Types of Faith Healing Practices:
Physical Healing Practices Both Western & Eastern_ Penecostal Protestantism, Catholicism & New Age Eastern Religion
Penecostal/Chrasimatic Faith Healing
Belief in the miraculous healing of physical ailments is something both groups have in common. The whole point of this discussion is, people are entering these movements and changing their entire world views, especially of the supernatural, because of these experiences. But if they are explainable via natural means or worse, are demonic, these people are being deceived. "The demonic can give wonderful visions and experiences in order to fool people into believing a false religious view of the world" (Ankerberg, p. 6; see 2Cor 11:14).
We need to judge our experiences with "Sound Reasoning from above."
Use of the Bible
The mention of the Bible above brings us to the next comparison: the two movements use of the Bible. Both groups try to show that their beliefs are consistent with Scripture. And both groups use faulty methods in their Biblical interpretations. I will use one example from each group to demonstrate this.
I continued to receive Dayspring's newsletter even after I left the ,church. In Dayspring's confession, it reads, "It is our God-given commission to proclaim the Gospel of Christ, not to defend it" (p. 5). The newsletter tried to back up this stance with Romans 8:24, "hope that is seen is not hope." The newsletter stated that this meant we shouldn't try to intellectually convince someone that the Gospel is true. We should simply tell them to believe.
There are two big problems with this. First of all, the Bible teach that we should defend the Gospel (see 1Peter 3:15; Col 4:6; Phil 1:16; Jude 3). Secondly, Romans 8:24 has nothing to do with evangelism. "Hope" in this passage refers to the resurrection. We will no longer be hoping to be resurrected after we have been resurrected. Thus, a verse has been taken out of context to make the Bible teach something that is contradicted by the rest of the Scriptures.
EXCELLENT POINT!
New Agers do the same with Psalm 82:16, "I said, 'You are gods.'" They try to use this verse to back up their pantheistic belief that we are all a part of God. Again, we have the same two problems. First, the next verse reads, "But you shall die like men" (Ps. 82:7). Thus, God is not teaching the inner divinity of all men. Secondly, the Bible from Genesis 1 :1 on does not teach pantheism and is clear on the fact there is only one God, though many views (see Isa 43:10; 44:8 other verses too numerous to site).
Reiki _ The Eastern New Age Answer to Penecostalism
A Letter to a pastor
My friend has always said she is a Christian but she also very much into practicing Reiki and thinks that it's the Holy Spirit working through her. But I fear for her. I guess I have two questions: how can I lovingly discuss with her what the Bible says about these practices, when she doesn't fully accept it as God's Word; and can you tell me more about Reiki from a Christian perspective?
There are very good grounds for rejecting Reiki if one is willing to listen to the Bible. In a book entitled Basic Questions on Alternative Medicine, a corporate project by members of the Center for Bioethics and Human Dignity (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Kregel Publications, 1988), there is a short chapter on Reiki (pp. 61-63).
I will draw some information from that chapter. Although Reiki claims to be an "ancient healing practice that Buddha (and Jesus) used," all records of it were lost. It was allegedly rediscovered by Mikao Usui, a Zen Buddhist monk, in the mid-1800s "during a psychic experience."
Additionally, it is claimed that details about lost aspects of the practice have "been revealed through channeling."
Channeling is the New Age term for mediumship and involves contact with, and usually possession by, "spirit guides." The authors of this chapter state that a second-degree Reiki practitioner "learns about spirit guides and how to contact and use them in healing sessions." They further state that third degree Reiki masters give "complete control of healing sessions to their spirit guides." Healing sessions appear to be based on the use of "life-energy" (i.e. ki, chi, or prana), which is sent from the practitioner into the patient's body.
The greatest concern would seem to be the identity of the "spirit guides." Since they are typically contacted in ways expressly forbidden in Scripture, and since they advocate unbiblical ideas and practices, it is honestly quite difficult to view them as anything other than the biblical demons.
The authors of this chapter conclude by stating: "Reiki is antithetical to biblical Christianity. Channeling is a way of communicating with spirits to obtain information not otherwise accessible. It is denounced in the Bible as sorcery, mediumship, and spiritism (Lev. 19:26, 31; 20:6; Deut. 18:9-14...)."
It seems to me that Reiki has the potential to be very spiritually harmful. I would pray for your friend and encourage her to give serious consideration to the biblical warnings mentioned above.
I wish you all the best with your friend.
Shalom,
Michael Gleghorn
Probe Ministries
A former Reiki master who has become a Christian wrote this testimony to Sue Bohlin:
"Reiki is something that is very mis-stated, and misunderstood, by those outside of the Reiki circle. Having been in it, I can tell you everything you need to know. I will tell you right up front that it was a hard one to shake, that it was VERY real, but that it is decidedly non-Christian.
"I highly recommend anyone looking into it to just stop. Prayer is very powerful, and is our direct link to God through Christ. If we petition directly for healing, it may come. If we have faith that it WILL come, our chances are far better. As with anything we are to test, does Reiki point either the practitioner or the client to Christ? No. Big no. It uses a Universal energy alright, but this "energy is NOT of "light", is NOT from God.
"It is all about what you FEEL in your hands, what you FEEL in your spirit, what the client FEELS in their body/emotions/spirit. In that regard it is very very real. My hands get hot, I hit a place of extreme peace and quiet, I heal people who feel a tingle or hot spot or whatever. Their headache, menstrual cramps, emotional distress, bruises, whatever, goes away.
For a long time after that I tried to make Reiki fit into Christianity but it didn't. I prayed a lot about it. God firmly and solidly showed me in Scripture how it couldn't work. The major thing against it, it does not point anyone to the true God."
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