Posted by Eddie Sylvano on September 20, 2002, at 11:02:18
In reply to Re: Jesus is admirable/other ruminations » Eddie Sylvano, posted by Mal on September 20, 2002, at 10:41:33
>I was uncomfortable. Anyway, those folks would dance and pace and speak in tongues. I have a bit of a scientific mind, so I could not understand any of that at all- and I still can't. I would hate to think they were all putting on a show... So what was it? DO you have any ideas on that?
---------------------------I'm with you there. I'd always get the evil eye from my wife for sitting quietly and reading the bible (or whatever else was handy), when it was time to jump around and babble.
As for why people do such stuff, I have to imagine that it's group psychology. People in groups will do really unusual things (looting, soccer riots, mass psychosomatic illnesses). It's also probably a bit of competition ("Look at me! I'm closer to god than you!"), since the groups they form (and the nature of the groups) are very emotional and regimented. They want to be considered as leaders in the group. Like you said, it's not really an empirically *bad* thing, but I can't understand how they (1)don't feel silly doing it (2)Believe that it is genuine. For that matter, Jesus himself admonished those who prayed loudly (and made a big spectacle of it) at the temple. He thought you should pray privately and meekly (they'll inherit the earth). Jesus hated flash.
It's curious that the spirit never moves them to speak in tongues or get "slain in the spirit" when they're out at Radio Shack, or whatnot.
So that's what I think.
poster:Eddie Sylvano
thread:920
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/faith/20020715/msgs/925.html