"The Secret teaches us that we create our lives, with every thought every minute of every day. Living The Secret offers tools and ideas to help you live The Secret and create the life of your dreams." - TheSecret.tv
"The Secret is the culmination of centuries of great thinkers, scientists, artists and philosophers. Here we take an exciting look behind the scenes of The Secret’s life-transforming power." - TheSecret.tv
I'm surprised by the video that most of the great men who so-called "kept the secret" were either religious or grown up in a Christian worldview--which encourages the joy of God. What they are talking about is no secret at all. They are simply just describing faith. A faith towards prosperity, personal peace, and affluence in material things. We've seen the downfall of chasing after affluence and personal peace in the 60s. Do you remember the Hippies? Some of that free-spirited attitude still lingers around. Since professing Christians don't find their fulfilment in Christ, they turn to the religious or superstition.
Rhonda Byrne makes all religions to look the same and they all have a common ecclesiastical denominator in which case makes Christianity fall into all religions and therefore not special nor needed for fulfilment. Jesus is not needed for the individual. The soul is what you make of it, and Man begins from himself; truth is in the eye of the beholder; I think, therefore I am. She teaches her followers to believe in themselves. Much like the self-esteem movement that sprung out of the 80s. This "new era of humankind" is what is called New Ageism. It's the more popular growing ideology springing out from Oprah Winfrey's 20 million congregation. Included in Oprah's fold is a multitude of Christians who believe that this New Age deception is consistent with Christianity.
Let's first look at the problem of this idea, then I'll show you how Jesus looks at the world--as it really is--and shows us reality through the Truth of God's Word. The Secret insturcts us to consider what our flesh desires and go for it. If man looks to himself he finds nothing but emptiness and despair. The heart still cries out for eternity.
Another problem is the example with a soccer game. The players intend to score some goals and win the game--that's the goal (no pun intended). Now they may score some goals or they may not, depending on how well they play. Some players are better than others, some teams are far better than the others. That's just how it works. The universe works perfectly so that we have this life on earth. Cosmology shows us that the universe is a perfect design. The video brings up many questions. Why do we have feelings? Why do we have thought? Why do we want to be happy? All sorts of questions are left unanswered with this dilluted fantasy conjured up in Byrne's book. This is just silly human reasoning.
How long must I take counsel in my soul and have sorrow in my heart all the day? Psalm 13:2
Back to faith and prosperity. The Secret is nothing more than us realizing the existence of faith and the pursuit of happiness. As long as you have enough faith, it will happen. This is used a lot by false bible teachers with the Prosperity Gospel. They say things like, "You have to have more faith, and God will make it happen," and "Do you want to be a millionaire?" Though it is true that we need faith, we don't use it to get things. The universe isn't a genie, and we don't pray to God like He's there just to give us what we want. It's totally selfish.
The one good thing I can say about The Secret is that it encourages good thoughts. This is actually biblical. We should think of good things, and not the bad. If you keep telling yourself that God will never forgive you, then that's how you'll live your life--not knowing the real merciful and loving God. If you are positive, and trust and exalt God, then that is true faith. All The Secret explains is what faith is. But where do we get this faith? In the universe that has no being, soul, or personhood. Or do we get it from the living God in whom there is all the answers?
But I have trusted in your steadfast love;
my heart shall rejoice in your salvation.
Psalm 13:5
You make known to me the path of life;
in your presence there is fullness of joy;
at your right hand are pleasures for evermore.
Psalm 16:11
The universe is not a being that can give you a wish to like a genie. And God is not a genie whom we ask for what we want. Ravi Zacharias said, "Prayer is not the means of bringing our wills to pass but the means by which He brings our will into line to gladly receive His will." When we are regenerated in the Spirit we want God's will. We love what God loves and hate what He hates. "For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit" Romans 8:5. The Secret asks us to look to the universe for answers. The universe is not a being or person. But God is a being who we can have an intimate relationship and know Him through revelation communicated in His Word.
Looking to Jesus:
The World Through His Eyes
Jesus said it profits a person nothing if he or she gains the whole world and loses his or her own soul. Simple reason tells us that it is a mindless transaction to gain what is merely temporal and lose what is desirably eternal. Ravi Zacharias said, "The only way to configure a plan is to understand the nature of our hungers and clearly differentiate between the fulfilments that are permanent and those that are temporary. That is the only way to keep our goals realistic." (Recapture The Wonder, Chp. 6).
The Greeks had this problem of the momentary versus the permanent. Jesus focuses on the spiritual. He said it's harder for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God than a camel through the eye of a needle. Do you remember the rich man on the road who asked Jesus what it takes to get into heaven? He was arrogant enough to say that he kept all of the commandments his whole life and Jesus saw this. That is why Jesus told him then to give away all his money and possessions. He knew that that was the hardest thing for him with all his "wealth" to give up all that he had gained. True richness is held in higher places. True wealth is in the soul and heart. The wealth that Jesus taught was the spiritual; imperishable and incorruptable. King Solomon understood this. All that he had worked for was not going with him. All that he had gained in life was meaningless.
