Not only is health care being invaded by occult therapies and other practices, but health care workers are being subtly asked to embrace the occult and use it. For example, at a nearby hospice signs are constantly posted on bulletin boards, in breakrooms and in the work station announcing new classess being offered in Reiki. All disciplines including nurses, social workers, home health aids and chaplains are strongly encouraged to sign up for these classess and receive training. Promises are made that participants abilities to calm agitated patients and slow the disease process or even bring healing will be enhanced. Thses classess are offered so often that staff recognize that it is strongly encouraged to take them and that to omit participating in them would not be looked upon favorably.


Staff members are not just asked to study and learn about occult based therapies, but they are informed that the goal of training is that these therapies will be regularly used on a daily basis. Staff members are told that these practices are a form of alternative medicine and that they can even receive CEU credit for taking the courses. The frightening thing is that once trained, health care professionals are not only being asked to be aware of these alternative practices, but to embrace them and use them fully. None of them are told that Reiki or other touch therapies are based on spiriritual beliefs rather than  scientific and medical prinicipals. They are not aware that these particular alternative therapies are derivites of Buddhist teaching and mysticism. They are also not informed that their philosophical underpinnings contradict their own Christian faith and require them to violate it.


Also equally true is that evangelical staff members who have some awareness of the spiritual nature of touch therapies are not encouraged to take the training that is offered. Management that provides the training is well aware that if evangelical Christians are exposed to Reiki training that they will denounce it and expose it for what it is. One evangelical chaplain requested taking classes like any other staff member but was refused by his superior who evidently had something to hide. To be denied the training was discriminatory becaucse he was treated differently than the rest of the staff who were welcomed  to be part of the training. Management knew that it would be impossible for a person indwelt by the power of the Holy Spirit to be effectively trained as a Reiki healer. The Bible states, "What fellowship do believers have with Belial?" Even non-Christians understand this.


Embracing practices foreign to Christianity is nothing new to health care. For a long time Christians in health care have had to not only encourage patients to find solace in cult and occult beliefs and practices, but have even had to participate in those practcies as a job requirement or be fired. For instance, chaplains must design their prayers in accordance with a persons lack of faith, faith in false doctrine and practice and omit any mention of faith with those who are antithetical to faith whatsoever. Chaplains must pray the rosary in one patient room, provide Christian Science literature in the next patient room, and counsel the Jehovah witness in the next patient room that they have every hope to be counted among the 144,000 that are going to enter into the highest realm of God's celestial kingdom follwoing the battle of Armmageddon. Embracing this way of spiritual care misleads and misguides patients and their families and is in fact lying to them as well. Chaplains who do these things must sear their conscience against the voice of the Holy Spirit and deny their own faith. The same is true for nurses and other health care workers who though not primarily responsible for spiritual care, but often find themselves providing it in lieu of the absence of other professionals particulalry on evening shifts. Doctors are not required to facilitate the beliefs of Jehovah Witnesses who refuse blood transfusions or Christian Scientists who deny their child medical care, but chaplains, nurses and other health care professionals are constantly required to do just that. Where is the equity in this?

The Bible commands us to "come out from among them and be ye seperate". God wants a "royal priesthood and a holy nation" of believers to serve Him and stand for their faith in Christ daily in the marketplace. This may mean that Christians in health care must make some radical job related desicions in order to remain faithful to their calling in Christ. This is a thought to ponder. However, rest assured, that if you are working in health care today, you will find your faith being violated more and more often. You will find yourself needing to make choices, choices between serving Christ and serving the institution that you work in.