Is it okay for a Christian to participate in reflexology?
Some people who teach or offer reflexology believe the body has certain energy fields or a life force that is sometimes called Qi. These beliefs are sourced from Eastern mysticism and are popular in New Ageism. These beliefs are unbiblical. There are also some who receive or offer reflexology as simply a form of alternative medicine or nothing more than a foot massage.
Reflexology focuses on specific points in the feet, and sometimes hands, to manipulate and relieve stress or trigger healing in other specific parts of the body. Some specific points on the feet correlate with specific organs, reflexologists say. The New Age view sees this as a spiritual connection whereas the alternative medicine view says the connection is through nerve endings or blood vessels.
The spiritual connections with reflexology are unbiblical. However, this does not necessarily mean the practice itself is unbiblical. If separated from an unbiblical, Eastern spiritual worldview, reflexology is something a Christian could consider. Many find it helpful for dealing with physical and even emotional problems. However, traditional medicine has not validated any medical benefit of reflexology except those of a normal massage.
"Test everything; hold fast what is good. Abstain from every form of evil" says 1 Thessalonians 5:21–22. Christians should be thoughtful, prayerful, and discerning about what they subject themselves to in all areas of life. There is nothing in the Bible that condemns or even mentions reflexology, but it does speak against belief systems that do not identify God as the One and True Sovereign God and Jesus as the Savior. The New Age movement, clearly, does not.
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