Distraction, Lies, Poison, Betrayal, The End
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
Is Reiki Occultic? by Michael Gleghorn
"Is Reiki Occultic?"
I recently pulled up your website when a friend of mine told me she has a counseling center that practices Reiki. Wondering what Reiki was, I began to search it out. Despite all the Christian voices that support it, I refuse to buy into it, and I feel it is the Holy Spirit working in me. I emailed my friend and told her of my concerns. One of her responses was, "In my mind healing is ultimately the result of God's love, whether it is a doctor doing a heart transplant or a Reiki master transmitting love through themselves." She feels it is "God's action occurring in and through people."
Is it the work of God to transport some energy through our hands to someone else? Doesn't sound right. What it all sounds like to me is an occult type practice that people have tried to squeeze into a Christian box and it's not quite fitting!
Thanks for your letter. I'm assuming you've already read my article on Reiki, but if not, here is a link to it:www.probe.org/cults-and-world-religions/reiki.html.
I begin the article by briefly considering what Reiki is. I then look at whether or not there is scientific support for Reiki. I consider the success claims of Reiki, ask whether Christians should be concerned about it, and also whether all healing comes from God. If you haven't yet read the article, I would encourage you to do so.
Like you, I think there are reasons for Christians to be concerned about Reiki. For one thing, as it's often represented, it has a very different understanding of "God" than biblical Christianity. Thus, when it claims that healing comes from "God," it is asserting something different from what a Christian would mean when he/she claims to have been healed by God. Second, the emphasis on spirit guides should cause us concern. The Bible never tells us to seek a spirit guide, but often warns us of deceptive and demonic spirits. Third, the Bible doesn't talk about a universal life force energy which we can learn to manipulate for health and healing. This sort of language is very foreign to a biblical worldview and is only at home (really) in an Eastern worldview, or one influenced by Eastern thought.
For these reasons and others (spelled out in my article), I think it's a mistake to get involved with Reiki. My perspective would really be the same as yours. Reiki sounds like "an occult type practice that people have tried to squeeze into a Christian box and it's not quite fitting."
I would gently challenge your friend to consider the many ways in which Reiki beliefs and practices seem so foreign (and even contrary) to the teachings of the Bible. For a bible-believing Christian, Reiki seems like a difficult practice to justify.
I hope this helps a bit. Please see my article for a bit moreinformation.
Shalom in Christ,
Michael Gleghorn
© 2008 Probe Ministries
I recently pulled up your website when a friend of mine told me she has a counseling center that practices Reiki. Wondering what Reiki was, I began to search it out. Despite all the Christian voices that support it, I refuse to buy into it, and I feel it is the Holy Spirit working in me. I emailed my friend and told her of my concerns. One of her responses was, "In my mind healing is ultimately the result of God's love, whether it is a doctor doing a heart transplant or a Reiki master transmitting love through themselves." She feels it is "God's action occurring in and through people."
Is it the work of God to transport some energy through our hands to someone else? Doesn't sound right. What it all sounds like to me is an occult type practice that people have tried to squeeze into a Christian box and it's not quite fitting!
Thanks for your letter. I'm assuming you've already read my article on Reiki, but if not, here is a link to it:www.probe.org/cults-and-world-religions/reiki.html.
I begin the article by briefly considering what Reiki is. I then look at whether or not there is scientific support for Reiki. I consider the success claims of Reiki, ask whether Christians should be concerned about it, and also whether all healing comes from God. If you haven't yet read the article, I would encourage you to do so.
Like you, I think there are reasons for Christians to be concerned about Reiki. For one thing, as it's often represented, it has a very different understanding of "God" than biblical Christianity. Thus, when it claims that healing comes from "God," it is asserting something different from what a Christian would mean when he/she claims to have been healed by God. Second, the emphasis on spirit guides should cause us concern. The Bible never tells us to seek a spirit guide, but often warns us of deceptive and demonic spirits. Third, the Bible doesn't talk about a universal life force energy which we can learn to manipulate for health and healing. This sort of language is very foreign to a biblical worldview and is only at home (really) in an Eastern worldview, or one influenced by Eastern thought.
For these reasons and others (spelled out in my article), I think it's a mistake to get involved with Reiki. My perspective would really be the same as yours. Reiki sounds like "an occult type practice that people have tried to squeeze into a Christian box and it's not quite fitting."
I would gently challenge your friend to consider the many ways in which Reiki beliefs and practices seem so foreign (and even contrary) to the teachings of the Bible. For a bible-believing Christian, Reiki seems like a difficult practice to justify.
I hope this helps a bit. Please see my article for a bit moreinformation.
Shalom in Christ,
Michael Gleghorn
© 2008 Probe Ministries
What Is Reiki? by Michael Gleghorn
Reiki
Written by Michael Gleghorn
This article is also available in Spanish.
What is Reiki?
In the past twenty-five years there has been a huge increase in both the general acceptance and public availability of various types of alternative health therapies. Although some of these therapies may be beneficial, others do little good, and some are downright harmful. Under the broad umbrella of alternative medicine there are a variety of therapies that might loosely be referred to as "energy medicine":
Energy medicine is a broad field covering a variety of therapies from many parts of the world. While each is based on the existence of a nonphysical energy pervading the universe, the nature of the energy, the form of therapies, and how healing is believed to take place varies from culture to culture.{1}
This energy is variously referred to as prana in India, chi in China, and ki in Japan. One form of energy medicine that has been growing in popularity is called Reiki. According to some, rei means "universal," and ki means "life force energy." But the International Center for Reiki Training goes further, declaring that "Rei" is more accurately understood to mean "supernatural knowledge or spiritual consciousness . . . the wisdom that comes from God or the Higher Self." Thus, according to the Center, "it is the God-consciousness called Rei that guides the life force called Ki in the practice we call Reiki."{2}
Reiki was discovered, or perhaps rediscovered, by Dr. Mikao Usui during a mystical experience at a mountain retreat in early twentieth century Japan. Some claim it is the same method of healing used by both the Buddha and Jesus, although the records of this have been lost.{3}
So how does Reiki work? To put it generally, and somewhat simply, Reiki claims to work by removing obstructions to the free flow of life force energy throughout the body. Such obstructions, which arise through negative thoughts, actions, and feelings, are believed to be the fundamental cause of illness and disease. But "Reiki clears, straightens and heals the energy pathways, thus allowing the life force to flow in a healthy and natural way."{4} In this way, Reiki is believed to enhance physical, mental and emotional health.
In order to tap into this power and learn to channel Reiki one must first receive four attunements from a Reiki Master during a First Degree Reiki training session. These attunements are alleged to open "subtle mental and physical energy systems" that prepare the recipient "to channel Universal Life Force Energy."{5} Supposedly, this creates a permanent connection with Reiki, thus allowing the recipient to channel this energy for life.
At this point, some may be wondering if there is any scientific evidence that corroborates the existence of this energy. Let's look at the evidence.
Is there Scientific Support for Reiki?
In the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, some proponents of life force energy claimed it was a form of electromagnetic radiation (of which light and heat are familiar examples).{6} Of course, electromagnetic radiation is a real, physical phenomenon of the world in which we live. But should it be identified with life force energy? The answer is no, and today most of those who believe in such energy would say the same. After all, such energy is generally believed to be non-physical. But electromagnetic radiation is a form of physical energy.
Still, many Reiki practitioners believe that good evidence supports the existence of life force energy. For example, the aura is said to be "a field of subtle life-force energy that surrounds the body of every living being."{7} Those properly attuned to this energy often claim that they can feel a person's aura. A few even claim to see auras.
But it's one thing to make such a claim, quite another to demonstrate it under properly supervised conditions. In one study, ten people who claimed to see auras were tested against a control group of ten people who made no such claim. "Four identical screens were placed in a room with volunteers who took turns standing behind one or another of them."{8} Those who claimed to see auras believed that they could detect which screen the volunteer was standing behind. But out of 720 attempts, they only gave 185 correct answers -- an accuracy rate consistent with guessing. The control group, however, gave 196 correct answers -- eleven more than those who claimed to see auras! Apparently, not everyone who claims to see auras can actually demonstrate this claim.
But haven't auras been photographed? One author claims, "Kirlian photography . . . enables us to . . . photograph auras."{9} However, when such photographs are investigated by independent scientists, the images are seen to have a completely physical explanation. Also, Kirlian auras have been recorded for some things not usually believed to have a field of life force energy, like pennies and paper clips. Such evidence casts doubt on the claim that auras have been photographed.
