Is Satan Tempting You with The Secret?
I just finished a forum thread called The Law of Attraction and Christianity on Bible.org. Although the topic is the Law of Attraction, much of the discussion was centered around The Secret DVD and book. It was fascinating reading the discussion from an outsider's viewpoint. By outsider, I mean that this was a totally new website and forum and I had no vested interest in any of the participants or their comments.
Wealth Is Bad
The posts seemed to break down into the expected camps. There were people who had strong opinions who have neither seen The Secret DVD nor read the book. There were people who had reviewed the material who see the Law of Attraction as an effort of the devil to lead people from the true path of Jesus, and that the books, DVDs and seminars are produced and promoted merely for the sake of increasing the wealth of the authors – which, of course, is bad. The scientists stepped up and pointed out that in magnetism, opposites attract, therefore, the law of attraction cannot work.
Faith Can Move Mountains
On the other hand, there were some who felt that the Law of Attraction goes hand in hand with Christianity. "Ask and you shall receive" and having the "faith of a mustard seed" were some of the quotations used in support of connecting the Bible and the 'ask, believe, receive' of The Secret.
Then, of course, there was the one expected post on how "Great Men and Women of God" are preaching "for the sake of collecting a offering".
What Is the 'Real' Truth?
Your truth is what you believe. And what you believe is what you will see. At one time it was accepted as truth that the world was flat. Now that isn't accepted as truth.
One of the most difficult things in the world is to view both sides of a discussion and to see what is valid and what may be skewed on either side. One of my personal beliefs is that people who have very strong feelings about something, when they have not reviewed the material, are probably acting out of fear, whether they recognize it or not. Myself included. Another thing I believe is that something that is positive, that encourages people to do better, be happier, to improve themselves, is good, no matter who says it.
But, it is also a darned good thing to bring a little common sense to the table, too. Just because the Wright brothers passionately wanted to fly didn't mean that they believed they could and then jumped off of the nearest cliff. I wouldn't try to cure a disease by faith or belief alone – I'd use everything available, from a medical specialist to prayer.
Will the Real God Please Step Forward
Here is where the rubber meets the road for many when it comes to the Law of Attraction and The Secret and religion. How big or how limited is their, or your, God? Are the Universe and God separate? Or is God in everything, or is God everything, period? Even given free will, does God know everything even before it happens? Is God truly omnipotent and omniscient, or is he like a parent who merely finds things out after the fact? Just how big is your God?
Whether you think The Secret is a way that "the Devil is trying to deceive innocent people into following him" or you believe that The Secret just increases awareness that how a person thinks influences the direction of his life is less dependent on a book, a DVD, or a seminar than it is on you yourself. Where do you stand on The Secret, the Law of Attraction and Christianity?
{ 27 comments… read them below or add one }
I wouldn’t say that “The Secret” is necessarily the work of or specifically leading someone to Satan. At the same time, it doesn’t do anything to lead anyone to Jesus Christ, either. I find the Christians who do best with “The Secret” are those mature or strong enough in their faith that they can easily substitute God for the Universe. For a newbie or someone wavering in their faith, this is not the book.
Quite frankly I would rather spend my time reading and studying the “mysteries” contained in the Bible (the things Jesus taught his disciples in private) rather than getting caught up in second, third and fourth-hand “Secret” re-interpretations. A really good website to visit on this topic is: thelawofattractionforchristians.com.
Sincerely,
Paula Quick
The law of attraction. the secret, according to my undestanding in reading the book, is the one form of the bible interpretation. as Jesus says those who have shall be added….ask You shall receive…., if you have faith….love your neighboure as…. the Holy Bible also says God is Love, man is what he thinks… it is what exactly the Secrete says.Then, where is the point ‘satan’ is tempting? in fact the secrete uses the words ‘the Universe’ instead of God or Omnipotent or Omnicient. If the secrete uses the right term for Universe it would have been perfect. it is, obvoiusly, GOD who created us in his likeness so that we have dominion over this earth through our thinking, feeling or wording. He says let be Light then light be, likewise we have been given similar power over this earth.
I became interested in finding out what the secret was so i read the book. I have been a born again Christian for three years now and I have been trying to find out what I’m supposed to do now. I never want to stop growing or learning. I want to have more than enough money for my family and be able to donate to the people that I want, when I want. My husband is extremely analitical and always thinks about money. He always worries about the bills. I have always told him to not worry about it, that God will take care of our needs. The secret is very interesting but you do need to use descernment. There is one or two bible references in Rhonda’s version but it is mainly “New Age” the way it’s presented they NEVER mention JESUS. We need Jesus and he is not a genie!
