Eastern practices

Acupuncture

Acupuncture (which literally means 'needle piercing’) is a traditional form of Chinese medicine which consists in inserting very fine needles into the skin to stimulate specific anatomic points in the body (called acupuncture points) for therapeutic purposes. The acupuncture points are stimulated to balance the movement of life energy (called qi or yin yang) in the body to restore health. The advocates of this so called medicine claim that acupuncture can be effectively used to treat emotional problems such as anxiety and depression as well as many diseases such as headaches, ulcers, digestive disorders, arthritis, sciatica, asthma, bronchitis, etc.

Acupuncture originated in China thousands of years ago, and was introduced into the West at the beginning of the eighteenth century. Today is a well-known and widespread practice in the West. In Europe there are thousands of physicians who use acupuncture to cure their patients.

Acupuncture, like macrobiotics, is based on the Chinese concept of yin and yang - most often represented by two rain drop, or fish, shapes that form a circle. Yin and yang are two opposing but complementary forces which – according to the Chinese philosophy - govern the body, mind and emotions of every human being. When these two opposing forces are in balance man feels good, but if one force dominates the other, it brings about an imbalance that results in ill health. So the aim of the acupuncturist is to maintain a balance of yin and yang within the whole person to prevent illness and to restore health. In other words, these two life opposing forces called yin and yang circulate in special channels (called meridians) throughout the body; disease is caused by an imbalance of these forces and can be rectified by regulating the flow of energy (called Chi or Ki) in these meridians, and this can be achieved by stimulating acupuncture points located along these meridians. The Encyclopedia of Alternative Medicine and Self-Help says: ‘For health to be maintained the `ch'i' [life energy or Yin Yang] must flow without hindrance and the skill of the acupuncturist lies in his ability to free the meridians so that there is an even energy flow. This is done by the light insertion of needles of pure copper, silver or gold into the flesh at specific points along the lines of the meridians" (The Encyclopedia of Alternative Medicine and Self-Help, page 21).

Confutation

As you can see, this Chinese medicine called acupuncture – just like Transcendental meditation (MT) and Yoga which originated in the East too – claims to be able to heal many diseases. What shall we say about acupuncture then? We shall say that it must be rejected for the following reasons.

First, it is inconsistent with the will of God for us in Christ Jesus. Let me explain to you what I mean. A believer can fall ill just like any other human being on the earth; however, what does God want him to do when he is sick? The answer to this question is found in the epistle written by James: “Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven” (James 5:14-15 – NKJV). Here is what any believer who is sick must do then, he must call the elders of the church (and not the doctor, no matter if the doctor is a doctor of traditional medicine or alternative medicine) who must anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord and pray over him in faith. That’s the practice to be followed by the people of God; and we can fully trust in it for it is prescribed by God, who created all things, who is good and has an endless wisdom.

Second, because acupuncture, just like any other kind of medicine, not only leads believers to put their trust in man rather than in God (and this is wrong, according to the Holy Scripture) but it also leads them to believe the following principles of the Chinese philosophy: all of nature and the universe (including man) is eternally existing as vibrations of impersonal, polarized energy called Yin and Yang, and the key to physical well-being is to balance the positive and negative aspects of this energy. Which principles – being rooted in occultism - contradicts the truth, and therefore they are false principles; and as you know the father of lies is the devil, who is the prince of this world. And the Scripture commands us to resist the devil. Brothers, beware of the Chinese philosophy (as well as of any other kind of philosophy), lest you wander from the truth which is in Christ Jesus. Remember what Paul wrote to the Colossians: “Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ” (Colossians 2:8 – NKJV).

I conclude by saying this: know this, that whoever claims to be able to manipulate the imbalance of Yin Yang energy by placing needles along some points in the human body to stimulate the increase or decrease of Yin and Yang is involved in the occult and you must beware of him, lest you come under the influence of the evil spirits which assist the acupuncturist in the practice of acupuncture or rather of which the acupuncturist is slave, for all those who are involved in the occult are slaves of the evil spirits which assist them. Well, someone may say to me now, ‘Don’t you think that one can be an acupuncturist without being involved in the occult?’ No, I don’t think so, for acupuncture is a therapy based on occult principles, and thus anyone who practices it is involved in the occult somehow, for he is assisted by occult forces. Even if he is not a magician or does not know that there are evil spirits behind acupuncture which enable him to do his work, he is performing something which needs the assistance of evil spirits and he himself is under the influence of evil spirits.

So, brothers and sisters in the Lord, you who are sick, flee acupuncture and put your trust in the Lord who is the One who heals all your diseases (cf. Psalm 103:3).

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