Crystals

[FaithT]

Years ago I dabbled in a little bit of New Age-y stuff. Mostly meditating with crystals. I abandoned all that but lately I’ve been drawn to crystals again. Is it a sin or against the teachings or beliefs of the LCMS to display or wear crystals for their healing or energy properties if I’m not into all the other New Age-y stuff?

 

[Brightmoon]

Well they are pretty . I have a rock collection but I was fascinated with geology not new age stuff. People think they’re dyed :Royal blue Sodalite , green aventurine, turquoise Amazonite, red orange carnelian, yellow ochre jasper etc. When I was in high school back in the dark ages (the 70s) I was fascinated with astrology. It just seemed so poetic and colorful AND organized and reasonable! Since I was in training to be a scientist, I didn’t hold those beliefs very long before they got debunked. I still see it as poetic ,hence my username , but I don’t believe in it any more.

 

[Darkhorse]

Apart from healing or energy properties, I find crystals interesting as an example of natural geometry. Their shapes are created by the inter-atomic forces within the compound in question, and the specifics of their angles and planes reveal the incredible complexity - and beauty - of God's creation.

So, I find that crystals point to God, not away from God.

 

[Daniel9v9]

Years ago I dabbled in a little bit of New Age-y stuff. Mostly meditating with crystals. I abandoned all that but lately I’ve been drawn to crystals again. Is it a sin or against the teachings or beliefs of the LCMS to display or wear crystals for their healing or energy properties if I’m not into all the other New Age-y stuff?

New Age beliefs and practises can be false, empty, and deceiving on one hand, or occult and satanic on the other. It can be either or both, and they ultimately amount to the same thing, which is idolatry and rebellion. As such we should not dabble in it. It’s a sin and it must be repented of.

The good news is that anyone who has practiced it or have been interested in it have forgiveness of sins in Christ! His mercies are new every day and His love endures forever.

There’s nothing wrong in being interested in crystals as a hobby or use them as accessories or decoration. Crystals are not evil in and of themselves. But we should absolutely not seek any kind of power in or through them, believe or trust in them for anything. Neither should we use them for any kind of spiritual purposes. Only God brings healing and life.

 

[paul1149]

Is it a sin or against the teachings or beliefs of the LCMS to display or wear crystals for their healing or energy properties if I’m not into all the other New Age-y stuff?

Crystals are purported to have natural healing properties due to the frequencies they emit. I don't find this unbelievable. Nature is imbued with the glory and wisdom of God and there are many things that affect us, some of them unseen, such as the phases of the moon, the amount of humidity in the air, sunlight on our body, etc. I don't see anything wrong with that.

These things can be an illicit doorway to the supernatural, though, and that's a problem. Beware of handing power over your life to anything or anyone. Also, we need to be careful not to stumble others weak in faith. So we ought to be cautious about it.

 

[ViaCrucis]

The idea that certain kinds of objects, formulas, or persons can have intrinsic special or even supernatural power is directly antithetical to Christian faith and teaching. And any kind of attribution of the "spiritual" or the supernatural to such things approaches, if not crosses over into, idolatry.

The inherent danger in allowing ourselves to believe in such things is that the devil desires to cloud the mind, in order to obscure Christ from us--and Christ is our one and only hope and salvation. Anything that can distract us, obscure us, to turn our gaze away from Christ to something--anything--else is an intrinsic danger. It is through these sorts of lies and trickery that the devil would have us shipwreck our faith. But, we have the victory that is found in Christ, and we know, just as Luther knew and boldly declared in his hymn,

"And though this world, with devils filled,
Should threaten to undo us,
We will not fear, for God hath willed
His truth to triumph through us:
The Prince of Darkness grim,
We tremble not for him;
His rage we can endure,
For lo! his doom is sure,
One little word shall fell him."

Amen. One little word can leave the devil desolate and beaten, call him "liar" and his entire farce is exposed, his craftiness shown to be the vanity that it is. The emperor has no clothes.

-CryptoLutheran

 

[FaithT]

Crystals are purported to have natural healing properties due to the frequencies they emit. I don't find this unbelievable. Nature is imbued with the glory and wisdom of God and there are many things that affect us, some of them unseen, such as the phases of the moon, the amount of humidity in the air, sunlight on our body, etc. I don't see anything wrong with that.

