Are Pentecostals A Cult?

Social Media:

[nothanniballecktor]

If the spirit of God entered my body and took over, I'd want him to do something a little more productive than lay down.

[sussekind]

My grandfather once went to a Pentecostal gathering. He described it as self-induced mass psychosis.

[Chelaxim]

All of us former Pentecostals are having major pstd from these videos.

[KaylaNoelle]

They have seizures for the lord and coerce CHILDREN into doing so but they call heavy metal fans “demonic” and scary. 🙄

[sarahk]

I was raised in the Pentecostal church. I deconverted 6 years ago. I’ve seen and been in services like the ones you’ve pictured. I still have nightmares about going back, waking up in a cold sweat crying. I had to skip over the parts of some of the videos because it’s so triggering for me. The Pentecostal churches do sooo much damage, my broken mind is a testament to that.

[NotA-Lizard]

I grew up Catholic, and my parents and sister converted to Pentacostal when I was in my teens (about the same time I abandoned all religious tradition) . I went once or twice to their church (mostly on days they were doing potluck, ). I heard the pastors wife speaking in tongues. I studied Latin as a kid and French, Greek, and Semetic languages in college. Weirdly enough, the pastors wife was speaking Latin and Greek when she was speaking in tongues. No one else caught on, and she studied those languages in college, but her degree was in psychology so no one ever caught on. I told her she was a fraud in front of her own congregation, in Greek. And the glare of hatred I received was absolutely priceless.

[PrincessGalaxia]

I remember "being slain" was called "catching the holy ghost". Tbh, someone on the outside of religion seeing people catch it is really scary. It frightens me a little that people are so convinced that they let this placebo happen to them.

[ZSS]

This is my story

Last year I met a girl. She was my first real kinda relationship as a super shy guy. I knew she was religious but that didn’t bother me. We meet up for coffee at Starbucks and spent 2 hours chatting. Durning the conversation she told me how she loves Jesus and how she never misses a day of church. I respected her and thought nothing of it. I’m not religious but I respect everyone. A few days later she messaged me telling me she had to talk to me about something important, I was kinda nervous if I was about to get “ I’m a Pentecostal and I want to save you, I want you to go to heaven with me “ I listened to her and she sent me a ton of audio clips from her church of people talking in tongues. I felt freaked out. She kept telling me the end is coming and I need to repent. I was able to change the topic. I love astronomy and tried to share it with her. She was so interested in it but I later discovered she wasn’t. The church thing came up again why I don’t go. My dads a Presbyterian and I’ve gone to church with him in the past. But he doesn’t go much. She argued with me that I’m not making anytime to worship and how bad the presbyterian religion is. Let me sum it up. The last day I ever saw her I went with her and her three friends to the beach for a drive. She and one of her friend kept talking about the Bible and about the church. I felt out of place like I was an alien. The music she played was only gospel. That night I kissed her in her cheek goodnight and I didn’t know what the morning was to bring. She messaged me that she went to church and this is how it ended. How my hate towards people like her came to exist. She messaged me how I should have been in church worshiping. She started to argue and told me she couldn’t be with me. I called her and she didn’t speak, I told her that I really liked her and respected her religion. That love is when two people care about each other and that I appreciate her and that I know I’m awkward and shy at times. She texted her reply that I will never forget. How it is a sin to date someone like me and that I was sent by the devil to blind her. That my whole idea of love is why people go to hell and the only way she will keep me in her life is if I give my life to Christ and start worshipping with her. That if I loved her I would change for her. I told her people love each other for who they are. She told me good luck finding a girl covered in sin. Later that Sunday I subscribed to Telltale with a broken heart. If your a Pentecostal please don’t go around brainwashed and forcing your religion on people. Sometimes you hurt people. Respect them and they will respect you. I’ve also lost my cousin who’s now a obsessed born again. Religion is like an addiction it eats you up. Keep up the videos man love them.

[genesisgrace]

i remember people being "slain in the spirt" at my church camp as a kid. it was honestly pretty traumatic to watch as a little kid.

[Aging_Casually_Late_Gamer]

"Speaking in tounges", aka the real equivalent to mashing the keyboard and hitting post.

[Superi]

People who “speak in tongues” and “fall out in the spirit” look like they’re having seizures.

[birdjo]

No joke, I used to think these guys were just a church that was situated on the coast. I live in a coastal city and heard we had a lot of pentacostals. I figured, well, that makes sense.

[NikkiDocherty]

I was raised Baptist. I am no longer religious at all but I am still spiritual.

I got close to visiting a Pentecostal church once...very glad I didn't.

[vanessasmith]

Damn I just realized not everyone’s reality is like this. Growing up in a church like this since birth really affects you long term. I always question what I think, try to control peoples emotions, and they tried to force me to believe this.

[seraphjohanson]

I was raised Pentecostal. I’m an atheist now, but I keep it a secret from my family. My mother still randomly prays in tongues and pins all of her stress and depression on demons. She’s such a kind, sweet woman. I just wish she would wake up.

[ommogi]

Why does it sound like everyone who tries "speaking in tongues" is ripping off some horrible, broken-record sounding ecclesiastical Latin? I haven't heard anyone repeat the same noises in German before but boy would that be something lol

[utah]

That's a dangerous way to celebrate! Someone could be writhing in pain from a seizure or heart attack and no one would know! 😂😂😂 I left a faith that's opposite. Mormons sit quietly, listen to droning speeches and tear-jerker stories and perhaps tear up a little and sniffle quietly.

[dangunn]

"The easy confidence with which I know another man's religion is folly teaches me to suspect that my own is also" - Mark Twain

[dawngrrrl]

I grew up in a Pentecostal church with thousands of members that broadcast on Fox and TBN and went to the church's private academy for a few years then was homeschooled with a group of other Pentecostal families. The experiences I had were intense to say the least, and even though my parents were on the liberal side of their circles my world revolved around fear and anxiety and submission and high drama. Screaming, running, seizing, sobbing, speaking in tongues, being physically thrown around, exorcisms, prophecies, faith healing, spiritual warfare, all of that was commonplace and encouraged. I was "healed" and "baptized in fire" and "slain by the holy ghost" and "freed from demonic harassment" in front of thousands while being broadcast on TV (all separate occasions). My therapist called it a "soft cult" and said it was chronic psychological abuse.

[cesareborgia]

Growing up in the United Pentecostal Church helped me to be the atheist I am today.