Holy Rollers (Jesus, rituals, gospel, salvation, tradition)

[xexon]

This is not meant as an offence to anyone, but the term is widely known and should be discussed.

The Wiki definition : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holy_Roller

They are certainly animated as Christians go. Alot of snake handlers also belong to this tribe. Very prevalent in the deep south of the United States.

What are you experiences and opinions?


x

[rocka21]

Originally Posted by xexon

This is not meant as an offence to anyone, but the term is widely known and should be discussed.

The Wiki definition : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holy_Roller

They are certainly animated as Christians go. Alot of snake handlers also belong to this tribe. Very prevalent in the deep south of the United States.

What are you experiences and opinions?


x

yeah there are about a hand full of chruches the handle snakes and roll on the floor.

there are about 100 million believers that speak with other tonuges thou.
not to mention EVERY church mentioned in the new testament , paul, and so on.........

my church ALCC.org
Lakewood
TBN
DAYSTAR
Oral Roberts university
and most likely the largest or fastest growing chruches in your city........

AND ME!!!

[Booko]

Originally Posted by xexon

They are certainly animated as Christians go.

Well, I used to endure 45-60 minutes repetitive and boring Calvinist sermons. I'll say this much for pentacostals -- you won't be falling asleep.

Alot of snake handlers also belong to this tribe.

There arent "alot" of snake handlers, period.

Very prevalent in the deep south of the United States.

But found elsewhere. There were pentacostals in my hometown in the Midwest as well. They were, at that time anyway, looked down upon by their "high Protestant" brethren in Christ, as somehow "not serious" Christians. I never quite understood that, myself. I mean, if someone tunes into Christ better with a more active and emotional style, what's the diff?

What are you experiences and opinions?

A bunch of users on an old religion conference back in...hm...early 90s made a road trip from NYC to Lubbock TX picking up others on the way. On one of our stops, it was Sunday, so we went to one of our efriend's churches in West Monroe, LA. A good time was had by all and the congregation was very nice and welcoming. It's not my style particularly, but I have no complaints.

Dawny is the one you really want to talk to.

[rocka21]

I think a lot of people lump

apostolic , UPC and the other ( bun in the hair) - holly rollers .

there are many more- Non - denominational ( which all of us trace back to AZUZA STREET REVIVAL). but are not legalistic as the above.

[Booko]

Originally Posted by rocka21

I think a lot of people lump

apostolic , UPC and the other ( bun in the hair) - holly rollers .

Yeah, generally so -- any denomination that worships in a style that appeals to the heart and doesn't involve sitting quietly in one's seat usually gets called holy rollers.

there are many more- Non - denominational ( which all of us trace back to AZUZA STREET REVIVAL). but are not legalistic as the above.

Now that you mention it, my friend's church did have a rather hefty bunch of holiness criteria. I'm not sure if that's what you meant by legalistic.

[Muffled]

I have been called a holy roller but I have never rolled although I can speak in tongues anytime the Paraclete wishes. Since I was called a holy roller during my jail ministry maybe they thought I was like a Salvation Army operator rolling drunks over in order to try to give them the Gospel, lol. I used to do some street ministry which meant most of the people I talked to were drunks. It is extremely difficult to hold a rational conversation with a drunk.

Holy Roller churches I have attended

Four Square, Assembly of God, Church of God, Apostolic, American Baptist (they can be anything they want), Catholic (only outside the church), most of the spanish speaking churches to some extent no matter what the denominational background, The Way International (at least a pretense at it if nothing else), United Pentecostal. I attended a Free Methodist church hoping they would be but there was no evidence of it.

[joeboonda]

While holy roller is usually connected with pentecostals, of which I am not, ANYBODY who is filled with the Holy Spirit and loves the Lord and others and tells them the gospel, etc. may be labelled a holy roller by non-christians or weak carnal christians. If I were telling someone about how to be saved by grace, and they called me a holy roller, I would blow it off as a smoke screen.

[Katzpur]

Originally Posted by xexon

What are you experiences and opinions?

My personal opinion is that the phrase "Holy Rollers" is generally meant to be derogatory in nature. I prefer not to use it myself, but there may very well be some people who don't mind this label at all. I've been to two Pentacostal worship services in my life where there was a lot of spontaneous shouting, swaying back and forth with arms raised, etc. It's not my style of worship, but if it brings people closer to God, I figure it's not really my place to judge.

