stubborn envelope wrote:
Speaking in tongues and other types of trances Pentecostals go into do seem to resemble Voodoo trances to me from what I've learned in college about magic, cults, and traditional African religions. I'm not really comfortable with these practices in Christianity, however. I tend to think those people in traditional African religions, including Voodoo, know how to safely exist in these altered states and they do a good job of preventing the one who is possessed from getting hurt. It isn't like that in the Pentecostal church, not in my experience. My uncle's eyes would roll up into his head, he would black out, and no one could prevent him from running into walls.

The Great Awakening involved dramatic hysterics as seen in Pentecostalism and was followed by a bi polar like crash in depression among many people, and a great deal of them commited suicide. We just couldn't handle those extreme states of consciousness. We didn't have years of tradition to guide us safely through those altered states as the traditional African religions have.

Sometimes I wonder if perhaps some African Americans have a better grasp on these techniques than people who are white, having a more direct connection to African customs and traditions than a bunch of white Pentecostals ever will.

So that's pretty much how I feel about it. Pentecostals are dealing with altered states they aren't skilled enough to control.
Stubborn,...I have gone through graduate level studies in comparative religions,....and you are so on the mark here!   You did know ( that William J. Seymour (the African-American preacher that took over the original Azusa Street Mission)...was reportedly very familiar with Voudun practices.  Even Parham was said to have rushed back to try and subdue,....and try and control the situation that was happening.  Parham was not successful,....so the pente-voudun practices continued (and spread).   --Nothing wrong with that at all,..........but like you said,....
"Pentecostals are dealing with altered states they aren't skilled enough to control."

Stubborn wrote:
"......what I've learned in college about magic, cults, and traditional African religions. "
Ah!  Well there you go.   You found out about the correlation of this stuff  (spot on!!!)


Last Edited By: nitebreez May 22 12 2:01 PM. Edited 1 times.