"'As
above, so below!' The Emerald Tablet,
circa 3000 BC."[1]
Introductory page of The Secret.
"This
phrase [above]
... embraces the entire system of traditional and modern magic which
was inscribed upon the tablet in cryptic wording by Hermes Trismegistus.
The significance of this phrase is that it is believed to hold the
key to all mysteries. All systems of magic are claimed to function
by this formula. 'That which is above is the same as that which
is below.'"[2]
"Beware
lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according
to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the
world, and not according to Christ."
Colossians 2:8
Cheered by Oprah Winfrey and Larry
King, an enticing little book and corresponding DVD have stirred widespread
enthusiasm. "It's making headlines around the world," announced Oprah's website,
"and buzz just keeps building. Some say it's the secret to creating the life
you truly want—losing weight, making money, finding love."[3]
Yes, The Secret by
Rhonda Byrne teems with tempting
promises and positive affirmations. But it omits all facts that could sound
negative, since "summoning what you want" demands an intentional and selective
focus only on what's positive. "The law of attraction doesn’t compute
'don’t' or 'not' or 'no,' or any other words of negation."[1]
So while the next quote gives us
a glimpse into the tantalizing roots of this Secret, it doesn't tell
us that those roots include ancient Egyptian mystery religions, the
Kabbalah,
Gnosticism,
Rosicrucianism, and
Hermetic
magic. Nor does it warn us that its more recent branches include
Unity, Science of Mind, and
the
"New
Thought" movement that swept through the Christianized world over a century
ago.[4]
"Fragments of a great secret
have been found in the oral traditions, in literature, in religions and
philosophies throughout the centuries. For the first time, all the pieces
of The Secret come together in an incredible revelation that will
be life-transforming for all who experience it. In this book, you'll learn
how to use The Secret in every aspect of your life—money, health,
relationships, happiness, and in every interaction you have in the world.
You'll begin to understand the hidden, untapped power that's within you,
and this revelation can bring joy to every aspect of your life."
[5]
"We are the creators not only of our own destiny but also of the Universe....
We are all connected, and we are all One."[1,
p. 175]
Sounds fantastic, doesn't it?
But what does it imply? That our God is obsolete? That real spiritual
empowerment means replacing the Bible with The Secret?
As Byrne tells us in her fast-selling
book, she unlocked a secret that has captivated aspiring occultists, conjurers
and magicians for thousands of years.
"I'd been given a glimpse of
a Great Secret," she tells us in the foreword. "Why doesn't everyone know this?"
The answer is simple. When
Christianity spread, the forbidden forces behind magical arts went underground.
Rarely mentioned in public, they were hidden in secret societies and occult
orders until the 20th century, when books, movies, television and universities
re-introduced them to a thrill-seeking, Biblically illiterate nation ready and
eager to revive the mystical powers of the past. Byrne herself illustrates this
fascination:
"A burning desire to share
The Secret with the world consumed me, and I began searching for
people alive today who knew The Secret. One by one they began to
emerge. I became a magnet as I began to search, one great living master
after another was drawn to me."[1]
The "masters" -- living or dead -- who inspired
Byrne's occult views included mythologist
Joseph Campbell,
Wallace Wattles (author of
The Science
of Getting Rich), Jack Canfield, Neale Donald
Walsch (who published his occult messages from a counterfeit "god" in
Conversations with God),
and Jerry and Esther Hicks. The Hicks'
website introduces us to a cluster [or "legion"] of demonic spirit guides
called "Abraham":
"Abraham, a group of obviously evolved
teachers, speak their broader non-physical perspective through the physical
body of Esther [Hicks]. Speaking to our level of comprehension... they
guide us to a clear connection with our Inner Being...."[6]
"New Thought" and Ancient Mysteries
Byrne introduces Prentice Mulford
(1834-1891) as "one of the earliest writers and founders of the
New Thought movement...
[who] has influenced countless writers and teachers."[1]
This quote from
Thoughts are Things summarizes his "mental and spiritual laws:"
"There is no limit to the power
of the thought current you can attract to you nor limit to the things that
can be done through the individual by it. In the future some people
will draw so much of the higher quality of thought to them, that by it they
will accomplish what some would call miracles. In this capacity... lies
the secret of what has been called 'magic."[7]
During the 20th century, such
thinking inspired "positive thinking" gurus like Norman Vincent Peale who, in
turn, converted Robert Schuller and countless other leaders who are now pastoring
churches or marketing the deception through church-related programs around the
world. John
Maxwell and other global change agents demonstrate the subtle influence
of this feel-good, self-empowering ideology.
