Damaged Goods Wrapped in Pretty Paper

[SERay]

While many people think the material in "The Secret" is innocent and harmless, it does promote a mystical materialism that is represented by the genie figure in the movie. Just name it and claim it and the genie (universe) will meet any whim according to your wish. Certainly faith must be released to realize any goal, but to use the principle to gain wealth with the same motivations people aspire too when trying to win the lottery is simply damaging.

Please read complete published article here: http://www.eternalpath.com/thesecret.html

[CarlSW]

I'm glad you are tackling 'The Secret'

It seems to me that the producers of 'The Secret' are trying to capitalize upon the interest in the DaVinci Code, Gnosticism, etc. They pose as posessors of the 'secret' message of spiritual teachers as if they have the 'saving knowledge' and that it's about positive affirmations being used to get what you want from the universe... and this is a DOUBLE deception.

The first major deception is that ANY spiritual teacher's main message was about making the universe grant personal requests for material things or for help with worldly goals. Neither the Buddha, early Christians, ancient Gnostics, Aristotle, nor Plato, saw the goals or techniques in 'The Secret' to be the ultimate teaching, and any allegation that ANY of them would agree with the techniques in a practical or worldly sense is dubious at best. In short: real spiritual traditions, Christian or otherwise, Gnostic or Orthodox, Eastern or Western, do not focus upon such things in the way 'The Secret' does... 'The Secret' is NOT about any kind of spirituality.

The second major deception has to do with the idea that we create our reality, that sickness or bad things or lack of success, is a result of not thinking positively enough, often enough, with the right emotional involvement, while the universe will fulfill our wish like a genie if we have this formula. In short: 'The Secret' over-emphasizes personal responsibility and is inaccurate about how things happen in the world, and this isn't psychologically healthy, and it distorts the way people relate and respond to others.

The first deception is very toxic to the discussion of spirituality and contrary to the development of Spiritual Fruit. The fact that there are Gnostics, Buddhists, Wiccans, as well as atheists and mainstream and born-again Christians in agreement on the spiritual irrelevance of 'The Secret' is worth noting. Everyone should know that the term 'spirituality' isn't about whether or not you need glasses or whether you get a bike or car or whether you are successful in this world. The term 'spirituality' is about things like having patience and humility, or insight, charity, understanding, and goals like making peace.

The second deception is very toxic to the soul. All of us have seen an injustice committed towards others and ourselves, and all of us have had unjust moments. Our behavior is flawed, it is true, and there are often negative consequences to our behavior. But people have been wronged through no fault of their own, due to nothing that they are responsible for themselves. victims of torture or rape, people who suffer due to natural disasters or things like cancer, didn't make anyone treat them unjustly, didn't cause the natural disaster, didn't ask for cancer. A healthy soul orients towards spirituality and manifests spiritual fruit, showing charity and understanding towards people who are victims of injustice or people who suffer for whatever other reasons. A healthy soul doesn't blame itself for things that are beyond it's control. Denial of the reality of suffering, injustice, and evils, blaming victims, etc., is not healthy to the soul. We all have things in our lives that we have to realize were not because of us.

[CarlSW]

Some other comments...

I had contacted the website administrator after reading an article on The Secret on 'eternal path', and in response I was encouraged to come to this forum and cut and paste my comments.

Here they are:

Although the ancient Gnostics had many differences with you on many things, they would have agreed with you that 'the Secret' is not spiritual, but instead is materialistic, worldly.Also, many ancient Gnostic texts clearly differentiate between God and God's people, they don't equate individual souls or spirits with God.New Agers and new-styled gnostics are very different from the old-school Gnostics, though some of today's gnostics understand the differences and side with the old-school Gnosis that would agree with you in rejecting 'The Secret' and many other New Age teachings.

I'm glad people are exposing the hogwash of 'The Secret' whether they are doing so from a psychological point of view, or from a spiritual point of view, or just from a skeptical point of view.

It's refreshing and encouraging, though of course eventually it will degenerate into everyone grinding their axes and speaking loosely without knowing much about such things and preaching to the choir.

I'm concerned that people who aren't in 'the choir' might be reacheable, but might be overlooked, because all of us come at things from our own angles and try to preach to 'the choir' -- it's disturbing that so many people would see the universe as a genie that gives us what we think emotionally about, I mean they are blaming their own emotions and thoughts for OTHER PEOPLE's crimes and for events that they simply have no control over, and are seeking magical power in a way that anyone into actual magic or occultism would laugh at as simplistic and amateurish.

[Tracea]

"Pay it Forward" means more to me

I just finished watching The Secret. It ain't no secret. It is a group of people unwittingly (or perhaps wittingly) playing on our human nature, who happened to get lucky saying that their ideas will work for everyone. Neal Walshe (Conversations with God author) was homeless and now he's a millionaire, so naturally, you will have the same success! It reminds me of a zealous Le Leche League group of breastfeeding moms... they preach to the poor bottle feeding moms whose milk came in as occasional drips, "you can do it because I did it!" Puh-lease. (Sorry guys if that offended you, or if you can't really relate.) But you get my drift, just because something works for one person, doesn't mean it works for everyone.

