One increasingly popular healing practice, reiki, has been both welcomed and shunned by Christians of all denominations. For those less familiar with the practice, a
source defines reiki as "a form of laying-on-of-hands based on the theory that universal life force (ki in Japanese) energy can be channeled for healing. It is based on Eastern healing philosophies that assert the existence of an unseen internal life force that maintains mental, physical, emotional and spiritual wellness."
According to
one Christian writer and Reiki Master, Michael Golzmane, reiki is okay for Christians to practice. He believes that Christians who oppose the use of reiki have a misunderstanding of the practice. He argues that the healing power of Jesus isn't merely an aspect of Biblical history that doesn't apply today. Jesus' healing power can work in and through us here and now, provided that we know how to "tune in" and "get into the flow" of it.
Golzmane begins by acknowledging the opposition that many Christians have towards reiki. From one perspective, the idea of reiki belittles Jesus' actions, dumbing Him down and making Him seem like just another human with healing powers.
Another reason many Christians are against reiki is that a person who participates in the practice may eliminate the need for Jesus. They may think, "I can heal on my own. I don't need Jesus to work through me."
According to Golzmane, it's impossible to alienate or eliminate Jesus from the healing taking place. He writes:
But, participating in your healing is quite different (in my opinion) than being the Originator and Chief Cause of your healing. God can never be replaced, as God is the Source of all healing. Trying to heal yourself without acknowledging and connecting with your Source is like trying to operate a car with an empty tank of gas--you won't get very far.
However, when we take a Christian view of Reiki (or other energy healing techniques) and learn some of the methods through which God's healing Grace can come to us, we become "not merely hearers of the Word, but doers" (James 1:23).
Imagine continuously praying to God to heal you of obesity, not realizing that God, in His infinite wisdom, has inspired some of the great books, DVDs, motivational audio, personal coaching programs, and teachers around the world to supply you with all the information you need about healthy diet
, exercise, and detoxification. (We merely need to clear the channel of our own consciousness in order to be able to "let in" the presence of the healing answers we are looking for.)
Golzmane points out that through reiki, Christians can partner with God to bring about healing. Despite the very new-age spiritual nature of reiki that many Christians tend to object to, Golzmane believes that Christian reiki practitioners are truly helping to further the kingdom of God on Earth.
Do you think it's okay for Christians to practice reiki?
Comments (68)
Being able to heal is a gift. Practicing medicine of the sort that heals people is a God-given vocation. And any gifted person can take credit for her gift. Medicine isn't the only field where this can happen.
One of the reasons Jesus' healing ministry was such a smashing success is because good healers are as rare as hen's teeth. And Jesus was not just good. He was spectacular! Not to fear, a human healer at her best couldn't touch Jesus. So there's no way to bring him down to our level.
You know, I think Christians are really really afraid of getting into demonic practices. So we tend to shun away things we don't understand saying "It's demonic!" If this really works, maybe someday we'll figure out why it works, just like things that people long ago used to call demonic and supplied by demonic powers that we realized actually wasn't demonic--we just were scared of it because we couldnt' understand it. I'd say, don't write off things just because you don't understand it. Have wisdom and discernment, and walk boldly in faith.
Now, as far as this being the way Jesus healed, I wouldn't go so far as to say that. I also wouldn't go so far as to say that it definitely wasn't either. We just don't know.
I think the way Jesus healed actually worked.
I wouldn't give a brother or sister any crap for trying this out, but I'd be concerned if they started putting a lot of stock into it or if they started thinking Jesus was practicing it.
No. No. No. No. No.
Jesus is not a "universal life force" that anyone can learn to use provided they "tune in" with the proper technique. Jesus is a person whom we can know, and who gives us blessings (possibly including healing) if we ask Him, if He chooses to, not if we use Him if we're "tuned in."
The very idea of using a technique to manipulate Jesus' power is soundly denounced in Scripture. Witness what happened to Simon Magus (Acts 8:18-24), or to the seven sons of Sceva (Acts 19:13-16).
