Should religious people who talk to God, angels, be commited like all everyone who hear voices?
469009
People who hear voices are not necessarily committed unless they are a danger to themselves or society.  In most case, they would be given an anti-psychotic.  But this wouldn't work with the religious people, so these voices do not derive from a brain illness.  Nope, they come from a belief system.
495367
Every religion thinks that theirs are the one and only way to reach god. God hears all peoples and all religions. I don't believe that there is only one way to reach out and touch god. We all have our own ways to show our love for our god and it should be respected by all.
12282
Yes, God hears your prayers. Too many people don't believe because they can't see with their own eyes. If things aren't right in front of people, then they become skeptical. Believing in God is believing in the unknown. But God does listen and does hear prayers. Don't think though that he always answers the way you want. Prayers are usually answered based on your own good, whether it is what you want or not.
528228
Absolutely!\n\nWomen are full members of the community of the faithful. We are all to serve according to our gifts, talents and skills.\n\nWe are instructed that in the coming kingdom there will be no master, no servant, no male, no female, no husband and no wife. All are equal in the eyes of God. \n\nOur mission on earth is to help in spreading God's message of all inclusive love. How can we best serve if we deny half our voice?\n\nGod bless,\n+Michael
126727
It is possible for people to experience messages from God as a voice.  I once met a man who suffered from paranoid schizophrenia, and he had struggled for a long time to recognize the voice of the Holy Ghost in comparison to all the other voices in his head.  He said that the voice of the Spirit was always accompanied by feelings of peace.\n\nIn addition, remember that the Holy Spirit will never tell you to do anything that's inconsistent with the teachings of Jesus Christ.\n\nYou can also pray to God and ask Him to help you recognize whether the things that you understand are messages from Him.  He cares about you and your mental health.\n\nThese are some keys you can use.
283322
Good question. \n\nStart with the premise that people fear what they don't understand. Even though the Bible is full of examples of people talking with angels and the occasional demon, mainstream religion seems to think (or hope) that it doesn't happen any more. \n\nWith the advent of psychology, we've realized that SOME people who hear voices just aren't quite all there, and they actually do have some mental illness affecting them. More fundamental people will argue with this and say that all mental illness is really the result of demonic possession, but that would imply that all mental illness affects people negatively, which doesn't seem to be true. \n\nSo now you also have church versus science in the mix. \n\nAnd there are parents who are seriously scared when ANYTHING happens to their kids, understandably, and just want it to get better fast. Spending time with a religious advisor discussing these things and having that person work with your cousin is time they don't want to spend!\n\nIf she has no reason to lie, you can probably trust her about this. But there are differences of opinion about what she should do about it. Technically speaking, dead people don't need help - it's a bit late. I'm not saying it's true in every case, but there are plenty of times when the voices ask for help, but then demand more. You have to consider the risk! If this is her ability, it's also her choice how to use it.
248714
There's no scripture to support this idea one way or another.  People are affected in different ways when in the spirit.  There was a man at my church who would run around the pews (admittedly it freaked me out a bit when he first did it) and a woman who would wail.  I think you'll find the most about the issue in Paul's stuff, but don't quote me on that.
89055
yes, we pray to Jesus to make his followers shut the hell up and leave the rest of us alone, and while he's at it, remind them what his teachings were really about. \n\n(just kidding. but only sort of.)\n\natheists have hopes and dreams and sometimes express them to the cosmos. but i don't think i have prayed since i was a little girl and still believed in that idea that "faith" would get me candies and heaven and revenge against all those jerks who didn't "believe." i do meditate on occasion, and i believe that prayer is another form of that. (concentration or clearing the mind, for instance.)\n\ni believe in life and the universe and the effort to create a better world. i believe that the impact of my existence is clear, and based on the acts i undertake in this life, and that it is my responsibility to do my part toward a better world. i don't do this because i believe in "god's reward" or heaven, but because it is the right thing to do. and that "right thing" is obvious to me (and all healthy humans). i find it puzzling that anyone would depend on marginally indecipherable ancient texts to decide these things for them. having personal ethics does not depend upon a religious tract, nor should it. \n\ni have a pleasant life, i have plenty of community without going to church, and i personally can't imagine living any other way. and no, i'm not going to, nor have i ever, become "christian" while in a "foxhole." my beliefs are strong, and they are mine. they have foundation in history and in my personal experience. and best of all, i don't need to just "have faith." i have fact. \n\nand BTW, i have read the Bible many times, went to parochial schools my entire childhood, and i find it to be astounding the lengths that "christians" will go to talk themselves around in circles over it. i especially find it amusing that people who espouse themselves to be "christian" use their armageddon idea as a sort of "revenge fantasy" against unbelievers. as if christ would approve.
950139
I agree, no one should try to force another in matters of conscience, but not because the religions are all essentially the same, but because everyone has a sovereign and free conscience to follow the creed they desire.