"Nothing," Byrne assures us, "can come into your experience unless you
summon it through persistent thoughts."[1
p.43]
Our sovereign Biblical God has no place in this man-centered philosophy.
But other religions are acceptable -- including a
compatible distortion of Christianity:
"Religions, such as Hinduism,
Hermetic
traditions, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, and civilizations,
such as the ancient Babylonians and Egyptians, delivered it through their
writings and stories. Recorded throughout the ages in all its forms, the
law can be found in ancient writings through all the centuries. It was recorded
in stone in 3000 BC."[1
p. 4-5]
The last reference points back to ancient mystery religions and to the words
inscribed on the fabled
Emerald Tablett. Remember, Byrne used those words, "As
above, so below," to set the stage for her book. An occult website decodes
their meaning:
"The universe is the same as God, God is the same as man, man is the
same as the cell.... [M]an is the counterpart of God on earth; as God is
man's counterpart in heaven. Therefore, it is a statement of an ancient
belief that man's actions on earth parallel the actions of God in heaven....
"The purpose of all rituals in ceremonial magic is to unite
the microcosm with the macrocosm to join God... with the human
consciousness. When such a supreme union is achieved the subject and object
becomes one....
Aleister Crowley [a satanist member of the Hermetic Order of the
Golden Dawn], claimed that when the magician reaches this ultimate peak
of altered consciousness the miracles are no longer important, the extreme
goal becomes the direct union with God."[2]
Now as then, those dark Luciferian
teachings have become shining lights to post-Christian cultures inspired by
"false apostles and deceitful workers" -- servants of Satan, the "evil one"
who masquerades as "an angel of light."
(2 Corinthians 11:13-14)
After all, The Secret offers gullible seekers everything under the sun.
And its promises sound good, don't they? Consider these examples:
"There isn't a single
thing that you cannot do with this knowledge. It doesn't matter who
you are or where you are, The Secret can give you whatever you want."[1,
p. xi]
"The law of attraction is the law of creation....You
create your life through your thoughts."[1,
p. 15]
"With this powerful knowledge, you can completely
change every circumstance and event in your entire life..."[1,
p. 17]
"You are the master of the Universe. You are the heir to the kingdom.
You are the perfection of Life. And now you know the Secret."[1,
p. 183]
Do those affirmations remind you of Lucifer's attempted bargain with Jesus
in the wilderness? Now, compare them with the next tempting promise. Notice
the cost, which Byrne never mentions:
"...the devil, taking Him
up on a high mountain, showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment
of time. And the devil said to Him, 'All this authority I will give You....
Therefore, if You will worship before me, all will be Yours.'
And Jesus answered and said to him, 'Get behind Me, Satan! For it is written,
‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.’ ”
Luke 4:5-8
Risky Attractions
"The Secret is the law of attraction!" declares
Byrne. "Everything that’s coming into your life you are attracting into your
life. And it’s attracted to you by virtue of the
images you’re holding
in your mind. It’s what you’re thinking...."[1,
p. 4]
This "secret of attraction"
has a simple explanation. When we seek forbidden thrills and forces, Satan is
ready to answer. In Old Testament days, God protected His people from the full
onslaught of such forces as long as the nation followed Him and His loving guidelines.
But when they rejected His guidelines and sought the occult thrills of pagan
neighbors, He withdrew His protection.[8]
Left to their own meager resources, the nation was destroyed by Babylonian armies.
Would God ever withdraw His
protection over America?
Back in the nineties, I received a phone call from a Canadian psychologist.
He had read A Twist
of Faith and wanted to discuss the swelling tide of seekers visiting
his scenic community. Hoping to find their personal spirit guide, they would
participate in Indian sweat lodge ceremonies and spirit quests. In former decades,
few "succeeded," but recently something had changed. Now almost everyone
"meets" their demonic guide. Some therapists had expressed their surprise,
he said, by the current explosion of what they only knew as multiple personality
disorders. Many seekers were terrorized by strange voices and felt they had
lost control of their
own minds to entrenched foreign personalities. Now they longed for freedom.
The demonic realm, which used to be distant and non-threatening, now crouches
near. Occult books, games and
movies show children
how to empower themselves by summoning demons. Yet we shouldn't be surprised.