Thus, if there is such a thing as life force energy, it has so far eluded the detection of scientists. Such energy may still exist, and science may one day verify as much. But for now, scientific support is lacking. Still, some argue that "the proof of whether a therapeutic procedure is effective rests not on the gathering of data alone but on the client's actual experience."{10} In other words, if Reiki works, such life force energy must exist!
What About Reiki's Success?
For many people, the most powerful evidence of Reiki's effectiveness as an alternative health therapy are the testimonials of those who claim to have been personally helped by it. Consider what happened to Alex. He was in chronic pain due to a motorcycle accident that resulted in three crushed vertebrae. He attended a Reiki class, and after his first initiation was free of persistent pain!{11}
How does one explain such a story? Does it prove that Reiki really works? While it cannot be denied that there is abundant anecdotal evidence of Reiki's healing power, we must be very careful before we credit Reiki with relieving Alex's pain. "With the exception of unsubstantiated opinion, anecdotal evidence is the least useful...evidence available to judge medical therapies."{12}
This isn't just the opinion of conventional Western medicine. The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine acknowledges that there is a "hierarchy in the different types of evidence for therapies, with anecdotal at the bottom."{13} Thus, anecdotal evidence counts for something, but it hardly proves that Reiki is an effective method of healing.
So how might we explain Alex's pain relief? Although there are various possibilities, for the sake of time we will only mention two. First, we must honestly acknowledge that maybe Reiki was responsible for the elimination of Alex's pain. After all, it was immediately after receiving Reiki that Alex felt relief. However, it's crucial to recognize that there is another very sensible and well-documented explanation. Quite simply, Alex's pain relief may have been due to the "placebo effect."
"The placebo effect is the combination of factors that give therapies beneficial effects, but which are not caused by any direct physiological action."{14} A classic example is the sugar pill. In itself it can neither cure illness nor relieve pain. However, when given to a patient by a trusted, confident physician, who says it's just what the patient needs to recover from his or her ailments, it can be incredibly effective in relieving a wide variety of psychosomatic disorders. Since such disorders have a psychological or emotional (rather than physiological) cause, they can be relieved without directly treating the patient's body.
Many studies indicate that the placebo effect can account for a full third (or more) "of the improvements found with any therapy."{15} But can it explain Alex's sudden relief from pain? Indeed it can. Pain can be treated very effectively with placebos.
Of course, some may argue that the really important thing is not so much why Alex was healed, but simply that he was healed! To some degree, I can sympathize with this argument. But it does have problems.
Should Christians Be Concerned About Reiki?
Most people, myself included, consider physical health to be good and valuable. All things being equal, it's better to be healthy than sick. But if this is so, then does it really matterhow, or why, the sick are healed? Isn't the only important thing simply that they're healed? And how can anyone object to Reiki if it helps accomplish this?
These are important questions and they deserve a sympathetic response. But first, let's consider an important question: Is physical health always preferable to sickness? After all, most people consider such qualities as compassion, patience, courage, and love to be great and noble virtues. But what if there were people who could only acquire such virtues through the pain and suffering brought on by physical illness? So long as they're healthy, they will lack these virtues. But if they're sick, they will acquire them. Let me suggest that if you truly value these virtues, you might decide that it's better to be morally and spiritually healthy (though physically sick), than physically healthy alone.
Let's now return to our initial question. Does it really matterif, how, and why Reiki works? I think it does. Suppose there is no genuine power in Reiki. Suppose it "works" merely as a placebo. In that case, would you want to send a loved one to a Reiki practitioner to be treated for strep throat? Without proper treatment this would likely result in rheumatic fever, permanent heart disease, and maybe even death. Real antibiotics are needed; a placebo cannot cure this kind of infection.{16} Under circumstances such as these, I suspect that no one would want their loved ones treated by Reiki alone.
But now suppose that there is genuine power in Reiki. Is it not important to know where this power comes from andwhat it is? What if Reiki offers physical health only at the expense of spiritual health? Should Christians be concerned about this?
The International Center for Reiki Training describes Reiki as "spiritually guided life force energy."{17} After receiving the necessary attunements, a Reiki practitioner can channel this energy for life. The Center describes the attunement process as "a powerful spiritual experience" that "is guided by the Rei or God-consciousness." What's more, this experience "is also attended by Reiki guides and other spiritual beings who help implement the process."{18}
What are Christians to make of this? Should we be concerned about the nature of this attunement process? Exactly who, or what, are these Reiki spirit guides? Should we be cautious about becoming involved with these spirits? Or should we simply trust that they're doing God's work? After all, doesn't all healing come from God?
Does All Healing Come From God?
Does all healing come from God? The International Center for Reiki Training declares that "Reiki comes from God."{19}But if we read the material on their Web site, we see that the Center advocates an Eastern or New Age view of "God." This view is radically different from that of the Bible. For example, the Center equates "God" with man's Higher Self, thus blurring the distinction between God and humanity that is taught in the Bible. Practically speaking, this difference between the God of the Bible and the "God" of Eastern or New Age philosophy means that adherents of these two systems are asserting something very different when they claim to have been healed by God.
The God of the Bible is a personal being, capable of miraculously healing people according to His will (Exod. 15:26). Nevertheless, the Bible does not teach that all signs and wonders come from God. On the contrary, Jesus warned His disciples that in the last days there would be false Christs and false prophets who would show great signs and wonders (Matt. 24:24). In his second letter to the Thessalonians, the Apostle Paul linked such events to the power of Satan (2 Thess. 2:9).
But does Satan have the power to perform marvelous healings? Indeed, it appears that he might. In Revelation 13 we learn that after receiving power from Satan, the beast is healed of a near-fatal head wound (vv. 2-3). The context seems to imply that this amazing healing is the work of Satan. From a biblical perspective, this raises an important question about the healing power of Reiki. Exactly where does this healing energy come from?
We've already seen that there is not convincing evidence to regard this energy as a physical phenomenon. Biblically, this seems to leave only two main options. Either the energy comes from God, or it does not. Although the International Center for Reiki Training declares that "Reiki comes from God," we've already seen that this cannot be the God of the Bible. Is it possible, then, that the source of this energy is demonic?
As I mentioned previously, the ability to channel life force energy involves first going through an attunement process. The Center claims that these attunements are attended "by Reiki guides and other spiritual beings who help implement the process."{20} Is it possible that by involving themselves with spirit guides, Reiki practitioners may unwittingly be opening themselves, as well as their patients, to demonic influences? Although it may not be possible to categorically affirm that the source of Reiki energy medicine is demonic, the Bible, in condemning all forms of spiritism, does seem to at least allow for this possibility (see Lev. 19:31; 20:6; Deut. 18:9-14; Acts 16:16-18). Therefore, it seems to me that Christians should take the wiser, safer, and probably even healthier course of action, and carefully avoid all involvement with Reiki energy medicine.
Notes
1. Donald O'Mathuna & Walt Larimore, Alternative Medicine: The Christian Handbook (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Zondervan, 2001), 193.
2. "Reiki FAQ: What is Reiki?" atwww.reiki.org/FAQ/WhatIsReiki.html. 3. Gary P. Stewart, et al. Basic Questions on Alternative Medicine: What is Good and What is Not? (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Kregel Publications, 1998), 61.
4. "Reiki FAQ: How Does Reiki Work?" atwww.reiki.org/FAQ/HowDoesReikiWork.html.
5. David F. Vennells, Reiki for Beginners: Mastering Natural Healing Techniques (St. Paul, Minn.: Llewellyn Publications, 2000), 41-42.
6. Mathuna & Larimore, Alternative Medicine, 195. I have relied heavily on the chapter on "Energy Medicine," pp. 193-99, in this section.
7. Vennells, Reiki for Beginners, 106.
8. Mathuna & Larimore, Alternative Medicine, 197.
9. Vennells, Reiki for Beginners, 106.
10. Libby Barnett, Maggie Chambers and Susan Davidson,Reiki Energy Medicine (Rochester, Vt.: Healing Arts Press, 1996), 15.
11. Ibid., 29.
12. Mathuna & Larimore, Alternative Medicine, 115. I have relied heavily on chapter 10, "How Science Tests Therapies and Remedies," in this section.
