Life as a Christian Woman

A friend of mine, “Lara,” told me recently about a dilemma she was having. A friend of hers had given her a book to read. Lara and her family had been going through some stressful events, and her friend thought the book could help.

“This book changed my life,” she told her, “and it can change yours. Oprah raves about it!” The problem was, the book goes against everything Lara, as a Christian, believes. And she doesn’t know how to approach her friend, who is also a Christian, and tell her why the book is, in her words, dangerous.

The book is called The Secret, by Australian television producer Rhonda Byrne. To paraphrase the entire book into one sentence: “If you believe it, you can achieve it.”

While that sounds like a throw-away statement, it becomes dangerous when put into practice. Byrne writes that all you have to do is “put in your order” with the universe. You want it? You got it!

The entire premise of this book is that we are “magnets”, and we attract what we think about. If we think positive thoughts, if we focus on what we want and believe it will occur, it will. Get this… if you go on the book’s website, you can print out a blank check from the “Bank of the Universe,” fill in any amount, and believe that you will see that money in your account in no time at all.

But the book doesn’t end there. It isn’t all sunshine and roses, oh no. “The Secret” has an explanation for all the bad in the world, as well.

“Imperfect thoughts are the cause of humanity’s ills,” according to the book. Look at that statement. It’s stunning in it’s declaration. And Byrne goes further:

On poverty: “The only reason any person does not have enough money is because they are blocking money from coming to them with their thoughts.” Ah, it is so simple! Poverty is now gone, poof!

On sickness: “You cannot ‘catch’ anything unless you think you can… You are also inviting illness if you are listening to people talking about their illness.” So if your friend is ill and needs you to be there for her? Forget it! She’s on her own, you don’t want to “attract” illness!

Bob Proctor, author of “You Were Born Rich,” is quoted repeatedly in the book as an expert on this topic. He appeared on ABC’s Nightline in 2007, and was asked if the children of Darfur, starving and homeless, had “manifested” their own misery, had they brought it on themselves. He replied, in all seriousness, “I think the country probably has.”

Enough.

We have to be so careful. It is so very easy to get caught up in the “self-help flavor of the month.” If Oprah says it, it must be right!

But theology and faith should never be based on Oprah, or self-help books. We have to spend time in God’s word and in prayer. Our outlook has to bypass earthly views and focus on God and His views, His rules for our life. We don’t need to visualize to manifest our destiny. Our destiny is sealed when we accept Christ into our heart. And when we need direction, we can go straight to our Father in prayer, and He will lead us, in His own time.

So put the self-help books back on the shelf. Open your Bible. There it is… the “real” secret!