The Secret Seduction & The Jesus Syndrome

Once in a lifetime discoveries are made that change everything. The creators of The Secret (notably Rhonda Byrne) have made the claim that The Secret – Law of Attraction--is such a discovery. Well, actually, they claim The Secret is a Universal Law that has been around forever…no wait, according to Lisa Nichols (one of the guests on the DVD) the Law of Attraction has been around for 2000 years? And so begins the unraveling of one of the greatest deceptions in the history of the personal growth industry. A slight of hand that even Oprah and Larry King have bought into. Napoleon Hill, W. Clement Stone and Earl Nightingale must be turning over in their graves. nn It sounds so appealing. Just set your “attention” on something (on anything), sprinkle a little fairy dust on it and “magically” you will receive it. That’s the PROMISE of the creators of The Secret. They say it’s a simple three-step process:nn1) Askn2) Believen3) Receivenn Rhonda Byrne’s guest appearance on Oprah is a compelling reason to believe there really is a Law of Attraction. After all, Oprah is one of the most compassionate people on the face of the earth. Her mission to elevate the human experience is beyond question. I just wish she wouldn’t have helped perpetuate this mythology. So Oprah asks Rhonda, “Let’s go through the three steps.” Rhonda responds, “Ask, believe, receive.” Rhonda goes on to say, “And believe-believe is kind of getting out of the way….because a lot of people try to make things happen and your job is not that. Your job is to ask once, only once, because if you’re asking twice, then you don’t have faith.” Rhonda continues, “Yes. And then just believe and feel good.” nn What a magical formula. Just ask, believe and feel good. Then get out of the way and let the money pour in. Just get out of the way and let the Universe cure you of cancer or eradicate AIDS. Just get out of the way and a new Mercedes will be parked in your driveway in a few weeks… “as long as you have faith.” nn Don’t get me wrong, I am a big believer in faith, in Universal laws, in religious devotion (if that’s your path) and in the dignity of the human spirit. I don’t believe the Universe says “your wish is my command,” or that all you have to do is create a vision board and magically you’ll be living in a $5 million mansion. I have to admit, the first time I watched The Secret I bought it hook, line and sinker. Why? Because I (like most of society) wanted to believe it. But the more I watched, the more The Secret illusion became apparent. nn And let’s be honest--The Secret has mass appeal. The production is phenomenal. The music, the visuals, the “experts” are so passionate, so believable. So is David Copperfield when he makes mountains “disappear” or tigers appear out of “thin air.” nn So what’s the true “mission,” the true purpose, of the creators of The Secret? The answer is simple. The creators of The Secret want to be your savior and they want to make sure you hunger to be saved. There’s a term for this psychosis, and it is called The Jesus Syndrome. The best description I could find of The Jesus Syndrome is as follows:nnThe Jesus Syndrome is the combination of complexes and dogmatic teachings that create a pathetic personality process that makes the person feel they are “Jesus like” in the way the world should view them and as they view themselves. (The Urban Dictionary) nn You may be thinking, “That’s impossible. They never mention Jesus in The Secret. It’s just a bunch of secular thinkers and scientists who have a spiritual perspective about life. After all spirituality is good.” Think again. Let’s look at the facts.nn• The Secret was released just after the height of appeal of The DaVinci Code. This was a brilliant marketing strategy by the creators of The Secret to take advantage of the “disbelief” and “skepticism” angle perpetuated by The DaVinci Code.nn• The imagery and visual affects of The Secret are fantastic. The whole premise of the DVD is that you have been a victim and we (the creators of The Secret) are going to ‘save you.” After all, “the church” has been hiding the secret from you all along. And those big bad industrialists have been financially raping you for centuries. They all knew the secret and they hid it from you. You poor victim. It’s not your fault that you aren’t living the life of your dreams. You don’t have to take responsibility for that. It’s the church’s fault. It’s the government’s fault. It’s the industrialists’ fault. You poor, poor victim. You need to be saved------by us.nnn• The full impact of the methodology of the creators of The Secret wasn’t apparent to me until the “updated version” of the DVD was placed into circulation. Then the hidden agenda of the creators of The Secret became evident. Esther Hicks, “the metaphysician,” was replaced with Lisa Nichols, “the Christian.” In the updated version of the DVD, the smiling, attractive and bubbly Lisa looks right into the camera and says, “The creative process (referring to the Law of Attraction) has been around for 2000 years!” How convenient. A Universal law that just so happens to coincide with the crucifixion and the resurrection! A Universal law that just happens to coincide with the launch of Christianity. A Universal law that is specifically designed to save you. Move over, Jimmy Swaggart--the creators of The Secret have arrived and they are the new televangelists. They’re muscling in on your territory, brother, because they are the real saviors. nnn Those of you who are Christians understand and believe that only Jesus Christ can be your Lord and Savior—not The Secret. Those of you who are not Christians, ask yourself this question, “Do I need to be saved by The Secret?” The Secret is pure mythology. But even Oprah’s producers persist. In the transcripts of the two “Secret” shows they continue to refer to the audience members and guests as follows:nnCarlton says—The Secret “Saved” his marriage.nnBeverly Credelle says – The Secret “Saved” her marriage.nn And when audience member Maureen Boyle commented, “we teach our children to have faith in God. And it seems The Secret teaches you to put your faith in yourself. And so I was wondering, is God anywhere in this?” Reverend Michael Beckwith (one of the presenters and teachers of The Secret) is quick to respond, “When you study Jesus the Christ, he used the language, he said Pray, believing that ye have, that ye may receive. That’s The Secret in a nutshell. Pray, believing and feeling and sensing that you already have it, and then you’re available to receive it.” nn Do you understand the “hidden agenda” now—the “secret within the secret?” It was Jesus who knew The Secret. It was Jesus who created The Secret. Hallelujah, let’s have a revival meeting right now because if you don’t have enough faith, brothers and sisters, the Law of Attraction won’t work for you. Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.nn And so millions of dollars are pouring in to the creators of The Secret. God love them. As an entrepreneur, I must admire them. Pure marketing genius. After all, hope sells. That’s why billions and billions of dollars are spent every year on diet pills. People are “hoping” they don’t have to eat sensibly and exercise. People are willing to pay anything for hope. As a professional in the personal growth industry, I am disheartened by the victimization strategy utilized by the creators of The Secret. Professional and personal growth is about empowerment, not victimization.nnn