Then I saw that all toil and all skill in work come from a man’s envy of his neighbour. This also is vanity and a striving after wind.
The fool folds his hands and eats his own flesh.
Ecclesiastes 4:4-5
The Secret teaches people to covet then be satisfied with the position or material thing they have achieved with their own hands. But they are not satisfied. The hunger grows for more. "When goods increase, they increase who eat them, and what advantage has their owner but to see them with his eyes?" Ecclesiastes 5:11. In the Bible, prosperity is not in the material or stature of a man, it is in the heart and soul. The only things to be gained in this life are the eternal and imperishable rewards that we will earn in heaven. Are you a slave to the world?
Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.
1 John 2:15-17
The Secret teaches us to forget the pain and to embrace the positives. This is good, but we learn from the bad times and God brings us out of them when we look to Him and remember the cross. We remember what He did on the cross and the gratitude we have for Him is immeasurable and everlasting. It goes beyond any feeling. When we receive a gift from someone we have a temporary feeling of gratitude for a few seconds. Imagine that feeling of gratitude every day of your life, always receiving His free gift of forgiveness when we trust our Saviour. We should be happy because we're heading to the promised land.
Delight yourself in the Lord,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.
Psalm 37:4
He will put into your heart the desire for the things that He wants you to have. He wants you to have the things that are best for you. When He puts the desire in your heart, you can know that whatever you desire is in His will. Then, and only then, you can have everything you desire. When you ask for it, He who put the desire in your heart loves to grant it. To know you shall have every desire of your heart is not only possible, it is His will for you. This is real joy and happiness.
Ravi Zacharias said, "Until we see in ourselves the uniqueness of God's touch, we will always want to be someone else and will live under the illusion that being someone else would be better."
Oprah's Religion
Greg Koukl, President of Stand to Reason
April 28, 2008
Oprah has made a number of books bestsellers and among them are religious books that promote, essentially, reworked New Age religion. When another of her books hits the bestsellers list, we get emails from Christians asking for point by point responses to each book because their friends are reading these books. The ideas in these book are not new; they were popularized in the 60s and 70s and roundly responded to by Christian writers and scholars. Old ideas come back wrapped up to look different, but behind the dressing there are no essential differences. The ideas are recycled old ones, a westernized blend of Hinduism and Buddhism. Doug Groothuis' book is the best single volume to get familiar with the New Age themes that repeat themselves on Oprah's bookshelf.There are a couple of key themes that always surface in New Age rehash. And it's handy to remember these as a starting point to evaluate any religious claims, especially those of the New Age variety.
First is the claim that this teaching is what Jesus really was here to teach us. Bunk. Jesus Himself said that His death and resurrection was the purpose of His life, that our decision about who He is is central to our relationship with Him, and that salvation was only through Him. The New Agers have been trying to strip Jesus of most of what He Himself said for years now so that they can use Him for credibility, a nice, wise teacher. But you have to ignore most of what He actually taught in order to make that work. Jesus own words make Christianity and any New Age teaching incompatible.
Second, these books/theologies always teach an impersonal Consciousness that we are a part of. That's Hinduism. Christianity is about a personal God who created us, a personal being to have a relationship with. They merge creation and Creator; Christianity keeps the two distinct. Jesus Himself said that He was God so God is not an impersonal force or indistinct consciousness to access or achieve.
This western blend of Buddhism and Hinduism in New Age wrappings has been growing in attraction to Americans for years because it gives people the significance of a religion without the obligations and demands that a personal God and the Bible make on them. It's high on personal meaning and low on personal obligation. Underneath it all, people are God's creatures and are sinners. They're running from that fact. The best thing to do is to use the Law and Jesus' own words, and let the Holy Spirit work on their heart and conscience.
Enhanced Solid Ground July 2010
Promising to reveal a secret—a “secret” cover-up, a “secret” source, a “secret” inside story, a “secret” to happiness and fulfillment—is an enticing strategy to get attention in a market where hype sometimes matters more than substance.
In this Enhanced Solid Ground called “The Secret: A Fatal Attraction,” I give you a handy tool to help you easily compare the worldview “map” of Jesus with any competing religion or philosophy. When you do the match-up, any lie immediately becomes obvious.
Read this article carefully. The information will not only help you steer misled Christians away from Oprah’s nonsense. It will also give you the ability to put Jesus on your side, pitting His worldview against that of any challenger.
Download the July Enhanced Solid Ground
Resources: STR Weblog, Recapture the Wonder by Ravi Zacharias.
No comments:
Post a Comment