Legal Considerations for Spiritual Massage Healing
Massage Therapy and Spiritual Massage Healing are Legally Different
Modalities
Massage Therapy: According to the American
Massage Therapy Association (AMTA): "Massage Therapy is a profession
in which the practitioner applies manual techniques, and may apply adjunctive
therapies, with the intention of positively affecting the health and well-being
of the client. Massage is manual soft tissue manipulations, and includes holding,
causing movement, and/or applying pressure to the body. Therapy is a series
of actions aimed at achieving or increasing health and wellness. Manual means
by use of hand or body." According to these definitions, massage therapy
is a secular modality.
Spiritual Massage is very different because it is a religious
ceremony. It is a form of divinely inspired and divinely guided religious
healing. It consists of prayer, compassion, anointing with oil and movements
derived from the laying on of hands. It is the practice of one's religious
faith and conscience. It is a mode of worship. The Spiritual Massage Practitioner
is a religious healer. Silent prayer is an integral part of spiritual massage
healing. It provides the healer with guidance. Without prayer, there is no
spiritual massage healing.
It is paradoxical that present-day massage therapy is a secular modality,
despite its religious origin. It evolved from the biblical anointing with
oil and laying on of hands. The doctrine of separation of church and state
[acknowledged and supported by the U.S. Supreme Court] permits state governments
to regulate massage therapy because it is secular. But spiritual massage and
spiritual massage healing are legally very different.
The Commonwealth of [the states] cannot define the terms religion and church
because doing so would violate the constitutional separation of church and
state. Spiritual Massage and Spiritual Massage Healing can be defined only
in religious terms, both historically and in their present-day practice.
Therefore, the Commonwealth of [the states] cannot define the terms Spiritual
Massage and Spiritual Massage Healing because that, too, would violate the
separation of church and state. If the Commonwealth cannot define Spiritual
Massage and Spiritual Massage Healing, how can there be a state law which
regulates Spiritual Massage and Spiritual Massage Healing?
The terms "secular" and "religious" have different meanings,
and these different meanings have important legal implications because of
the separation of church and state.
| Secular |
Religious |
| Massage therapy is a secular, symptom-directed, medically-oriented modality. |
Spiritual Massage is a religious healing modality performed
during a religious ceremony. |
| State massage laws define massage and massage therapy in secular
terms. |
Spiritual Massage and Spiritual Massage Healing are defined
by one's religious philosphy and conscience. |
| [State] Medical Practice Act[s] require that all healing
be performed by licensed doctors, except healing by spiritual means and
prayer. |
Spiritual Massage is a spiritual means of healing. |
References
Spiritual
Massage Ministry Newsletter Vol. 1 No. 1 ISSN 1080 - 3262 February 28, l995
Basayne-Smith, A. Definition survey: what you had to say. Hands On, the AMTA
newsletter. 9:6-7, Fall, 1993.
Schatz, A. Church for Spirtual Healing and Health. Spiritual massage healing.
Journal of Spiritual Bodywork 1:1-53,1994.
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