Energy Healing & Religion
Energy Healing and Christianity
Q:
Is it OK for Christians to use Reiki, or to have energy healing treatments?
A:
In many places in the New Testament we read how Jesus, the disciples, and apostles restored health to others by the laying on of hands, or sometimes simply by the spoken word. We know that the disciples and apostles did not actually do the healing, but rather that the power of God worked through them to provide healing to others.
Paul stated in I Corinthians that healing of others was a gift from God. He also said in I Corinthians that we should earnestly desire such spiritual gifts as healing. And Jesus, in the Gospel of John, is quoted as saying, “Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.” Jesus laid hands on the sick and they were healed, so we know it is allowed and endorsed by Jesus.
Q:
How do I know such healing comes from God and not from the Devil?
A:
While Satan in the Bible is often spoken of as having various abilities and powers, nowhere in any scripture is Satan shown or spoken of as healing anyone or making them well, even temporarily. Satan is portrayed as an opponent, an accuser, a tempter, and a deceiver, not someone who helps anyone.
Further, in the Epistle of James, the author states, ” Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? My brothers and sisters, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.” So we can tell the source of a spring by the taste of its water, or the kind of tree by its fruit; Satan would not produce healing, but only hurting. Energy healing is beneficial, and has never harmed anyone, so it cannot come from the Devil.
Also, remember James 1:17, ” Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.” (KJV) We can’t deny that healing and relief of pain, without side effects, is good.
Q:
Is Reiki a religion?
A:
A religion is defined as “the belief in a god or in a group of gods: an organized system of beliefs, ceremonies, and rules used to worship a god or a group of gods.” There is no worship involved in Reiki. There is no dogma, no set of scriptures of any kind, no requirement to believe in any God or gods in order to get into Heaven or avoid going to Hell. Reiki simply is an energy healing technique that connects us with the energy that God has put into the universe.
You don’t even have to believe in God; God is like gravity: the force and energy is there, and affects us all, whether we choose to believe in gravity or not. So, it does not require you to change your beliefs in God in any way. Most Christians who practice Reiki state that Reiki brings them closer to God, Christ and to the Holy Spirit and because it is a method of healing, and it helps them fulfill their Christian calling to help others.
Chios Energy Healing has no connection with any particular religion or belief system.
Q:
Is Reiki a cult?
A:
.According to the dictionary, a cult is “a small religious group that is not part of a larger and more accepted religion and that has beliefs regarded by many people as extreme or dangerous.” First of all, Reiki is not a religion, so that part is out of the picture.
Secondly, Reiki has no extreme, dangerous, or detrimental beliefs or practices. You are not required to isolate yourself, to practice self-punishment, to give up all your belongings, or any other thing that is typical of cultic beliefs.
Lastly, cults usually have a person or small group of people with ultimate spiritual and temporal authority over them, and whom they must obey or risk damnation, excommunication, or even physical danger. There is no such authority in Reiki. In fact, there are various forms of Reiki, and Reiki practitioners are allowed to perform Reiki whenever and wherever they wish, on whomever asks for it. Reiki is by no means a cult.
The same statements apply to Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT).
Q:
Someone told me energy healing is a form of sorcery. Is this true?
A:
Sorcery has always been used with the idea of controlling others, gaining power or attaining unfair advantage, no matter what God’s will may be. It is a way of working against God and Nature. Neither Chios nor Reiki works against God and Nature, but rather allows the energy of God and Nature to flow through the practitioner in order to help the client. Further, neither can be used against you or used to harm you, or even used to help you if you reject it or do not desire it. Reiki is always sent from, and guided by, God, and as such is always working for your highest good. The energy healing practitioner is only the channel or conductor for the energy that comes from God.
Q:
But I’m not familiar with EFT or Reiki, and they don’t align exactly with all my beliefs. Doesn’t that make them something I should avoid?
A:
There are many different beliefs in God, even many different forms of Christianity. And remember, in Luke’s gospel, chapter 9, we read this: “Master,” said John, “we saw someone driving out demons in your name and we tried to stop him, because he is not one of us.” “Do not stop him,” Jesus said, “for whoever is not against you is for you.” If someone is allowing the energy and power of God to flow through him or her to help heal others, the fact that all their beliefs don’t exactly align with yours doesn’t mean they should stop helping others.
Q:
I have heard that Reiki is a form of Buddhism. Is this true?
A:
While Mikao Usui, the founder of Reiki, was a Buddhist, he had respect for all religions, including Christianity. He did not want Reiki to be a religious practice but wanted it to be a simple healing technique that anyone could use. Because of this there are no uniquely Buddhist practices in Reiki. Reiki is religiously neutral. Reiki energy comes from God, which is understood to be the one or Universal God. It is true that some practitioners of Reiki are Buddhist. But some are also Christian, some Jewish, and some have no particular religious beliefs.
Q:
What about “Reiki guides” that I have heard some people talk about?
A:
The concept of “Reiki guides” was not a part of the original teachings of Mikao Usui, but is something added later by Western practitioners. Part of it actually comes from Christians who practiced Reiki, who were more comfortable by the idea of having guides (angels) helping them with healing others, rather than by dealing directly with God–much in the same way that many Catholic believers are more comfortable with praying to a saint than directly to God.
And remember that many Biblical figures were brought deliverance and messages from God by sacred beings, whom we call angels. Many Christians who practice Reiki envision angels as guiding them in the use of Reiki, and this works for them. But it is also possible to call directly on God for healing energy to flow during a Reiki treatment. At times, God does send an angel, just as God often sent angels in both the New Testament and Old Testament, to perform God’s will.
And remember that many Biblical figures were brought deliverance and messages from God by sacred beings, whom we call angels. Many Christians who practice Reiki envision angels as guiding them in the use of Reiki, and this works for them. But it is also possible to call directly on God for healing energy to flow during a Reiki treatment. At times, God does send an angel, just as God often sent angels in both the New Testament and Old Testament, to perform God’s will.
Energy Healing and Judaism
Here are some links to pages that discuss Energy Healing and Judaism: