NSL Forums

What is this, exactly?

What do you think it is?

Sorry, I completely forgot it!
I really don't know much at all. I have this vague idea of people having a special gift either for other languages or for speaking in their own language. Then at See You at the Pole last fall (2007), a couple girls were going around talking about speaking in tongues. They asked if we wanted to speak in tongues, then walked around (we were circled around the flagpole) muttering- presumably praying for us. They kept asking us to open our hearts to God and find one still small unfamiliar word in our hearts, speak that word, and I guess keep looking for unfamiliar words? Nothing seemed to really happen. I was thinking, is this legit, is it real, is it completely made up?
So basically, ???
Please help me out!

??? is right.
The quick answer is no. No, it is not made up. But no, those girls weren't really doing what the Bible says.
I'm not as much an authority on this as I would hope, so I might have to take back something I say here... but let me give you the simplified idea of what I've learned so far.
Tongues is the ability to speak a language you don't know. That can mean foreign language or possibly an unknown language (Holy language?) that you don't personally understand.
Some people, like these girls, believe that if you're a real Christian than you have to speak in tongues (an unknown language). The two problems are that (1) the Bible specifically says tongues is LESS important than other gifts and (2) without someone translating (another gift) than how do you know if it's legitimate. I could say that "asld kljhafwlkj wkl jehl a jehw oiuc jkbaf" is Holy language and you can't argue. Make sense?
The place we see tongues is on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2) where the crowd all hear the sermon in their native language at the same time. Like me talking and then one person hearing spanish while another simultaneously hears French even though I think I'm speaking English.
Paul also talks to the Corinthians about this, and it seems to be more of a spiritual language (rather than a foreign one) in these references.
Some people believe those gifts don't exist anymore and were only meant for back then, others think they are a part of some (but not all) people's lives, and still others think that every true Christian should do it.
I've rambled enough for now. I'm excited to hear your thoughts.

Wow. That makes complete sense. I wonder how it feels to do that.
You talked about how "Tongues is the ability to speak a language you don't know," then you also talked about the crowd in the Bible all hearing the sermon in their native tongue at the same time. So are there two different types of speaking in tongues, one where you actually speak a different language and one where people perceive you speaking in a different language? Or am I misunderstanding it?
I also just remembered, or at least I think I do, that in the Left Behind books everyone could understand the two prophet guys (the guys who couldn't be murdered) in their own language. Is that the same type of thing, and is it actually in Revelation?
You mentioned that Paul also talks about it in Corinthians, but said "it seems to be more of a spiritual language... in these references." What do you mean by a spiritual language?
Have you heard of anyone, in modern times I guess, having a real gift of speaking in tongues?
That gift sounds pretty neat. I kind of wish I knew someone who had it. And I wish I knew more about how it works. Like if you're speaking a language you don't know, how do you do that? Do you just feel God telling you to open your mouth, and then unfamiliar stuff pours out?
I wonder...