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Are feelings of "experiencing the holy spirit" really just normal emotions?

Many believers who post here have talked about "feeling the holy spirit" in the context of stating that they know God exists. I am paraphrasing and summarizing here, but the argument typically goes something like "I know God exists, because I have personally felt the holy spirit inside me".

But how do you know that the "holy spirit" that you're feeling isn't really just normal human emotion? Might that feeling of "having the holy spirit" be simply the euphoria you get when you believe something good about yourself? And moreover, how can you rely on internal feelings of emotion to prove something objective about reality (e.g. that God exists)?

I recently read an anecdote that highlights this possibility:

A woman receives a phone call advising her that she has won $2,500 in a drawing, and she will compete on television for an additional $50,000. She is happy, and euphoric. She phones all her friends to brag about her good fortune. She honestly feels truly lucky and excited. But then she learns that the phone call was a prank.

Thus, her feelings of euphoria didn't prove anything about her reality. At the time, she FELT it was true, and her emotions matched this belief. Same with religious believers - might they (mis)perceive their own emotions as proof of God's existence?

"Emotions derived from religious belief prove merely that individuals do hold their beliefs religiously." But it doesn't actually prove anything, does it?

(I hesitate to name the author for fear of biasing answers, but since I did quote him, it's David Mills)

Update:

@Hiway: "For someone who is so sure of things you sure ask questions a lot about things you already "know"."

I ask questions to prompt people to think. Many people just assume things (especially about religious belief), and fail to really THINK about them.

Update 2:

@Jesus is Lord: "the Holy Spirit is nothing like your anecdote. winning money is one feeling, the Holy Spirit is another."

I think you completely missed the point of the anecdote.

19 Answers

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  • 1 decade ago
    Favorite Answer

    All feelings are electrochemical reactions in the brain, which do not necessarily accurately reflect objective reality.

    It takes great insight and humility to recognize that one's intuitive perceptions are often wrong. Indeed, Human nature instinctively always pulls us away from doubt into certainty and rigid positions. If we want to avoid being biased, we must consciously resist this.

  • Anonymous
    5 years ago

    I'm very glad you've posted this question and given these web links. I shall defer judgement till I've looked at them (which is only fair and reasonable), but I have a sneaky suspicion that you and I are in opposing camps on this subject! I would say that God is neither male nor female, and that would apply also to the Holy Spirit. I don't think this has anything to do with gender or human attributes. But I haven't looked at the links. Back later... Later. Paul did NOT introduce a new idea into Christian literature. The Word, the Logos, Wisdom, I AM, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit were all around at the time of creation. Sophia is a pagan goddess. I believe she appears also in Islamic tradition (but I base this only on a distant recollection of something I read - I could be wrong). There's a whole load of rubbish written against Paul, especially to suggest he was a mysoginist. The arguments of his detractors do not convince me. Satan, that original liar and the father of the lie, must be laughing all the way to hell knowing how many people he's fooled and duped into thinking that Paul taught a false gospel. The Holy Spirit has never been lost to Christianity and tirelessly points us to Christ and God's plan for salvation and redemption. Check out Sasi's answer. She gets my vote.

  • 1 decade ago

    how do you know that the "holy spirit" that you're feeling isn't really just normal human emotion?

    While a Christian can have an "inward confirmation" that they are actually hearing from God, in many instances a Christian may just be guessing and hoping that it is actually God speaking to them.

    The Lord Jesus said that His sheep hear His voice and on a few occasions over the years I've been certain that God was speaking to me but those instances don't happen every day or even every month or more.

    " Might that feeling of "having the holy spirit" be simply the euphoria you get when you believe something good about yourself?"

    I guess. I can't speak for anyone else but when I sense the Spirit I don't feel all good about "myself" instead it's usually me thinking something like "OK Lord, I don't really feel like doing this, but according to your Word this is the Christian thing to do so I'll do it"...

    ...Now that doesn't mean that during a worship service or something a Christian can't "sense" the presence of the Spirit in the worship, but there is no way to "prove" that it's not their imagination...

    And moreover, how can you rely on internal feelings of emotion to prove something objective about reality (e.g. that God exists)?

    You can't. All you can do is examine evidence against reasonable standards and come to objective conclusions or hypotheses, etc about what is true.

    Subjective reasoning never leads to absolute truths because of the definition of how that type of "reasoning" works.

  • ?
    Lv 7
    1 decade ago

    No, the feelings the Holy Spirit gives have nothing to do with emotion at all. It's not even always a feeling of euphoria either. In fact it often is not. The Holy Spirit in fact leads the believer in how to pray for situations, what to do in situations. It teaches us to have compassion in times when it is not normal for a human to have compassion.

