UTExan said:
bmks270 said:
It's hard to ignore the Pentecostal church practices a lot of cultish behavioral compliance techniques. However, they do have many sincere members.
It's a good thing no other church has ever done that.
It's more systemic in Pentecostal churches. It is something every church should watch out for.
I explored some Pentecostal churches in my college years, not until I became a student of psychology did I realize how the Pentecostal church is a bit more cult like than others.
There are even the examples given in this thread. One being a church keeping their Pentecostal associations hidden until they have pulled you in, and suddenly you are at a home and people are all speaking tongues.
Another example of my own is opening the floor to words of knowledge before sermons.
There is enough behavioral studies in my opinion to indicate that the spiritual "gifts" of Pentecostals are psychological phenomena induced through suggestion and peer pressure.