A kind reader (h/t geodef) has passed on to me a really juicy item from the National Catholic Reporter about Reiki. Since I'm not much interested in alternative medicine I don't really know what Reiki is, other than it involves using a Reiki therapist's hands to pass some kind of "life energy" into an ailing part. You can imagine why I wouldn't be interested. But can you imagine why the U.S. bishops’ Committee on Doctrine would be? At first glance, the answer is truly hilarious:
A declaration by the U.S. bishops’ Committee on Doctrine that Reiki is based on superstition and incompatible with Christian faith could force scores of U.S. congregations of women religious who run Catholic retreat centers to reevaluate programs that teach or use Reiki therapy.[snip]
It says that “a Catholic who puts his or her trust in Reiki would be operating in the realm of superstition, the no-man’s-land that is neither faith nor science.”
The statement says that on the medical level, Reiki is “a technique that has no scientific support — or even plausibility.”
[snip]
Many women in Catholic religious orders have become Reiki masters or practitioners and regularly teach or practice Reiki therapy at their orders’ retreat facilities or spiritual centers around the country. A Web search showed scores of such U.S. centers as well as several retreat centers run by women religious in Canada offering similar programs. (National Catholic Reporter)
I suspect the reaction of Mrs. R. (whose Catholicism is ancient history but who still bears psychological stigmata) is typical: "What? They've got nothing better to do?" Apparently not. And it was a serious enough issue that the Committee on Doctrine issued a 6 page statement based on an "academic study" through reading and web searches. There were no interviews with any of the practitioners.
He said that the classical Reiki literature reviewed by the bishops' doctrinal committee places Reiki therapy in a philosophy and theology of "New Age pantheism hugging into the cosmic forces, that sort of thing, that has nothing to do with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It's purely a Gnostic kind of therapy."
Gnosticism refers to a number of heresies in various periods of Christian history that focus on esoteric human knowledge rather than divine grace as a source of salvation.
Yes, it's true. Not only are they still fighting ancient battles from the earliest years of the Church, they are now doing it on grounds that Reiki has no scientific support or even plausibility. Hilarious doesn't do this justice. What's that? Did I hear you ask, "what about prayer"? That's different. Entirely different:
While Christians believe in the efficacy of prayer for healing, they do so with a reliance on divine power, not with the expectation that the person engaged in invoking that power can cause the release of that power, it says.
"For Christians, the access to divine healing is by prayer to Christ as Lord and Savior, while the essence of Reiki is not a prayer but a technique that is passed down from the "Reiki master" to the pupil, a technique that once mastered will reliably produce the anticipated results," it says.
The statement says reliance on healing techniques that have no foundation either in medical science or Christian faith moves into “the realm of superstition,” which “corrupts one’s worship of God by turning one’s religious feeling and practice in a false direction.”
What's next? The Scientologists will call the Mormons a cult? My fellow science blogger, Comrade PhysioProf might say (in all seriousness): HAHAHAHA. But while Comrade PP and I might be amused, Mrs. R. wasn't laughing. She observed that the executive director of the U.S. bishops’ Secretariat for Doctrine and Pastoral Practices also said this:
He also said that “it’s obvious, isn’t it?” from Web Google searches that most of the Catholic retreat centers targeted by the doctrinal committee’s statement are run by Catholic orders of women religious [aka nuns].
Yes, it is obvious, she said. The real issue isn't Reiki. This is about a male Hierarchy trying to keep in check any demand for more power, expanded roles or increased autonomy for women in the Church.
Mrs. R. is pretty smart.
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While Christians believe in the efficacy of prayer for healing, they do so with a reliance on divine power, not with the expectation that the person engaged in invoking that power can cause the release of that power, it says.
That sounds almost Protestant! If this truly is the case, then Catholics don't need a priest to say "abracadabra" over the cookie and wine to turn them into real, actual pieces and juices of Jesus; they can do it themselves by praying.
I have to agree with Mrs. R's interpretation of the reason behind this.
While I was first concerned reading the headlines of this declaration from the Catholic powers that be, I quickly threw out the idea that it mattered. This same organization with its power to determine what people say and think tried for centuries to eradicate the scientific community altogether and now they rely on itâs lack of findings to determine what is right or wrong for millions of good people, whatâs the deal with that?
Iâm a Reiki Master as well as practicing several other modalities that might be on the radar to excommunicate. Stating I am a Christian means for me that I have a personal and intimate relationship with a Father (God) that loves me very, very much. Iâm not a pantheist nor do I follow all of the ânew ageâ philosophies. I am however free from tyrannical control of thought and belief. I donât subscribe to hierarchical manipulation though I did for much of my journey. I do believe our spiritual journey is a decidedly personal journey and that no matter where we are at on that journey the Father (God) I know can and will meet us and love us through it.