    The problem is you question God or do no believe, so you can't grasp any concept of the Holy Spirit. You have to rely on guessing or what you think it *might be* like.

    Seek God out with all your heart and accept Jesus as your savior. Then you will know for yourself. The baptism of the Holy Spirit comes in an instant but our relationship with the Holy Spirit is a growning connection that the believer has with God.

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  • 1 decade ago

    My personal opinion about this notably worthwhile point is this: I think that God's "spirit" can be with anyone when and IF there is goodness, light, righteousness, purity or any other virtuous, holy, godly or RIGHT person, decision, activity, even beauty, music or experience where in HIS spirit can comfortably reside. So it is possible for any human being to, even if in a limited way, feel His spirit - because it is in effect the Spirit of Truth & Right.

    However, there are times when we are moved, inspired or receiving His Holy Spirit in more abundance when needed or in exceptional moments in our lives and although it is always about our NORMAL FEELINGS, it still differs from the normal feelings you and I have or dwell on or experience on a daily mundane basis. That is why when we do FEEL that spirit it is clearly DIFFERENT than our daily walk in life and it is therefore NOTEWORTHY to the one experiencing it. BUT yes... it does occur within the parameters of NORMAL HUMAN emotion still.

  • 1 decade ago

    In some cases this is a probability.

    However, there are many people out there who have reached rock bottom in their lives and suddenly managed to 'find' that last bit of magic to pull it all back together again. Not everyone says that the Holy Spirit was the one who got them back to health again, but many do say that without the Holy spirit they would not have succeeded or been saved. So you cannot discard what they say very easily.

  • Anonymous
    1 decade ago

    It is real. I have had the Holy Spirit enter through my head. It felt like a very strong emotion going through me as he entered. I called him the "force" until I found out who he was. I was never taught what the purpose of the Holy Spirit was growing up in the Mormon church. Mine was a slow change. I have never "felt" him physically since then, but I have changed and I am aware he helps me in many ways.

    You won't find any proof of anything spiritual unless you seek God.

  • 1 decade ago

    I think you need to find out what are emotions? Where do emotions come from. We know from the bible that God is love.

    1 John 4:8, "He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love."

    God is peace

    1 Thessalonians 5:23, "And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ."

    Our emotions are real the love you feel for family, mother, wife, and so forth is real. It is God that has given us love and peace therefore God is real because he has given us these emotions that we feel.

    Philippians 4:7, "And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."

  • ?
    Lv 6
    1 decade ago

    Feelings are the least part of any religion, the shallowest part of personality. They can be easily manipulated. The fact is that, while there is a difference between false emotions and those stirred by the Holy Spirit, the distinction cannot be explained to those who have not experienced it.

  • ?
    Lv 5
    1 decade ago

    the Holy Spirit is nothing like your anecdote. winning money is one feeling, the Holy Spirit is another.

  • 1 decade ago

    No they are not "normal" emotions and feelings and perhaps this will help. Start where Scripture starts and that is with the creation of Adam and not the flesh and blood Adam but with Adam the invisible and eternal "inner most being." As God said, "let us create man in OUR image and in OUR Likeness." That The Word spoke and Adam the invisible "inner most being" was created and was WITH the Trinity in the invisible Kingdom of Christ and with the invisible Father, invisible Son and invisible Holy Spirit and next is Adam the invisible inner most being. In the creation of Adam the inner most being, the Holy Spirit was in Adam and also between Adam the inner most being and the Lord God. The outer being of flesh and blood is the real enemy of our inner most being and the older being ACTS and thinks it is going to live forever if it is GOOD. This is nonsense as the outer being of flesh is made up of the coalition of "man kind" or flesh and not of God kind or spirit within. Thus it is man kind that is walking away from the eternal Kingdom of Christ in the flesh. When we speak with authority out of our inner most being and purposefully generate "positive" feeling and energy from within to affect that which is without or on the outside of our body, that positive energy is generated by the Holy Spirit. To maximize this we must purposefully face EAST in our heart while on land and seek the Kingdom when we do this the Holy Spirit leads our inner most being east and up into the invisible Kingdom of Christ. When we enter the Kingdom which is to the east of our Republican wing and beyond the natural realm of all flesh we can then do what Jesus did. he came in from his Kingdom in Heaven and KNEW he came in from higher ground and His inner most being in Scripture is known as The Word of God. In His outer being or flesh, the Word of God is known as Jesus and that is why He could say, "Destroy this temple and I will lift it up in 3 days." We can also say destroy this temple (our outer being) and the Kingdom of Christ will resurrect it because it belongs to me and I belong to the Kingdom and no this in not taught in the local church but it is Scriptural.

    Source(s): A Saint from the invisible Kingdom
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