Jesus Himself further said that there would be counterfeit miracles designed to look like His own but that would draw people away from Him: "At that time if anyone says to you, 'Look, here is the Christ!' or, 'There he is!' do not believe it. For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect—if that were possible. See, I have told you ahead of time." -- Jesus (Matthew 24:23-25)
New Age teachings are often couched in the language of Christianity--interesting that they think they need to invoke Jesus' name for legitimacy! So the gurus aren't authoritative enough for them?--but even the devil himself has been known to use Biblical proof texts.
The actual worldview that this "Reiki" comes from is made perfectly clear in the parenthetical statement: "We merely need to clear the channel of our own consciousness in order to be able to 'let in' the presence..." Uh, huh. What about, we merely need to repent? We merely need to pray? We merely need to trust God? Nope. This is New Age babble at its finest--almost stereotypical of such prose--and if someone's confusing it with Christianity, the problem is not that they have a misunderstanding of Reiki; it's that that they have a misunderstanding of Jesus.
Also, if "God, in His infinite wisdom, has inspired some of the great books, DVDs, motivational audio, personal coaching programs..." well then, no offense, but He's been writing way below form lately. How ridiculous can you get?
Um, yes? My boyfriend's mother is gay (yes, long story), is a Christian, and she is also a Reiki Master. She has her own practice, and has always been very in touch with energies, spirits, etc. She has a great relationship with Jesus, and she uses her abilities to help relieve the pain and suffering others may be experiencing.
I myself, am not religious at all, and I don't see why this would be a problem. Are some Christians against others being healed? Through Jesus? How selfish of them, and not very "love thy neighbour"-ly. I don't see why people cannot be healed in any way as long as it doesn't interfere/oppose their religion, which Reiki does not oppose Christianity.
I mean (sorry to continue), does that mean Christians cannot be massage therapists, because they would be healing others as well? This post doesn't really make sense to oppose Reiki or other healing forms.
I wouldn't go for reiki by someone I didn't trust in and who didn't have more or less the same belief system as me. That's sketch. As for Christians who practice reiki...it's just such a grey area that I don't think it's worth getting into.
God Heals and if we have our eyes on Him He heals our mind and bodies. Reiki falls under the line of new age, And God opposes stuff like that.
I don't think the laying of hands has any problems, but nor do I see it as necessary. I believe healings can happen today, the Bible states that Jesus was human and healed from the Spirit, not from himself (though he could), and that his disciples could heal and cast out demons as well, "on their own". Really, it was with the Spirit.
Involving Reiki - I don't see anything wrong with it, and if both parties are okay with it, I don't want to discourage it. I don't see it as necessary at all though, because Jesus spat at people to heal them.. why does healing need to be limited to the laying of hands?
Healing requires both parties to believe in God and in the healing.
i believe that it's fine. we lay hands on each other while praying, after all. if it's for the right motivation, and there is nothing sinful in that aspect, there's nothing wrong with it as long as what you're thinking isn't blasphemous.
@Faithful_Spot@xanga - nicely put.
@Pass_the_Aura@xanga - I'm amused that you used proof texts and then said that "even the devil himself has been known to use Biblical proof texts." When you do that, all you're saying amounts to "that's icky, and i have a closed mind, so i'm going to use scripture as both a crutch to prop up my own discomfort and a shield to deflect any argument you may have to the contrary."
The healing accomplished by Jesus was to demonstrate God's power over all nature, even death. It was a sign of Him as the Christ, as God become flesh, not to be some 'mystic healer.' It is not unusual for some claiming to be Christian to really be polytheists or invoke some mysticism; think of those who use a mix of voodoo and Roman Catholicism. Yet, anything which distracts us from the Gospel, that Jesus has finished the work of salvation, is not beneficial.
@introllama@xanga - And when you say that, all you're saying amounts to, "I'd prefer to put up my own straw-man caricature of a Christian and reply to it rather than actually engaging with the comment that was written." Have fun with that.
Oh, not that I think you'd be interested, but in the next verse after the one I referred to, Jesus rebuts the devil with a proof-text. So the question is not "are proof-texts right or wrong?" but "are they used correctly?".