13. Ibid., 116.
14. Ibid., 118.
15. Ibid., 124.
16. John Ankerberg and John Weldon, Encyclopedia of New Age Beliefs (Eugene, Ore.: Harvest House Publishers, 1996), 487.
17. "Reiki FAQ: What is Reiki?" atwww.reiki.org/FAQ/WhatIsReiki.html.
18. "Reiki FAQ: Learning Reiki" atwww.reiki.org/FAQ/LearningReiki.html.
19. "Reiki FAQ: What is Reiki?" atwww.reiki.org/FAQ/WhatIsReiki.html.
20. "Reiki FAQ: Learning Reiki" atwww.reiki.org/FAQ/LearningReiki.html.
© 2003 Probe Ministries.
About the Author
Michael Gleghorn is a research associate with Probe Ministries. He earned a B.A. in psychology from Baylor University and a Th.M. in systematic theology from Dallas Theological Seminary. He is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in theology from Dallas Theological Seminary. Before coming on staff with Probe, Michael taught history and theology at Christway Academy in Duncanville, Texas. Michael and his wife Hannah have two children. His personal website is michaelgleghorn.com.What is a Christian Perspective on Reiki? by Michael Gleghorn
My friend is a Christian who practices Reiki and thinks that it's the Holy Spirit working through her. She has a heart for healing and I don't want to discourage her from pursuing that or deny that the Spirit is at work in her. But I fear that these counterfeits are keeping her from realizing her true potential in Christ.
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?
Thanks for your questions. It's terribly difficult to reason with someone from the Scriptures if they do not already accept their Divine authority. If she's open to doing some reading in the area, you may want to encourage her to look into what conservative scholarship has said about the inspiration, authority, and inerrancy of Scripture. A General Introduction to the Bible, by Norman Geisler and William Nix is a fairly exhaustive treatment of the subject. Many books on Christian apologetics have chapters dealing with the trustworthiness of the Bible. One book you may want to recommend is I'm Glad You Asked, by Ken Boa and Larry Moody. It is an excellent, beginner's level text in apologetics and has a chapter entitled, "How Accurate is the Bible?," which might prove helpful. Suffice it to say, until a Christian accepts the Bible as the inspired word of God, it is difficult to use it as the final authority for proper Christian belief and practice. Such a person can always claim that the texts they don't like are simply not inspired by God, etc. Thus, this is a critical issue to deal with.
Having said that, I think you are exactly right about your friend. 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 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 and beneficial, 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 that is non-personal and can be manipulated. You can pray to God, to the Earth Mother, to Mother/Father God, etc. But it in fact leads you AWAY from Christ.
"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. But is God glorified? No way. Is self glorified? Yes.
"If it is so good and right, why do practitioners go on to other things once they hit Master level? The teacher who taught me was going on to accupuncture and other new Reiki teachings. Always something else, something new, something you NEED to be a true master. Sound familiar? It is like everything else in this world, but Christ. There is no lasting peace, no connection with the universe, there is a big void in your soul that is not going away. WE ALL NEED CHRIST! I told my wife when she questioned my stopping in my search for peace once I found Christ (she had followed my years of searching through New Age theologies, etc) that Jesus Christ filled the hole. All the puzzle pieces fell into place and everything suddenly made sense. 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 two major things against it, regardless of how well it works, are 1) it does not point anyone to Christ and in facts points people away from a single triune God, and 2) it is no different than all the pagan rituals in the Old Testament that would have people pray to the rain god or fertility god, etc. They must have worked or people wouldn't have kept praying to them, and God's people wouldn't have been attracted to them. But either way it isn't what GOD has asked us to do. Everything we need is in Him. We can pray for any healing we need."
About the Author
Michael Gleghorn is a research associate with Probe Ministries. He earned a B.A. in psychology from Baylor University and a Th.M. in systematic theology from Dallas Theological Seminary. He is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in theology from Dallas Theological Seminary. Before coming on staff with Probe, Michael taught history and theology at Christway Academy in Duncanville, Texas. Michael and his wife Hannah have two children. His personal website is michaelgleghorn.com.
What is Probe?
Probe Ministries is a non-profit ministry whose mission is to assist the church in renewing the minds of believers with a Christian worldview and to equip the church to engage the world for Christ. Probe fulfills this mission through our Mind Games conferences for youth and adults, our 3-minute daily radio program, and our extensive Web site atwww.probe.org.
Further information about Probe's materials and ministry may be obtained by contacting us at:
Probe Ministries
2001 W. Plano Parkway, Suite 2000
Plano TX 75075
(972) 941-4565
info@probe.org
www.probe.org
Probe Ministries is a non-profit ministry whose mission is to assist the church in renewing the minds of believers with a Christian worldview and to equip the church to engage the world for Christ. Probe fulfills this mission through our Mind Games conferences for youth and adults, our 3-minute daily radio program, and our extensive Web site atwww.probe.org.
Further information about Probe's materials and ministry may be obtained by contacting us at:
Probe Ministries
2001 W. Plano Parkway, Suite 2000
Plano TX 75075
(972) 941-4565info@probe.org
www.probe.org
What Is Reiki? John Ankerberg
http://www.ankerberg.com/ankerberg-articles/reiki.html
Reiki is an ancient Japanese/Tibetan technique which stresses psychic healing through the manipulation of alleged universal life energies. The term originates from the Japanese words rei for universal and ki for vital force or life energy. Reiki was "rediscovered" in Japan by Dr. Mikao Usui in the mid-1800’s. Allegedly, after many years of studying ancient Indian sutras, he discovered a formula for activating and directing mystical energies. According to an article in the Yoga Journal, "Reiki can be defined as the art of activating, applying and balancing the universal life force energy that dwells within every living being, animal, and/or plant."1 Although not as popular as a related practice, Therapeutic Touch, it like the latter, is now practiced in many hospitals.
AIRA has over 10,000 members worldwide and continues to experience steady growth. Among famous individuals who have taken Reiki include actors Ben Vereen and Eddie Albert, New Age musician Steven Halpern and opera singer Francesca Howe:3
Reiki treatments consist of a series of three or four sessions lasting about an hour each. The practitioner’s hands are held at twelve basic positions, for five minutes each. Although there are many possible hand positions, a practitioner allows his or her own intuition to guide the placing. Over problem areas, the holding time is doubled. During a Reiki session, the practitioner supposedly draws energy and focuses it through his hands, thus providing a link between himself and the patient. Some Reiki teachers have described this connection as "lighting up."
The technique, proponents say, can be applied to the practitioner himself, to other people, to plants, or to animals. Reiki practitioners say they can even heal long distance! They do not claim to diagnose or to possess medical skills. But with practice, they say they can detect energy responses from the body that often give clues to the site of an organic problem and its seriousness.4
However, Reiki is a process designed not only for psychic healing, but for personal spiritual transformation as well. According to Canadian Reiki Master Rick Bockner, Reiki is more than just healing therapy; it is actually a way of life: "Reiki in its fullest sense is not a healing therapy as much as a life path using treatment and attunements as a focus for a whole experience of universal life energy."5
In order to become a Reiki instructor, one must be initiated by one of the Reiki "Masters." During the process of learning the technique, the "master" injects psychic energy into the student, allegedly opening his psychic centers (chakras) and activating his "life force." The process is reminiscent of Eastern gurus transmission of occult power from guru to disciple (shaktipat diksha). Consider the following description in The Reader’s Digest Family Guide to Natural Medicine:
When a Reiki healer is trained, he or she is initiated with a series of attunements. This process consists of the instructor, or Reiki master, tracing ancient energizing symbols on the person’s head, and then on 12 other places along the body, known in Ayurvedic medicine as chakras.
