Lynn Stuter -- "The Secret" - Christianity or New Age?

"THE SECRET" - CHRISTIANITY OR NEW AGE?
PART 1 of 2

By Lynn Stuter

February 20, 2007

NewsWithViews.com

A �phenomenon� is sweeping America; according to the purveyors, everyone should have it�it�s The Secret.

�The Secret is a feature length, historic and factually based account of an age old secret, said to be 4,000 years in the making, and known to a fortunate few, as told by some of the greatest leaders of our time. The Secret reveals this great knowledge to the world�The Secret to wealth, health, love, happiness, relationships. . .The Secret to life itself.�

The secret of the universe revealed at last! Shouldn�t we all rush to the call! Aren�t we all just thrilled?

The above is from the press kit issued for The Secret. In the background of that press kit is a circular logo. Around the edge of that logo are the words �as above so below��as in heaven so on earth. This is a New Age precept that defies true biblical teaching, for heaven is nothing like the world around us. As God warned His wayward people long ago,

�My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,� says the Lord. "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.� (Isaiah 55:8-9)

The idea of heaven on earth defies the Trinity of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost; that Christ died on the cross for the sins of man; that

�whosoever believeth in Him shall not perish but have everlasting (eternal) life� (John 3:15).

When the mortal perishes�the body�the soul of they who believe in Him will live in eternity with God. At the same time, Jesus said,

�I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man cometh unto the Father, but by me.� (John 14:6)

And God said to believers,

�For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. (Galatians 3:26-28)

New Agers believe there is no eternity, there is only the here and now; heaven on earth; as above so below.

On Friday, February 16, 2007, two of the promoters of The Secret appeared for the second time on the Oprah show. For the discerning, what spewed from the mouths of these two men, Michael Beckwith and James Ray, was New Age. One lady, identifying herself as a Christian, spoke about her unease with the seeming focus of The Secret. She was quickly shot down by Beckwith and Ray and by Oprah Winfrey, claiming that she, too, was a Christian. After all, if Oprah Winfrey is a Christian and supports The Secret, isn�t that endorsement enough for all Christians?

�For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light.� (2 Corinthians 11:13-14)

Let us be reminded that Oprah Winfrey had Marianne Williamson, New Age leader and guru, on her show back in 1992; that it was Winfrey�s endorsement of Williamson that skyrocketed Williamson to fame along with her book expounding the virtues of the New Age �Bible�: A Course in Miracles. (Source: reinventingjesuschrist.com) Williamson now appears on Oprah and Friends XM Satellite Radio as a �friend and contributor.�

Within seconds of the lady proclaiming her unease with the focus of The Secret, Michael Beckwith announced to all that �God is within.�

This is another New Age precept�God dwells within us, man is divine, self-divination. This again defies the true biblical teaching of The Trinity and of God as the ultimate Higher Authority. If God dwells within,

there is no sin, there is no evil, for we are God and God is us;
whatever we choose to do is just okay for we are God even if it violates the Ten Commandments set down by God and presented by Moses;
what we do is preordained in that we are God�we have no self-determination;
there is no Higher Authority, we are the only authority.

It is easy to see why this precept is false teaching. God does not dwell within any mortal being alive on this earth today. The absence of self-determination is a clear indication of the false teachings of New Age gurus like Michael Beckwith and James Ray.

CORRECTION:
February 26, 2007: My humble apologies for the egregious error I made in the above assertion that �God does not dwell within any mortal being alive on this earth today.� That sentence should have read �God does not dwell within every mortal being alive on this earth today; only in them who truly believe in Him.� Your humble servant, Lynn M Stuter

The New Age precept that God is within is self-divination. God spoke to Moses, and Moses to the children of Israel, saying,

�You shall not eat anything with the blood, nor shall you practice divination or soothsaying.� (Leviticus 19:26)

Then came the �affirmations��statements of positive attributes, repeated often enough, will come true: believe and receive, my will be done. If I want a red Lamborghini, and I believe it will come to me, I will receive it. This is not what the Bible teaches; the Bible teaches that it is God�s will that shall be done.

�Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done?� (Matthew 6:9-13, commonly known as the Lord�s Prayer)

God does not say to us, �wish for what material things you want, it shall be yours at your askance of Me,� God says to us, �I am the ultimate Authority, My will be done.�

And above all else, what became very apparent, as the show moved along, was the true focus of The Secret: money, the more the merrier, and the more money in the pockets of the promoters, the better. Go back and read the press kit trailer quoted above. What is the first thing revealed by The Secret? �The Secret to wealth?� If you go on the website of The Secret, there you will see, front and center, �The Secret The Science of Getting Rich.� The promoters of The Secret are not nearly as interested in doing good as they are in increasing their net worth.

Is wealth the measure of our obedience to God? Of course not. Is wealth the measure of whether we will be with God in eternity? Of course not. Is wealth the measure of grace? Of course not.

�Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.� (1 John 3:15)

�Lay not up for yourselves treasurers upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasurers in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. �No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other: or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.� (Matthew 6:19-21, 6:24)

Also evident in the press kit trailer is the promotion of The Secret by Jack Canfield, New Age guru of long standing; disciple of the likes of theosophist Alice Bailey; promoter of confluent education�of placing children in altered states of consciousness known to many as guided fantasy/guided visualization for the purpose of meeting spirit guides.

As Warren Smith and Brian Flynn�both former New Agers, one a former �medium��have confirmed, spirit guides are not of God; they are of Satan; they are demons. Coincidentally, or maybe not, on Thursday, February 15, 2007, the Oprah show had John Edward, psychic medium, as a guest. On the Oprah.com website was posted a survey asking participants:

1. Do you believe in the supernatural?
2. Do you believe that sixth-sense abilities are real?
3. Do you believe human spirits can survive after death?
4. Do you believe it is possible for psychic mediums to see, hear and talk to the dead?
5. After watching this episode of the The Oprah Winfrey Show, did your opinions on this subject matter change?
6. If you have ever visited a psychic medium to try to communicate with a dead relative, was it a successful experience?

I answered �yes� to questions 1 and 2; and �no� to questions 3 through 5; I didn�t answer question 6 as I don�t consort with psychic mediums. I hit �submit� and the results of survey came up, preceded by ��You might be featured in an upcoming show!� WOW! I might be on the Oprah show, coming into the presence of her eminence, the queen of television! How exciting!

Under the results of question number 4 was a link asking the participant to tell us why you believe or why you do not believe it possible for psychic mediums to see, hear and talk to the dead. I responded, stating that psychic mediums were not communicating with the dead, they were communicating with demons whose sole purpose it is to lead people away from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. I suggested Brian Flynn as a future guest on the Oprah show.

�Give no regard to mediums and familiar spirits; do not seek after them, to be defiled by them: I am the Lord your God.� (Leviticus 19:31)

You just can�t imagine how disappointed I was to receive a response from the Oprah show as follows:

�Thank you for your e-mail! Your message is important to us. Unfortunately, due to the volume of e-mail messages we receive every day, we cannot guarantee that you'll receive a personal response. Feel free to check out our Frequently Asked Questions for additional help. [Read]�

What, you mean no offer to appear on the Oprah show? How devastating! Think maybe that had anything to do with the fact that I exposed John Edward as someone who communicates with demons? And imagine my surprise when, during her interview with John Edward, when John Edward made the mistake of referring to his �guides,� Oprah Winfrey did not ask him to explain but moved the interview right along!

�And when they shall say unto you, Seek unto them that have familiar spirits, and unto wizards that peep, and that mutter: should not a people seek unto their God? for the living to the dead? To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them. And they shall pass through it, hardly bestead and hungry: and it shall come to pass, that when they shall be hungry, they shall fret themselves, and curse their king and their God, and look upward. And they shall look unto the earth; and behold trouble and darkness, dimness of anguish; and they shall be driven to darkness.� (Isaiah 8:19-22)

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So, okay, what these people, Oprah Winfrey included, are pushing is the New Age world view, philosophy, religion. Don�t these people have a right to their beliefs? Oh, very much so.

So, if you don�t participate, why should you be concerned? For part 2 click below.

Click here for part -----> 2,

Related Article:
Is Oprah Peddling Snake Oil?

Sources:
1, Ferguson, Marilyn; The Aquarian Conspiracy; Personal and Social Transformation in Our Time; 1987; J.P. Putnam�s Sons; New York.
2, Senge, Peter M; The Fifth Discipline; the Art & Practice of the Learning Organization; 1990; Currency Doubleday; New York.
3, Flynn, Brian; Running Against the Wind; 2005; Lighthouse Trails Publishing; Oregon.
4, Smith, Warren; Deceived on Purpose; 2004; Mountain Stream Press; California.

All biblical references come from the King James Version or New King James Version.

Recommended reading:
1, Eidsmoe, John; Basic Principles of New Age Thought.
2, Kjos, Berit; Your Child & the New Age.
3, Kjos, Berit; Brave New Schools
4, Kjos, Berit; Under the Spell of Mother Earth.
5, Michaelsen, Johanna; The Beautiful Side of Evil.
6, Smith, Warren; Reinventing Jesus Christ. This can be purchased in book form with updates or can be accessed on line
7, Smith, Warren; The Light that Was Dark; A Spiritual Journey.

Recommended websites:
1, Kjos Ministries
2, LEARN-USA
3, Reinventing Jesus Christ
4, Discernment Ministries

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Mother and wife, Stuter has spent the past ten years researching systems theory with a particular emphasis on education. She home schooled two daughters, now grown and on their own. She has worked with legislators, both state and federal, on issues pertaining to systems governance and education reform. She networks nationwide with other researchers and citizens concerned with the transformation of our nation. She has traveled the United States and lived overseas.

Web site: www.learn-usa.com

E-Mail: lmstuter@learn-usa.com�

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