[Aasimar]

Originally Posted by xexon

This is not meant as an offence to anyone, but the term is widely known and should be discussed.

The Wiki definition : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holy_Roller

They are certainly animated as Christians go. Alot of snake handlers also belong to this tribe. Very prevalent in the deep south of the United States.

What are you experiences and opinions?


x

As an ex-Pentecostal, I suppose I was a holy roller. No snakes were harmed, but there was a band, rolling on the floor, and speaking in tongues. And yes I've spoken in tongues. And someone translated what I said to the congregation. And all I was doing was babbling incoherently. I'm sure every church is different, but I gotta tell you that my experience was that Pentecostal church is a very very odd place, neat summer camp though (gogo Royal Rangers!)

[A. Ben-Shema]

Originally Posted by xexon

This is not meant as an offence to anyone, but the term is widely known and should be discussed.

The Wiki definition : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holy_Roller

They are certainly animated as Christians go. Alot of snake handlers also belong to this tribe. Very prevalent in the deep south of the United States.

What are you experiences and opinions?

I have only seen various TV documentaries of such Christian Holy-Rollers. I have also seen various documentaries of Voodoo worshipers, and I notice great similarities.

I will quote something which explains a little more about this phenomenon:

many people who follow traditional orthodox religions do obtain some very powerful experiences of one kind or another. However, the difference between emotional and Spiritual experiences must be clearly understood. An emotional experience is obtained through external stimuli (i.e. the mind’s interpretation of the physical senses of sight, sound, taste, touch, and smell) or is the result of an indirect subjective process, such as memory, association, or introspection. For instance, powerful emotions may be aroused by viewing certain movies, or by listening to various types of music, etc. By partaking in traditional religious services all one’s physical senses may be stimulated in a similar way. One’s vision is engulfed by the elaborate and solemn grandeur and the holy atmosphere of the sacred building and the various theatrical ‘props’ used therein (e.g. the awe-inspiring symbols: the statues, images, icons, etc, and the princely / angelic robes of the clergy[1]). On the other hand, an environment of complete frugality may be used to gain the required effect. The sense of hearing is usually stimulated by majestic organ music, the singing of hymns and chanting of prayers, and the hypnotic monotones of the holy chant used by many ministers when reciting their liturgies, etc. Conversely, absolute silence may sometimes be utilised to obtain the desired effect. Even the senses of taste, touch, and smell may be aroused by the various rituals and customs, e.g. the Eucharist, and the burning of incense, etc. These physical / exoteric methods of arousing the emotions of a congregation are common to all religions, even the most primitive tribal religions stimulate their followers to states of mental / physical / emotional ecstasy by like means – and that goes for Satanists and Voodoo worshipers too![2] There are also other methods of producing powerful emotional / physiological trance experiences, e.g. vigorous dancing (as in the Muslim order of Mawlawiyah (Arabic) or Mevlevi (Turkish) – the “whirling dervishes;” and the Hari Krishna sect), prolonged fasting, exhaustion from nutritional disturbance, unusual excitement, solitary confinement, drugs, alcohol, etc. The experiences obtained from all these methods can have a profound effect on one’s perceptions, even to the extent of producing pseudo-spiritual hallucinations, delirium, and/or schizophrenic seizures.[3] Such practices, when used for so-called religious purposes, often result in the phenomenon of the participant uttering incomprehensible sounds – referred to by such pseudo-religionists as “speaking in tongues.” Such experiences are common to all shamanic religions and have no connection with the Spirit of Truth, but are simply delusive imitations – referred to in various scriptures as the power or spirit of evil and error - Satan.

The genuine Spiritual experience of God does not come from physical or mental sense stimuli, or mere ‘beliefs’ in God. It is only when one has overcome the power of mind – which is always leading us astray – and all our roaming thoughts, that we may experience the Great Silent Reality of the Spirit within.
_________________________________

Footnotes:

[1] This ‘holy’ regalia reminds us of the warning to “beware of wolves dressed in sheep’s clothing”, and the criticisms of Jesus about those who love to dress in robes to give the impression of holiness.

[2] Such methods of inciting emotions are also very familiar to theatre and movie directors. Hitler also used such methods to great success at his rallies in Nazi Germany.

[3] For a detailed study of these phenomena of physiologically induced states of ecstasy, see e.g. W. Sargant: “THE MIND POSSESSED”.

Quoted from: "Church of God? or the Temples of Satan" by R. A. Anderson.


Peace & Love