The therapeutic effect of Reiki is not dependent on how the hands are held or on the skills of the Reiki practitioner; what is important is the transfer of energy from one being to another. But there is general agreement that one must learn this healing art through a Reiki master. In seminars taught by Reiki Masters, students practice on one another and also learn to project life energy.6
For example, initiation for the First Degree Reiki includes four specific "attunements." "The attunements are rather secretive, solemn, short ceremonies during which the ‘master’ reportedly ‘activates’ the universal life force by repeating a series of careful, deliberate, somewhat mysterious movements."7 Thus, the purpose of the attunements is to "facilitate the process of opening you up to receiving and then channeling the Reiki energy."8
In the Second Degree, one progresses into absent healing: "They learn how to do ‘absentee healings’ and how to work with deeply rooted emotional and mental disorders."9
In "Reiki: The Radiance Technique,The Official Reiki Program" a brochure describing the Reiki technique, it is evident that Reiki instructors function in a manner indistinguishable from psychic healers who utilize spirit guides. Reiki is again, described as "the art and science of taping, activating and directing natural universal energy" and "with this technique, a higher frequency of natural energy passes from the hands of the therapist to those whom he touches. . . .Further, once activated, it will always work when used as instructed and you will have it for life."10
According to Olsen [in the Encyclopedia of Alternative Health Care], these Reiki masters themselves don’t understand how it works. They can only describe it as a linking with the cosmic radiant energy, an opening of chakras, or an attunement with universal life energy.11
But such terms and the practice itself are only reminiscent of long standing occult and spiritistic traditions. Practitioners are told to release themselves "to the spiritual influences of the Reiki energy."12 Reiki energy may also be used "as a key to help people reach higher consciousness."13
This science of energy, based on the language of symbols, comes to us from ancient Tibet, having been rediscovered in the India sutras in the mid-1900 century by Dr. Mikao Usui the technique is not Japanese, but is related to a number of similar kinds of universal energy sciences from India/Tibet such as the science of Mandala, of yantras and any science based on mantras.
The complete REIKI system consists of a series of component parts made of universal symbols and a series of seven degrees or what can be termed "attunement processes." We experience direct contact with universal energy and its radiant power. A person using the REIKI system is participating in a "transcendental bridge of universal energy" which interconnects the user with the cosmic universal matrix directly and conscious. This allows us to heal, to suture our dense energies and to align with and expand the universal light energy within each of us. . . .[Reiki can be] used consciously in our daily lives to promote healing, wholeness, energy balancing, and a state of positive aliveness in our own personal journey of transforming and awakening.14
In essence, Reiki is an occult technique designed to influence and/or manipulate patients through the use of unadvertised or undiscerned spiritistic energy. Our chapters on channeling, New Age medicine and intuition in our Encyclopedia of New Age Beliefs provide background material in documentation.
In Reiki we discover the same problem illustrated in Therapeutic Touch and related forms of spiritistic/psychic healing. The practice appears innocent and many people assume it "can’t hurt." Further, "Since Reiki doesn’t interfere with conventional medical treatment in any way, nurses can use it in the hospital to comfort the sick and control pain."15
But as we have demonstrated in The Coming Darkness (Harvest House, 1993) and elsewhere, the manipulation of occult energies is anything but harmless. It may easily produce serious emotional and spiritual problems. For this reason alone Reiki should be avoided.
FOOTNOTES
1. Susan Jacobs, "Reiki: Hands On Healing", Yoga Journal, May/June, 1984, pp. 40-41.
3. I bid., p. 42.
4. Daisaku Ikeda, Heritage of the Ultimate Law of Life, Part II, (Santa Monica, CA: World Tribune Press, 1977), p. 169.
5. Jacobs, "Reiki: Hands On Healing", p. 42.
6. Alma Guinness (ed.), Readers Digest Association, Family Guide to Natural Medicine: How to Stay Healthy the Natural Way (Pleasantville, NY: Readers Digest, 1993), p. 99.
7. Jacobs, "Reiki: Hands On Healing", p. 41.
8. Ibid., p. 42.
9. Ibid., p. 41.
10. Barbara Ray, "Reiki Energy," New Frontiers, March 1985; one page rpt. by the Reiki organization.
11. David and Sharon Sneed, The Hidden Agenda: A Critical View of Alternative Medical Therapies (Nashville, TN: Nelson, 1991), p. 169.
12. Jacobs, "Reiki: Hands On Healing", p. 42.
13. Ibid., p. 42.
14. Ray, "Reiki Energy," second emphasis added.
15. Jacobs, "Reiki: Hands On Healing", p. 43.
Free From Reiki!
http://www.freefromreiki.com/stromen2_en.htm The old site is no longer available. The testimony below can be found abridged on the following page: https://truthinreality.com/2012/07/28/what-you-should-know-about-reiki/ (Acessed July 2021)
Testimony of a former Reiki Master.
I have written this for all readers, Reiki masters and their pupils who have been trained through my Reiki book:"With Reiki Flowing to God"
Welcome to the follow-up to the sold-out Reiki book; "With Reiki Flowing to God," primarily distributed in Belgium and Holland, but its teachings are wide spread through the Reiki-world, whether directly or in-directly. I write this last part because there are a lot of things changed in my life, and I think you have the right to know about this as a reader from my book. Because our spiritual growth never stops until you come Home to God Almighty!! He calls you and then you're Home, finally!!
I have been searching for God, as my readers and Reiki-friends know, for many years through many meditations, with Reiki and working as an esoteric therapist and Reiki master. After more then 10 years of membership to the Reiki Alliance Int. (usa+holland) and being a co-founder of the Reiki Alliance Spain. I am known as a writer of this teaching Reiki book, and several articles in the Reiki magazine. After some time I came to the realize that I still wasn't Home with God. Although I had a lot of supernatural experiences, saw miracle healings and all my spiritual wisdom gathered. From that time on a lot has happend and I am blessed, which I am happy to share with you.
My Reiki-book might have been given to your Reiki master, or my wrong teachings are passed to you as your master was maybe a follower of my book. Thus being my generation-pupil I write to you, too. Because the Reiki book was mostly a gift to someone who took the 2nd Reiki degree, and wanted to grow fast to be a Reiki master, following my directions. Or a Reiki master who wanted to add my teachings upon theirs. It was distributed mostly by Reiki Alliance Masters and sold through the Reiki magazine. I was sharing my path from the 2nd Reiki degree to the Reiki master level and further to mediations, teachings and the Christian meditaions, as" I AM". So this booklet became a known Reiki-manual for many Reikians and Reiki masters who maybe you have been meeting.
Welcome to the follow-up to the sold-out Reiki book; "With Reiki Flowing to God," primarily distributed in Belgium and Holland, but its teachings are wide spread through the Reiki-world, whether directly or in-directly. I write this last part because there are a lot of things changed in my life, and I think you have the right to know about this as a reader from my book. Because our spiritual growth never stops until you come Home to God Almighty!! He calls you and then you're Home, finally!!
I have been searching for God, as my readers and Reiki-friends know, for many years through many meditations, with Reiki and working as an esoteric therapist and Reiki master. After more then 10 years of membership to the Reiki Alliance Int. (usa+holland) and being a co-founder of the Reiki Alliance Spain. I am known as a writer of this teaching Reiki book, and several articles in the Reiki magazine. After some time I came to the realize that I still wasn't Home with God. Although I had a lot of supernatural experiences, saw miracle healings and all my spiritual wisdom gathered. From that time on a lot has happend and I am blessed, which I am happy to share with you.
My Reiki-book might have been given to your Reiki master, or my wrong teachings are passed to you as your master was maybe a follower of my book. Thus being my generation-pupil I write to you, too. Because the Reiki book was mostly a gift to someone who took the 2nd Reiki degree, and wanted to grow fast to be a Reiki master, following my directions. Or a Reiki master who wanted to add my teachings upon theirs. It was distributed mostly by Reiki Alliance Masters and sold through the Reiki magazine. I was sharing my path from the 2nd Reiki degree to the Reiki master level and further to mediations, teachings and the Christian meditaions, as" I AM". So this booklet became a known Reiki-manual for many Reikians and Reiki masters who maybe you have been meeting.
The fundamental reason for my search in my Reiki-path becomes visible in the title part of "GOD", and I'd shared my deepest experiences in Reiki practices openly with the readers. A very long search to Truth, to Home, and I've written this all down in this booklet, as an example thus respecting everybody's path with Reiki. After some time it became very clear to me, that like this never would be possible to come Home with God and I fell hard. Like so many other Reiki masters, I've known through the years, one after one we failed. Despite all our experience, the initiations, and our good hearts, one after the other became stuck. Yes, it was different for everybody, but there were many simularities as; psychoses, depressions, sickness, poverty, ect. Altough the Reiki Alliance had a special help-line for us, Reiki never helped. In my deepest night and darkest hour, a Christian prayed for me and I came out. Where Reiki failed, a simple prayer of a strong believing Christian helped.