It is important to be aware of your thoughts. I was shocked at how negative I was! I also became very aware of all the COMPLAINING that people do everyday. If you just think more positively it will make you feel better. I loved the part in the book about gratitude. Be thankful for what the Lord has blessed you and he will continue to bless you. Be careful not to covet other people’s things. I reccomend getting the CD There is more to the secret! It helped me to understand. It was made by a pastor and he explains the secret in depth. You can find the CD at borders
Jesus Christ = The true Secret
It’s really unfortunate that the apostle Paul couldn’t implement the “law of attraction”. I guess he wasn’t the greatest apostle after all. (2 Corinthians 12:7-9 MKJV (7) and by the surpassing revelations, lest I be made haughty, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be made haughty. (8) For this thing I besought the Lord three times, that it might depart from me. (9) And He said to me, My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore I will rather glory in my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may overshadow me.)
Thank you for the very informative synopsis of the secret. I tried to go to the article that you read on Bible.org but could not find it.
Just curious, have you heard about “The Secret Things of God” by Dr. Henry Cloud?
Thanks!
I was raised Episcopalian, and in my 57 years have also invested time, energy and effort into several other denominations. I have also viewed and read The Secret. Your observation that the forum (which I did not view) broke up into predictable camps was, well, predictable.
It is instructive to get a red-letter edition of the New Testament and just read the red letters, and pretend you know nothing about Christianity. If you can manage that, I suspect you will come away with some rather unconventional conclusions, among which might be:
1) Jesus, unlike mainstream Christians, was unconcerned about peoples’ beliefs, except, perhaps, as they impacted behavior. When did he attempt to qualify anyone by asking what they believed?
2) He preached none of the bedrock articles of modern and historical Christian doctine: salvation through grace (or any other kind of salvation), sacraments, rituals or any of that. He preached repentance (meaning turning away from destructive behavior), tolerance, love and child-like faith.
I strongly suspect that he is puzzled, at the very least, at what goes on in his name today, to say nothing of the horrors of the past.
As far as The Secret is concerned, it seems Jesus himself was both an advocate and a practitioner of the Law of Attraction. His remarks about asking, receiving, having faith, gratitude, etc. are in complete harmony with The Secret; or, perhaps I should say, The Secret is in complete harmony with Jesus’ manifest opinions on those subjects.
Opposition to The Secret within the Christian community revolves principally around its lack of references to the Bible, God or Jesus and its independence of anybody’s doctrine. The question one should ask is, would Jesus approve or disapprove of it? Well, as he said on one occasion, “He who is not against us is for us” and on another, “If they are doing no harm, let them alone” (I paraphrase slightly on the second one).
We are what we think about. We are attracting what we think about. “As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he” The Secret confirms what the Bible has been telling us for ages.
I agree with Gene, The Secret isn’t “New Thought” as much as it is “Biblical Thought”. It is very much the practice of applying Faith and Gratitude into your life on a daily basis while a holding a clear mental image of what you want and desire for your life. Anytime we are able to sustain this level of daily application in our Faith, God will bless you with everything you’ve ever wanted and more.
God Bless
http://www.secretsofthebible.net
Yes I agree, since I understand the law of attraction (and this happened long after watching the DVD) I now really understand what I’m reading in the Bible, it suddenly all makes sense. As far as Satan goes, he wants you to do things witch will either now or later be destructive for you and others, nothing in the L.O.A. are remotely destructive long or short term. Even the Old Testament is a different, fascinating book to me now.
I believe The Secret does work, because it is based upon spiritual principles. I also don’t think that you have to be a Christian for them to work. I have read a lot of stories and testimnies of people who believed something was going to happen and it did, and they were not Christians. The Bible says that God loves us all and he is no respector of people. He also says that he sends rain on the just and the unjust. He also says we will reap what we sow. So if we sow negative thoughts, we get negative things. Those are just all spiritual principles for all of us. It is just a shame that The Secret uses “The Universe” instead of giving the glory to God. The book is alright for seasoned Christians, but not baby Christians or nonbelievers, that is where Satan can get his hooks into people. God says what good is wealth, if we loose our souls.
Jesus said:”I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
John 14:6
There is no other truth than Jesuschrist and his word (the bible), humans have always tried to deny the truth of God and Jesus, but like I said before, there is only one way and that way is Jesus Christ.
