tongues: speaking in known languages or unknown?

Paulwa said:

I do believe in unknown tongues, but the only place they are used is between you and God at a time when you consciously do not know what are aching to pray about...but your spirit does and God understands. That is the only place it should be used in my opinion. I don't think that it should be used in church where someone pops up with what he feels is the interpretation. Leaves a lot to be desired in keeping order in the church. I have heard many of these unknown tongues and interpretations and the interpretation did not edify anyone but only fulfilled the interpreters longing inside.

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1 Corinthians 14:2: "For one who speaks in a tongue speaks not to men but to God; for no one understands him, but he utters mysteries in the Spirit."

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Jimlarmore said:

Language, written and spoken is a force with sentient beings that is incredibly powerful and complex. Think about what language does for mankind. At this very moment you are interpreting a bunch of figures/letters on a screen that is translated into a communication of my thoughts to your mind and thoughts. Just how incredible is that? With that said, all languages have their limitations. For instance there are some words/phrases in one language that has no clear equivalent in another. There are a lot of "sayings" in my culture that would mean absolutely nothing to someone in Guyana or Nigeria.

Have you ever felt or had an experience that your words could not explain or fully define? If this tongue spoken of here in 1 Corithians is like that and is the human mind and spirit reaching out to God's divine mind in a language only He can understand then I certainly can understand it and agree with it. However, if the one who is uttering it is just babbling it out into the room because it may be appropriate at the time then I have a problem with that.
How can we know the difference? I'd say consider the circumstances the utterance was made in. If this utterance was made to God only for the edification of the one who was praying then I'd say the chances of anyone hearing it would be slim. However, if it is a babbling incoherent and repetitive utterance for a ever hightened frenzied meeting to just join in or impress the peers there at the time then we may seriously question it's validity.

God Bless
Jim Larmore

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Jimlarmore said:

Language, written and spoken is a force with sentient beings that is incredibly powerful and complex. Think about what language does for mankind. At this very moment you are interpreting a bunch of figures/letters on a screen that is translated into a communication of my thoughts to your mind and thoughts. Just how incredible is that? With that said, all languages have their limitations. For instance there are some words/phrases in one language that has no clear equivalent in another. There are a lot of "sayings" in my culture that would mean absolutely nothing to someone in Guyana or Nigeria.

Have you ever felt or had an experience that your words could not explain or fully define? If this tongue spoken of here in 1 Corithians is like that and is the human mind and spirit reaching out to God's divine mind in a language only He can understand then I certainly can understand it and agree with it. However, if the one who is uttering it is just babbling it out into the room because it may be appropriate at the time then I have a problem with that.
How can we know the difference? I'd say consider the circumstances the utterance was made in. If this utterance was made to God only for the edification of the one who was praying then I'd say the chances of anyone hearing it would be slim. However, if it is a babbling incoherent and repetitive utterance for a ever hightened frenzied meeting to just join in or impress the peers there at the time then we may seriously question it's validity.

God Bless
Jim Larmore

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