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It is written:
1 Corinthians 10:19-20-What am I saying then? That an idol is anything, or what is offered to idols is anything? 20 Rather, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice they sacrifice to demons and not to God, and I do not want you to have fellowship with demons.
Several of my friends who have been involved with occultism through the years have expressed a fascination with crystals. Some believe that crystals provide a type of spiritual power that can aid them in a psychic way throughout their lives.
How should Christians respond to beliefs such as this?
It is important to remember that the Bible warns Christians against objects which may be connected to spiritual powers. When Paul wrote 1 Corinthians, some of the Christians had forgotten this. They were going and partaking in the Lord’s Supper, and then going to the pagan worship ceremonies involving idols. Paul is clear that idols themselves are not a problem: it is the demons connected to the idols which Christians must beware of. Due to this danger, Christians should avoid idols of a religious connection. John says much the same thing:
1 John 5:21-Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen.
Could crystals have some kind of healing properties for the body? Some so believe, and I do not know enough about that to form an educated opinion. However, spiritual dangers of crystals for religious purposes are very real.
One author has noted:
“Alternative spirituality crystal power has no basis in scientific fact. Tapping or squeezing a crystal produces a very weak charge. The compression forces the negative and positive ions together, creating a tiny current that flows in one direction. When the pressure is released, the ions return to their original position, giving off a charge flowing in the opposite direction. From the simple quartz-crystal radios that some of us assembled as kids to crystal-controlled frequencies, computers, watches, and lasers, crystals are very important. To move from this scientific fact to the idea that a crystal could respond to the electrical field of a human being and change or enhance his or her distorted spiritual “harmonic field,” is outlandish. I know some people I would categorize as “super-charged,” but they didn’t use crystals to attain that state! Furthermore, no one I read or heard about stands and squeezes and releases the crystal all the time they’re using it. To suggest that a crystal could help you tap into past lives and future events is a scientific absurdity. Anthony R. Kamptf, curator of minerals and gems at the Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History, said, “With people assigning metaphysical properties to certain minerals, it’s shades of the dark ages when there was a certain amount of mysticism associated with minerals. I see a lot of people who are becoming very enamored with certain minerals to which they are assigning these properties, which in scientific terms the minerals don’t have.” 7 One geologist said, “It’s as close to poppycock as you can get.” Crystals can become objects of demonic influence, just as destructive to mind and soul as magic charms or other occultic articles believed to possess supernatural power for either good or evil use. They become vehicles for spirits to work through, much like divining rods, Ouija boards, or tarot cards. The devil doesn’t care whether there is anything inherent in the object at all; if he can get you to put your trust in that object; he can use it as a way to establish a beachhead in your life…Thousands of years ago, the Israelites were wandering in the desert, tediously making their way from Egypt to the Promised Land. Imagine two million people traveling together for forty years! Even with the best of leadership and the assurance that God would provide, it doesn’t take much to picture the grumbling and rebellion in the camps. In the book of Numbers, the story is told about a fierce plague that was sent upon them; people were being bitten by deadly, poisonous snakes. The people begged Moses to pray that the Lord would take the snakes away. The Lord told Moses to make a bronze serpent and put it on a pole so that if the people who were bitten looked at it, they would be healed immediately (see Num. 21: 4–8). You can imagine how excited everyone in Israel was over the cures that happened because of a metal snake. Moses kept it and placed it among the important possessions of God’s people. For a long time in the history of Israel, that bronze serpent was revered, but not worshiped. Now let’s fast-forward a few centuries until we come to the reign of Hezekiah, who was a good king in Israel. The Bible says that Hezekiah destroyed the places where pagan religious ceremonies had been held and got rid of all the cultic objects. This included the bronze serpent Moses had made in the wilderness centuries before. Hezekiah took that old snake, crushed it, and threw it away because the people had turned it from a reminder of God’s blessing into an idol of worship (see 2 Kings 18: 1–3). Beauty Is As Beauty Does Is there any spiritual significance in crystals? No! God made them, and there’s no reason why we can’t enjoy all the beautiful gems God has made. But if a crystal or any other gemstone is anything other than a beautiful ornament or piece of jewelry, get rid of it. Scripture does not allow for an idea of psychic energy pervading the universe, but it does support the view that demonic energy can be disguised as psychic energy. When people associate crystals with an occult understanding of the universe or look to them for healing or other desired ends, they are opening up a door with their free wills to demonic intrusion and deception. It may be a door they can never close. Crystals are often bargain quick-fixes for spiritual troubles. I never thought I’d live to see the day when people were so interested in simplistic ways to solve difficult problems. People may spend all their lives getting into trouble and then want someone to resolve it in five minutes. We know, because they call us, and it’s not that we don’t want to help; but people have to understand that long-term problems do not respond to short-term answers. Long-term problems are usually the result of short-term thinking. Belief in something like a crystal does two things: It avoids personal responsibility and acts as a substitute for God. Crystals are powerless unless you give them a place where Satan can use them in your life as a spiritual enticement.” (Dr. David Jeremiah, Carole C. Carlson, Invasion of Other Gods: The Seduction of New Age Spirituality, 124-128 (Kindle Edition); W Publishing Group)
The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit, be with you all. Amen.
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