Animal Noises in Worship

I believe the worship experience should have a feel of holiness about it: a sense of peace, serenity, tranquility, and love about it. What purpose can be served by this type of worship experience? No thanks. Call me old fashion but my traditional service inspires and uplifts me.

Yes, I'm aware that Luke 9 is referring to a demonic spirit being the originator. Some think that the demonic doesn't apply to today.

AudioArtist, thanks for sharing what you did. It reminds me that I don't need to jump to conclusions but if I get into that situation to ask The One who knows.

lismore said:

Hello

Over Christmas I visited a friend's church (Life Charismatic Church) where some members use animal sounds in worship as 'intercession' or prophecy.

This is a question for those who practise this.

I can guess where some of the sounds would fit in with intercession or prophecy.

The owl hoot would be a sign of desolation, of darkness, of bad things to come?

The dog would be a warning like a guard dog?

The cockerel would be a wake-up call?

But the noise I heard was mainly a pig noise. What does this signify?

I am not convinced by these manifestations, neither am I writing them off completely. I just want to talk.

I believe hoting like an owl is mentioned in the book of Micah? Any other scriptural references?

Thanks

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Does this really go on ???

I'm sorry but I think I would be a little unnerved if I witnessed this sort of behaviour.

Impersonating a swine is something but imagine if it was an Elephant??

Bish bash bosh said:

Does this really go on ???

I'm sorry but I think I would be a little unnerved if I witnessed this sort of behaviour.

Impersonating a swine is something but imagine if it was an Elephant??

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I'm with you! This sounds a bit bizarre. I don't know where any of that would be scriptural as far as interceding, praying, praising and or worshipping. Even the impersonating of swine??? I'm lost. How does this edify Christ?

Now on the other side of it, it wouldn't shock me if deliverance was taking place. But not in exalting God. I just don't see it lining up with the Spirit of God nor have I ever experienced that in any service.

Mrs. Richard posting on my iPad using CF

In the pagan world, worship of animals is very common. This is why the Lord has told us not to make any images of animals. The owl is a pagan symbol of wisdom. The cat is a pagan symbol of worship in ancient Egypt. Cattle are objects of worship in Hindu culture. The snake is an object of worship in a number of pagan cultures.

In pagan worship, demons attach themselves to these objects of worship, and it is quite common when demons are cast out of these people, they make the sounds of these animals as they manifest and come out of the people.

My view is that when the Holy Spirit is present in a service, if people start making animal sounds, then this is more likely to be manifestations of different pagan demons that have come into those people through association with the occult, having statues of pagan deities in their homes, through travelling overseas to pagan countries and visiting the temples and getting souvenirs.

There is no mention at all in Scripture that people making animal sounds is a manifestation of the Holy Spirit. There is much more evidence that the animal sounds are manifestations of demons.

It is also interesting that trembling can be a manifestation of the spirit of fear. It says that the demons believe and tremble, so when the Holy Spirit is present, people can tremble because of a spirit of fear in their lives and this is the manifestation of it. People can also have manifestations of ultra religiousness through the manifestation of a religious spirit, this is why we always should be careful of outward displays of worship to discern whether they are manifestations of the Holy Spirit or of other spirits.

Do you know that dancing was and still is a strong aspect of pagan worship? So how do we know that dancing in our services come from the Holy Spirit or a manifestation of a pagan worship spirit? We need to be very careful, and not to accept that every manifestation is automatically from the Holy Spirit.

It has been experienced that when the Holy Spirit has come into a service, that someone has got up and preached in a very judgmental and condemning manner in the way they have called people to repentance. That might not be the Holy Spirit at all, but a judgmental, condemning spirit which has manifested in the presence of the Holy Spirit.

Genuine manifestations of the Spirit are characterised by the fruit of the Spirit - love, joy, peace, kindness, gentleness, goodness, patience, faithfulness, self control.

So, a person rolling around the floor out of control, may be manifesting a demonic spirit because it is not following the self control aspect of the fruit of the Spirit.

A person manifesting an unkind, harsh, sin revealing prophecy may be manifesting a demon, because the Holy Spirit works in a kind and gentle manner.

A person hugging and kissing only the attractive female members of the group, saying that he is exercising love, may be exercising a spirit of lust- a counterfeit of true Christian love.

Laughing at other people's expense could be a demonic manifestation - a counterfeit of true joy.

A person can have a sense of peace through self righteousness and that sense could be a demon, because true peace can only come through knowing that we are clothed with the righteousness of Christ.

So we have to always be vigilant and sober, because where the Holy Spirit is moving, demons are always there to bring counterfeits to distract people away from a true appreciation of Christ.

So, does observing people barking like dogs, and making other animal sounds enhance your faith in Christ? Or does it seem out of place, strange or weird to you? Ask the Holy Spirit for discernment. You may be surprised at His answer.

SpiritPsalmist said:

I have no experience personally with the animal sounds (I did laugh some). I did spend lots of "carpet time" though. When I got up I was changed. My countenance was changed so much that people who did not attend my church were approaching me and asking what had changed in my life....the most common question was "have you fallen in love with someone"?

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Your experience was right in line with the experiences of Christians and unconverted people who were affected by the ministry of Maria Woodsworth-Etter in the early 1900s where many ended up on the carpet and got up absolutely changed and/or converted to Christ. You can read about it in her book, "Signs and Wonders". While on the carpet, the Spirit took unconverted people to heaven and hell and told them to make their choice, and many made their choice for Christ and got converted! In one place, people fell over on the street, in their homes, in the saloons, and in their businesses, over a radius of 20miles of her tent meetings!