A couple of thoughts here, folks. For starters, many here and elsewhere have made the comment that The Secret (movie or book) doesn’t really promote Jesus. Let’s face a sad fact: if it did, many people would automatically ignore it because it would then fall into the “religion” category. Sad but true. Also keep in mind that the Lord moves in mysterious ways. If The Secret were to lead someone to Christ, which it definitely could do, then where’s the criticism? PLEASE don’t tell me that it’s still “evil.” Many people these days are raised with absolutely zero knowledge or thought of spiritual things, yet they’ll never step into your church to hear things in the way that you want them presented. Stop limiting the ways of God to the the ways that YOU think He should operate. I’m pretty sure that He is quite a bit wiser than you, so stop questioning how He should guide someone else.
Beyond all of this, God is infinite, unlimited, and omnipresent (everywhere). So now let’s pretend that we’re living 100 years ago. How many people do you know that would refuse to have anything to do with electricity because it’s “playing God” to have “artificial” light in your house? “If God had meant for me to have light at night, he would have kept the sun up!” Unless someone reading this happens to be Amish, which by sheer definition probably won’t happen, you will dismiss this idea as ridiculous. What about flight? Is it “playing God” to get on an airplane? Yet man doesn’t fly by his own natural, physical ability. Think about that.
Get this straight: there is NOTHING in this universe that wasn’t created by God. Nothing. Zero. Zilch. Nada. Nothing. He created all and He rules all. Look at all of the other God-created laws we benefit from; electricity, gravity, internal combustion, the list goes on and on. Now how about the Law of Attraction? You may believe in it or you may not, but rest assured that if it exists, it was CREATED BY GOD. Therefore, like electricity, gravity, or any other established natural law you can name and put to use, it was put here by Him and He still controls it.
One very important thing that a lot of people aren’t understanding about the Law of Attraction is this: it isn’t that you “control” the law. Far from it. They make it very clear that you must operate within the law to have the benefits of the law. Just like with electricity, combustion, etc… They aren’t saying that you’re “God” in the sense that a lot of critics want to claim. They’re basically saying that you were (gasp!) created in God’s image and that (shudder!) God doesn’t mean for you to be a destitute, depressed, directionless animal! Imagine that.
If you’re interested, here’s an excellent FREE e-book entitled “Jesus Taught It, Too.”
http://www.psitek.net/pages/PsiTek-jesus-taught-it-too-Contents.html
Whether you agree or disagree with the premise of this book, many concepts in The Secret fall right in line with the teachings of Jesus about Prayer and Faith.
My problem with the secret is the commercial packaging and hype about a fundamental life question we all have to address, namely reflection and clarity about the spiritual or belief system pillar as one of ten pillars in our lives. I have no problem with what we call our spiritual or believe system, i.e. whether we call it Christianity, Catholic, Calvanist, Presbyterean, Protestant, Islam, Hindu, Taosm or Science. There never was a problem with believe systems – as they represent transmitted wisdom (a compass so to speak) to guide us about dealing with situations in our lives. All believe systems and religions teach two things that whilst we are not the centre of the world (God), we are omnipotent, because we were created in the likeness of God. the only thing prevent us from realizing omnipotence or realizing the things we desire is our lack of faith and lack of persistence. The welcome development is that the findings of the religion of science and especially modern quantum physics and the hologram theory is congruent with that of century old intuitive spiritual believe, that (1) any system is part of greater systems, (2) that our impression between the sub and supra system elements is an optical illussion and (3) that the smallest fraction of any system contains in it the elements of the entire system – a single cell after conception develops to form all organs with different disticnt functions in the human body and a single cell recovered from any part of the body suffices to clone Dolly. the problem therefore is not with believe systems, but with dogma. In my view, it is dogma (lack of tolerance about different viewpoints about reality) whether those difference be about religious, cultural, social or political believes which is at the root of splits and wars between different faith, cultural, social and political groups. It is empowering introspection which allows us to accept that whilst “Rome” is our common end-destination and we are endowed with the same gifts, our respective journeys to that end-destination are not and cannot be the same as they reflect the unique challenges each has to deal with from their respective vantage points.
Hi … excellent way to outline the Secret – the Law of Attraction as children we grow up to believe in Santa Clause it seems to be believable in the world of the young … its the same in the world of the adult … what ever you as a person believe to be positive is achievable, what are we, who are we, why are we here is all in each of us to believe what we believe to be the truth to how we run our everyday lives is what we attract thats the attraction factor we are all given the same life’s tools from day one its our beliefs what change the way we think thats the secret of no secret, the one thing thats a certainty life’s not a rehearsal you only get one run through so enjoy every day as it comes and goes … eat well treat your body like your temple pray you get more than three score years and ten to totally benefit whats on offer for your one run through in your life’s cycle…
All my best to you and your Secret Law You Attract
Phillip Skinner
Interesting post to say the least.
