Did Jesus Know "The Secret"?
Robert Velarde
"You hold in your hands a Great Secret," reads the dust jacket for the
bestselling book The Secret (Simon & Schuster—Atria Books/Beyond
Words, 2006). The intriguing text continues, "This centuries old Secret has
been understood by some of the most prominent people in history … Now The
Secret is being revealed to the world." Within its pages author Rhonda Byrne
reveals her ambitious purpose: "My intention in creating The Secret
was—and still is—that it will bring joy to billions around the world" (xi).
Although Byrne still has a lot of ground to cover before reaching billions,
record-breaking sales of The Secret, spurred by promotion by Oprah
Winfrey and via other media venues, have resulted in the latest self-help
phenomenon. A companion to the popular direct-to-DVD film of the same title,
The Secret features more than two dozen individuals including New Age
authors Jack Canfield and Neale Donald Walsch. The book makes some amazing
claims, touching upon finances, relationships, health, and more.
But what is The Secret all about? A closer look reveals answers
that are anything but new or secret. At its core, The Secret
emphasizes the "law of attraction," a principle it claims is supported
throughout the centuries by such luminaries as Buddha, Plato, Jesus, Beethoven,
Charles Fillmore (the founder of Unity, a mind science religion), Einstein, and
many other "great avatars and master teachers from the past," (xiv) as well as
various religions including Buddhism, Judaism, Hinduism, Islam, and
Christianity (4). Simply put, the "law of attraction" is the secret to health,
wealth, and happiness. Our thoughts, claims Byrne, create reality. We need
simply master the "law of attraction" to draw whatever we want into our
lives.
In addition to the concept that human beings create their own reality with
their thoughts, The Secret clearly presents monistic pantheism (all is one, all
is divine). This is, in fact, an underlying theme of the book. Since, according
to The Secret, all is one and all is energy, Byrne comes to the
typical pantheistic conclusion: "You are God in a physical body… You are a
cosmic being… You are the creator…" (164; see also 155, 156, 159, 160 and 162).
Earlier Byrne writes, "We are all connected, and we are all part of the One
Energy Field, or the One Supreme Mind, or the One Consciousness, or the One
Creative Source…we are all One" (162).
Monistic pantheism is a seriously flawed worldview that leaves no room for
personality, can supply no viable distinctions between good and evil, and
excludes the transcendent, personal God of Christian theism. If all is one,
then there are no longer distinctions between good and evil. As a result,
pantheism can offer no secure framework for universal moral values. In
addition, The Secret claims the law of attraction is merely an
impersonal force of the universe. If all is one, one is all, and all is energy,
there is no room for personality within the belief system of The
Secret. The concept of the law of attraction results in the conclusion
that everything that happens in one's life is the result of our thoughts
creating reality. According to the principles of The Secret, this
means that those who are, for instance, raped, molested, beaten, or brutally
murdered—whether adults or children—have brought all these things on themselves
through their own thoughts. This is hardly a satisfactory answer to the problem
of human suffering.
Although some of the concepts presented in The Secret are
admirable, such as the emphasis on expressing gratitude (74ff.), the core
concepts of the law of attraction, that everything is energy, and that all is
one are inadequate explanations of reality. For instance, while The
Secret repeatedly emphasizes the value and importance of love and feelings
in general (30-33), these are concepts that make no sense within a pantheistic
worldview. According to The Secret, the law of attraction is
"impartial and impersonal" (27). Despite the impersonal underpinnings of the
worldview of The Secret, Byrne wants it both ways—an impersonal
universe that is somehow also personal. Communication requires personality. If
our thoughts really do transmit on certain frequencies, as The Secret
repeatedly claims, and these thoughts directly communicate with the universe,
then something must be personal. However, the worldview of The Secret
cannot support personality, much less personal interactions, without inherently
contradicting its views that all is energy and the law of attraction is
impersonal.
Christianity, claims Byrne, also knows "the secret." The Secret
even quotes the King James Version of Mark 11:24 as an example of how to use
the law of attraction (47ff., 54). This biblical passage reads, "Therefore I
say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye
receive them, and ye shall have them." By quoting these words of Jesus, Byrne
is suggesting that Jesus knew "the secret." But did he? Hardly. Byrne is
committing not only an error in interpretation of the biblical text, but also a
worldview error. Jesus was a Jew and, consequently, a theist. The passage must
be interpreted in context, realizing that first century Jews believed in a
personal, loving, transcendent God who created the universe. This is
diametrically opposed to the worldview of The Secret which claims that
"god" is all, impersonal, and part of the universe. Moreover, the passage cited
from Mark is about prayer to a personal, loving God. It is not a law of
attraction or formula to get what we want. Rather, prayer is personal and must
be within God's will in order to be answered.
Christ did not teach that we are all divine energy beings capable of
mastering the law of attraction. Instead, he taught that we are all sinners in
need of radical redemption that involves humbling ourselves before the one
awesome, transcendent, and holy God. Far from promising perfect health and
wealth, Jesus called his followers to deny themselves, take up their cross and
follow him (Matthew 16:24, Mark 8:34, Luke 9:23). His followers did not promote
"the secret." Instead, they were martyred for their belief that Christ was God
in the flesh who came, died, and was resurrected so that we might have eternal
life. Jesus and his followers did not teach hidden truths or secrets. Jesus
himself said, "I have spoken openly to the world…I always taught in synagogues
or at the temple, where all the Jews come together. I said nothing in secret"
(John 18:20 NIV).
In Matthew 16:26, Jesus said, "What does it benefit a person if he gains the
whole world but forfeits his life?" (NET). The Secret is all about acquiring
health and wealth—feeling good, being joyful in life, and manipulating "the law
of attraction" in order to get what we want. But as Christ pointed out, life is
not about gaining "the whole world." What is at stake is our eternal destiny.
The pantheism of The Secret and Christian theism cannot both be true.
Since pantheism is an inconsistent, deficient worldview, it falls far short of
being a robust belief system. Christianity, on the other hand, makes sense of
reality in a way that is both emotionally satisfying and intellectually
rigorous. The true "secret" is no secret at all, but is revealed openly in the
pages of the Bible. God came to us in human form, died for our sins, and was
bodily resurrected so that we would humble ourselves before him and receive his
gift of salvation. That gift is not mere temporal health and wealth, but
eternal life in a relationship with the Creator of the universe.
Robert Velarde is the author of The Lion, the Witch, and the Bible
(NavPress).