Subconscious phone conversations with God (guest post)

Guest post by Sheldon Cooper.

I have talked before on my blog, Ramblings of Sheldon, about my experiences in elementary school when I was exposed to the Independent Fundamental Baptist cult, and my sister’s further experiences with them after graduating that school, and going onto Hyles Anderson college, an IFB institution. I’ve talked about the Southern Baptist church I was a part of as a teen, and what it feels like now to be a closeted agnostic still attending that church in my Undercover Agnostic series.

For some reason, however, I haven’t talked about the time I spent in the Assemblies of God denomination, a Pentecostal group. I don’t quite know why, perhaps it’s because I left that group when I was young (12 years old), and never went back. A memory has been coming back recently about this time, though. I remember when I was 11 years old. It was the first time I started speaking in tongues. 

Wide Open Ground: My fundamentalist escape story

Lana’s Wide Open Ground is one of my favourite blogs. Lana is a Christian and advocate of home schooling, so in some ways her critiques of fundamentalism and home schools carry more weight than mine. Where some Christians dismiss me as an angry atheist, it’s not easy to say the same about Lana, whose thoughts are informed by a wealth of travel and experience. Lana’s insights on the potential damage caused by homeschooling and patriarchal Christianity are well worth reading.

Anyway, enough of my fanboy moment. Lana was kind enough to interview me on her blog. Here’s a bit more of my story for you.

I can’t remember ever not believing in God. I know that I prayed the sinner’s prayer when I was very young. I think I started praying in tongues at six or seven. It was something I’d heard my mum do a few times. It had been strange and scary to hear these alien noises coming out of her mouth with such intensity. After I heard her do it a few times I asked her what it was. She explained that it was the Holy Spirit inside her praying the perfect prayer..

I said, “I think I’ll try.”

“You can’t try. You have to pray and God will give you the ability.”

We prayed together for me to be filled with the Spirit, and nothing happened immediately. My mum said goodnight and put out my light. I lay in bed alone in the dark, wondering if it had worked.

Eventually, I plucked up the courage to try speaking. “Sandaracki sanderay,” I said.

Read the rest at wideopenground.com

Lana’s guest post for me will be up later this week.

Vlog: Praying in Tongues

Another piece of video that I’d really prefer not to exist. This has never been shown anywhere before – a Leaving Fundamentalism exclusive. It was shot for Video Nation, but never broadcast. I guess I just like embarrassing myself in public.