Is Reiki Against Christianity? A Christian Reiki Master's Perspective

Today, something happened at Bible study that made me reflect deeply on my Reiki practice.

My Reiki practice was put in the spotlight.

There were attempts to convince me that what I practice is incompatible with my faith. I was asked to reconsider it, to see it as something outside of God, perhaps even something dangerous.

And I understand where the concern comes from.

There is a lot of misunderstanding around Reiki.

So I found myself explaining what Reiki actually is.

But before I explain Reiki, I want to make something very clear.

I believe in God.

Not “the universe” as a replacement for God.

Not multiple gods.

Not a collection of spiritual beings that I worship.

I believe in God the Father.

I believe in Jesus Christ.

I believe in the Holy Spirit.

There is no other God I believe in.

And I am not ashamed to say that.

Reiki Is Not My God

One of the biggest misconceptions about Reiki is that Reiki itself is a religion.

It isn't.

Reiki originated in Japan, through Mikao Usui's teachings, and because of its Japanese and spiritual roots, it is sometimes immediately placed into the category of “occult,” “New Age,” or “Eastern religion.”

Sometimes the mere presence of words that aren't found in the Bible is enough for people to become uncomfortable.

I understand the desire to protect one's faith.

But I also believe we need to be careful about confusing something we don't understand with something that is against God.

Reiki is not my God.

I don't pray to Reiki.

I don't worship Reiki.

I don't ask Reiki for salvation.

I don't believe Reiki replaces Jesus Christ.

For me, Reiki is a practice of connecting with the Divine through intention, stillness, presence, and the laying on of hands.

And the God I turn toward is the God I have always believed in.

The First Step Is Connection

At the heart of my Reiki practice is connection.

Connection with God.

Connection with the life that God created.

Connection with ourselves.

Connection with other people.

Before Reiki became a profession for me, before I became a Reiki Master, before I facilitated sessions and taught students, Reiki gave me something very simple:

a way to become still enough to experience God.

Not just talk about God.

Not just read about God.

Not just hear someone else tell me what God is like.

Experience God.

And that distinction matters to me.

Because faith can sometimes become intellectual.

We learn the right words.

We memorize Scripture.

We learn theology.

We debate doctrine.

We learn how to explain God.

But there is another dimension of faith that is harder to put into words.

The experience of being still.

The experience of surrender.

The experience of love.

The experience of peace.

The experience of gratitude.

The experience of knowing that you are not alone.

That is what Reiki has given me.

But Aren't These Christian Values?

One of the things I find interesting about Reiki is its foundational precepts.

The Reiki principles, as commonly practiced, encourage us to live with:

Peace.

Trust.

Gratitude.

Diligent work.

Kindness and compassion toward others.

And I can't help but ask:

Are these values foreign to Christianity?

Jesus taught us to love.

Scripture repeatedly speaks of gratitude.

We are called to trust God.

We are encouraged to live peacefully and to work faithfully.

We are called to treat others with love and compassion.

The language may be different.

The cultural context may be different.

The practice may have originated somewhere outside the Christian tradition.

But does that automatically make every value within it anti-Christian?

I don't believe so.

God Is Bigger Than Our Vocabulary

Perhaps this is where I differ from some of my fellow Christians.

I don't believe God is limited by the words we use to describe Him.

God is omnipresent.

God is not confined to a church building.

God is not confined to a particular culture.

God is not confined to one language.

And God certainly does not become less God simply because another culture uses different words to describe spiritual experiences.

This doesn't mean that every spiritual practice is automatically compatible with Christianity.

Discernment matters.

Our beliefs matter.

What we worship matters.

What we place our faith in matters.

But discernment should not mean immediately rejecting something simply because it is unfamiliar.

“It isn't in the Bible” and “it is against God” are not automatically the same statement.

Sometimes, we need to ask better questions.

What does this practice actually teach?

What does the practitioner actually believe?

What is being worshipped?

What is the intention behind the practice?

What fruits does it produce in a person's life?

And perhaps most importantly:

Where does it lead your heart?

Reiki Led Me Closer to God

For me, Reiki has never replaced my relationship with God.

It has deepened it.

It has taught me surrender.

It has taught me presence.

It has taught me gratitude.

It has taught me to become quiet enough to listen.

It has taught me to recognize that healing isn't always about fixing something.

