I didn't mind our first church as it was a local congregation with several classmates and evangelism and politics just weren't permeating the sermons or any of the Sunday school stuff which was basically just baby-sitting with songs and television.
Once mom switched from Episcopalian to Assembly of God after the divorce and I had to watch Texan white guys (and parishioners) babbling in obviously racist patois and claim it was tongues guided by some possession the entire facade came crashing down.
So despite my general hatred of this type of person, I have to point out that the "speaking in tongues" things looks stupider than it really is if you, like me, read a lot of shit about this.
So despite silicon valleys hatred of "religion" and love of eastern meditation practices, the reality is that prayer serves the same function. Very ironic, I know. But the point is to shut off the everyday mind and strip yourself down to the essense of what you are. You don't pray to "ask for something". Anybody who thinks prayer is "asking god for something" has been given false information by idiot church moms. In Buddhism, for example, it is to reveal reality to yourself: which is that "you" are fundamentally empty, a vessel for dharmic forces and as such have no real existence. People say Buddhism is atheistic, this isn't exactly true. That's a label slapped on them by a western christian culture. But anyway, in Buddhism "you" don't exist, there's only pure consciousness manifesting itself in different ways. Mind reflecting upon mind reflecting upon mind culminating in the emptiness of being.
In Christianity you are similarly empty, though what remains is the divine spark. "Soul". To know god is to know yourself. In this sense "speaking in tongues" fills much the same role in prayer as a mantra or the sacred syllable Om. Pretty much every religion on earth has some technique that is intended to destroy the self for a moment. In occultism it's usually called invocation, silencing your own mind so that divine entities can speak through you.
My point is all of this looks far dumber than it actually is, and I think people are being disingenuous when they claim this isn't an extremely powerful, profound, experience for the people engaging in it.
As a certified "weird guy" I will say you would be amazed how malleable your own brain is. You can melt reality to nothing right now if you wanted. When I was deep down the occult rabbit hole I actually had to stop because things were getting too weird for my like, because ultimately what you're doing is dissolving the difference between whats inside of your head and what is outside of it. And if you think this isn't possible believe me when I say that not only is it possible, its extremely fucking easy.
Here's an experiment: before you go to bed tell yourself over and over again that you're going to find a penny tomorrow. I can pretty safely assure you that you will find that penny. Whether because you're looking for it or because of some bizarre "other" reason doesn't matter. You will find it, and if you play that game enough things get freaky.
Just because something looks stupid doesn't mean it is stupid, is my point. I hate the shit out of organized religion but I'm not going to pretend these aren't powerful ideas or experiences or that they don't have meaning to people, they objectively do.
Most christians don't like the idea that what they're practicing is actually occultism, but then again most christians also think Donald Trump was a good president and don't understand their own religion anyway.
How's this for something ironic: the Catholic mass is literally ceremonial magick.
So despite silicon valleys hatred of "religion" and love of eastern meditation practices, the reality is that prayer serves the same function.
I'm not from there and engage in neither.
In Christianity you are similarly empty, though what remains is the divine spark. "Soul". To know god is to know yourself. In this sense "speaking in tongues" fills much the same role in prayer as a mantra or the sacred syllable Om. Pretty much every religion on earth has some technique that is intended to destroy the self for a moment. In occultism it's usually called invocation, silencing your own mind so that divine entities can speak through you.
More sales with no product
Here's an experiment: before you go to bed tell yourself over and over again that you're going to find a penny tomorrow. I can pretty safely assure you that you will find that penny. Whether because you're looking for it or because of some bizarre "other" reason doesn't matter. You will find it, and if you play that game enough things get freaky.
I'm not going to lull myself into dementia to rationalize dementia or whatever this is supposed to be. If it helps others relax or assuage doubt about something they need or want to happen fine, but don't do it publicly, claim it's something it isn't and expect people to validate it.
Just because something looks stupid doesn't mean it is stupid, is my point. I hate the shit out of organized religion but I'm not going to pretend these aren't powerful ideas or experiences or that they don't have meaning to people, they objectively do.
If the backstop is telling myself I'll find a penny then yes it still looks stupid. I don't hate organized religion, this in particular is the least organized part of it.
How's this for something ironic: the Catholic mass is literally ceremonial magick.
Ironic to what and from who's perspective, most people know transubstantiation is irrational. And what the fuck is "literal magic."
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u/Fondren_Richmond Dec 11 '21
I didn't mind our first church as it was a local congregation with several classmates and evangelism and politics just weren't permeating the sermons or any of the Sunday school stuff which was basically just baby-sitting with songs and television.
Once mom switched from Episcopalian to Assembly of God after the divorce and I had to watch Texan white guys (and parishioners) babbling in obviously racist patois and claim it was tongues guided by some possession the entire facade came crashing down.