Another Repackaged Thing

They call it 'the gift and skill of healing hands within the Christian Tradition.' I had no idea this was being taught in a local church until someone e-mailed me a link this morning. This is what the website says:

Healing Pathway – people who have taken a Healing Pathway workshop meet with others to practice this ancient art of healing

It's not the only United Church that teaches this. After a quick search, it looks like this is in every United Church across Canada. Why? And what is it?

Here's what it's about:

HEALING PATHWAY
(stegennys.org)

Symbols such as Prayer, Laying on of Hands, Touch, and Anointing with Oil are genuine instruments of healing that can open us to a power which medical science, by itself, does not possess. In practicing this healing, we are reclaiming the healing ministry Jesus taught his disciples.

HEALING PATHWAY training has been offered at the United Church of Canada's Naramata Centre in Naramata, British Columbia, and within congregations since 1993. This program has roots in - and is affiliated with - Healing Touch International, and Healing Touch techniques are similar to those used in Therapeutic Touch and adapted for this United Church program.

Meanwhile, may it be noted that at the Naramata Book Store you will find books by Marcus Borg, Eckhart Tolle, and Thich Nhat Hanh, Carolyn Myss and Ken Wilber. Also listed are events and things like Godly Play Training the Trainers -a contemporary and accessible version of the ancient spiritual practice of lectio divina. And Gathered at the Pool of God, where “people of diverse faith traditions come together to share their sacred stories, practices and beliefs, it is as though they gather at a pool. Come, drink deeply and feel your thirst for new awareness and knowledge satisfied in respectful sharing and in the presence of Spirit. Our three teachers from the traditions of Judaism, Christianity and Islam will create a space for listening and learning more about their three religions.”

As any Christian can see, the spirituality of the Naramata Center is far from being biblical, yet the United Church claims the healing method taught there is an ancient Christian tradition. So what exactly happens at a Healing Pathways session? One United Church describes this (here):

At a session, you will be attended by two volunteers who will explain the procedure fully and proceed only when you are comfortable. It can be conducted seated or lying (fully clothed) on a cushioned healing table. Those attending you will guide their hands in a sequence along your body, either with their hands touching you or with them some distance away - as you choose. They will invite God's healing energy to fill every cell with light peace and healing power. The one-hour session closes with a blessing and a prayer for continued healing. We believe it is God's love that has the power to heal.

Compare this with the description at Healing Pathways International of Reiki (HERE).

The Healing Pathways workshops are not a Christian thing, but simply Reiki - repackaged and given a Christian name. There is healing power in Reiki, but it is not from God. READ the truth about the dangers of Reiki here:

*REIKI: HEALING WITH THE FORCE
by Marcia Montenegro
cana.userworld.com

*Reiki. What is it?
lighthousetrailsresearch.com

*Reiki Dangers
www.reikidangers.eu