There’s been a lot of hype lately over a book and DVD called “The Secret”. If you’re unfamiliar, you can read a review here, or look at all the related books/DVDs available on Amazon.

The essence of “The Secret” is essentially the power of positive thought. If you visualize a goal and truly believe in it, you will achieve it. This is not new, but does seem to take the idea a little further than previous issuances of this truism. It extends the idea to material goods and physical happenings. That is, you can visualize a good parking space or a new necklace. It also asserts that this power is some sort of physical law akin to gravity.

It won’t surprise any of my readers that the idea of positioning this sophistry as science is more than a little irritating to me. Honestly, the more irritating aspect is that anyone is ignorant enough to even entertain that notion. Nonetheless, I do accept and believe that a positive optimistic outlook does have a way of altering your personal decision patterns in a way that helps you achieve a desired goal. I don’t think it makes a new bike magically appear on your doorstep, but there’s no doubt that success is most readily achieved by people who believe in themselves.

But I think what surprises me the most is that religious groups are not rallying against this book. After all, the basics of “The Secret” are essentially the same as the practice of praying. The difference is that with prayer the idea is that your god will fulfill your wish. Where with “The Secret” this magical but scientific property of the universe will do so. (May the Force be with you??) Ironically, to my mind, these both operate on the same underlying mental principles. However, for some reason Western culture seems to find the idea of personal responsibility and drawing power from within as abhorrent. We need to externalize that force.

Still, why are fundamentalists not asserting that “The Secret” is usurping the role of prayer? If the fictional Harry Potter was dangerous because people might believe in magic spells, why is the (allegedly) non-fiction Secret not more subversive for asserting that God is no longer required to answer prayers? God has been supplanted by a fundamental property of the universe. It would seem evolution is but a minor annoyance compared to the theological affront presented by “The Secret”.

What am I missing?