Did anyone watch Oprah Thursday? It was about this movie/book called The Secret. It sounded interesting. It's all about living life in a positive sense. Don't dwell on the negitives, do unto others........... The website is www.thesecret.tv, I bought the DVD but on Amazon because the secret website was overloaded I think and I couldn't get anywhere! 

This seems very new age to me.  They are talking about things I learned in church through scriptures - except they are taking the Christ out of it.

For example  " I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."   or 22"Have[f] faith in God," Jesus answered. 23"I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, 'Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. 24Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. 25And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins."[g]

This is talking about actually believing you receive something before you see it.  Having faith that God is going to answer your prayers.  It says whatever I ask for and believe I have received, it will be mine.


These people are just repackaging biblical principles without God.

 Now if as a Christian I believe that God will answer my prayers and I stand on this scripture,  I will be called "Kooky" or "wierd"


Yet I can visualize what I want without the Christ factor and I am merely using the powers of the universe and I have tapped into the secret.

This is EXACTLY what is causing the uproar in my area, Countess.
From what I was told, a few of the big NSDs started this going around in their areas and now
it seems everyone who wants to be a "big girl" is on the bandwagon with it.
It was billed as "life changing" at a recent event in my area. Amie Gamboian (sp?)and another gal presented it. I chose to keep the huge registration fee in my pocket and did not attend...the money I saved changed a few things in my life. 
I don't have a "follower" personality and have a real problem going along with what I consider to be against my faith, beliefs and principles just because an NSD says it's a good thing. But most of the directors in my area are promoting it because NSD says they must! NSD even "suggested" the directors pay the $30+ for the dvd.
Whatever happened to "God first..." ?

It almost sounds like something dreamed up by L Ron Hubbard...and it's a load of hooey, IMO.

I think with the kind of thinking that is in "The Secret" is good anyway you look at it. Some people just will not listen to reasoning that there is a God, but with philosophies like in "The Secret" at least you will get people who are working towards good things. Sometimes you have to go at people from a different angle to get them to see your point!

I don't like it that MK directors are using "The Secret" for training, but if those teachings are what I believe them to be, it won't work with their agenda anyway, it's not pure!!!!!!

JMO!

Okay - 1st, Countess, YES!

2nd, haven't watched that video or read the book (is there a book), but know what it is enough, and yes, Countess, it is New Age.

I understand your point, wwit, but it's not what it seems, and can lead down a dangerous path. Much of this type of material is designed to make you feel as if what you have is not enough, and that you are entitled to more, more, MORE. The focusing exercises, taking God out it and twisting the meaning of scripture just enough to feed their purpose. The message of The Secret isn't new or special or extraordinary. It's a repackaged concept that's been around for ages (literally, ages). It's part of the prosperity theology/prosperity consciousness movement, whose roots are in the Puritan faith and Transcendentalism, which morphed into New Age's predecessor, New Thought (the "New Age" movement of the 19th century). There's even a tape produced by a Pros consciousness publisher called Nightingale-Conant, called "The Strangest Secret." Guess what it's about? Hey! It's the same as today's "The Secret" (it's quite a bit older, too...).

What has now become Prosperity Theology is the reason why MLMs thrive and took off to epidemic proportions in the 1980s and beyond. Though there are some *some* good techniques that can be implemented in a self-help sense, Pros Theo is mainly another way to line people's pockets = the gurus who spoon-feed us this stuff, and the MLMers who eat it up (those at the top that is). It puts people in a dangerous position, teaching them to envision their new mansion and car and that what God really wants for you is all this, and it's there for your taking. The Universe wants you to have it, and you deserve it. You just have to align with the Universal Will. Poverity is a sin, and what God would want that for you?

Besides teaching people to be unappreciative and unhappy in what their lives have been blessed with (wrapped up in a pretty package so you think this is okay), it keeps them tied to the MLMs always waiting for that next big paycheck - because they BEELIEVE. Some MLMs are entirely focused on Prosperity Theology, actually selling this crap IS the MLM - tapes, books, etc.

When you study it further, you encounter even more dangerous thoughts. Before you buy into it too much, I suggest reading "False Profits" by Robert Fitzpatrick. There's a descrip on Amazon. Eye-opening would be an understatement.

AAAHHHHH!

Oprah is such a loon. Im sorry, but she is. The Secret is also going like wildfire through the Arbonne downlines, so it's not just MK. It's all crap.

I cannot even watch Oprah anymore because she is so off her rocker. I wouldn't be surprised if she had a show on Scientology next.

Countess - even Deepak Chopra has started to cash in on this. He used to be all "meditation and light", but now has jumped on this Pros Theo thing with books on how to use his principles to gain financial success. He has a few of them out now that are fairly recent.

Sometimes Oprah has on people she disagrees with, but are popular. I didn't see that show, so I don't know if she did any of her, "but don't you think it's wrong to ..." or was she all acting like this was the neatest thing since sliced bread? I don't watch it very much, but I did watch the one with that guy that wrote A Million Little Pieces, after it came out that he made it up. But she had made it a book club selection and had it on before. Mannnn was she ticked at him! It was kinda funny watching him squirm. Gotta give him kudos for showing up for that though.

I agree that a lot of the so called 'new age' ideas are really just old christian (or other world religious) ideas recycled.

I find it absolutely fascinating how people will just gravitate towards these ideas, which you can find the identical idea in christianity, but when you link it to God or to Jesus, people just shut it out.  Point it out that it is a Christian belief, and they don't want to hear any more from you!

I blame extremist/capitalizing Christians for turning lots of people off to Christianity.  I mean, if your only experience with Christianity was seeing Televangelists on cable, would you take Christianity seriously?  I mean, really, does anyone think a little green prayer cloth is the key to finding Jesus?

It just makes me  .