believing man, and science.

I read a scientific article also, and what I got from it. They had people to speak/pray in Unknown Tongues, (when you have the gift of unknown tongues—you can speak anytime that you want to or you can keep quiet.)

And also had people pray in their normal languages.

And what they got from it, they naturally could tell, by the brain waves that the people praying in their normal language was thinking and using their mind to do so,.

The people praying in unknown tongues showed their brain at rest. Only God could do that. If they were thinking, or trying to remember a forgotten language, it would have been shown by the brain waves.

What are people speaking when they speak in Other Tongues?----foreign languages.
What are people speaking when they speak in Unknown tongues? ...

1 Corinthians 14:2 For he that speaketh in an unknown tongue speaketh not unto men, but unto God: for no man understandeth him; howbeit in the spirit he speaketh mysteries.

I do want to put one more scripture on here,...

Romans 8:26 Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.
27 And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.