America has silenced God's warnings and
compromised His truth. The consequences could bring unthinkable heartbreak.
But God warned us!
"...when you have eaten and are full, and
have built beautiful houses and dwell in them... your heart is lifted up
and you forget the Lord your God. ... you say in your heart, ‘My power
and the might of my hand have gained me this wealth.’...
If you by any means forget
the Lord your God, and follow other gods... you shall surely perish.
As the nations which the Lord destroys before you, so you shall perish,
because you would not be obedient to the voice of the Lord your God."
Deuteronomy 8:10-20
It does matter what you think and imagine. When we set our minds on
self-empowerment and self-focused idolatry, the consequences can be devastating.
Again and again, God's Word shows His concern over the corrupting influence
of our rebellious thoughts:
"GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that
every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil
continually." Genesis 6:5
Though God is amazingly patient with us, the
time comes when He must deal with human depravity. Long ago, He promised faithful
Abraham (not the counterfeit spirit mentioned earlier) that his descendants
would "be strangers in a land that is not theirs... for four hundred years."
They could not enter the promised land until "the iniquity of the Amorites was
complete."
(Gen 15:13, 16)
Our patient and caring Lord would not replace the corrupt Canaanites with Abraham's
descendants until their cruelty, idolatry, child sacrifice and perverted sex
rituals had reached intolerable proportions. Nor did He allow the Babylonians
to destroy Jerusalem until -- centuries later -- the depravity of Israel was
ripe for His judgment: Seventy years of exile.
“The Lord will judge His people," warns the Bible. "It is a fearful thing
to fall into the hands of the living God."
[Hebrews 10:30-31]
Yet, the masses -- whether in ancient Israel or in our own times -- pay little
attention. Nor do they fear the consequences.
Miracles happen - but what's
the source
In response to the DVD version
of The Secret, "stories of miracles began to flood in," wrote Byrne.
Her fans "wrote about healing from chronic pain, depression, and disease....
We have received thousands of accounts of The Secret being used to bring
about large sums of money.... Some of the most magnificent stories we have received
have come from children using The Secret to attract what they want, including
high grades and friends.... There are Secret parties being held in homes around
the world, as people share the knowledge with loved ones and families....."[1,
p. x-xi]
Many forget that "the angel
of light" is a shrewd deceiver, not a kind giver. God has allowed
Satan a measure of authority for a
season of time, but his power is limited to that which serves God's overall
purposes. Our loving Father
allows trials in our
lives to train us to rely on
His strength and wisdom, not our own.
[9]
That's the exact opposite of Byrne's New Thought message. She may boast of miracles
from the hand of the deceiver, but there's a cost. And the devil never fails
to claim his due.
"The coming of the lawless one
is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying
wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish,
because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should
believe the lie, that they all may be condemned who did not believe the
truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness."
2 Thessalonians 2:9-12
We cannot afford
to be ignorant these days. The Bible tells us to "be strong in the Lord and
in the power of His might. Put on the whole
armor of God,
that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil."
Ephesians 6:1
1
Why?
"For we
do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against
powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual
hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the
whole
armor of God,
that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all,
to stand." Ephesians
6:12-13
To avoid
experiencing evil, we need to discern evil. Many of Byrne's esoteric
concepts have already been adapted to the "Word of Faith" teachings, contemplative
disciplines, holistic health and other familiar practices. They sound good to
those who are blind to the "wiles of the devil." May God show us how
to prepare ourselves and our families for the spiritual warfare ahead!
"Be sober, be vigilant; because
your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he
may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith...."
1 Peter 5:8-9
See
Comments on
The Secret (See a personal explanation in the box near the top
of this page)
The Secret
- Christianity or New Age |
The Secret: A New Era for Humankind
The secret things are no longer secret
Clothed with His Truth
(First lesson in a Bible study on the Armor)
Note: We hope to finish a chart on this topic by
September 7. You can see our progress here:
Ancient
Occultism poisons postmodern Churches
Endnotes:
1. Rhonda Byrne, The Secret
(TS Production Limited Liability Company, 2006), Foreword, page 14.
2.
"As
above, so below,"
www.themystica.com/mystica/articles/a/below_above.html
3.
The Oprah Winfrey show
at
www.oprah.com/tows/pastshows/200702/tows_past_20070208.jhtml