The movie Pay it Forward is the BEST movie I've seen lately. Now, what if The Secret took that point of view? Manifest good feelings for your NEIGHBOR so that SHE can get that car she wants. Think positive thoughts for your SISTER in LAW so that she can land that job she wants. Now that would get my attention a bit more. But all this ego-me-me-me-me-ego stuff... if it were really a universal law, do you think we'd need a special movie to tell us about it? Are there movies warning us about the law of gravity, or cause and effect? Is that a big secret? Nope.

They never mention the Bible or Jesus in there at all. (They say "religious books") That makes me worry. Not to say that the idea isn't completely against the teachings of Jesus. It's a half-truth. Because Jesus did say that if we asked in His Name, we could have, and to control our thoughts and think on things that are noble, just, pure, etc... but He also said we have to submit to the Father's will, just as He did. That's the part The Secret leaves out. Sometimes it's not God's will to heal, sometimes it is. Sometimes it is His will to give you your heart's desire, but sometimes it is not in your best interest. He is not some cosmic genie that we can TELL what to do, and the universe isn't either. It just plain tickles the ears a bit too much, and when that happens, I see red flags. I think of the serpent in the garden telling Eve what she wanted to hear. And that was half-truth too!

[CarlSW]

The effect on others is one of the biggest problems I think.

It's one thing for someone to pressure themselves and bend their minds hoping they can escape or change things, but it's another when other people are told that this will help them as if it were some kind of divine revelation, or when others are treated as if they created their misfortunes.

It bothers me that some people will become a bit obsessive about their thoughts, and unrealistic about themselves and their life, and blaming themselves for hardships and misfortunes that they don't have to blame themselves for.

But it bothers me even more that people would throw that kind of thing onto others who are having a tough time. Comforting the poor, the widows, and orphans, and being charitable, that's spiritual. Telling the poor, widows, and orphans that they are having their problems because they don't think/feel the right way, is as uncompassionate as you could get, it's awful. That people may think/feel in ways that are making things worse, doesn't mean that problems are ONLY about the way we think/feel. Even our actions, which do have an effect on things, aren't the ONLY consideration. We aren't isolated individuals, there is an external world and other people, all of which factors into whether or not our thoughts/words/actions will have this or that effect.

[Miguel]

The Secret is defently satanic wraped in new age teachings that do not deal with a persons problems but it is defently a adversary to the teaches of God, thats what satanic means, it is defently new age and promotes a occultic agenda, the word occult means what is keept hidden, or in this case "secret" when people look in to things that are not their they are delusional, abit like the mediums, they think that they are the only people that God has reveled curtain things and only people who will listen and believe will really understand what God is trying to tell us.

here are points i wanted to make

1. Why would God use soothsayers.
2. Why would God keep anything hidden when he said Mark 4:22 (Jer) "For there is nothing hidden but it must be disclosed, nothing kept secret except to be brought to light."

3. Any one who says they have the knowlege God keept secret and people like these this is what God says about Job 24:13,15,17 (NIV) "There are those who rebel against the light, who do not know its ways or stay in its paths... The eye of the adulterer watches for dusk; he thinks, 'No eye will see me,' and he keeps his face concealed... For all of them, deep darkness is their morning; they make friends with the terrors of darkness." why would God use any occult means to tell people about Gods truth's

4. the Secret plays on man's pride, when the bible says (Proverbs 16:18, "Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.") and that John talks about this very much (I John 2:16, "For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.") the fact that the books states that we some people are above curtain sinners and you can get to God another way.
When the bible says their is only one way to God and that is Jesus Christ.

5. One of the major problems with the secret also is that the aim is that if you focus on what you want your desires will be filled leading up to lasting happiness, the Bible is clear on Idolitry and coveting, plus the Secret is worldly it teaches on issues around money "if you focus on riches then you will become rich" this is wrong and immoral, their is nothing wrong in having money, the Bible says it is the love of money that is the root of all evil, we cant love money more then God.

6. The Secret touches on the Ying and Yang (possitive and negative) and that we are suppost to refuse to accept that we are sinners, and to think possitively, Jesus said that their is no condemnation under Christ, if we are forgiven their is nothing to be guily about but we are curtanly not sinless we sin less.

7. The Secret is ,a man centered gospel and not a Christ centered gospel, always going on about me me me me me me etc.

8. The Secret is based on witchcraft it is spiritual manipulation, John 14:6, "I am the way, the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father except through me." There is no other "Secret" way to get to Heaven. The Secret is a lie from Satan that wants to tempt people to take what is Gods.