Gotta an interest in someone who would really like it if I attended their laid back Pentecostal church with him occasionally.

I just hate cult type religions. I don't want to offend him by snapping off his ministers head, but I won't stand for any authority nonsense either.

I could probably be okay with playing a bit of piano, baking pies for a church supper, teaching children occasionally, but that's about it.

Anything I should know about their attitudes? He says it's okay if women wear pants to church and he's not all about 'womans" place is in the home and kitchen and all that.

I'm thinking after all I've been through with the TSCC I might be carrying a bigger chip on my shoulder than I know.

Any body know?

There are many different types of Pentacosts. Some believe women should not wear pants. Others, believe in drinking poison and handling snakes. All believe in flopping around the floor and making gibberish noises.

What I am saying, they are amusing as hell to watch, provided you have a thick skin and don't get caught up in the lunacy.

Oh, and some of my relatives sell musical instruments. Every time they sell an electronic keyboard to the Pentacostals, the congregation complains that it doesn't sound right, and they want their money back. It always comes down them having their old church piano for thirty years, and never once needing it tuned, but that electric piano was out of tune the day they bought it. Note, the cause of his is that the old piano was badly out of tune, but they have come to accept it as the correct sound for a piano.

If the women don't wear pants that sounds kind of fun.

Only if the men don't wear pants either.

I have a couple of Pentecostal relatives and it is Bible based, literalistic, conservative and charismatic. Not my cup of tea at all. I don't know it all Pentacostals are like that, but I have had some bad experiences with a couple of my relatives and their friends who can be a bit in your face about it.They post a lot of religious stuff on FB and are really into sharing their faith.The are also very right winged in politics.It might be interesting to go, but it may seem strange to you.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/31/2012 01:43AM by bona dea.

Maybe if I told him I was an ordained minister from the Universal Life church??? I got that last year when it looked like I'd be called upon to officiate at her wedding if her first minister didn't make it there! LOL

the women don't/aren't allowed to cut their hair. At least all the pentacostal women I ever knew growing up have really really long hair that they aren't even allowed to trim.

Only the strictest do that. My nieces cut their hair, wear pants and shorts etc. They are just pushy about their beliefs

They run the gammit from conservative to "way out there". If conservative you will feel comfortable and welcomed, hear a decent sermon and sing some good catchy songs. If it is "out there" you may see things like dancing in the spirit, lifting of hands all over the place during worship songs, singing of the same chorus over and over again, and lots of uncomfortable emotion surrounding you. "Now turn to your neighbor and tell them you are glad they are here today" or "Do we have any visitors with us? Please stand and tell us your name and what brings you here today", etc. I've seen things like public confession of sins, casting out demons and hands placed on heads to fill people with the holy ghost then they speak in toungues. That stuff happens in the crazy ones which are not mainstream and few and far between so don't worry. If you show up on a Sunday when there is a guest speaker people will tell you their own pastor is better and they will be disappointed you didn't get to hear them. Some though are really good churches full of decent people and you could get a lot out of it.



Edited 4 time(s). Last edit at 08/31/2012 04:15AM by suckafoo.

Genuinely, this is all I know about the Pentecosts:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ara8M9EQs30

Good old Betty!

That means some of them convulse on the floor in a frenzy when the spirit moves them. Others just wave their arms while they sway and shout as the preacher rants.

Or they get slain in the spirit - slapped on the head and fall backwards while someone catches them. Or practice holy laughter (that's a fun Google btw)



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 08/31/2012 04:45AM by suckafoo.

Is Benny Hinn a Pentecost????

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a54iqEr1flQ

But he is a proven FRAUD.

He's a special kind of bastard.

Just proving that each religion is crazy in it's own special way!

Basically, the pentecostal faith relies on getting carried away into a state of emotional/spiritual frenzy.

Anne Lamott's book,"Bird by Bird" relates a wonderful story about a woman so overcome by the spirit at a church service that she fainted dead away.

An usher rushed to help but the preacher was adamant she not be moved, admonishing: "Just leave her where Jesus flang her!"

If you get how and why Mormons are cracked, that is.

Some people still don't see it, after all these years.

I used to live in the same area as a pentecostal retreat. When I was really active in the Christian religion (long story), we used to go out there and listen to their sermons (great way to spend a Friday night, I know).

