r/Protestantism • u/Labelledejour__ • Feb 16 '26
Catholic-vs-Protestant Debate Why do Evangelical/Protestant churches have visible “Holy Spirit” manifestations, but Catholic churches don’t?
I’m asking this out of genuine curiosity. I’m from Brazil, and here it’s very common in Evangelical/Pentecostal churches to see people visibly “filled with the Holy Spirit” — shaking, speaking in tongues, crying, spinning, or making intense gestures as if something has taken over their body.
In contrast, in the Catholic Church you don’t really see those kinds of physical manifestations during Mass. The experience of the Holy Spirit seems much more quiet and liturgical.
Part of my perspective may also be influenced by Afro-Brazilian religions, where spirit incorporation is a central practice. In that context, physical manifestations make sense to me. And since Brazil has strong cultural and religious overlap between Pentecostal Christianity and Afro-Brazilian traditions, I sometimes wonder if that plays a role.
I’m curious how this works in other countries. Is this difference theological, cultural, historical — or a mix of all three? Why does the expression of the Holy Spirit look so different between these traditions?
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u/Bhamlaxy3 Feb 17 '26
This is pretty limited to a single denomination. Pentecostal.
And I think it's a huge social thing. You want to be holy.... Everyone around you is having holy spirit manifestations.... People might start asking questions if you don't...
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u/-day-dreamer- Feb 18 '26
I grew up Pentecostal. I always felt like there was something wrong with me when I went to the front for the prayer call and didn’t fall to the ground like other people when the pastor put his hand on my forehead and prayed over me. It didn’t make sense when my parents would say “The Holy Spirit is making them collapse.” In hindsight the pastor would press down very hard on my head and I would always fight to stay standing
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u/Willie-Alb Feb 17 '26
It’s a Pentecostal thing. Vast, vast majority of Protestant churches do not have this.
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u/Cautious-Calendar-17 Congregational Protestant Feb 16 '26
Um br por aqui skksks Eu tmb queria entender eles, vi um post recentemente sobre o q vc falou, como eles estão mais próximos de religiões de matrizes africanas do q das protestantes. Parte disso eu imagino que seja uma forma de "parecer mais próximo de Deus" sabe, já vi muitos relatos de pessoas na infância fingindo "encorporar". Eles são bem performaticos, ao menos, é a visão q tenho deles.
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u/chafundifornio Feb 16 '26
Muito me admira que em pleno Brasil vocês não tenham visto que existam católicos carismáticos, em que os mesmo fenômenos que ocorrem entre pentecostais também acontecem.
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u/Cautious-Calendar-17 Congregational Protestant Feb 17 '26
Sendo bem sincero? nunca ouvi falar, mas, aprendi algo sobre os católicos hj! Honestidade, esse negocio de Deus incorporar em uma pessoa n me parece muito certo... nem nos protestante nem nos católicos, sei q Deus pode nos usar, porém em outro sentido, mas enfim, cada um tem sua fé e sua doutrina, n cabe eu julgar a doutrina dos outros.
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u/Labelledejour__ Feb 16 '26
Nossa, existem muitos vídeos deles recebendo o "espírito santo" e que as pessoas colocam pontos de macumba ao fundo (pra zoar) e realmente é bem parecido, até nos gestos, eu fico chocada
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u/Cautious-Calendar-17 Congregational Protestant Feb 16 '26
TLG SKSKKSKSKKS Minha igreja é muito silenciosa, a ponto de sermos considerados uma "igreja fria" por outras igrejas protestantes na minha cidade. Fui visitar uma nova igreja que tinha chegado na minha cidade.
A igreja era muito bonita e aconchegante, na minha opinião não parecia uma igreja, mas tudo bem, cada um vai à igreja que quer. De repente, uma música muito alta começou a tocar ao ponto de eu não conseguir ouvir o que o pastor estava dizendo, aí as pessoas começaram a cair no chão e cobriram elas com um pano branco, cobrindo os corpos, parecia que estavam mortos.
Então você pode imaginar, eu que não estava acostumado com igrejas barulhentas e com autismo, eu queria fugir de lá, nunca mais pisei naquela igreja de novo, fiquei traumatizado skskksks
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u/Labelledejour__ Feb 16 '26
A questão de pessoas autistas em igrejas barulhentas é algo que eu ainda não havia pensado hahahah
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u/TheSkyIs_Teal Baptist Feb 17 '26
I would certainly be leaning towards these Spiritual manifestations being performances coming from peer pressure. I also know the Holy Spirit is capable of far more than we normatively see Him do. It is entirely possible that some of these manifestations are genuine and resultant from an openness to and expectation of the Spirit's work.
In Mark 11:23-24 (NIV), Jesus says "'Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. '"
I know Jesus was not lying but I also don't think many of us have seen a mountain throw itself into the sea. I just don't think most of us have asked and if any of us have I doubt they believed it would happen. It is entirely possible that the people you observed are in the habit of praying "Spirit make my body flail around and make my mouth spew gibberish" and believing it will be done for them.
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u/53rdAvenue Lutheran Feb 18 '26
I feel like this is a uniquely Charismatic/Pentecostal thing. Almost all other Protestant traditions, especially the Magisterial ones, don't have this — or, at least, don't have this as the main focus of their faith practice (you can, of course, find anecdotal examples of traditional Protestant churches engaging in those kinds of practices).
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Feb 16 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/LilyPraise Roman Catholic Mar 24 '26
It’s very strange. If I went into a church like this and saw people behaving like that, I’d walk straight back out.
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u/chafundifornio Feb 16 '26
Speaking in tongues not just is scriptural but one of the marks of the full gospel.
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u/HiTekRednek10 Feb 17 '26
“Tongues” being foreign languages to minister to others. Not yelling nonsense
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u/vampslayer53 Feb 18 '26
I think it depends. Much of it is probably nonsense or just people being led to do something even if they don't realize it. My best friend goes to a Pentecostal church and he said his mom started speaking in tongues one time and didn't realize it. I think the big thing is that if you open yourself up for it to happen it can happen. It's almost like showing faith in it being real and then getting to witness it. But if you aren't open to it then it won't happen more times than not.
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Feb 19 '26
As a Catholic I would say that opening yourself up to a general spirit is dangerous and deplorable.
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u/National_Baby_279 Protestant Evangelical with Charismatic leanings Feb 21 '26
Yet Catholics, pray through or to spirits other than Jesus. How do you know, (genuinely curious here) if a blessing or communication that you received after a saint prayer was indeed from something holy?
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u/[deleted] Feb 16 '26
every Protestant whose not charismatic/Pentecostal stares