Sometimes healing is simply creating enough space to allow God's love to be felt.

This is why I continue to practice Reiki.

Not because I have abandoned my faith.

Because my faith is part of who I am.

I practice Reiki as a Christian.

I pray.

I believe in Jesus.

I believe in the Holy Spirit.

And when I place my hands on someone in a Reiki session, my intention is not to introduce them to another god.

My intention is to serve.

To be present.

To hold space.

To allow love, compassion, peace, and healing to move through the experience.

I don't claim to be God.

I don't claim to perform miracles.

And I don't believe Reiki replaces prayer, medicine, Scripture, or faith.

I simply know what I have experienced.

And what I have experienced is profound.

Maybe We Don't Have to Be Afraid

I don't expect every Christian to practice Reiki.

I don't expect every Christian to believe what I believe about it.

And I respect that some people will come to a different conclusion through their own discernment and theology.

But I hope we can have these conversations without immediately demonizing what we don't understand.

Because sometimes, we become so protective of our understanding of God that we accidentally make God smaller.

We become allergic to words that aren't in the Bible.

We become suspicious of anything that comes from another culture.

We assume that if something isn't explicitly Christian, it must therefore be anti-Christian.

But what if God is bigger than our categories?

What if God is present in places we haven't learned to recognize Him yet?

What if another person's spiritual vocabulary doesn't have to threaten our own?

For me, Reiki is not another God.

It is not my religion.

It is not a replacement for Jesus Christ.

It is simply one of the ways I have learned to become still, to serve, to love, and to experience the presence of God.

And perhaps that is the part I wish people understood most.

I don't practice Reiki because I found something better than God.

I practice Reiki because, through it, I experienced God in a way I had never experienced Him before.

Not just in words.

Not just in ideas.

But in stillness.

In love.

In surrender.

In service.

In action.

Every day.

And for me, that experience has only made my faith more alive.

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Frequently Asked Questions About Reiki and Christianity

Is Reiki against Christianity?

There is no single Christian consensus about Reiki. Some Christians believe Reiki is incompatible with Christian faith because of its Japanese spiritual origins and associations with energy healing. Other Christians practice or receive Reiki without considering it a replacement for their relationship with God.

As a Christian Reiki practitioner, I do not worship Reiki or consider it another god. My faith remains centered on God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit.

Can Christians practice Reiki?

Some Christians do practice Reiki, while others choose not to because of theological concerns about energy healing and its spiritual origins. Whether a Christian can practice Reiki is ultimately a matter of personal faith, conscience, and theological discernment.

For me, Reiki does not replace my Christian faith. It is a practice through which I experience stillness, service, compassion, and connection with God.

Is Reiki a religion?

No. Reiki is not a religion in itself. It is a Japanese spiritual and healing practice associated with Mikao Usui. Reiki practitioners may hold different religious beliefs, and practicing Reiki does not require membership in a particular religion.

Is Reiki occult?

Reiki is sometimes described as occult or New Age because it involves concepts such as energy and spiritual healing. However, Reiki practitioners do not all share the same beliefs or religious framework.

It is important to distinguish between Reiki as a practice and the individual beliefs of a particular Reiki practitioner.

Does Reiki involve worshipping another god?

Not necessarily. Reiki itself is not a god, and Reiki practitioners do not universally worship another deity.

In my own practice, I believe in God the Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit. Reiki is not an object of worship for me.

What are the Reiki principles?

The five Reiki principles are commonly expressed as:

• Just for today, do not be angry.

• Just for today, do not worry.

• Be grateful.

• Do your work honestly and diligently.

• Be kind to others.

These principles encourage qualities such as peace, trust, gratitude, personal responsibility, and compassion.

Can Reiki replace prayer or Christianity?

No. Reiki should not be presented as a replacement for Christian faith, prayer, Scripture, or a relationship with Jesus Christ.

In my practice, Reiki and my Christian faith occupy different roles. My faith is my faith. Reiki is a practice through which I cultivate presence, service, compassion, and connection.

Can someone be Christian and practice Reiki?

Yes, there are Christians who practice Reiki. However, Christians have different theological perspectives on Reiki, and some believe the practice conflicts with their faith.

My experience is that practicing Reiki has not pulled me away from God. Instead, it has given me another way to experience stillness, surrender, love, gratitude, and God's presence.