You’ve probably heard of Rhonda Byrne’s 2006 book The Secret, which sold millions of copies worldwide. Since her book was made into a documentary film, the author gained an immediate celebrity. So, what is the purpose of this book? Why is it that so many people are enthralled by it? Byrne believes that several people, including Plato, Shakespeare, Newton, Hugo, Beethoven, and even Einstein, are aware of The Secret.

What is The Secret, then?

This is entirely in accordance with the Law of Attraction. According to John Assaraf, your mind is like a “magnet” that attracts almost anything in this world when you use it. Additionally, Byrne confirms, “A perfect example to demonstrate The Secret and the law of attraction in action is this: You may know of people who acquired massive wealth, lost it all, and within a short time acquired massive wealth again. What happened in these cases, whether they knew it or not, is that their dominant thoughts were on wealth; that is how they acquired it in the first instance.” ¹    

Individuals desire this for their lives. In fact, says Byrne, “The Secret can give you whatever you want.” According to the same book, it’s all about the individual’s desire for large sums of money and unexpected checks in the mail, perfect homes, life partners, cars, jobs, promotions, business accounts, high grades, friends, knowledge, and health clubs, among other things. While there appears to be nothing wrong with the things she mentioned, if this is the sole focus of one’s life, he will miss the point of living. Individuals such as Jack Canfield, author of the best-selling Chicken Soup for the Soul, have publicly endorsed this New Age book. As Canfield acknowledges,

“Since I learned The Secret and started applying to to my life, my life has truly become magical. I think the kind of life that everybody dreams of is one I live on a day-to-day basis. I live in a four-and-a-half million-dollar mansion. I have a wife to die for. I get to vacation in all the fabuluos spots of the world. I’ve climbed mountains. I’ve explored. I’ve been on safaris. And all of this happened, and continues to happen, because of knowing how to apply The Secret.” ²  

This Law of Attraction is all about gratifying the “trinity of selfishness,” which is comprised of “me, myself, and I.” In the past, the Lord Jesus warned us that, “What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul?” (Matt. 16:26). A person will eventually come to realize that the things of this world will never satisfy him. The world’s wisest king can attest to this when he wrote, “² It is useless, useless, said the Philosopher. Life is useless, all useless. ³ You spend your life working, laboring, and what do you have to show for it?” (Ecc. 1:2-3) 

Many people are unaware, but the Law of Attraction that The Secret book promotes is actually rooted in the nineteenth-century New Thought Movement. This means “consciousness, ideas, and thoughts are the basis of reality and function as the casual forces behind all material/physical phenomena—from objects, including human bodies, to the events and circumstances of an individual’s life.” ³ They believe in the Divine Mind because their ultimate belief is that existence is mental (God as Mind). If a person is unable to fully experience innate spiritual perfection, it is due to ignorance and incorrect thinking. This is also the belief of a cult founded by Mary Baker Eddy, Christian Science. The mind is responsible for all positive and negative experiences that occur in a person’s life, such as poverty, success, death, illness, healing, friendship, and wealth. They believe that human mind has the ability to access Divine Mind, and that when used correctly, things become beneficial. This is also accomplished through the practice of positivity, resulting in the development of a positive mind.

Allow me to quickly explain that the New Thought Movement’s practice is a perversion of the Christian belief that through faith in Jesus Christ, anything is possible (see Mk. 9:23). Certain apologists tend to equate this New Thought Movement practice with that of the Faith Movement. Perhaps because the latter places their faith in themselves rather than in Christ. According to Scripture, it is not our intellect that makes it possible, but our faith in Christ, who makes all things possible in accordance with His holy will. As our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ says,

²¹ And Jesus answered them, “Truly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what has been done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ it will happen. ²² And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.” Matt. 21:21-22

Take caution with the Law of Attraction! This will undoubtedly lead you away from the Lord Jesus Christ and toward self- and worldly-worship. And this is how Satan attempted to bribe the Lord, as recorded in Matthew’s account.

⁸ Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. ⁹ And he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” ¹⁰ Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written, “‘You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.’” ¹¹ Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and were ministering to him. Matt. 4:8-11   

Footnotes:

¹ Rhonda Byrne, “The Secret,” (Hillsboro, Or: Beyond Words Publishing, 2006), 6.

² Byrne, The Secret. 6.

³ Accessed December 19, 2020. https://www.encyclopedia.com/environment/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/new-thought-movement.

Updated June 27, 2021