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Pentecostalism‘s Dark Side

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leejosepho
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14 Jun 2017, 9:44 pm

StinkyDog wrote:
Obviously, the modern pentecostals are fakes.

Not necessarily, it is just that at least some of them are half-baked or incomplete in some of what they do. Do not blame the perceived quality of the pizza on the delivery person.


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Kraichgauer
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14 Jun 2017, 11:54 pm

EzraS wrote:
Kraichgauer wrote:
What you describe is a dissociative state, brought about by religiously induced hysteria. It's absolutely no different from so called Possession Phenomenon. Such occurrences are today rare in the industrialized west, save for culturally isolated groups, such as Pentecostals and other groups outside the mainstream.


Many would argue that regarding any prayer to and worship of an invisible being. All mainstream christianity believes the holy spirit dwells within them and guides their actions. The idea of christianity is to disassociate yourself from your personal will and desires and let god take control of your actions through the holy spirit.


Yes, but in matters of living your faith by performing good works, or having the courage to speak the word. I am skeptical about anyone who claims to be filled with the spirit, but just babbles incomprehensibly.


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14 Jun 2017, 11:57 pm

jrjones9933 wrote:
Kraichgauer wrote:
jrjones9933 wrote:
Speaking in Tongues seems to me like a perfectly reasonable way to access the subconscious mind. Some friends of mine dragged me to The Healing Explosion in Austin, one time. They found it highly amusing, while I observed the ritual in a more or less detached manner. However, when they started speaking in tongues, we all got caught up in the emotion of it. I found it confusingly profound in an unexpected way.

I suppose that people who practice the ritual religiously avoid psychological exploration of the phenomenon, but their fervor should not stand in the way of scientific inquiry. They could be onto something, despite the problems with authoritarianism noted in the first linked article.

At least democratic institutions have a way to overrule the central authority when that person goes off the rails. It also seems likely that unquestioning loyalty and obeisance increase the chances of a leader losing touch with reality. This pertains to our current political situation in the US. The Cult of Trump shows the same symptoms.


What you describe is a dissociative state, brought about by religiously induced hysteria. It's absolutely no different from so called Possession Phenomenon. Such occurrences are today rare in the industrialized west, save for culturally isolated groups, such as Pentecostals and other groups outside the mainstream.


I hadn't looked at the state of research on this subject in some time, and it appears the social sciences may have taken an increased interest in these phenomena. I'll have to read up more on the current science.


I had taken an anthropology class in college regarding primitive religions, in which the speaking of tongues and possession phenomenon was discussed. It was one of my most memorable classes.


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