Illustration of Pentecostal Survival Systems
The central act of Pentecostalism is speaking in tongues under usually violent emotional release or paroxysm. The other fundamental act of Pentecostalism is the emphatic demonstration of the Gifts of the spirit when they think that God is talking to them or moving upon them. Note that none of these central acts of Pentecostalism are based within a rational frame work. Nobody can articulate an agreement upon any principles regarding these two central acts of Pentecostalism.
When there is no rational framework within any system, but yet the system exists under extreme emotional outbursts, the only controlling method under such a system is strong fisted authoritarianism. For example, if a person within the congregation thinks God has spoken to him a particular thing, and another person claims that God has spoken to him about something that contradicts the first person, there is no rational method by which to resolve the conflict other than authoritarianism some guy at the top of the pyramid basically says, What I say is law, and that settles it. Compound this system with the regular use of extreme emotion, and one has a highly emotional authoritarian system where the seeds of abusive power can grow and thrive.
Thus, upon using this base of a system description, we can explain why Mind Control is rampant within Pentecostalism. When one cannot appeal to reason or a rational body of knowledge that unites people under a particular religious system, one must use other methods than persuasion and healthy debate. Usually this means that the leadership must exercise authoritarianism and intimidation to keep the people in line, and to prevent chaos. Think about a Pentecostal system where there is no iron fisted authoritarianism: it would be chaos because each person would be his own Man of God with a message from God telling people what to do and when. Thus, to prevent the chaos of any member trying to assert his authority under the words he received from God, the leader of the church must assert divine authority over the congregation as a necessary structure of the Pentecostal church system.
Keep in mind that we can all think of people within Pentecostalism who want to do the right thing, but inevitably, we will find signs of intimidation and Mind Control because the system is non-rationally based, and the leaders must somehow prevent chaos. After a period of trial and error, a particular form of government emerges within Pentecostalism, and we are all familiar with it, because this system is replicated everywhere one can find a true Pentecostal system where the people focus upon speaking in tongues and the emphatic demonstration of the Gifts of the Spirit.
What emerges from this trial and error can be explained with Darwins Natural Selection theory. Survival of the fittest means those organizations who find the most successful methods of internal governing methods over time are the ones that survive. I assert that, in time, every Pentecostal system of government will approach a point where the governing methods use high-handed authoritarianism, intimidation, and Mind Control because this is the necessary governing system based on the fundamental models of their social system. We may find the rare case where these governing features may be attenuated or hard to find; often, this may be a new congregation that has not worked out the system through trial and error, or this could be a congregation that does not participate in speaking in tongues or the emphatic demonstration of the Gifts of the Spirit except on rare occasions.
Thus, an analysis of the system of Pentecostalism with regard to its fundamental beliefs leads to a particular structure of internal government based upon strict authoritarianism, intimidation, and Mind Control.
The central act of Pentecostalism is speaking in tongues under usually violent emotional release or paroxysm. The other fundamental act of Pentecostalism is the emphatic demonstration of the Gifts of the spirit when they think that God is talking to them or moving upon them. Note that none of these central acts of Pentecostalism are based within a rational frame work. Nobody can articulate an agreement upon any principles regarding these two central acts of Pentecostalism.
When there is no rational framework within any system, but yet the system exists under extreme emotional outbursts, the only controlling method under such a system is strong fisted authoritarianism. For example, if a person within the congregation thinks God has spoken to him a particular thing, and another person claims that God has spoken to him about something that contradicts the first person, there is no rational method by which to resolve the conflict other than authoritarianism some guy at the top of the pyramid basically says, What I say is law, and that settles it. Compound this system with the regular use of extreme emotion, and one has a highly emotional authoritarian system where the seeds of abusive power can grow and thrive.
Thus, upon using this base of a system description, we can explain why Mind Control is rampant within Pentecostalism. When one cannot appeal to reason or a rational body of knowledge that unites people under a particular religious system, one must use other methods than persuasion and healthy debate. Usually this means that the leadership must exercise authoritarianism and intimidation to keep the people in line, and to prevent chaos. Think about a Pentecostal system where there is no iron fisted authoritarianism: it would be chaos because each person would be his own Man of God with a message from God telling people what to do and when. Thus, to prevent the chaos of any member trying to assert his authority under the words he received from God, the leader of the church must assert divine authority over the congregation as a necessary structure of the Pentecostal church system.
Keep in mind that we can all think of people within Pentecostalism who want to do the right thing, but inevitably, we will find signs of intimidation and Mind Control because the system is non-rationally based, and the leaders must somehow prevent chaos. After a period of trial and error, a particular form of government emerges within Pentecostalism, and we are all familiar with it, because this system is replicated everywhere one can find a true Pentecostal system where the people focus upon speaking in tongues and the emphatic demonstration of the Gifts of the Spirit.
What emerges from this trial and error can be explained with Darwins Natural Selection theory. Survival of the fittest means those organizations who find the most successful methods of internal governing methods over time are the ones that survive. I assert that, in time, every Pentecostal system of government will approach a point where the governing methods use high-handed authoritarianism, intimidation, and Mind Control because this is the necessary governing system based on the fundamental models of their social system. We may find the rare case where these governing features may be attenuated or hard to find; often, this may be a new congregation that has not worked out the system through trial and error, or this could be a congregation that does not participate in speaking in tongues or the emphatic demonstration of the Gifts of the Spirit except on rare occasions.
Thus, an analysis of the system of Pentecostalism with regard to its fundamental beliefs leads to a particular structure of internal government based upon strict authoritarianism, intimidation, and Mind Control.
Lutherius
"I cannot and I will not recant. Here I stand; I can do no other."
Martin Luther
Ex-Pentecostal Forums
Lutherius' Blog (Archived Essays)
Pentecostal Watchdog Society (Yahoo Allied Group)
derkrash@earthlink.net (My Personal Email)
"I cannot and I will not recant. Here I stand; I can do no other."
Martin Luther
Ex-Pentecostal Forums
Lutherius' Blog (Archived Essays)
Pentecostal Watchdog Society (Yahoo Allied Group)
derkrash@earthlink.net (My Personal Email)
