This is a summary of the conference I delivered for Católicos por Convicción regarding the practice of Law of Attraction and its opposition to Christian beliefs. If you understand Spanish, you can watch the whole conference in the following video.
Christian Metaphysics
- Branch of philosophy that studies the nature of reality and existence.
- Conny Mendez popularized this term.
- Esoteric teachings contrary to our faith.
Bases of this belief:
- Hermetism
- Law of Mentalism
- Law of Correspondence
- Law of Vibration
- Law of Polarity
- Law of Rhythm
- Law of Cause and Effect
- Law of Generation
- Hindu-Buddhist beliefs
- Gnosticism
- Hidden knowledge
- Dualism
- Inner divinity
- Divine mediators
- Self-redemption
The Seven Flames
- Powers that can be “invoked”
- Healing relationships
- Protecting oneself from negative energies
- Obtaining wisdom in decision-making Healing of illnesses/ailments
- Liberation from “karma”
Gnosticism
- Hidden knowledge
- Dualism Inner divinity
- Divine mediators
- Self-redemption
Numerology
- Relationship between numbers and life events.
- They explain events in reality.
- Seek predictions.
- No scientific or philosophical basis = mere charlatanism.
Age of Aquarius
- Planetary astrological cycles (approximately 2000 years)
- Age of Pisces Religion Spirituality centered around a Messiah
- We are entering the Age of Aquarius Knowledge, science, and technology
- Spirituality centered on the individual, self-awareness
Theosophy
- Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, Henry Steel Olcott, and William Quan Judge in 1875.
- Esoteric and hidden wisdom underlying all world religions and philosophies.
- Unity of all religions
- Reincarnation
- Spiritual hierarchies
- Spiritual evolution
Law of Attraction
- William Walker Atkinson: 1906 “Vibration of Thought or the Law of Attraction in the Thought World.”
- Charles F. Haanel: 1912 “The Master Key System.”
Popular Authors
- Rhonda Byrne: “The Secret,” published in 2006.
- Esther Hicks and Jerry Hicks: “Ask and It Is Given” and “The Law of Attraction: The Basics of the Teachings of Abraham” (Abraham is a spiritual entity channeled by Esther).
- Joe Vitale: “The Attractor Factor”
Attraction Ritual “Give away whatever you desire” “Jesus Christ did it!!!”
- Write your desires on paper (be generous and detailed)
- Read it daily
- Give thanks and imagine you already received it (multiplication of loaves)
- Don’t tell anyone
Risks of these practices
- Syncretism
- Relativism
- Doctrinal confusion
- Sectarianism
- Frustration
- Deviation from faith
Justifying these beliefs with the Bible
- Mark 11:24 (NIV): “Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.”
- Matthew 21:22 (NIV): “If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.”
- Proverbs 23:7 (NIV): “For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.”
The eternal deception
Genesis 3:5
“You will be like gods.”
What does the Bible say?
- Philippians 4:19 (Jerusalem Bible): “My God will fully satisfy every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”
- Psalm 23:1 (Latin American Bible): “The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I lack.”
- Psalm 37:23-24 (Jerusalem Bible): “The Lord makes firm the steps of the one who delights in him; though he may stumble, he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him with his hand.”
Exhortation to Timothy (2 Tim 4:2-5)
“Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke, and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry.”
Why are these practices not advisable?
- They are heresies condemned by God
- Gives the false idea of not needing God
- Risk of depression and anxiety
- Openness to evil influences and unknown forces
- Religious syncretism that distances us from God’s truth.
Create your own reality.
The widespread belief in the New Age that each individual creates their own reality is attractive but illusory. It crystallizes in Jung’s theory, according to which the human being is a gateway from the external world to an inner world of infinite dimensions, where each person is an Abraxas, giving birth to their own world or devouring it. The star shining in this infinite inner world is the god and goal of man. The most painful and problematic consequence of accepting the idea that people create their own reality is the question of suffering and death: individuals with serious deficiencies or incurable illnesses feel deceived and degraded when it is suggested that they have brought misfortune upon themselves, or that their inability to change things indicates a weakness in their way of facing life.The New Age attracts people imbued with the values of modern culture. Freedom, authenticity, self-sufficiency, and similar things are considered sacred. It appeals to those who have issues with patriarchal structures. “It requires no more faith or belief than is necessary to go to the movies,” and yet, it claims to satisfy the spiritual appetite of humanity. However, here lies the central question: What exactly is understood by spirituality in the New Age environment? The answer is crucial to unravel some of the differences between the Christian tradition and much of what can be called the New Age.
Jesus Christ, Bearer of Living Water
Catechism # 2110
Superstition is a deviation of religious sentiment and of the practices it imposes. It can also affect the worship we offer to the true God, for example, when we attribute a certain magical importance to certain practices, which are otherwise legitimate or necessary. To attribute their efficacy exclusively to the materiality of prayers [É] is to fall into superstition.
What to do if we have fallen into these beliefs?
- Examination of conscience.
- Reconciliation.
- Penance.
- Total renunciation.
- Daily prayer (Rosary)
- Constant Eucharist.
“Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.” Psalm 37:4 (Latin American Bible)
Priscilla Locke