@Dino246 –
The gifts listed as Spiritual Gifts can also be found in other religious traditions. I don’t think that say the prophesying of a shaman in some remote village is any less ‘real’ or accurate than that of a Christian doing the same thing – the context and message would obviously be different based on culture, beliefs, and whatnot, but there’s essentially no difference. Same with healing and other spiritual gifts. So in a sense, somewhat to your point, these things are not specific to Christianity.
The gifts listed as Spiritual Gifts can also be found in other religious traditions. I don’t think that say the prophesying of a shaman in some remote village is any less ‘real’ or accurate than that of a Christian doing the same thing – the context and message would obviously be different based on culture, beliefs, and whatnot, but there’s essentially no difference. Same with healing and other spiritual gifts. So in a sense, somewhat to your point, these things are not specific to Christianity.
The entire context of 1 Corinthians 12-14 is gifts given/empowered by the Holy Spirit. Mere human abilities (like learning languages) was not the context.
If you want to make a coherent argument that "speaking in tongues" is merely speaking in languages unfamiliar to the local people, then you must also provide a naturalistic explanation for prophesying, discerning spirits, and working miracles. You must also account for those newly baptized in the Holy Spirit in Acts 10 and 19 to be speaking in tongues. If all they were doing was speaking in their native languages, it would be nothing special and unworthy of being recorded in Scripture.
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