A very small number would go into this trance like state and start talking in tongues. They never rolled around or anything.

And Jesus, after his resurrection, did give his disciples the gift of 'speaking in tongues.' Only Jesus said that it wasn't true if there wasn't someone there who could translate. I take that to mean that the disciples weren't truly practicing "glossolalia" and that the gift of speaking in tongues was only to speak to people who spoke other languages and could understand them.

Gibberish is not talking in in tongues. It's gibberish.

Other than that, I really haven't experienced any of the other thngs - rolling on the floor, snake handling, etc.

My first wife left me for a cult called "The Way." their indoctrination was via a class called "Power For Abundant Living." After the completion of PFAL, they taught you to talk in tongues. Glossalia was there way of chanting. Sort of like telling you to go read the BoM and pray on it.

When I was active the fit my style of Christianity - very charismatic.

I would really like to see snake handlers before I die. As long as I can bring my 1911A1 or a shotgun loaded with snake shot..



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 08/31/2012 02:01PM by John_Lyle.

Faith healing, speaking in "tongues", etc.
The word "tongues" simply means "languages". If it's not a real language you're speaking, it's just nonsense babbling, induced by an emotional state.

Some people need to have magic, I guess, to prove to them their faith is true.

The common thread is that they all preach the "spiritual gifts" that were conferred on the believers at Pentacost (tongues, prophesy, healing, teaching, etc.). Some are fairly low key and others go way out there.

Day shift ambulance EMT says to the on-coming swing shift guy:

"Had an interesting call at the Pentecostal church today. We got a call that somebody went crazy during the service. We hauled out six of them before we found the guy they had called us about."

I read a book written by an EMS provider in England...

They were taught, reasonably, to respect the individual customs of the patient.

Eventually, though they had a hard time telling the difference between some customs and illness..

lostmypassword - Do you work as a Paramedic/EMT?

Pentecost was when the Holy Spirit descended on the disciples. Tongues of fire were floating above their heads and they were given spiritual gifts.

Modern day Pentecostals consider manifestation of the fruits of the spirit to be evidence of in dwelling of the Holy Spirit.

Assemblies of God are Pentecostal.

Go and see what it's like. if you like it, stay, if you don't leave.

Observer-

I have been an ordained minister thru ULC since 1969. My bishop was well aware of it.

I have not tried it at a Pentecostal church because they scare me. I had a confusing episode at one many years back. People falling on the floor is way beyond my comfort level.

I went to an open for all type church right after I left Mo. The woman minister and I talked quite abit. She was excellent about it. I want to perform a S/S legal marriage before I die. Hoping the law gets passed in WA. She welcomed me to do so and seemed excited for me. Total support :)

I grew up in the Assemblies of God church since age 3, left at about 15. Will add that my parents were in it until they died, so my experience with it goes up to about 5 years ago, even though I wasn't a member. My dad was a respected deacon and my uncle an AOG minister, though they defrocked him when they found out he'd been divorced many years prior. Here's what I remember:

Speaking in tongues
Interpretation of said tongues
Rolling around on the floor
Dancing in the spirit
Scary preachings on the end times and revelation, they LOVE the apocolypse, it keeps everyone in line
Teaching everyone that they're pieces of crap that can only be saved through Jesus Tapdancing Christ, even if you're a little baby
Smarmy preachers, seems to be a lot who abuse women in the church sexually (even my uncle was a bit smarmy, my mom's sister married him when she was young)
Women are not equal to men and should be subject to them (goes with the above)
Lots of church picnics and such
Most music is of Satan and meant to lure you away
Mormons are of Satan
Dancing is of Satan
Most movies are of Satan
Stay apart from the evil world as much as you can cause it's mostly of Satan

Well geez, the list just goes on and on. It's a cult, but not as invasive as the Mormons.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 09/08/2012 05:34PM by lostinutah.

I just love these out-of-the-fire-into-the-frying-pan stories.

Pentacostals are more insane than mormons.

P.S. , Bring your own snake.

Not all Pentecostals are crazy, rolling around on the floor types, but they are very conservative and usually quite fundamentalist, Bilble literalists, and it's no place to be a woman. Just like in the Morg, women are not allowed to hold any position which puts them in authority over a man.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 09/08/2012 06:24PM by inmoland.