I've had recent brushes with Christians who both perform and receive these treatments. I'm standing against them in my local area but would like more info. does anyone have good info or articles on them? (Or stories of harm done through them)

I haven't looked into these but I am aware they are both founded in Eastern Mysticism. These are just as bad as Yoga.

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Jordan

If you read Brother Yun's book 'The Heavenly Man' you will find out that many Chinese evangelists are actually taught acupuncture and massage... once you have a person face down with needles in their back, you have a subdued audience to tell the Gospel to.

Acupuncture is a very big part of Chinese, Japanese and Korean culture, and is associated with medicine, not religion.

It would be a big mistake to get acupuncture and yoga mixed up. There are many Christians in Asia who use, give and receive acupuncture who are not going to go to hell for it -but if it stumbles you, I won't have it done to me, personally I don't like needles =)

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Ian Smith

I agree with Ian, many Asian people are convinced of the simple medical benefits of the practice.

There are good reasons to stay away from acupuncture.

http://www.gotquestions.org/acupuncture-Christian.html

http://www.watchman.org/profile/acupro.htm

Joe

Some interesting quotes from both of those articles,

"If the process is practiced to bring the body into the harmony of yin and yang, then it is rooted in occultism. The question becomes is it being practiced as part and parcel of the same philosophic origins of Chinese acupuncture? The answer to that question should be the guiding issue."

"Because of acupuncture's origins, many Christians may be more comfortable choosing an alternative treatment. It should be noted, however, that some reputable medical doctors reject the Taoist theories of acupuncture and have developed physiological theories that may justify its practice."

If a doctor performs the acupuncture and it works, and the doctor and patient are both atheists, is the physical benefit of the devil?

I deny the Taoist reasoning, but cannot firmly deny that there may be some physiological reason behind why it seems to work.

My comment to that would be:

If something is good, no one questions the goodness of it. There has not been an argument that I know of about whether or not it is good for a mother to take proper care of her children. Good things stand on their own and need no defence. Everyone takes it as fact that a mother taking proper care of her children is a good thing. Now others will attempt some activity that is considered questionable. Why doesn’t it just stand up as good and need no defence? The answer is that it is not good, everyone knows it, but must make an excuse for it to justify their behavior. This is one of the characteristics of the deceitfulness of sin; it must be explained away at some level to someone, but especially to self. Were acupuncture actually good, there would be no reason to defend or justify it as good, but since it is not able to stand on its own without reproach, it simply is not good.


The argument of saying that it might work is like saying because the Rick Warren philosophy fills the churches, it seems to work so why not use it.

Neither the Atheist nor the Buddhist, nor Rick Warren are servants of the most High God, their methods may have the APPEARANCE of working, but their fruit over time bears witness to the lie. Their ignorance of what they are doing in no way undoes their service to the devil. The Atheist, the Buddhist and Rick Warren could all preach from Warren's pulpit or practice acupuncture, in each case no matter the level of ignorance they had of the matters they practiced, they would be guilty of service to the devil.

According to many addicts, marijuana works well for pain too, but a quick chat with them proves it also destroys the brain and numbs the spirit to the things of God in the process.

The questions we need to ask are:
What possible benefit can acupuncture give to ones relationship to Christ?

What possible harm can it do to one's relationship to Christ? If even the possibility of the yin/yang worship exists (and it does), do we visit Baal for the cure?

If a malady is not possible to be overcome with what are proven physical means, is it God's intent that He be glorified in our suffering?

Is He trying to see whether we value our personal comfort above our testimony for Him? Will we abandan all our trust in Him to do whatever we can to relieve ourselves of our present malady?

For how many does acupuncture lead into other mystic cures? Should we recommend them to go that way?

Acupuncture fails nearly all of these tests, and is best left alone.

Joe

I listened to a sermon a few months ago titled "Dabbling in Witchcraft." I don't remember who the preacher was, but I think he was preaching at Brother Denny Kenaston's church. In the sermon he refers to reflexology and similar practices.

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tina

Tinluke - I'd be interested in that sermon if you could ever find it!

Thank you brothers for taking time to post. It has given me food for thought.

The question seems to be: Where do we draw the line? If, in our culture, a practice is linked with dodgy spiritual workings do we avoid it even if the practitioner does not use that approach and merely treats it as a relaxation therapy? Should it even be called Reflexology if they do not believe in the Spiritual aspect?

I feel that we should not accept it if the origin is from Eastern mysticism even if the 'Modern version' is trying to remove itself from that to merely a foot massage, etc..

Just putting out my thoughts for your consideration.

God bless

Here's the sermon


https://www.sermonindex.net/modules/mydownloads/viewcat.php?op=&cid=834

It's by Raymond Burkholder

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tina