These things can be an illicit doorway to the supernatural, though, and that's a problem. Beware of handing power over your life to anything or anyone. Also, we need to be careful not to stumble others weak in faith. So we ought to be cautious about it.

I guess I should stay away from them then because I think I’d be tempted to use them for their supposed powers (energy?)

 

[paul1149]

I guess I should stay away from them then because I think I’d be tempted to use them for their supposed powers (energy?)

I think that's a personal call. There are rife machines that function on the tunable frequencies they emit. Some swear by their healing power; others say they are a scam. I tend to believe they are legit. Then there are TENS machines. With crystals, I would have the concern of using the wrong frequency and doing more harm than good, and of getting into a broad mindset that admitted other things, the sum of which could cause a distraction from Christ. But that's me.

 

[FaithT]

I think that's a personal call. There are rife machines that function on the tunable frequencies they emit. Some swear by their healing power; others say they are a scam. I tend to believe they are legit. Then there are TENS machines. With crystals, I would have the concern of using the wrong frequency and doing more harm than good, and of getting into a broad mindset that admitted other things, the sum of which could cause a distraction from Christ. But that's me.

Can you elaborate on TENS machines, and on “using the wrong frequency, doing more harm than good and of getting into a broad mindset that admitted other things, the sum of which could cause a distraction from Christ?”

 

[paul1149]

I don't know much about them, but TENS machines work by stimulating the nerves electrically. I know a couple of people who swear by them. With crystals, I know a woman who has a machine that charges crystals at the frequency it says your body requires. I don't know if it works, but I wondered what would happen if the machine got your personal frequency wrong.

As for the "other things", I find that crystals are frequently associated with the New Age mindset and associated paraphernalia, and that's a place I personally don't want to go.

 

[FaithT]

I don't know much about them, but TENS machines work by stimulating the nerves electrically. I know a couple of people who swear by them. With crystals, I know a woman who has a machine that charges crystals at the frequency it says your body requires. I don't know if it works, but I wondered what would happen if the machine got your personal frequency wrong.

As for the "other things", I find that crystals are frequently associated with the New Age mindset and associated paraphernalia, and that's a place I personally don't want to go.

Yeah, that’s the reason I’ve stayed away from them for years. I think they’re beautiful and I’m drawn to them because I have anxiety disorders and I’m always looking for peace.

 

[paul1149]

Yeah, that’s the reason I’ve stayed away from them for years. I think they’re beautiful and I’m drawn to them because I have anxiety disorders and I’m always looking for peace.

Have you tried diet and supplements?

 

[FaithT]

Have you tried diet and supplements?

No, I haven’t changed my diet or taken supplements (with the exception of the ones my neurologist suggested since I also have MS). I do take medications for my anxiety disorders, though. I thought I could try herbal teas but it turns out that most of them have herbs that don’t mix well with my medicines.

 

[FaithT]

I think I’ll have a peaceful evening Wednesday night, though, since we’re having a service at church and receiving ashes.

 

[FaithT]

I think I’ll have a peaceful evening Wednesday night, though, since we’re having a service at church and receiving ashes.

 

[FaithT]

Then after that, for Lent I plan to read my Jesus Calling book which I do read off and on, only for Lent I’m shooting for daily. It’s helpful.
Maybe restart my spiritual journal, which again I write in off and on.

 

[Till Schilling]

Yeah, that’s the reason I’ve stayed away from them for years. I think they’re beautiful and I’m drawn to them because I have anxiety disorders and I’m always looking for peace.

I am very sorry to read this, Hope. I have a bit of those myself. What has helped me is to learn Bible verses by heart and pray them out loud. Psalm 27 is a pretty good one. I trust you will find the Word of God works much better than crystals.

 

[FaithT]

I am very sorry to read this, Hope. I have a bit of those myself. What has helped me is to learn Bible verses by heart and pray them out loud. Psalm 27 is a pretty good one. I trust you will find the Word of God works much better than crystals.

When I was at my worst, I remembered “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” It got me through a lot of tough times.
I learned it from The Power of Positive Thinking. I know the book is controversial among Christians but that, too, helped me through a lot of hard days.