855614
It seems like people are avoiding the issue. What's being asked is if you will unquestioningly submit yourself to God. Whether you think God would want you to perform said action or would not be able to do this without you is not in question.\n\nIncident: God tells you to kill someone.\nYou are a self-admittedly insignificant being who could not begin to understand God. Whatever his motivation be, God has told you to do this.\n\nDo you comply?\n\n(My answer's no by the way, but I'm not religious so this question probably was not directed at me. I just think that some of the people passing judgement here are being hypocritical.)
1031646
Most of the people who hear from god are only revealed as extremely mentally ill after they have crashed and burned. If you see a headline "Cult sex scandal," "Cult disaster" or "Cult Mass Sucide" you realise that the person leading the cult was mentally ill. \n\nMost of the people who have been told that the world is going to end on such and such a day and evacuate their followers are delusional or suffering from a psychosis. \n\nMost people that communicate with God have Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD). They are normally very bright and NPD drives them to become succesful in whatever field they work in. NPD is found in 1% of the population. NPD types seem to influence the religious and political fields excessively. \n\nFor more extreme mental illnesses  there are no hard and fast rules. A general test for whether a person who talks with God is sane seems to be how many other people share the person's  vision. The more successful a person is with sharing their revelations from God the less likely they are to be diagnosed with a mental illness.\n \nIn churches like the Latter Day Saints revelations were the norm, until revelations were restricted to the top of the Mormon Hierarchy.  On the other hand the Lord's Army's Joseph Konya is definately psychotic. However he has altered his environment sufficiently that he has a host of fellow believers. The Muslim extremist sects have warped their view of the world to such an extent that they may be judged to have lost contact with reality. They may be said to be suffering from a self induced psychosis.  \n\nThere are other physical symptoms that indicate mental illness that can be used to judge someone apart from their habit of  talking with God. A normal schizophrenic doesn't have enough of a shared world reality to communicate their conversations with God to someone else. \n\nOther voices from god may be explained as complex partial seizures. It's a form of epilepsy triggered by specific vibrations. Joan of Arc heard church bells and she would hear voices and see visions.\n\nEach case needs to be judged on it's own merits.
242896
The truth is that there are plenty of people out there who think that they have an open dialogue with god. That's to be expected. This claim has surfaced time and time again for thousands of years.\n\nThe further truth is that it really doesn't matter if your tailor thinks he's talking to god. If he needs to think that he's in contact with a higher power we cannot argue him out of that position. If he thinks that god gives him the power to make such clean breaks in the suits that he sews, so be it.\n\nThe problem is when the most powerful men in the world think that they are conversing with god. This becomes dangerous, as anything can be justified when god has signed the marching orders.\n\nMost of the time when god speaks to people they build a church or drown their children in the bathtub. This can benefit a community or result in great tragedy for a family. Either way, the effects of such a belief do not extend onto the world stage.\n\nWhen a leader of men "speaks to god," often the contract is signed in the blood of a country's young men. This is where the trouble lies.
69642
I wish they would. I think each person has their own path and a right to that path and if it makes them a better person who are we to try and judge them or convert them. I think if people really lived according to the basis of most religions they would respect others and love their neighbor without prejudice. It would be a wonderful world if we all would seek first to understand, then to be understood. Not have to insist on being right or seeing their way as the only way or others seeing people of other religions as a threat or some sort of abomination to their religion. I find it quite hypocritical and ironic.
103783
yes, some gain the ability to speak in the language of the angels, some gain the interrpitaion of this language.  others recieve different gifts from GOD through the HOLY SPIRIT.\n\nit's a blessing that is made only for you.  i'm not sure what else to tell you that you would understand.\n\nget it if you can/feel lead to
897884
The answer is they should be allowed to talk about their faith.\nThe word of caution is that the speech should be about personal experiences and how faith has helped the person talking.\nThe reason religion is sometimes banned from speeches is that it inevitably leads to some sort of weird comparisons to people with other faiths (or no religious affiliation) in a negative connotation. \nI have no problem when someone says something like: "I am so happy to be here, and I thank God for helping me through the tough times and guiding me."\nBut not something that sounds: "I am a better person because I have my God on my side, and you don't"
420764
We all do.  Especially children.  We may not just have 1.  Sometimes angels come to us appear to us that they are just a regular person.   I don't know if you have been in a situation like that where you thought you might have been visited by an angel.  The bible does say, "Don't be forgetful to entertain strangers for thereby many of entertained angels unaware".
584053
i was reading some of the put downs, doesnt any one have any faith or even common sense. god talks to each and every one of us. its the voice in your head telling you to do something or not to do something its the guilt you feel when you have done something wrong. who are we to say god did not speak to him. the bible says judge ye not! and it also tells us to have faith.who are we to decide who god can and can not talk to. would you believe him if he said satan talked too him?