Hello,

I have a quick question:

If someone is possessed by an evil spirit, and they start speaking in tongues, once their words are translated, do findings show that they are often:

a) speaking rubbish, or

b) speaking a real message in another language?

If you could let me know, that would be great.

Thanks,

Chris

-- Chris (cnihmey@sympatico.ca), April 11, 2004

Answers

Messages in tongues are typically not "translated", because most such messages are spoken in a language that is not known by anyone present (I have seen several exceptions to this, but usually this is the case). Rather, such messages, when spoken publically in a community setting, are "interpreted", which means that God inspires another individual present to speak a message in the vernacular, for the edification or instruction of the community. There are two ways to view this - (1) The message in the vernacular is in fact the same message that was spoken in tongues; or, (2) the message in tongues was more of an annoucement, a calling to attention, regarding a message in the vernacular which was about to be delivered. In either case, the original message in tongues and the interpretation are both distinct manifestations of the Holy Spirit, and both are required in order that the intent of the message in tongues might be received by the community. Therefore - if a possessed person were to speak out in what sounded like tongues, this would certainly not be a work of the Holy Spirit; therefore there would be no interpretation furnished by the Holy Spirit; therefore it is unlikely that the meaning of any such counterfeit "tongues" would become known, unless the evil spirit responsible for the possession and the counterfeit tongues also provided a counterfeit interpretation.

-- Paul M. (PaulCyp@cox.net), April 12, 2004.

it depends, chris,

there are different times at different points in possession or excorcism where the possessing demon could be speaking either way.

-- paul h (dontSendMeMail@notAnAddress.com), April 12, 2004.

-- jas (jas_r_22@hotmail.com), April 12, 2004.

For instance, the 'possessing demon' just said:

"it depends, chris, there are different times at different points in possession or excorcism where the possessing demon could be speaking either way. "

Now is that vernacular or tongues?

; )

-- H luaP (its@aboy.com), April 13, 2004.

i believe that was an attempt to call me a demon. otherwise, what was the purpose of that post?

-- paul h (dontSendMeMail@notAnAddress.com), April 13, 2004.

Maybe it was an attempt to further increase our standing in the "most popular forums by total number of posts" list.

Frank

-- Someone (ChimingIn@twocents.cam), April 13, 2004.

Merely a jest, a joke, a rhubarb, a jab.

No harm intended.

The Holy Spirit manifests in one's ability to be self depreciative. I practise it regularly, and sometimes I assist others to do the same...as others do me.

I am the devil, sirrah.. ; )

-- H Luap (its@aboy.com), April 14, 2004.

Chris,

Before I begin, I would just like to recommend that you consult "An Exorcist Tells His Story" (1999) by Father Gabriele Amorth for more information on the subject of exorcism and demoniac possession, should you be interested.

In most cases of demoniac possession, the demon is very wary of revealing his presence and being identified. If possessed people do begin to speak in languages that would be foreign to us, they most certainly do not speak in "tongues." Rather, demons often communicate using any number of languages that were used during the time of Christ, such as Latin, Greek, or Aramaic. In some cases, the use of these languages is used as an identifying characteristic to prove the presence of an evil spirit.

However, such cases are extremely rare. In most cases, the demon communicates in the vernacular of the priest. The Roman Ritual for exorcism prescribes that priests not engage in unnecessary or frivolous questioning of the demon to satisfy personal curiosity. Rather, the demon usually speaks rather reluctantly and only in response to very specific questions that are asked by the priest (inquiry as to the demon's name; the manner in which the person came to be possessed, through curse, malefice, etc.). In cases where the demon is unusually chatty, it is normally to distract the attention of the exorcist and prevent the reading of Ritual with proper faith and concentration.

It should also be noted that demons still operate according to the social hierarchy and rank that they occupied before being cast out of Heaven (i.e.: demons have Thrones, Dominions, Powers, Virtues, Principalities, etc. just like angels). They also communicate with each by means of "illumination" (an angelic language that involves the instantaneous telepathic transmission of idea), rather than by using verbal communication. They only "speak," in the real sense of the word, to us.

Hope this helps, MVB

-- MVB (mvbtwin@yahoo.com), March 11, 2005.