I live in a country where the idea and ideal of capitalism has been somewhat grossly distorted. As a defense mechanism I have adjusted to a little backward way of doing things such as questioning for myself what the government and other hierarchical institutions say. This backward thinking has served me well in finding wonderful ways to help people heal and facilitate healing in their life. The way I find many wonderful complementary healing modalities to investigate is to first find them on quackwatch.com and then check with my spirit. Like the many organizations that wish to control you and your thought, quackwatch lists things that are a threat to the allopathic and pharmaceutical giants that would like to rule us all. So if itâs on there, there must be (something) good about it. I say that to compare controlling societies. Iâm very close to determining this; if the Catholic Church says there is something wrong with it, there must be some good there somewhere. Hmmmm!
Blessings to each of You!
And, when these people gaze into a mirror, no one is looking back at them.
Sometimes people use Reiki or prayer and get positive results. While sometimes this is chance, it is likely that often it is a placebo effect. The placebo effect is documented but unfortunately not well studied. Since is works often enough to have to be accounted for when testing drugs and other treatments it seems like it deserves more study. Wouldn't it be nice to find out what are the best ways to gain the effect or other ways to get the body to heal itself other than duping it with prayer or sugar pills. But of course the medical profession would perhaps see some of its power lost or at least some revenue lost....seems like they have an interest in avoiding harnessing the placebo effect just like the church wants to claim its placebo (prayer) as the only valid one.
Placebo's do have side effects depending on the placebo used - not much for a sugar pill unless someone is charging you for it, more for a drug that doesn't really help but the Dr. prescribes because you WANT a pill. Alternative treatments usually cost and may keep you from getting something that really treats you. Religion costs in MANY ways. But the effectiveness of placebos point to the ability of our body to heal itself if the brain believes it is being treated - wouldn't it be nice to harness that somehow without all the hocus pocus. Time for some serious studies on placebos - know any drug company willing to fund such a study??? OTOH perhaps the only way to get the effect is by deceiving the brain and bringing the deception to light would make it disappear....?
One group of wacked out dumbfucks living in a completely bogus fantasy world getting mad at another group of wacked out dumbfucks living in a different completely bogus fantasy world: pure comedy gold.
HAHAHAHAHAH!
JT Moore: ... the idea and ideal of capitalism has been somewhat grossly distorted.
??? Capitalists use money to make money: isn't that the i & i?
... quackwatch lists things that are a threat to the allopathic and pharmaceutical giants that would like to rule us all. So if itâs on there, there must be (something) good about it.
Your thought processes seem pretty scary - did you know that?
LOL!!!
Woo condemning woo.
Priceless.
Actually there have been several scientific studies reported in peer reviewed scholarly journals which demonstrate the efficacy of Reiki. For starters see:
Brewitt, B., Vittetoe, T, and Hartwell, B., 1997. "The Efficacy of Reiki Hands-On Healing:
Improvements in spleen and nervous system function as quantified by electrodermal
screening". Alternative Therapies, July 1997, Vol.3, No.4, pg.89.
Improvement in spleen, immune, and nervous system function were quantified by electrodermal
screening, and a reduction of pain, an increase in relaxation, and more mobility was reported in
patients with chronic conditions as multiple sclerosis, lupus, fibromyalgia, thyroid goitre.
Jeanne
There is of course bad data to support a bad idea. It simply requires you to ignore all of the other studies which find it doesn't work, plus the studies that show it can't work. It also requires you to ignore physics too.
Reiki is clearly witchcraft, and catholic ladies that practise it should be excommunicated. Burned at the stake, too, but they don't do that anymore.
If I remember correctly, there are a number of studies concerning the importance of touch. Whatever Reiki is, if someone is hurting, touch can be helpful -- "Let me kiss and make it well."
There's plenty of evidence that touch, affection, and positive emotions notably including love and humor, have beneficial health effects. Reiki could be considered a ritualization of touch and positive emotional exchange.
What's going on here is exactly as Mrs. R. pointed out: it's the male Catholic hierarchy looking to enhance its own power by the continued suppression of any competition from women.
The male Catholic hierarchy have their own version of "healing touch." Just bring your child to a nearby pedophile priest, and after you discover what happened, your state of betrayal and rage will make everything else in your life seem a lot less painful by comparison.
quite odd, some comments, as if we know what consciousness is, and how immaterial thoughts cause bodily action. and for that matter, as if we know what matter really is,
or energy, for that matter. we live in a rather creative universe, a universe in which we have only recently come onto the scene.