I have read “The Secret” but never seen the movie and have only studied the “Law of Attraction” to a small degree.
My personal feeling, whether or not you want relate it to some force or energy that flows everywhere, our mindset establishes the basis for how we interact with the world around us. I know I have personally experienced both the positive and negative aspects of life and it tended to relate directly to my mindset at that time.
Whether or not an out side force or entity had significant impact on the experiences at any given moment is speculative to say the least.
Ok… I haven’t seen “The Secret” and know nothing about “The Law of Attraction”. That said, I do believe in “God” and “Santa Claus” – but these are interpretations that I have made for myself in trying better to understand the universe.
What I don’t necessarily believe, or even acknowledge, is other people’s interpretations.
For example, King James I, wanted to control the population of England by using “Christianity”. In doing so his version of the bible teaches that Jesus of Nazareth was born on 25 December.
According to most historical evidence, the census that called Joseph and Mary to Bethlehem was actually held in the month of April – and many historians can clearly demonstrate that Jesus of Nazareth was actually born on April 4th.
So why does the King James bible say that he was born on 25 December?
My view is that one of the most important celebrations in the pagan calender was the mid-winter, Those 3 days in northern Europe when the sun does not appear to rise above the horizon, December 21 -24. What better way to control people than to have them believe their saviour was born on the very day that the sun re-appears.
So can faith move mountains? Well it can certainly move populations to do as they’re told.
This might stir up a few people . . .
Ask and you shall receive? I think some people forget to work along the way. I believe this is taken for granted meaning people expect things to be just handed over to them.
Next, I don’t like the fact that church makes people feel ever worse. Let me explain.
When I go to church I feel like I can never do enough to be saved. I can never give enough money, etc. And lets say someone is in the church makes a considerable amount more money than the next guy, why should people look down on him because he doesn’t give as much as they think he should.
I believe the “real” law of attraction is how we present ourselves. People like to hang with like minded people. So if you are an upbeat person with a good attitude you will probably have friends who are the same.
But if you are a negative doom and gloom type of person. I would guess your friends are probably the same way.
—Rant Over—
I agree with you when you say the truth is what you believe and certainly when someone has a strong belief about something, they’re likely to give scant attention to opposing views.
And what better example than religion, after all if someone believes passionately in their god or spiritual leader there’s little chance of you convincing them yours is better. Nonetheless, when it’s the same god and someone is persuaded to switch sides it is possible, and a convert is often a lot more passionate believer than the rest of the flock.
Evolution: First, there was nothing. Then, BOOM! Rocks turned to meat and started to think. Accident.
Creation (Biblical): God did it all in six days, saw that it was good, and then got frightened by his highest creation, therefore condemning them to a life that ends in death. Salvation necessary.
Metaphysics: God is all there is. Mystery.
Whichever of these one buys into will determine their view on the Law of Attraction. And that’s no secret!
It is always interesting to read what the religious have to say about the law of attraction. Most do not realize that Jesus was saying many of the exact same principles that were laid out in the secret. I would dare say that if Jesus was walking the earth today that he would be a proponent of the secret and an opponent of what Christianity and organized religion has become. Christians want to take the words of Jesus literally when He did not intend them to be. In the NIV Bible John 16:25 states “though I have been speaking FIGURATIVELY (my emphasis), a time is coming when I will no longer use this kind of language but will tell you plainly about my father.” Jesus had a message within his message. what could it have been? A deeper investigation will reveal principles he spoke of that are no different than the secret. Jesus was the first new age guru.
A few thoughts… The Secret reveals some truth, to be sure. But it really isn’t so cut and dry. I mean, what does this say to all of the people struggling with life? It’s YOUR fault! That’s really going to help the people in Haiti and Africa. So should we stop donating $ for food and just start getting them copies of “The Secret”? As for the Law of Attraction and Christianity, I’d say it’s pretty clear that Jesus told us to put “The Kingdom of God” first, not my kingdom of wealth, or my 4 million dollar home, or my travels and safaris all over the world. I think it’s kind of gross that “The Secret” is selling the same old, capitalistic ‘American Dream’ in spiritual wrapping. What is the job of a Christian? To visit widows and orphans. To love God and neighbour. All of this other stuff (attracting what you want), while perhaps at times helpful, is mostly a distraction from the more important work. Some Christian saints develop amazing abilities, and become miracle workers and clairvoyants. They see this as a by-product of their spiritual work, their ascetic work, not the goal. Sharing “The Secret” with a bunch of self-serving egos won’t make the world a better place, IMO. It’s like giving millions of dollars to alcoholics and drug addicts. People in America don’t need more stuff! People in America need more wisdom, humility, and love. Knowing how to manifest more stuff, to me, just creates more attachments and temptations, things thing actually impede spiritual progress. More McOprah spirituality… instant drive-thru gratification without work or sacrifice. Just what we need!
