In Reply to: Speaking in tongues posted by Exer on July 16, 2003 at 13:53:29:
So many people in the Family claimed to have had visions of this or that. When I was new in the Family and a leader said he had a vision, I thought he meant like in the Bible where the heavens opened and the thing was so overwhelming it was like watching an ultra-real movie screen. He just smiled and said, "No it's not like that. It's more like you see it in your mind's eye."
I later learned to have those kind of "visions" too, where I sort of sorta saw something like maybe a vague mental image that did not displace reality, but was sort of there. I suppose there were a few times when those so-called "visions" were from God, but for the most part I doubt them and feel that like Jeremiah 23:16 says, "They speak a vision of their own heart, and not out of the mouth of the Lord." In other words, simply their own active imagination.
You gotta really wonder where these WS prophets are getting their moonshine from when they see former SGAs as blood-dripping Vandari! I mean if that's not a false vision, I can't imagine what would qualify for the definition.
The same thing with prophecies. Although the gift was probably present with sincere INDIVIDUALS in the group, about 90% of all so-called prophecy within the group was false!! Not only self-serving and self-praising, but often totally contradictory and off-the-wall-wacko! One shepherdess I knew prophesied, "Give all the praise to thy Father David." (Yeaaaaah. Suurrre.) And how about the bizarre prophecy where Berg was sick and some "prophet" had a vision of a cut-off penie on a plate and prophesied, "Would you be willing to give up your penis for Dad's health?" (Nope.) Even Family members laughed at the ridiculousness of that one. Or how about the Mo-quote of prophecy that begins, "Wherefore therefore..." A brother who had trouble with Berg's prophecies always used to laugh and walk about saying, "Wherefore therefore". It bugged me at the time that he was mocking God's prophet. Now I laugh along with him.
You can see why people are leery of the whole shebang of prophecy, visions, tongues, etc. And you can't blame them. We're all a lot safer being more leery. I still do believe in spiritual gifts but I am frankly a lot more suspicious of everything and don't base decisions entirely on that kind of stuff.