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Randomly Speaking in different Languages

geomike
edited December 1969 in Coptic Orthodox Church
Ok, so my friend at school is talking about how at his church service(he's evangelical church or something) some people got soooo into worship they started speaking different languages, which was caused by the Holy Spirit. I told him that yes this kind of thing where people talked different languages has happened(at the Tower of Babyl and Pentecost) but this is just church, and there is no point in that happening unless you were preaching to some foreign person. I think i was wrong though because you never really know what God's will is. but my question is, is this from the Holy Spirit or people just being stupid to make themselves think they are holy? I believe it's totally garbage, but i was wondering what the Coptic Community has to say on it. Maybe I was wrong. Thanks guys.

Comments

  • ilovesaintmarkilovesaintmark
    I will give you a reply in another tongue.  It is 'zibala'.  How is that for an answer?
  • anba bolaanba bola
    Hey Geomike,

    How great is our God!!!!

    I was in the middle of reading an article by Bishop Youssef about this very subject when I saw your post.

    Here is the link to the article: http://www.suscopts.org/messages/lectures/pneumlecture4.pdf

    Pope Shenouda wrote about the same thing in pages 137-150 of his book Comparative Theology (Link: http://www.orthodoxebooks.org/node/10)




    I will attempt to give a very short summary, but I advise all to look at the links I provided:

    Let us look at a selection from 1 Corinthians 14

    14 For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my understanding is unfruitful. 15 What is the conclusion then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will also pray with the understanding. I will sing with the spirit, and I will also sing with the understanding.
    ...
    18 yet in the church I would rather speak five words with my understanding, that I may teach others also, than ten thousand words in a tongue.

    Here we see that there is a state of prayer where the Spirit prays, but the understanding is unfruitful. About this St. Paul said in verse 28 : "But if there is no interpreter, let him keep silent in church, and let him speak to himself and to God"

    In Chapter 14 St. Paul also says:

    22 Therefore tongues are for a sign, not to those who believe but to unbelievers; but prophesying is not for unbelievers but for those who believe. 23 Therefore if the whole church comes together in one place, and all speak with tongues, and there come in those who are uninformed or unbelievers, will they not say that you are out of your mind? 24 But if all prophesy, and an unbeliever or an uninformed person comes in, he is convinced by all, he is convicted by all. 25 And thus the secrets of his heart are revealed; and so, falling down on his face, he will worship God and report that God is truly among you.

    We see that St. Paul does not advocate, and rather speaks against speaking in tongues to a congregation if there is no interpreter, and as he says: yet in the church I would rather speak five words with my understanding, that I may teach others also, than ten thousand words in a tongue.

    Please pray for me,
    Anba Bola
  • copcop
    haha you know Pope Shenouda before he became pope, went to one of these "events" where people were speaking in "toungues" he stepped up, and proceded to say the our father in coptic. The "translator" then "tanslated" what Pope Shenouda had said, and after he was done Pope Shenouda told everyone he had just said the our father in Coptic and walked out haha.....
  • ilovesaintmarkilovesaintmark
    Cop,

    I don't understand your inference relative to His Holiness.  His Holiness saying the Lord's Prayer is not the equivalent of people babbling in false, non-recognized tongues.  Coptic is a real language.  The babblings at these revival meetings are non-descriptive words, not founded in any languages.  I have attended some of these meetings to find out first hand what goes on, and it was all faked.  I cannot corroborate whether His Holiness went to a meeting like this in his lay years or even in any clerical capacity, but it is impertinent.
  • copcop
    haha you tend to read and interpret things the way you want to don't you? i dont think you quite understood the point i was trying to make.....Pope Shenouda went when he was a servant to one of these "speaking in tongues evangelical shindigs," and said the our father in coptic, the translator then proceeded to translate what pope Shenouda was saying incorrectly, not sure exactly how he translated it but it was along the lines of the usual giberish being translated at these meetings, after the man was done translating the pope told everyone that he had just said the our father in coptic and left....and so it's not open to your interpretation, the jist of the story was Pope Shenouda showing that it was fake....
  • ilovesaintmarkilovesaintmark
    Cop,

    In this last post you clarified things.  In your initial post, it was very vague and I did not quite understand what you were trying to say.

    I think by starting posts with haha puts the reader into confusion as to intent.
  • copcop
    haha sorry i'm just a humorous guy, sue me haha.
  • peterfarringtonpeterfarrington
    Let's remember that this is a spiritual forum, not Facebook.

    So please bear with one another in love.

    Father Peter
  • Cyril97Cyril97
    [quote author=anba bola link=topic=10017.msg122452#msg122452 date=1290220541]
    Hey Geomike,

    How great is our God!!!!

    I was in the middle of reading an article by Bishop Youssef about this very subject when I saw your post.

    Here is the link to the article: http://www.suscopts.org/messages/lectures/pneumlecture4.pdf

    Pope Shenouda wrote about the same thing in pages 137-150 of his book Comparative Theology (Link: http://www.orthodoxebooks.org/node/10)




    I will attempt to give a very short summary, but I advise all to look at the links I provided:

    Let us look at a selection from 1 Corinthians 14

    14 For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my understanding is unfruitful. 15 What is the conclusion then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will also pray with the understanding. I will sing with the spirit, and I will also sing with the understanding.
    ...
    18 yet in the church I would rather speak five words with my understanding, that I may teach others also, than ten thousand words in a tongue.

    Here we see that there is a state of prayer where the Spirit prays, but the understanding is unfruitful. About this St. Paul said in verse 28 : "But if there is no interpreter, let him keep silent in church, and let him speak to himself and to God"

    In Chapter 14 St. Paul also says:

    22 Therefore tongues are for a sign, not to those who believe but to unbelievers; but prophesying is not for unbelievers but for those who believe. 23 Therefore if the whole church comes together in one place, and all speak with tongues, and there come in those who are uninformed or unbelievers, will they not say that you are out of your mind? 24 But if all prophesy, and an unbeliever or an uninformed person comes in, he is convinced by all, he is convicted by all. 25 And thus the secrets of his heart are revealed; and so, falling down on his face, he will worship God and report that God is truly among you.

    We see that St. Paul does not advocate, and rather speaks against speaking in tongues to a congregation if there is no interpreter, and as he says: yet in the church I would rather speak five words with my understanding, that I may teach others also, than ten thousand words in a tongue.

    Please pray for me,
    Anba Bola

    Almost all of my church doesn't know Coptic.
    Does that mean that we shouldn't pray in Ccoptic?
    God bless and Pray for me,

    Cyril
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