Finally Today

ABC news does this medical examination of people speaking in tongues. Are their conclusions valid?

ABC News shows brain scans of people speaking in tongues, that reveal the language centers in the brain are not engaged. They take it from there to imply that means it is genuine. The doctor isn't so willing to go along with their slant. No on mentions the obvious possibilty that their language centers may not engage because they aren't saying anything, and therefore have no need for syntax. http://www.youtube.com/watch#=9TAcv4jiLlw&v=NZbQBajYnEc

Public Comments

1. Ekke Ekke Ekke Ekke Ptang Zoo Boing Zow Zing!
2. I think your hypothesis sounds more likely. No language center engaged means that they're not speaking, they're just mumbling gibberish.
3. mekka lekka hi, mekka lekka ho, mekka lekka hinie ho
4. absolutely not...it's more so just a phenomenon
5. no
6. I think you're right. In church, the pastor would say "Pray in your heavenly language" and people would do it. And they all sounded different. Most would just repeat the same thing over and over (keeli eelie booshtah feelie!) It isn't a language, it isn't a hysteria-induced trance- it's just people murmuring.
7. The media works in unison with religious beliefs because they both help to control the masses. They won't even mention the word , atheist.
8. They are under the influence of someone who can not be examined by machines
9. Complete hogwash...the fact that the language centers of the brain are not engaged shows evidence that speaking in tongues is a stream of consciousness gibberish that does not require that level of thought. This study should have included atheists who mimic speaking in tongues but claim no "connection to god" to see if similar brain activity would be found.
10. When ABC News shows me its degree in any of the biological sciences, I'll take its word on biology. (The prime motive of media news organizations is the collection of monetary credit from those who would buy time on the shows - IOW, profit. Accuracy is a FAR distant loser in that race.) I'd sooner take my GP's view - at least he actually studied something that might have a remote bearing on this story. (Why is religion - the ranting of mental children - more of a news story than any other childish ... oh, yeah, the majority of the TV audience *is* composed of mental children.)
11. Technically called glossalalia the gift of tongues was a peculiar phenomenon apparently rather common in early christianity especially in the churches with which the apostle Paul was associated .In writing to the church at Corinth, Paul acknowledge the gift of tongues to be one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor.14. .5 ,39 but emphasizes the piont that it is by no means the greatest ofthese gifts 1cor.12.10.14.19.