Argle-Bargle means, "Praise God!"

Handmaiden and I got into a brief discussion about the Pentecostals after my last post. Unable to locate my copy of Who’s Who on the Lunatic Fringe, I had trouble placing them at first. Like most successful scams, this one has fragmented into various franchises, Assemblies of God being the largest. Their mission is not too different from that of most religious organizations: establish collection points wherever grinding poverty, wishful thinking, superstition, and ignorance can be found. Like most franchises, they have found something to differentiate their mostly undifferentiated product. In this case, their “Ronald McDonald” is “Speaking in Tongues”. They also have a quart or so of other beliefs that they have cherry-picked from biblical dogma, which they hold as important to further distinguish themselves from other Christian sects. Snake handling is mostly passé.


Handmaiden’s comment:

“To Pentecostals the gist is in Acts, chapter 2. When the Holy Ghost 'possessed' people & they started speaking in tongues. The thing about it is, I've seen the gift of tongues & things more bizarre. Although I don't believe it's God induced, it isn't faked. (I've never spoken in tongues or participated in any of the other indulgences, myself ) I don't quite understand the dynamics, but it's intensely emotional, with some letting go involved & some self hypnotism. My best description is "spiritual masturbation". If you've never experienced a real Pentecostal service, I recommend it. :)”

My reply to this comment contains untested theories, so I’m posting it here in hopes of wider commentary.

No, it isn't faked. Speaking in tongues is a form or variant of post-hypnotic suggestion. Robert Heinlein used an analogy in Time for the Stars to explain telepathy that I use to describe moments of waking hypnotism. Imagine a boy throwing a ball at a picket fence. The pickets are just far enough apart to let the ball through. Most of the time, the ball will bounce off, but every once in a while, a "perfect" throw will allow the ball to pass through without touching a picket. Such, I believe, is the filter of the human brain. Every once in a while, the subject is in a hypnagogic state, and information makes it directly through to a subconscious level. This could explain both the success of organized religion in general, and its invariably repetitive nature. I have seen such behavior first-hand, when communicating with a schizophrenic person, and once also when communicating with a person in severe emotional distress. These people were suddenly in a receptive state. They believed without question that what I was telling them was true. (I’m not one to take advantage of such situations. My opinions were accepted as valid without personal verification. When I saw this happening, I was quick to point out that other opinions existed. I’d make a terrible Preacher!) If there is a performer near you like The Erotic Hypnotic, I highly recommend that you attend a performance. Pay close attention to how the subjects are prepared before their performance. Afterward, ponder the success of advertising, and ask yourself how much slips through the cracks in the fence when you aren’t paying full attention. You will learn a lot about human nature.

I think that there is one other major ingredient in the proliferation of the speaking in tongues meme. The participants have seen others do this before them, and therefore “know” that it is possible. The fact that the Pentecostal churches hold this practice in such high regard doesn’t hurt either. The subject is driven by a strong need to perform in this way. There is also the possibility that those that do perform this feat have received “special” or “personal” communion sessions from the Master of Ceremonies, the Preacher-in-Charge, and this is an actual post-hypnotic performance. I don’t put anything past hucksters and professional bullshit artists.