When it comes to guilt and shame, I’ve often thought the Rev had it bad, growing up as he did with a Southern Baptist mom and a Jewish dad. He knew from shame and guilt. But he turned out fine – not at all neurotic or guilt-ridden – though I think Buddhism had a lot to do with that. In many ways the Rev had it easier than some; at least he grew up with two vaguely interrelated guilt systems, both rooted in Judeo-Christian tradition.Imagine, though, being caught between two completely different but equally noxious brands of guilt: Christian fundamentalist guilt and New-Age guilt. Imagine fearing not only that Satan is after you but that, as creator of your own reality, you are attracting everything bad that is happening to you, and if Satan is after you it’s only because you "created" him. Imagine having a dark night of the soul and finding yourself bombarded with self-righteous fundie Christian wisdom on one hand, and sanctimonious Law Of Attraction blather on the other. That’s what seems to be happening to the young lady who began this thread on the Secret discussion forum.
"Here's the Cliff Notes version," said my friend Tony Michalski, who alerted me to this thread. "Girl claims that Satan is attacking her. Now, THAT is NOT the silly part. The responses from these short-bus passengers range from mean to cruel to outright silly! From ‘you’re a fool for believing in Satan’ to ‘doesn’t LOA teach us that we are what we believe?’ It’s simply amazing and a very candid glimpse at their natures."
Indeed. And not only are the Secretrons more than likely making this poor girl’s guilt and fear worse, they are also showing once again how their explanation of LOA falls apart logically. As Tony points out, Secret defenders claim that LOA is a scientific law, but threads such as this one highlight the reality that "no matter how much they claim scientific fact for the LOA, it devolves into faith-based argument. So, it's not only silly, it is quite nefarious and scary."
Amen.
Hey Connie, I read that thread and I would suggest to people who have recurrent thoughts like that to go see a behavioral-cognitivist therapist. I would have suggested it but did not want to register on the site. It sounds like OCD. I have read that some people who have OCD obsess about things such as satan and hell. It is well documented. Maybe I should go back on that site and say so because it doesn't seem like any of the commentators would recognize that.
ReplyDelete(I also have some qualifications in the guilt and shame area, having 2 Jewish moms- real mom and step mom.)
That's a good point re the OCD, Moi. It's pretty obvious from the woman's post that she is having some real "issues," and my fear for her is that the Secretrons are just making the problem worse. I hope she gets some qualified professional help -- which I don't think she's going to find on the Secret discussion forum.
ReplyDeleteWell, the saga at the powerful intentions website is over. i figured out how to delete my 2 hour long account.
ReplyDeletethe problem with posting on different forums is that often your name will suddenly appear on google with a link to whatever you wrote, and then future employers or whomever can read things you only intended for a few people.
I'm glad you got it straightened out, Moi. Heaven help me if I ever try to get a real job. Especially with someone who's into any New-Wage stuff. Or someone who frowns on slightly risque humor.
ReplyDelete"Heaven help me if I ever try to get a real job."
ReplyDeleteBut your blog is very creative and you're a good writer, so it would just attest to your skill. On the other hand, people like me who just spout and have no blog, it could be embarrassing if a potential employer, or an aquaintance just came across one comment.
btw, I like your risque humor.
Thanks, Moi. But I still think you need to start a blog.
ReplyDelete