God changed my life totally, He improved it, blessed and forgave me! Only now, I know exactly the why and how, because "I've bin there and done it". I once was a Reikimaster for many years and now a re-born Christian. I am now "Free from Reiki" and wanted to share that Jesus Christ and Reiki have nothing in common. On the contary, the final proof is that the power of Reiki left me completly and the Reiki symbols ceased working after I've got baptized and repented of my sins. If Reiki was of God, Reiki would have stayed or been enhanced, but no: Reiki flows no more, it is gone, glory to God!! So, with Reiki flowing the coming to the true God is impossible. There is only one way to come Home to God and that is through the acceptance of Jesus Christ Himself as your Lord and Savior. Then you become free of your sins by His Cross. Free from Reiki is only possible by following Jesus. Let Reiki go and become a true Christian. You will need experienced disciples of Jesus to pray for you and maybe you will need a deliverance from the power of Reiki, in Jesus Name. But I can truly recommend it. What a special path it is, walking together with Jesus in all intimitacy in your life according to His teachings and Word. I tell you, there is nothing like it, praise God.
Fortunately enough, but after many de-tours my path ended with the true God, only in a total different manner that I could have dreamed of. But eventually, I came to God Himself, through Jesus ... wow Glory to God!! The Reiki-book served its purpose and was the beginning for me and led me on and on, but ultimately, I found that the deeper Truth of God is found in Christ Jesus.
Was this teaching book "With Reiki Flowing to God" a true manual to reach God? No, it deceived me too, so it was not, and is not really a true manual for reaching God. I am sorry. Please forgive me! In the Bible it is written in 1John 1 v.9: ¨If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness¨ So I am asking you, please forgive me......as I have forgiven you and have asked God to forgive me.
But for me it was necessary to go this way and to learn what was from God and what was not from Him, what is the Light and what is the darkness. I had to learn that the devil heals as well as God and exists. But Jesus is alive and He is our Savior. This was a difficult and hard road for me to accept, but I am now happy to be out of the influence of Reike and to be Home with Jesus. I have written this especially for all who might have been influanced through their Reiki masters, with my wrong teachings from my book. And also for all my loyal pupils/ readers, whom I couldn't reach otherwise, who might have been practicing these Christ-meditations and Reiki teachings. Out of respect and my love for you alI, I have opened a web-page so you can join me and come Home To Gods Love through Jesus, too.
With the Grace of God and through His Strength, I overcame and have a understanding about what happened and why ! It was a total surprise for me, I can tell you. Because through my recent experience with Jesus and His Word, it has been definately proven to me that Reiki was never, nor could have been used by Jesus Christ. And if you continue to keep on practicing Reiki, you will stumble over and over again like I did. No, I don't wish that to happen, so I wanted you to be warned and to encourage you to turn around and come Home to the real Jesus found in the New Testament.
Jesus is the only Way, the Truth and eternal Life. He is the Light of Salvation. With all due respect and in love I want to share this with you, because maybe you never heard of it. Again, I have written everything down step by step and it's well documented. If you have forgiven me, then trust me, so you can join me in meeting the Jesus of the New Testament.
My only wish is that you can meet God and will be blessed as I am blessed. May God bless you and in His Love give you the freedom to comprehend on the deepest levels, the Truth that is in Christ. That He blesses you with the needed Strength and wisdom, to come Home in His Grace, in Jesus Name. Another exellent website is http://www.reikidangers.eu. This much spoken of Christian site, is made from practical Reiki-experiences, by Christian ministers and it's is Biblical. I was shocked the first time, too, and surprised. But this will clearly reveal the demonical influence behind Reiki and the truth about Reiki and Jesus. When I read it, it scared me. I was sad but after a little while I recognized the truth and my blindness towards Reiki. God really wanted that I made up my mind and came to some conclusions in my life. I received the information about the demonic side of Reiki with a open heart, then Jesus saved me and has set me free.
Praise the Lord, more and more saved Reikians are putting their stories on the internet, or radio even on the GodTV. You can see more and more people saved out of the darkness of the occult, like Reiki. They confirm my story as well. Jesus is alive and still the same Savioer as before. If you like to read more why Reiki is demonic from the testimonies of ex-Reikians from all over the world go to: www.reikidemons.com.
No day has passed yet, that I wasn't grateful to Him, thank you, Lord Jesus.
Ps.16-2,5,6; "I say to the Lord, You are my Lord; My goodness extends not to Thee....The Lord is my chosen and assigned cup: You hold and maintain my lot. The lines have fallen for me in good places; yes I have a good heritage."
WRITER'S CONCLUSION: God created us to know Him personally! Jesus Christ is Gods only provision for mankind sins and it is through Him alone. Jesus rose from the dead after the Cross. We must recieve Jesus individually as our Saviour and Lord, so we can expieriance God's Love personally.
This far surpasses any spiritual Reiki expierance and you can recieve Christ right now by faith, through prayer and have eternal Life and become a new creation in Him, by renouncing, repenting and accepting His sacrefice on the Cross. You can be blessed with the biggest blessing on earth, redemption in God's Grace, in Jesus Name
God changed my life totally, He improved it, blessed and forgave me! Only now, I know exactly the why and how, because "I've bin there and done it". I once was a Reikimaster for many years and now a re-born Christian. I am now "Free from Reiki" and wanted to share that Jesus Christ and Reiki have nothing in common. On the contary, the final proof is that the power of Reiki left me completly and the Reiki symbols ceased working after I've got baptized and repented of my sins. If Reiki was of God, Reiki would have stayed or been enhanced, but no: Reiki flows no more, it is gone, glory to God!! So, with Reiki flowing the coming to the true God is impossible. There is only one way to come Home to God and that is through the acceptance of Jesus Christ Himself as your Lord and Savior. Then you become free of your sins by His Cross. Free from Reiki is only possible by following Jesus. Let Reiki go and become a true Christian. You will need experienced disciples of Jesus to pray for you and maybe you will need a deliverance from the power of Reiki, in Jesus Name. But I can truly recommend it. What a special path it is, walking together with Jesus in all intimitacy in your life according to His teachings and Word. I tell you, there is nothing like it, praise God.
Fortunately enough, but after many de-tours my path ended with the true God, only in a total different manner that I could have dreamed of. But eventually, I came to God Himself, through Jesus ... wow Glory to God!! The Reiki-book served its purpose and was the beginning for me and led me on and on, but ultimately, I found that the deeper Truth of God is found in Christ Jesus.
Was this teaching book "With Reiki Flowing to God" a true manual to reach God? No, it deceived me too, so it was not, and is not really a true manual for reaching God. I am sorry. Please forgive me! In the Bible it is written in 1John 1 v.9: ¨If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness¨ So I am asking you, please forgive me......as I have forgiven you and have asked God to forgive me.
But for me it was necessary to go this way and to learn what was from God and what was not from Him, what is the Light and what is the darkness. I had to learn that the devil heals as well as God and exists. But Jesus is alive and He is our Savior. This was a difficult and hard road for me to accept, but I am now happy to be out of the influence of Reike and to be Home with Jesus. I have written this especially for all who might have been influanced through their Reiki masters, with my wrong teachings from my book. And also for all my loyal pupils/ readers, whom I couldn't reach otherwise, who might have been practicing these Christ-meditations and Reiki teachings. Out of respect and my love for you alI, I have opened a web-page so you can join me and come Home To Gods Love through Jesus, too.
With the Grace of God and through His Strength, I overcame and have a understanding about what happened and why ! It was a total surprise for me, I can tell you. Because through my recent experience with Jesus and His Word, it has been definately proven to me that Reiki was never, nor could have been used by Jesus Christ. And if you continue to keep on practicing Reiki, you will stumble over and over again like I did. No, I don't wish that to happen, so I wanted you to be warned and to encourage you to turn around and come Home to the real Jesus found in the New Testament.
Jesus is the only Way, the Truth and eternal Life. He is the Light of Salvation. With all due respect and in love I want to share this with you, because maybe you never heard of it. Again, I have written everything down step by step and it's well documented. If you have forgiven me, then trust me, so you can join me in meeting the Jesus of the New Testament.
My only wish is that you can meet God and will be blessed as I am blessed. May God bless you and in His Love give you the freedom to comprehend on the deepest levels, the Truth that is in Christ. That He blesses you with the needed Strength and wisdom, to come Home in His Grace, in Jesus Name. Another exellent website is http://www.reikidangers.eu. This much spoken of Christian site, is made from practical Reiki-experiences, by Christian ministers and it's is Biblical. I was shocked the first time, too, and surprised. But this will clearly reveal the demonical influence behind Reiki and the truth about Reiki and Jesus. When I read it, it scared me. I was sad but after a little while I recognized the truth and my blindness towards Reiki. God really wanted that I made up my mind and came to some conclusions in my life. I received the information about the demonic side of Reiki with a open heart, then Jesus saved me and has set me free.