1.) My point was that you contradicted yourself in your comment, by quoting scripture and then by saying that quoting scripture can't be reliable. When you do that, you leave no room for anybody to argue against you, which, whether you are right or wrong, essentially puts your opinion on level with God's. That, sir, is tantamount to idolatry. Sadly, such a form of idolatry continues to be a plague within the church.
2.) Speaking of straw-man caricatures.... Why would I not be interested what the Bible says? Is it because i criticized one aspect of your argument?
My point is this: Way too often Christians go out of our way to reject anything that didn't come from Western Europe or North America all wrapped up in Bible verses within the last 500 years. We use buzzwords like "liberal" and "New Age," or, in another era, "heretic" and "pagan" and "witchcraft," to avoid having to put any kind of thought whatsoever into anything that makes us uncomfortable because it's strange and new to us. God gave us reason for a reason. Tearing down other people's wisdom simply because it comes from outside our own tradition is not that reason.
I'm a Christian.
I'm also a level one Reiki initiate.
The woman who taught me reiki is also a devout Christian.
I personally don't see anything wrong with the two coexisting peacefully in harmony.
I am a Christian and I actually love Reiki healing stuffs. To be honest:
'Golzmane begins by acknowledging the opposition that many Christians have towards reiki. From one perspective, the idea of reiki belittles Jesus' actions, dumbing Him down and making Him seem like just another human with healing powers.
Another reason many Christians are against reiki is that a person who participates in the practice may eliminate the need for Jesus. They may think, "I can heal on my own. I don't need Jesus to work through me." '
The reasons why many Christians are against reiki seem absurd though I know where they come from. But then, our bodies are blessed with limited ability to regenerate and recover. Prayer and meditation are not the only ways of healing. Does this mean that doctors, nurses, dietitians, pharmacists, physiotherapists, psychologists, herbalists and other CAM therapists should not exist? Reiki is just a type of CAM therapy, so people should stop being so irrationally judgemental.
@geminiteen24@xanga - yeah, just like Chinese Qi Gong. We should be grateful that God blessed us with this world. Even small things can be appreciated and even things which are insignificant to other people's eyes may make me happy.
@HLPU@xanga - Think about the relationship between mysticism and Christianity, why is mysticism denounced in the Bible? Is it because of mysticism itself or is it because of the fact that people are being distracted so that they do not believe that one God (the Holy Trinity) is the Most High and everything else that exist are merely God's creations? Spiritism has been denounced in many ways, but the Holy Spirit is also a spirit that grants power and we should know that the Holy Spirit is God's spirit and is of good nature. This also means that it is omnipotent. If we are not born of water and spirit, we cannot enter God's kingdom. God wants us to explore His nature and His creations (other than those which belong to Satan and be spiritual. Can the Holy Spirit not be seen as a Universal Life Force? Jesus Himself said that demons cannot cast out demons, which means that demonic powers cannot achieve anything good. He said that if a family is not united, it will be defeated easily.
@Pass_the_Aura@xanga - I don't think anyone implies that Jesus IS the Universal Life Force anyone can use. The Universal Life Force could be the Holy Spirit or one of God's creations. Or there could be more than one Universal Life Forces. However, God has blessed us with this world and keep an open mind, that anything could exist and anything could be what you do not expect.
@snapeful@xanga - YEAH!!!
@Angelstargazer@xanga - O, did God say that to you in your dreams or did you just make it up??? Just wondering... How do you know that God really opposes Reiki?
@haloed@xanga - Yes, Reiki is just a form of Complementary and Alternative Medicine. If Christians are against this, then perhaps they should also be against Orthodox Medicine, Chinese Medicine and anything outside our own Faith Healing. Then, Christians should be against science, psychology and anything that isn't mentioned in the Scriptures or isn't God-centered...
@stuartandabby@xanga - Even if Jesus had some knowledge about it, it wouldn't be a surprise, think about it, He is God's Son. He is omniscient after all. But the way He uses it or even His philosophy of "Reiki" must be very different. He may not even call it "Reiki". Who knows? Reiki cannot really be seen as a Pagan thing or something like that. It is really in conflict with monotheism if you think more deeply.
@haloed@xanga - WOW!!! Your mom must be soooo cool... Then, why are you non-religious if your mom is this cool lol?