Noone could ever manufacture that! So it is the fact that you got up off the carpet changed that convinced me that it was the Holy Spirit who put you on the carpet.

tturt said:

It really takes so little to offend people especially Christians. I know that one amen spoken during a sermon and some tears during a church service have offended. So animal noises would obviously offend. Since Yahweh has made a donkey talk and numerous other puzzling things happened in Scripture such as those noted in lismore's post 10, who am I to say Yahweh would definitely not be involved in that. And I'm not about to ask Him.

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why not ask Him? you are told to test the spirits, questioning a spirit is highly advisable

While I was reading oscars post I thought of the creatures around the throne in revelaion and how they had the faces of animals.

If Jesus went to that church they might all go and jump over a cliff

We all are tempted in many ways when we go to church. Be it pride in what we wear, or self-sufficiency in what we know and do in our various ministry positions. Often times a guy in a nicely pressed suit who happens to know a lot about the Bible, is not necessarily the most humble person.

Of all the distractions and temptations at church, I can't really understand how making animal noises fits in. What church-goer in their right mind would consider this a "spiritual" thing to do? What purpose does it serve, if it is not something the Lord has asked of certain people, to humble them before Him? Anyone can put on a suit and study the Bible and feed their flesh with the praises of man. But to get on your knees and bark like a dog? Really? What great plans do we imagine Satan has for this person, that we need to try to thwart them with traditional orthodoxy?

I would have to grant that I have heard numerous speakers on a Sunday platform speak forth nonsense that sounds like it should have come from a donkey (of course I say this in love...naturally).

Saint Augustine once said that 'Mans extremity is God's opportunity!"

But as far as I am concerned mans extremity is God's big headache!

Oscarr said:

In the pagan world, worship of animals is very common. This is why the Lord has told us not to make any images of animals. The owl is a pagan symbol of wisdom. The cat is a pagan symbol of worship in ancient Egypt. Cattle are objects of worship in Hindu culture. The snake is an object of worship in a number of pagan cultures.

In pagan worship, demons attach themselves to these objects of worship, and it is quite common when demons are cast out of these people, they make the sounds of these animals as they manifest and come out of the people.

My view is that when the Holy Spirit is present in a service, if people start making animal sounds, then this is more likely to be manifestations of different pagan demons that have come into those people through association with the occult, having statues of pagan deities in their homes, through travelling overseas to pagan countries and visiting the temples and getting souvenirs.

There is no mention at all in Scripture that people making animal sounds is a manifestation of the Holy Spirit. There is much more evidence that the animal sounds are manifestations of demons.

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Not to split hairs, but animal worship is not common in pagan worship. Animal worship is however quite common in animism and zootheism. Also you mentioned elsewhere cows in Hinduism. Hindus would say they are not worshiping cows. To them it is matha (mother). Cows were the first domesticated animal in India. In a sense it provided for them, so they highly respect cows. It is not however considered a deity or worshiped.

lismore said:

Do you think this is relevant?:

8 Because of this I will weep and wail;
I will go about barefoot and naked.
I will howl like a jackal
and hoot like an owl.

Micah 1.

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This is a poor translation of several words of Hebrew. The word 'jackal' is a guess at what the author referred to here... it is oft translated "Dragons" ... This is from the word "tanniym" referring to a marine or land monster. This is referred to often in the Bible, esp. note Isaiah 34:13, 43:20, and Micah 1:8.

The word translated 'owl' there is a lousy translation of two Heb. words, "bath" [1323] meaning "daughter" and "yacanah" [3284] meaning "the alert one" [translated "owl" here because owls are alert in the night seeking prey.] It referred to in those days a female human body on bird feet, and having wings. Babylonian writings taught these were cross breeds of fallen angels and animals.

All of these beings were known for "howling", and being miserable in their state. They are referred to by Isaiah, Moses and Micah.

Micah refers to these spirits for he feels so bad about the judgment of God, that he feels he is joining these beings in their howling misery.

I know this passage is not a signal it is godly to howl like them in services anymore than it is a sign that the 'barefoot and naked' part is also advisable. Hope we have not gone that far in churches ... LOL

What Micah was doing here was using 'figurative language' to illustrate the disgust God had for the actions of the people. He was miserable with the sins of the people. Perhaps that kind of howling is appropriate for some churches (I say in jest).

lismore said:

Hello

Over Christmas I visited a friend's church (Life Charismatic Church) where some members use animal sounds in worship as 'intercession' or prophecy.

This is a question for those who practise this.

I can guess where some of the sounds would fit in with intercession or prophecy.

The owl hoot would be a sign of desolation, of darkness, of bad things to come?

The dog would be a warning like a guard dog?

The cockerel would be a wake-up call?

But the noise I heard was mainly a pig noise. What does this signify?

I am not convinced by these manifestations, neither am I writing them off completely. I just want to talk.

I believe hoting like an owl is mentioned in the book of Micah? Any other scriptural references?

Thanks

Click to expand...

If this is a snake handling church, do the serpents hiss or rattle

My view is that if it ain't in the Bible then it ain't true.

I think all these animal noises in worship is just a load of silly nonense, and God is sitting up there wondering what on earth are these silly people on about!

True worship is doing what the Bible tells us to do in relation to God and to those we come into contact with. For example: True worship would be to preach the Gospel to sinners, heal the sick everywhere you find them, and cast out demons.

Anyone can stand in a church service and mouth stuff to show everyone how spiritual they are. It means nothing to God at all. In fact, if we don't get out into the community and do the commission that Jesus commanded us to do, then all the "worshiping" in church services just wearies God.

In my view, 98 percent of worship in churches is motivated by a religious spirit and cuts no ice with God at all. It's a pity that more people didn't realise that because if they did, we would have more powerful Christians around doing the will of God in the community.