I understand "The-Secret" as just a scientific approach of trying to explain how prayer works. Wonder why some religious people have such strong feelings against it?
So many people think of Father as some Santa-Clause in the sky who magically grants wishes-in-the-form-of-prayers.
"Men have in their minds
antiquated concepts of God.
They had in their childhood
some rudimentary religious instruction.
God they were taught to believe in
was a child's God,
and they never advanced in religion
beyond teachings of their childhood.
A man would think shame of himself
if in other fields of knowledge
he did not advance
beyond the concepts of his childhood.
Yet some are still in religious nursery
with infant pictures on its walls."
—The God Whom We Ignore,
by Dr. John Kennedy, pp 156-157.
The writer of The-Secret substituted the word “universe” in place of this childish Santa-Clause-God concept that so many people have. Yes, if one thinks (prays, affirms, visualizes) s/he is thin, the universe (Father) will (help accomplish whatever is necessary to) make her/him thin.
James 1:
“6 But when you ask, you must believe and not DOUBT, because the one who DOUBTS is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7 That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. 8 Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.”
Doubts = negative-thoughts = prayers-for-failure = negative-results.
Why do you think we are encouraged to pray every morning & evening, & b4 we eat, or travel?
"With prayer
one can create a protective force-field around self,
emanating a victor-aura
which acts as an undetectable subconscious deterrent
upon potential victimizations.
Works best if recharged twice a day.
Without it,
one leaves self a vulnerable-victim-vacuum
to potential victimizations, destructive intentions of villains."
--a Vinnieism 25Jan2012
James 1:3-5
“testing of your faith produces perseverance.
Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete,
not lacking anything.
If any of you lacks wisdom [or anything else],
ask God [“Universe”], who gives generously to all without finding fault,
and IT WILL BE GIVEN TO YOU.”
The author is saying this very same thing in different
(apparently uncomfortable for some) words.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
“Rejoice evermore.
Pray without ceasing.
In every thing give thanks [think & attract good thoughts from the Universe]: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”
How does one “pray without ceasing”? Does one stay on their knees all day long with arms folded and eyes closed? Or does one do it by “walking around telling” & thinking, & doing whatever it takes?
Thoughts form-->words form-->deeds form-->
habits form-->character forms-->destiny=karma=fate=kismet.
Those are the very same concepts as in the Scriptures, only in different words.
Matthew 7:7-11
“Ask, and it SHALL BE GIVEN you;
seek, and ye shall find;
knock, and it shall be opened unto you:
For EVERY ONE THAT ASKETH RECEIVETH; and
he that seeketh findeth; and
to him tha tknocketh it shall be opened.
Or what man is there of you,
whom if his son ask bread,
will he give him a stone?
Or if he ask a fish,
will he give him a serpent?
If ye then, being evil,
know how to give good gifts unto your children,
how much more shall your Father which is in heaven
give good things to them that ask him?”
Luke 11:9-12
“Ask, and it SHALL BE GIVEN you;
seek, and ye shall find;
knock,and it shall be opened unto you.
For EVERY ONE THAT ASKETH RECEIVETH; and
he that seeketh findeth; and
to him that knocketh it shall be opened.
If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father,
will he give him a stone?
or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent?
Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion?”
Matthew 21:21
“Jesus answered and said unto them,
Verily I say unto you,
IF YE HAVE FAITH, AND DOUBT NOT,
if ye shall say unto this mountain,
Be thou removed,
and be thou cast into the sea;
it shall be done.”
Mark 11:23
“For verily I say unto you,
That whosoever shall say unto this mountain,
Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea;
and shall NOT DOUBT IN HIS HEART,
BUT SHALL BELIEVE that
those things which he saith shall come to pass;
he SHALL HAVE WHATSOEVER HE SAITH.”
Is it God’s will that people suffer & die?!?
I couldn’t believe in, or promote such a cruel god.
If one goes deep-sea-diving or sky-diving
w/o being properly trained & equipped, he will die.
It’s neither God’s will nor Universe punishing;
it’s plain stupidity.
Hosea 4:6
“My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge [stupidity]:
because thou hast rejected knowledge.”
If we r to love our neighbor AS-OURSELVES, that sort of implies that we need to know how to love ourselves before we’d know how to love our neighbor AS-OURSELVES.
Luke 18:1-8
Parable of the Persistent Widow
1 One day Jesus told his disciples a story to show that they should always pray and never give up.
2 “There was a judge in a certain city,” he said, “who neither feared God nor cared about people.
3 A widow of that city came to him repeatedly, saying, ‘Give me [what I wish].’
4 The judge ignored her for a while, but finally he said to himself, ‘I don’t fear God or care about people,
5 but this woman is driving me crazy. I’m going to see that she gets [what she wishes], because she is wearing me out with her constant requests!’”
6 Then the Lord said, “Learn a lesson from this unjust judge.
7 Even he rendered a just decision in the end. So don’t you think God will surely give to his chosen people who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off?
8 I tell you, he will grant them quickly! But when the Son of Man[a] returns, how many will he find on the earth who have FAITH?”
