I had a friend in college that would point out people that he decided were Christians based on the interaction he had with them - 'that checker (grocery store) is a Christian - couldn't you tell by how nice is was?' At every Christian concert I went to as a teenager, somebody would talk about how special the experience was because they could fell God's Spirit - and nothing felt as good as God's Spirit - no secular concert or gathering of people was as good!
It wasn't until later in my life that I heard other groups of people say the same thing about their groups - Mormons talk about a unique 'burning in the bosom' that lets them know that God is talking to them. AA groups talk about their meetings are unique and make claims about how intimate they are - unlike all other groups.
Some Christian Mystics in antiquity have talked about their prayer life as deeper and more unique than other forms of prayer - not to mention, the second baptism teachings of Pentecostal Christians.
So what is the reasoning behind this phenomenon? Is God's presence something unique? Different from all other experiences? Or is it just a bodily reaction to a spiritual experience? According to the Kundiliani video, the Devil tries to imitate the Holy Spirit - is that what is happening? Are we supposed to distrust emotional reactions?
Thoughts?
It wasn't until later in my life that I heard other groups of people say the same thing about their groups - Mormons talk about a unique 'burning in the bosom' that lets them know that God is talking to them. AA groups talk about their meetings are unique and make claims about how intimate they are - unlike all other groups.
Some Christian Mystics in antiquity have talked about their prayer life as deeper and more unique than other forms of prayer - not to mention, the second baptism teachings of Pentecostal Christians.
So what is the reasoning behind this phenomenon? Is God's presence something unique? Different from all other experiences? Or is it just a bodily reaction to a spiritual experience? According to the Kundiliani video, the Devil tries to imitate the Holy Spirit - is that what is happening? Are we supposed to distrust emotional reactions?
Thoughts?