The Secretby Rhonda Byrne: A Review (without legal responsibility)
The Law of Attraction
Its practitioners claim this is one of the natural laws of the universe and, as such, it is available to all.
The Law of Attraction Specialist tells us that the law of attraction is like a magnet and says that: Like Attracts Like
Here we straightaway run into trouble because, in the natural universe, the reverse is true: because like magnetic poles repel each other. Therefore, if The Secret
is to work like natural magnetism, it should be restated as:
The Law of Repulsion
The original process of the Law of Attraction is described as: ... as you think a thought, you are attracting like thoughts to you
, thus attracting both positive and negative thoughts.
Many of the examples of the use of the law in this book are for the increase in financial wealth (and 42% of her authorities are experts in this field). So, the theory goes, if you think thoughts of wealth, you will attract wealth to yourself. (The logical flaw here is that the law only promises a return of wealthy thoughts). But, as proved above, the natural magnetic law of attraction is an attraction of opposites, so thoughts of wealth ought to attract thoughts of poverty. However, apart from this Secret Law
, we know that those who pursue riches are more likely to get richer than not. Therefore the Law of Attraction
cannot and does not work as described. (The major flaw in the theory, of course, is the materialistic idea that regards life, the mind and self awareness as natural laws of the universe.)
If we apply the restated universal natural Law of Repulsion, it could be put in the form of: As you think a thought it attracts opposite thoughts
but we’ve already proved this to be contrary to human experience. Therefore we cannot say that there is a universal natural law whereby opposites attract. So we are left with the universal natural Law of Repulsion and any observed phenomenon of attraction at a distance can only be an effect of the action of the Law of Repulsion and is not due to an independent law of attraction. Thus the natural Law of Repulsion should not be extended beyond the form:
Like Forces Repel
These effects are easy to demonstrate: if a ball sits on your lawn, there is no way you can willingly draw it towards you without a physical link, going to fetch it, or asking your dog or some such to get it. However you can repel it easily, without moving your position, by throwing an object at it. You can also move it towards another object further away by the same process. The two remote objects then move closer together, but there is no force of attraction involved in them moving closer together. Ergo, in the natural universe repulsion at a distance demonstrably works, attraction at a distance does not.
(This also suggests that gravity is not an attractive force, which I don’t believe it to be anyway but, since The Secret
does not use gravity as a metaphor, that is beyond the scope of this review.)
Let’s apply the Law of Repulsion to The Secret
that, restated says: If you think thoughts of wealth, you will repel wealthy thoughts from returning
. This is actually an improvement on the original because thoughts of poverty will not return any thoughts of poverty either. But, whatever you think, you are not going to get any thoughts back at all, so all you are doing is thinking your own thoughts and receiving nothing fresh from elsewhere. (This suggests the impossibility of mental telepathy.)
The Secret
is not a law of attraction but, by rejecting any thoughts you don’t want; it is a law that can only produce mental stagnation at best or obsession and addiction at worst. If it works at all, it can only give people what they want, not what they need.
The authoress is backed by 24 contributors and practitioners of this theory, some of whom are highly academically qualified. This goes to prove that academia can spawn irrational people just as well as the rest of society.
The authoress claims that, The Creative Process used in the secret, which was taken from the New Testament in The Bible, is an easy way to create what you want in three simple steps
. But, in asking for what you want, she does not advocate prayer but: Make a command to the universe
. One contributor does quote Matthew 21:22 and Mark 11:24 but elsewhere the Bible tells us that prayer does not always give people what they want, Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts
(James 4:3). This makes any claim of Biblical sanction void.
The whole purpose of this appalling and blasphemous book is to reveal The Secret
of indulging human lust (or covetousness) to its utmost. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world
(1 John 2:16). There is no secret about this: no-one needs any revelation or instruction to do what comes naturally.
I have written this review, because The Secret
(published in 2006 but only recently shown to me) claims to have the support of The Bible. I felt that claim should be put into context to prove that it has no such support but, on the contrary, is likely to prevent people from finding true wisdom, If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts ...must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord
(James 1:5...7 ESV). Done a-right, this promises more than The Secret
can ever do: The LORD knoweth the thoughts of man, that they are vanity
(Psalm 94:11).
About all the authoress can legitimately claim is that The Secret
worked for her – the copy I was shown was priced at €21.99 and I gather it was a best seller following a film of the same name. It has also spawned several sequels. I hope she eventually finds something infinitely more valuable.
©2020 Martin Allen Cragg