I once was a member of a Pentecostal charismatic group. The kind of conspiracy theories and superstitions that we believed in were normal for the group, but over the process of de-programming from the group over many years of counseling, it resulted in me being diagnosed with delusional disorder. I had no idea that the beliefs that I had gained in the group were so far out. Or rather, the structures that lead to new beliefs were chaotic and random, and I was emotionally hooked, making connections where there were none.
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That makes me think that as a former Jehovah's Witness we believed that things could be demonized so that when somebody had something bad happen they would start going through their things looking for something they had bought at a yard sale so they could take it and destroy it. We were all poor enough that we all had to buy at yard sales and this became an ever reoccurring event.
gearl
Level 8
Feb 2, 2018
1
Damn @treepolitik you're one brave dude. I knew people back in the day of the same ilk, so I get how the journey out must have been fraught with difficulty. For the sake of others coming from the same place, would you feel comfortable sharing what those delusions were? You're safe here to chat about such things, cuz many of us have a similar story.
Hominid
Level 7
Feb 2, 2018
2
We thought we could hear and see things from afar. We thought speaking in tongues would increase our spirit power. We thought we were the only Christians left in the world. We thought we would decide who would be raised up and who would fall in our prophecies. We thought we could read anyone's past or future.And then I developed some of my own which ranged from as simple as the government and the KKK killing off people I knew and reading/controlling my mind, to as complex as a time tunnel being formed by a person traveling in the opposite direction of me, And then by following the tunnel, I would end up where the other person had been and be intimately connected with them. I also had some ideas about a Jewish freemasonry conspiracy, a Catholic freemasonry Hollywood conspiracy(which included telepathic messages from jesuits) and the British royal bloodline in American politics conspiracy, as well as secret codes in movies, languages, and the names of presidents. I also believed that I could understand and translate any language including tongues, without any prior knowledge. I also believed that there were about 20 general profiles of people that could predict everything about them if you could guess the first couple things.
@treepolitik - that's a real mixed bag of "superpowers", most extra-biblical, but not all - some would fall under receiving "words of knowledge" from the spirit. For the others, there must have been some creative input by leadership to influence the belief in these abilities. But it's not unusual, in the sense their unbridled religious pride can make them think they can become demigods, then pass on these "teachings" to the flock.
The Pentecostals I knew were pretty far out with their fascination with tongues, demons, healing, and worship style (I used to call them "wall climbers" because of the frenzy they would get into). But nothing like what you describe - perhaps it's been an evolution of that slice of Christianity over the decades. Amazing. Thanks for sharing, and once again, BIG congrats for pulling out!
LOL! If that's the case, I'd say certain political parties are also delusional, and their followers.
birdingnut
Level 8
Feb 2, 2018
3
I agree as a former Pentecostal, myself
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