Richard White @ 11:38 am – I agree with what your balanced perspective. Little over two years ago, I came to a juncture in my life and maturity where I saw a clear connection between this law of attraction thing and Christianity. I didn’t know any of this terminology but since this idea flows through the Bible clearly, I wondered whether God had built a story to bring us to the same path. Because, the bottom line of a Christian is virtually the result of following this law of attraction. Living an abundant life. However ‘living for God’ is a doctrine I need to think comparatively. Where does the sacrificial death and resurrection of Jesus fit in this picture? What about the concept of Sin? These are questions that stem from this idea in comparison to Christianity.
Bravo, Russ. The world is simply bigger than just Christianity…and I am a Christian. Have been all my entire life. Totally believe the teachings of Jesus. However, I’m not so shallow to believe that ONLY Christians are allowed spirituality and a path to heaven. There are many many roads. Some don’t even find that road until after they die (Check out 90 Minutes in Heaven).
Regarding the Secret…the law of attraction is so simple…what we focus on will happen. Just cautioned my best friend not to converse with an old college flame on Facebook…shouldn’t put your energy there. Hmmm, can we guess what will happen? Anyway, the Secret is NOT all about greed and money…it’s about gratitude. It’s ok to have the abundance that God has offered us and he is so proud to see his children rise to their potential…wouldn’t you want to see your children be successful and generous? The more we have, the more we can give.
AMEN Stavros…..what does it profit a man if he gains the world and loses his soul? The principle of attraction is a spiritual encouragement meant to bring us spiritual strength to do spiritual work. There’s nothing spiritual about getting things unless everybody else has them too and uses these things to love their fellow man and do good to the stranger and serve God.
The topic of “The Secret” and Law of Attraction is like eating the “forbidden fruit”. When God created Adam & Eve, He has created them in great abundances, with no worries, no fear living in great love of God. Had Adam & Eve, did not eat the “fruit of Knowledge” wouldn’t they still live in God’s great Kingdom and be the most happy beings on earth? God says the Adam & Eve will “die” if they eat this fruit. Actually, Satan did not entirely tell a lie to Adam & Eve because it was indeed a “Fruit of Knowledge”.
Coming back, God created us all in the “Garden of Eden”. Are we able to realize it? God’s originally created us in world of abundances & happiness. Living in darkness is not God’s will but our fallen nature. They fell because of “sins” and our God is waiting to bring those people back to light in God’s Time and God’s grace & Mercy.
So what happened? By the book “Secret”, there is a double edge sword. We are like eating the “fruit of knowledge” in advance not in God’s will. Christianity is about relationship and it takes time to build and if we are faithful in Him, He will reveal His Truth to every child in His Time and Grace & Mercy. So now, we realized that “Secret or LOA” does align in Bible theories in somehow or another, but does the widespread “Secret” undermines the mystery of “True” God whom we know shall reveal His Truth in His Time? Are we like Adam & Eve eating the “fruit of knowledge” knowing the knowledge “Good & Evil ” not in God’s Time? Are we inhibiting God’ to work His Mystery to us in His own time rather than the “Secret” explaining us bible truth in secular way instead of spiritual manner?
Perhaps, Christian should be awakened to seek more spiritual truth from their churches rather than depending find the “truth” through commercial means which may buried some “hidden” knowledge.
What about the others? Why can’t we leave the world’s in it’s original human nature form in their innocent fallen nature? Why don’t the world allows the slow mystery revelation of “True God” but now imposes a theory (truth/belief) we attract what we want? So why do we still need God if we can manifest what we want through this theory of “LOA”? Why should we still evangelize people the need to hear the real Good News as they have already heard “Good News” and they could save themselves from darkness?
Bible says, “Ask and it shall be given” Yes, somehow seemed in line with LOA, “Tell God (universe) what u want and it shall be given”. There is a difference. One is ask which implies humility and anticipating of hope & grace. The other is “Tell” which implies pride and focus on self instead of God.
Just comment.
The law of attraction is, from my point of view, one of the myriad collection of laws/ordinances/principles ordained by God in His infinite wisdom and Love to make for a balanced universe.There are other laws…sowing and reaping,seedtime and harvest,Gravity,Forgive and you would be forgiven, e.t.c. However, I think it would be foolish to attribute all these wonderful workings to an impersonal force or to nothing at all.Only the fool would say `there is no God`
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