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There is a lot of buzz about “The Secret” everywhere I turn. All sorts of people are swearing by it and how it can / has changed their lives.

And, since “The Secret” can get you anything your little heart desires, there are a lot of people using it to get their next / the perfect / a job.

But I’m here to tell you that if you’re at all trying to be a godly person (in the traditional, “Following After God” sense, not the modern “I am my own god!” sense), “The Secret” ain’t for you.

Read on and I’ll try to explain what “The Secret” is (and how it isn’t new at all), how “The Secret” is diametrically opposed to God and why you should run - not walk - when people start to push it on you.

WHAT IS “THE SECRET”

The secret is basically this: you “put your dreams out to The Universe” and wait for “The Universe” to bring back whatever it is that you’re wishing for.

So, constantly you’re thinking about “New Ferrari” or “Jessica Alba” or “More Money” or “Good Job” or whatever it is that you’re obsessed with and it will (eventually) find its way to you.

While “The Secret” folks like to talk about “The Universe” instead of God, they are obviously referring to a god that they don’t know (or perhaps they do, but don’t want to name him/her).

In any case, this god that they want you to worship is apparently co-dependent because s/he is sitting “out there” just waiting for you to tell him/her what you want. Once s/he knows, s/he will jump right to giving it to you.

Yeah. That’s quite a god.


CUT OFF THE “NON-SECRETERS”

As Mark Early points out in an article over at CrossWalk (hat tip to John Myers), the other part of “The Secret” is that you can’t hang around anyone negative who might hamper “The Secret” from working (read: who doesn’t believe in / isn’t practicing “The Secret”)

Specifically, “While you are rearranging the universe to suit your own wishes, Byrne claims, you must avoid people who might inspire negative thoughts. So you should never look at overweight people or let sick people tell you about their illness.”

Why is that? Because anyone whose life isn’t perfect (overweight, poor, sick, or even involved in a disaster - “They did not want enough not to ‘be in the wrong place at the wrong time.’”) isn’t practicing “The Secret” and is blocking it from coming true for you.

So, if you want to have real fun with a “Secret” person, dance around them and keep telling them how sick, poor, and overweight you are.


AN ANCIENT SECRET

While the book / DVD is selling like hotcakes, “The Secret” really isn’t new. It is an age-old lie or combination of lies.

The lies are:

• What You Want Is More Important Than Anything Else - This is also known as self-obsession and it’s ugly
• People In Trouble Brought It On Themselves - This makes it easier to not help anyone. It’s their own fault, after all. And here I thought it rained on the just and unjust alike..
• You Are The Most Important Person On Earth - Because your wishes and dreams are waiting to be fulfilled - with no effort on your part, of course - if you just let someone know what they are.

And this leads, of course, to…

• You Are A God - Most self-absorption leads here. No need for any other old, crusty god telling you what to do. You are your own god! Do whatever you want!



CHECKING IN WITH GOD ON “THE SECRET”

Many people will point to the verses in the Bible that say, “Ask and it shall be given to you”. Jesus does, in fact, say this. It is quoted in the first three gospels.

However, if you look around the passage, he ain’t talking about Ferarris.

Somehow, in the same passage where Jesus is talking about getting your heart’s desire, he ends with, “So, in everything, do to others as you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Laws of the Prophets.” (Matt 7:12)

And, just in case your “Gimme, Gimme, Gimme” gland was getting a little uncomfortable, He follows this up with “Enter through the narrow way” and all that about small and narrow (and difficult) is the way that leads to life.

Perhaps you’re still feeling good about “The Secret” despite all this. Okay, let’s get back to basics then:

And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Matthew 6: 28-34 (emphasis mine, of course)


TO SUMMARIZE

For those of who who have ADD, I’ll summarize quickly:

The Secret: Think about yourself and what you want all the time and it will come to you.

God: Think about Me and furthering My Kingdom and all that you need will be given to you.

These are what we call “mutually exclusive” - they can’t both be true at the same time.

So, the real question is, “Who do you believe?”


Photo by: Katie Tegtmeyer

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This entry was posted on Monday, June 4th, 2007 at 7:21 am and is filed under God In My Job. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.