The bottom line is: Christianity is a religion based on divine revelation, pentecostalism is a religion based on personal emotional experience.
Christianity is a religion based on divine revelation. Catholicism is the belief that truth is universal. Universal revelation can appear as an endless list of "don'ts" to he whom the Holy Spirit does not dwell within. He who has the Holy Spirit is guided by that Spirit to fulfill his own calling, a myriad of "dos" beyond human comprehension.
But what is the Holy Spirit, and what is the clever subtlety of the devil?
The Holy Spirit seeks unity; the devil tempts people into believing You Own Personal Interpretation of Scripture.
The Holy Spirit speaks in solitude and quiet; the devil distracts us with noise, chaos, and trinkets.
The Holy Spirit is borne of taking up our cross in love; the devil promises us no pain, illness or suffering.
The Holy Spirit challenges us to use our full intellect in applying the Word to our daily lives; the devil confuses our heart with urges stemming from the seven deadly sins.
The Holy Spirit teaches us humility; the devil promises us glory.
The Holy Spirit dwells in our meekness; the devil exalts in power.
The Holy Spirit is one with the poor; the devil guarantees us profit.
The Holy Spirit calls us to fill ourselves through divine graces; the devil busies us with our good intentions.
The Holy Spirit gives us examples of the Saints; the devil slanders the Church.
The Holy Spirit guides us through the unanimity of those annointed by the apostles; the devil asks us to judge according to our own affections, suppositions, inductions and presumptions.
The Holy Spirit guides us through ages of great minds, and passionate believers; the devil dares not look to the time before the disintegration of Christianity in the 15th and 16th centuries.
Christians, ask yourselves this: which does YOUR church resemble?
pentecostalism is a religion based on personal emotional experience.
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No.
As my Assembly of God pastor in my teens often asserted . . . we are saved by faith, not feelings. But Praise God for the feelings.
Actually, as the research I studied in my PhD dissertation work affirmed, the assertion is not accurate. The "it's all emotionalism" slam is just plain false.
I suspect it's a comforting rationalization for many perspectives, though.