Praise the Lord, more and more saved Reikians are putting their stories on the internet, or radio even on the GodTV. You can see more and more people saved out of the darkness of the occult, like Reiki. They confirm my story as well. Jesus is alive and still the same Savioer as before. If you like to read more why Reiki is demonic from the testimonies of ex-Reikians from all over the world go to: www.reikidemons.com.
No day has passed yet, that I wasn't grateful to Him, thank you, Lord Jesus.
Ps.16-2,5,6; "I say to the Lord, You are my Lord; My goodness extends not to Thee....The Lord is my chosen and assigned cup: You hold and maintain my lot. The lines have fallen for me in good places; yes I have a good heritage."
WRITER'S CONCLUSION: God created us to know Him personally! Jesus Christ is Gods only provision for mankind sins and it is through Him alone. Jesus rose from the dead after the Cross. We must recieve Jesus individually as our Saviour and Lord, so we can expieriance God's Love personally.
This far surpasses any spiritual Reiki expierance and you can recieve Christ right now by faith, through prayer and have eternal Life and become a new creation in Him, by renouncing, repenting and accepting His sacrefice on the Cross. You can be blessed with the biggest blessing on earth, redemption in God's Grace, in Jesus Name
Dear Jesus, I believe you are the Son of God. Please come into my heart and give me the free gift of eternal life. Reiki in the end has not helped me. Free me from its grip and cleanse me by your Holy Spirit. Wash me and make me new, In Jesus´ name I pray!
Reiki and Christianity: Are They Compatible?
http://reikiandchristianity.wordpress.com/
MY STORY
Comments are now only possible under this ‘My Story’ post because I want to keep them all together in one place.
The story that follows details my personal experience of reiki. It is the reason that I have come to believe so very strongly that reiki healing is not compatible with the Christian faith. My story though – whether you believe it or not – is not the important part of this blog. The really important part is the sidebar with all the links to sites belonging to people far more articulate than me, giving information about the Christian view on reiki. Please do peruse the links and absorb the information in them.
Although I am a Catholic, I have included several links to sites belonging to members of other Christian denominations, as the belief that reiki is wrong is not exclusive to the Catholic faith.
When I married my husband, his oldest sister (I will call her Ann here, although that is not her real name) lived abroad – somewhere very exotic – so I did not even meet her until our son was a baby and she returned to the U.K. after the break-up of her marriage. Unfortunately, during the whole of the time I knew her Ann’s health was never all that good, as a result of a disease she acquired when living in the aforementioned exotic place. In a quest to find answers to her health problems, she became very interested in alternative remedies and therapies. She was always on (what seemed to me to be) weird and wonderful diets. And her latest ‘thing’ was always the one that was definitely going to cure all her ills, once and for all!
In August 1999, while my husband and I were in Greece celebrating our silver wedding anniversary, our daughter also visited Greece for the first time. You may well have heard of the island she went to – Skyros – because its holistic, New Age-ish holidays in an idyllic setting on a small Greek island have been well publicised since they began in 1979. By and large, our daughter had a good time there, despite most of the other people on the holiday being a good deal older than her. When she returned from her trip, she told us that she had been initiated into some weird kind of New Age healing therapy that we had never heard of at the time. By coincidence, shortly after our daughter’s trip, Ann also started to talk about this therapy with great enthusiasm – and was extremely surprised to find that our daughter had already become involved in it. Thus it was that we first came to hear about reiki – a therapy which, at that time, was not at all widely known.
Ann continued to be very enthusistic about reiki – and would sometimes use this therapy on various family members during get-togethers, although I myself was never offered it. We were all a bit puzzled by this strange procedure. All Ann did really was hold her hands over whichever part of the body needed healing, so it seemed pretty harmless. The recipients – my husband included – swore that the reiki treatment made the part of the body being treated (usually backs, shoulders. etc.) feel incredibly warm though.
In November 2001, when joining my gym for the first time, I discovered that my blood pressure was high and this sent me into a bit of a panic! As a result, my husband took me round to Ann’s for a bit of advice, as she was well known to be an expert on health matters. She put me on the blood group diet and swore that my BP would come down fairly quickly. She also gave me my first ever session of reiki. Unfortunately, neither the reiki or the diet (which I stuck to faithfully) had much effect on either my BP or my weight. All the diet did was upset my stomach really badly, probably because of all the soya included in it. After Christmas, I came off the diet altogether.
This was not the end of my problems by any means, because at the beginning of February 2002 I was diagnosed with cancer of the womb. The diagnosis was a shock to me, because I thought my extremely mild symptoms were just due to a return of a hormonal problem I had had in the early 90′s. As I had ignored these symptoms for a while (and cancelled my original hospital appointment in October to go away with my daughter and celebrate her 21st birthday with her at a health farm), I was at first convinced that the cancer must have spread: everything seemed very bleak and hopeless.
A reiki practitioner is said to often be able to pick up unknown health problems in the person they are treating, but Ann had never found any problem in my womb area. I have to say also that I personally never felt any warmth – or indeed, anything at all – during the sessions. Once I was diagnosed with cancer though, Ann tried to get us to agree to do a ‘Reiki 1′ course so that we would then all be able to give me reiki (she included my daughter in this, although she had already been initiated in Skyros, apparently just in case she had not been ‘done’ properly). To my great surprise, my husband agreed!
Now, at the time we really knew very little about the rights and wrongs of reiki, from a Christian/Catholic point of view. I knew that my husband, being from a very traditional Catholic family was a bit nervous of it, despite submitting to some mini therapy sessions at family gatherings! I, on the other hand, considered that I was this modern, forward -thinking Catholic who was not prejudiced about such things! I actually quite liked the idea of a coming-together of different cultures through this therapy. Ann – a Catholic herself, although sadly cut-off from receiving the sacraments as a result of her divorce – seemed to have no problem at all marrying the two. She told us that reiki is not itself a religion – and that there was a nun not too far from here who practised it (apparently true, although this was certainly not sanctioned by her fellow nuns). We were also told about a book which reported that the pope approved of reiki - although all reference to this fact was eventually removed from the book in question!
Anyway, my husband agreed to Ann’s suggestion and we enrolled on a 2-day reiki course which took place in a house somewhere right out in the Sussex countryside. As I indicated before, I was surprised that my husband agreed – I think that he was really very unsure, but agreed to it for my sake. Remember, this was a very hard time for all of us because of my recent cancer diagnosis – and we were really very much rushed into this thing, without truly having time to think about it in great depth.
The day before the course started, I heard that my cancer did not appear to have spread – so I was in a very calm, happy mood on the day of the course. We spent the first morning just talking and getting to know the other people. Hubby asked lots of questions about the source of the ’power’ behind reiki – but wasn’t really happy about the vague answers he was given. Ann (by then training to be a reiki master herself) obviously had a vague idea about it coming fron God – although belief in God is definitely not a pre-requisite of doing the course. Anyone and everyone can become a reiki practioner!
I think we probably were most concerned when we learned that the course involved a set of four attunements during which the reiki master who was performing the ceremony traced symbols over our heads while we held our hands together as if in prayer. We were not shown these symbols, or allowed to know what they represented (although, if you google them, you will be able to see them on various sites). I myself was still on a high following my scan results of the day before and remained calm and peaceful, although my husband was very nervous and recited the prayers of the rosary throughout the attunements. I personally am very bad at saying the rosary, it is a very difficult prayer: I do believe though that it is a very powerful prayer for times of trouble and especially powerful against any kind of evil. (You may have heard of the rosary as a repetition of the ‘Hail Mary’ prayer, but in fact the main object of the rosary is to meditate on different events in the life of Christ whilst repeating the prescribed prayers. I am not very good at doing both things at once, which is why I find the rosary so hard).
Anyway, I cannot remember whether it was during the first or second attunement, but there we were all quietly lined up on our chairs awaiting our turn. My husband was not next to me, but when it was his turn I suddenly became aware of a big disturbance and heard him shout out “No, no.” I had no idea what was going on, but saw that he then sat down on a sofa while the rest of the people were dealt with. Afterwards, I went straight over to him and have honestly never seen him look so pale and awful. Later I found out that he had had a strange experience indeed during the attunement: he had seen a very, very vivid image of Christ on the cross. What he said was most notable about the image was the fact that he saw copious amounts of blood dripping down from Jesus’ body. He said it was a very horrible, powerful image of Christ’s terrible suffering.
