Are Crystals a Sin?

In recent years the popularity of Crystals and Alternative Medicine has been growing. You suddenly see how different spa and relaxation establishments and life coaches add the use of crystals to their services to help you heal different sicknesses or reduce bad energy. Sometimes you can even hear different celebrities here and there talking about how certain Crystals have “healed” them mentally or have given them a boost of energy and less stress.

These crystals are even easily available now to buy from online or local shops and some are being encouraged to use in your everyday life. Is this something you should partake in as a Catholic? Are Crystals a sin? Well, let’s dive in a bit deeper and find out.

The Origin of Crystals

The use of crystals for healing did not only happen in recent years but rather dates back to the ancient Sumerians in Mesopotamia. Throughout the years you can find the use of crystals here and there in different cultures and practices around the world.

The Real Science Behind Crystals

Crystals are known to be a part of alternative healing treatments as it claims to have medicinal properties. However, based on science there hasn’t been any scientific evidence that Crystals have the power to treat your health problems and ailments. Although, crystals may still be able to form a placebo effect.

Crystals, therefore, do not give you those promised healing results that most healing spa establishments advertise.

The Power You Get from Crystals

One of the reasons why Crystals are so popular is that people believe it has an impact on the “energies” that you have in your life. Some even say that there is some “spiritual connection” between the Crystals and humans that help create balance in a person’s life. Many people believe this which is why they resort to buying, using, and wearing crystals.

Just as we discussed, these powers and energies that people say you can find from a Crystal have not yet been proven and are not based on Science. Hence, this belief and type of information may do more harm than anyone can imagine, simply because it opens doors for a person to be vulnerable and have weakened faith in God. These beliefs talk about being open to spiritual sources that are not from God which may cause a lot of spiritual harm.

Are Crystals a Sin?

Let’s take a look at the Catechism of the Catholic Church 2117, All practices of magic or sorcery, by which one attempts to tame occult powers, so as to place them at one’s service and have a supernatural power over others – even if this were for the sake of restoring their health – are gravely contrary to the virtue of religion. These practices are even more to be condemned when accompanied by the intention of harming someone, or when they have recourse to the intervention of demons. Wearing charms is also reprehensible. Spiritism often implies divination or magical practices; the Church for her part warns the faithful against it. Recourse to so-called traditional cures does not justify either the invocation of evil powers or the exploitation of another’s credulity.

According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church that all practices of magic or sorcery or relying on some sort of supernatural spiritual power are considered a sin. It also emphasizes that this is a sin even if the intention is for the sake of restoring health. Wearing charms should be condemned. This, therefore, answers the questions Are Crystals a sin? Since crystals are used as a source for healing and worn as charms or integrated with different rituals and treatments, using crystals is a sin.