Now, many people reading this will no doubt conclude that the image was conceived from my husband’s imagination as a result of his fear. No doubt the usual things about Catholic guilt and repression will come out. My view is that, although my husband was definitely nervous about what was happening, he is not somebody who would imagine himself seeing visions or similar things. I believe that he actually saw what he said and did not imagine it.
The reiki experts will actually tell you that having some kind of religious experience during the reiki initiation process is by no means at all unusual- and that such experiences are very varied and relate to the candidate’s own personal belief system. So, presumably a Hindu might see the elephant god and a Buddhist might perhaps see a few buddhas floating around! For a Christian though, seeing that awful image of Christ with the blood dripping from him so copiously is really never going to endear a Christian to the practice of reiki. Surely it doesn’t take a lot of intelligence to see that? I say this because, sadly, my husband’s sister could never really understand this and it caused problems in their relationship until the time she died. But I am jumping ahead of myself.
You might find it hard to believe after what I have told you, but we actually continued the course to its end, even going back again for the second day. Frankly, I cannot really believe now that we did so! There were a number of things at play here: my husband was anxious not to scare my daughter and – to be honest – we really couldn’t take in what had happened. It was beyond our comprehension – especially coming so soon after my cancer diagnosis, when our minds were all at sixes and sevens anyway. My husband did try to ring up a couple of priests on the Sunday morning, before the second day of the course – but frankly the responses he got from them were pathetically uninformed! (One was more interested in the fact that he was missing his breakfast!) And so, we completed the course.
I have not mentioned the experiences of my daughter and myself during our own attunements. My daughter described having a very strong feeling of something happening to her – and the reiki master remarked that ‘something big’ was going on in her head. I think he believed that she was going to make a great healer. My reaction to my attunements was actually very interesting though: although I kept the great feeling of peace that was with me throughout the day, I decided to pray and – as an insurance policy I suppose, just in case reiki really was suspect in some way, I said the name of Jesus 3 times because I suddenly recalled that I had heard that this was very powerful against evil. Up to the point when I said ‘Jesus, Jesus, Jesus’ I had felt nothing at all, except for a continuation of my feeling of peace. I swear to you that I had no belief or expectation that the recitation of these words would have any effect at all, so I was really surprised when I became aware of a feeling of something coming to an abrupt halt in my head. It was actually one of the strangest things I have ever felt – because, how could something come to a halt when I had not been aware of anything happening in the first place? I remained peaceful and unworried though – and, in spite of my husband’s experience, I wanted to continue with the course. I had cancer, I wanted to be cured…… and the feeling of peace stayed with me.
So, we continued to the conclusion of the course and my husband had no further strange experiences during the remaining attunements. All three of us were fine, although one of the other girls (now training to be a reiki master herself, I believe) had to rush out to the loo at the end to be sick (again, apparently a very common occurrence). We were then invited to practice our new gift on each other. Everything was fine, although I really did not know what I was doing when I tried to practice reiki; I felt nothing! I somehow got the impression – through a look that passed between the reiki master and Ann – that he had a degree of doubt about whether I had been initiated properly. I have no real proof of that though.
In the week that followed, all three of us began to test out our new skills – even my husband, who very much scared a guy at work who ran out of the room when he felt the heat from my husband’s hands (the memory of this now quite amuses my husband – not least because this particular guy ended up in prison for swindling both their workplace and a few of his colleagues out of substantial amounts of money – but I digress!). Gradually though, the events of the weekend began to be absorbed and the doubts grew more and more, especially for my husband. At the time, he was attending an inter-denominational prayer group at work. My husband was the only Catholic there. The group was run by a lovely lady (who sadly died a year or so ago) and when my husband told her about the reiki, she was very dubious about it. She suggested that they all pray for a sign – and immediately every single person in the group started to experience an overwhelming feeling of nausea.
This proved to be the final straw for my husband – who immediately started to contact priests, monks, anybody he could find who might know something! As for me, I was by then not at all sure what to think, but I decided that I didn’t want the hassle of carrying on with something my husband was now so much against. ” And anyway,” I said to God, ” I want to do the right thing. I don’t even want to risk the possibility of doing something that might be against You.”
It is hard to describe the moment I made that decision to have nothing further to do with reiki. Somehow, I knew immediately – without doubt – that I had made the right decision. There weren’t exactly trumpets blowing and bells ringing and no mystical voice came from the sky to tell me that I have made the right choice – but all these things might just have well have happened to me! All I can say is that it was a moment that I will always remember – and one that left me absolutely certain that reiki is not compatible with Christian beliefs. If you believe that God never ‘speaks’ to us then you are wrong! He does – but in His own way!
My husband eventually managed to find a priest who knew a little about these matters (but only because he himself was involved with Spiritualism in his youth.) We visited his church and went through a ceremony which involved him placing his hands on each of our heads individually and praying over us. Interestingly, our daughter had a similar reaction to this as she had to the reiki, feeling that something big was happening in her head. She said that she did not want the priest to remove his hands from her head. Anyway, we believe that the ceremony removed all our new reiki powers (although the reiki people will tell you that reiki is for life and nothing can ever remove it.)
As I indicated earlier, my husband’s sister Ann was not at all happy about what had happened. I think really that she never forgave us for rejecting her beloved reiki and her subsequent relationship with my husband was always a little strained. As for Ann herself, she contracted breast cancer just a couple of years later and unfortunately she chose to refuse all conventionl treatment, opting for reiki and other alternative therapies. Sadly, none of these helped her and she died in August 2007.
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Who said a Christian Can´t be a Mason? by Harmon R. Taylor
Who said a Christian
Can't be a Mason?
by
Harmon R. Taylor
The Hebrew word "Messiah" and the Greek word "Christ" both mean anointed; usually a consecrated person. When applied to Jesus, it means "God's anointed one." The Bible clearly teaches that Jesus is the Christ in many places but the most definitive statements are found in Mark 14:61, 62; Matthew 16:15-17; and John 4:25, 26.
To deny that Jesus is the Christ is to condemn oneself to eternal damnation. 1 John 2:22, 23 says, "who is the liar but the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the Antichrist, the one who denies the Father and the Son. whoever denies the Son does not have the Father, the one who confesses the Son has the Father also." Revelation 21:8 says that the unbelieving and liars will all be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone.
Masonic tradition teaches the worship of the supreme God, the Great Architect of the Universe. Who is this God? Investigate the words of Albert Pike, 33rd degree Mason and author of Morals and Dogma, p.226:"Masonry, around whose altars the Christian, the Hebrew, the Moslem, the Brahmin, the followers of Confucius and Zoroaster, can assemble as brethren and unite in prayer to the one God who is above all the Baalim, must needs leave it to each of its Initiates to look for the foundation of his faith and hope to the written scriptures of his own religion.
God teaches in Exodus 20:3-5, that "You shall have no other gods before Me, you shall not make for yourself an idol...you shall not worship them or serve them..."
In Judges 1 and 2, the Israelites did not drive out the followers of false gods and God's verdict was, "They shall become as thorns in your sides, and their gods shall be a snare to you." (Judges 2:3) God's commandment to us as Christians is not only should we not be bound together with unbelievers, (2 Corinthians 6:14-17) but we should seek to make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:19-20) by preaching the saving gospel of Jesus Christ.
Freemasonry is in direct conflict with the Bible in that Masonry condones communal worship of a generic deity: "To respect all forms of worship, to tolerate all political and religious opinions; not to blame, and still less to condemn the religion of others; not to seek to make converts; but to be content if they have the religion of Socrates; a veneration for the Creator, the religion of good works, and grateful acknowledgment of God's blessings." (Morals and Dogma, p.333)
In order for Masonry to be acceptable to all faiths, it is necessary to relegate the Bible to a position of equality among all religious books: "The Book of the Law shall be an indispensable article of the lodge furniture. This book, however, need not necessarily be the Holy Bible; but according to the religious faith of the members of the lodge. It may be the Koran, the Zend Avesta, or the Vedas or Shasters. (The Freemasons Pocket Companion, p.44-45)
This statement, by implication, makes Jehovah God one god equal to many; an interesting situation for the Masonic Christian whose all-knowing God knows of no others (Isaiah 44:8).
The final straw is laid on the proverbial camel's back when the deity of Jesus is denied by Albert Pike. On page 524 of Morals and Dogma, he states, "We do not undervalue the importance of any Truth. We utter no word that can be deemed irreverent by anyone of any faith.
(Jesus, in John 14:6, declares Himself to be the Truth, exclusively.) In the same paragraph, Pike make the blasphemous statement,"And as little do we tell the sincere Christian that Jesus of Nazareth was but a man like us, or His history but the unreal revival of an older legend."
In one paragraph, he destroys the very foundation of Christian beliefs and then, as if he was totally oblivious to his own writings, states on the facing page, "Thus Masonry disbelieves no truth, and teaches unbelief in no creed, except so far as such creed may lower its lofty estimate of the Deity, degrade Him to the level of the passions of humanity" (Morals and Dogma, p.525)
The Gospel of the Bible is a gift to us from God and available to all who simply believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Redeemer, the one who died for sins and is resurrected. Christianity does not require a special meeting place to conduct secret rituals that are sealed with blood oaths. (Matthew 5:34-37; Luke 12:1-3) At your next lodge meeting, ask yourself if you are worshiping the Great Architect of the Universe, the God of all religions, or are you truly worshiping Jehovah God, the one true God of the Bible. If your answer is the latter, then you must ask yourself if your presence in the lodge is truly honoring and glorifying your God.
In answer to the question, "Who said a Christian can't be a Mason?", a modern paraphrase could be made from the words of God's prophet Elijah: "How long will you go limping with two different opinions? If the Lord is God, follow Him; but if the "Great Architect of the Universe" is God, follow him." (1 Kings 18:21)
And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name (besides Jesus) under heaven given among men by which we must be saved. He who has ears to hear, let him hear. (Acts 4:12; Mark 4:9) mason4.htm
Monday, July 9, 2012
Augustine of Hippo, Quotations from "Confessions"
"For great are you, Lord, and you look kindly on what is humble, but the lofty-minded you regard from afar. Only to those whose hearts are crushed do you draw close. You will not let yourself be found by the proud, nor even by those who in their inquisitive skill count stars or grains of sand, or measure the expanses of heaven, or trace the paths of the planets.”
― Augustine of Hippo, Confessions
“Too late came I to love you, O Beauty both so ancient and so new! Too late came I to love you - and behold you were with me all the time . . .”
― Augustine of Hippo, Les Confessions
“Give me yourself, O my God, give yourself back to me. Lo, I love you, but if my love is too mean, let me love more passionately. I cannot gauge my love, nor know how far it fails, how much more love I need for my life to set its course straight into your arms, never swerving until hidden in the covert of your face. This alone I know, that without you all to me is misery, woe outside myself and woe within, and all wealth but penury, if it is not my God.”
― Augustine of Hippo, Confessions
“No one knows what he himself is made of, except his own spirit within him, yet there is still some part of him which remains hidden even from his own spirit; but you, Lord, know everything about a human being because you have made him...Let me, then, confess what I know about myself, and confess too what I do not know, because what I know of myself I know only because you shed light on me, and what I do not know I shall remain ignorant about until my darkness becomes like bright noon before your face.”
― Augustine of Hippo, Confessions
“I recall how miserable I was, and how one day you brought me to a realization of my miserable state. I was preparing to deliver a eulogy upon the emperor in which I would tell plenty of lies with the object of winning favor with the well-informed by my lying; so my heart was panting with anxiety and seething with feverish, corruptive thoughts. As I passed through a certain district in Milan I noticed a poor beggar, drunk, as I believe, and making merry. I groaned and pointed out to the friends who were with me how many hardships our idiotic enterprises entailed. Goaded by greed, I was dragging my load of unhappiness along, and feeling it all the heavier for being dragged. Yet while all our efforts were directed solely to the attainment of unclouded joy, it appeared that this beggar had already beaten us to the goal, a goal which we would perhaps never reach ourselves. With the help of the few paltry coins he had collected by begging this man was enjoying the temporal happiness for which I strove by so bitter, devious and roundabout a contrivance. His joy was no true joy, to be sure, but what I was seeking in my ambition was a joy far more unreal; and he was undeniably happy while I was full of foreboding; he was carefree, I apprehensive. If anyone had questioned me as to whether I would rather be exhilarated or afraid, I would of course have replied, "Exhilarated"; but if the questioner had pressed me further, asking whether I preferred to be like the beggar, or to be as I was then, I would have chosen to be myself, laden with anxieties and fears. Surely that would have been no right choice, but a perverse one? I could not have preferred my condition to his on the grounds that I was better educated, because that fact was not for me a source of joy but only the means by which I sought to curry favor with human beings: I was not aiming to teach them but only to win their favor.”
― Augustine of Hippo, Confessions
“Belatedly I loved thee, O Beauty so ancient and so new, belatedly I loved thee. For see, thou wast within and I was without, and I sought thee out there. Unlovely, I rushed heedlessly among the lovely things thou hast made. Thou wast with me, but I was not with thee. These things kept me far from thee; even though they were not at all unless they were in thee. Thou didst call and cry aloud, and didst force open my deafness. Thou didst gleam and shine, and didst chase away my blindness. Thou didst breathe fragrant odors and I drew in my breath; and now I pant for thee. I tasted, and now I hunger and thirst. Thou didst touch me, and I burned for thy peace.”
― Augustine of Hippo, Confessions
― Augustine of Hippo, Confessions
“Too late came I to love you, O Beauty both so ancient and so new! Too late came I to love you - and behold you were with me all the time . . .”
― Augustine of Hippo, Les Confessions
“Give me yourself, O my God, give yourself back to me. Lo, I love you, but if my love is too mean, let me love more passionately. I cannot gauge my love, nor know how far it fails, how much more love I need for my life to set its course straight into your arms, never swerving until hidden in the covert of your face. This alone I know, that without you all to me is misery, woe outside myself and woe within, and all wealth but penury, if it is not my God.”
― Augustine of Hippo, Confessions
“No one knows what he himself is made of, except his own spirit within him, yet there is still some part of him which remains hidden even from his own spirit; but you, Lord, know everything about a human being because you have made him...Let me, then, confess what I know about myself, and confess too what I do not know, because what I know of myself I know only because you shed light on me, and what I do not know I shall remain ignorant about until my darkness becomes like bright noon before your face.”
― Augustine of Hippo, Confessions
“I recall how miserable I was, and how one day you brought me to a realization of my miserable state. I was preparing to deliver a eulogy upon the emperor in which I would tell plenty of lies with the object of winning favor with the well-informed by my lying; so my heart was panting with anxiety and seething with feverish, corruptive thoughts. As I passed through a certain district in Milan I noticed a poor beggar, drunk, as I believe, and making merry. I groaned and pointed out to the friends who were with me how many hardships our idiotic enterprises entailed. Goaded by greed, I was dragging my load of unhappiness along, and feeling it all the heavier for being dragged. Yet while all our efforts were directed solely to the attainment of unclouded joy, it appeared that this beggar had already beaten us to the goal, a goal which we would perhaps never reach ourselves. With the help of the few paltry coins he had collected by begging this man was enjoying the temporal happiness for which I strove by so bitter, devious and roundabout a contrivance. His joy was no true joy, to be sure, but what I was seeking in my ambition was a joy far more unreal; and he was undeniably happy while I was full of foreboding; he was carefree, I apprehensive. If anyone had questioned me as to whether I would rather be exhilarated or afraid, I would of course have replied, "Exhilarated"; but if the questioner had pressed me further, asking whether I preferred to be like the beggar, or to be as I was then, I would have chosen to be myself, laden with anxieties and fears. Surely that would have been no right choice, but a perverse one? I could not have preferred my condition to his on the grounds that I was better educated, because that fact was not for me a source of joy but only the means by which I sought to curry favor with human beings: I was not aiming to teach them but only to win their favor.”
― Augustine of Hippo, Confessions
“Belatedly I loved thee, O Beauty so ancient and so new, belatedly I loved thee. For see, thou wast within and I was without, and I sought thee out there. Unlovely, I rushed heedlessly among the lovely things thou hast made. Thou wast with me, but I was not with thee. These things kept me far from thee; even though they were not at all unless they were in thee. Thou didst call and cry aloud, and didst force open my deafness. Thou didst gleam and shine, and didst chase away my blindness. Thou didst breathe fragrant odors and I drew in my breath; and now I pant for thee. I tasted, and now I hunger and thirst. Thou didst touch me, and I burned for thy peace.”
― Augustine of Hippo, Confessions
