DVD: The Secret

  • Thread starter Thread starter benjoy07
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
B

benjoy07

Guest
Hello. I don’t think this is my first post, but it might be. I am a lifelong Catholic and a newly appointed Lector. My faith and understanding has definitely grown with age. And I’m glad it has. But the main reason for this post is to ask for (name removed by moderator)ut or expertise. I have recently watched a DVD called, The Secret. Has anyone else? It seems to be more motivational in purpose, but does, in-a-way, challenge the Catholic faith and religion in general. I’ll write as if my audience has seen the movie/DVD: in the movie, it states that all things came from energy, and that all things come from energy, and that energy always existed and was never created. Does that challenge our faith? Or can it be argued that God is energy? Or God created energy? Basically, they say anything is possible, if one simply thinks it and believes—or has faith—it will come to pass. I try to see that this move/theory goes hand in hand with our faith. Can anyone speak on this? (I apologize if my post is incoherent. But I’d be glad to clarify if need be.)
 
It can be argued that it’s incredibly bad, nay illiterate, philosophy, since existence, knowledge and awareness are all real, but are none of them energy.

Read philosophy. I recommend Mortimer J. Adler, “Aristotle for Everybody,” and “How To Think About God.”

He’s the only modern philosopher who knows a hawk from a handsaw–mostly because he’s a Thomist (as in Thomas Aquinas).
 
That sounds like they’re using “The Force”!
“Once you start down the dark path- forever it will dominate your destiny” - Yoda
 
That’s exactly what I was thinking, Uncle Davd. ha. But it just seemed so similar to the idea that “faith, the size of a mustard seed, can move mountains.” I thought there might be some truth to their Law of Attraction, as they put it in the movie.
 
Hastram–thank you for your (name removed by moderator)ut. And not to perpetuate ignorance, but in response to your comment, the movie equated thought or state of thinking, as waves of energy that can be measured. So thought or states of thought, I would think, could be argued as examples of knowledge, awareness, and even existence.
 
Hello: I am pasting a link to a thread I started at the Back Fence Forum. I didn’t see forum before hand, but I think it is more specific to my post. It is in regards to a DVD I recently watched called The Secret. It’s a kinda of philosophy I guess, stating that all things come from and are energy. I find parallels between our faith and it. But I also see it as challenging our faith. What is your opinion if you have seen the movie? Can it compliment our faith or does it go completely against it? The link:
forums.catholic-questions.org/showthread.php?t=131578
 
benjoy07 said:
Hastram–thank you for your (name removed by moderator)ut. And not to perpetuate ignorance, but in response to your comment, the movie equated thought or state of thinking, as waves of energy that can be measured. So thought or states of thought, I would think, could be argued as examples of knowledge, awareness, and even existence.
Click to expand...
In Aristotelian terms, what *makes *something what it is, is separate from *what *the thing is, and both are separate from the *thing *itself. Or more technically, its form is separate from its essence, and both are separate from its being. The human soul is what makes the human, human. It is not material–“humanity” does not have dimensions or mass, and yet it is real. It is real because it exists, and continues to exist if you’re not thinking about it (that’s all real means).

Thought, since it involves the reason, is a function of that human soul (man’s difference from other animals is rationality, therefore the part of a human that makes it a human is rational), and is in many ways dependent on the brain–man is an animal. But to look at the dependence on the brain as the only part of the process, is to say that this forum post was created by a computer. It may, logically speaking, not be a contradiction in terms in and of itself, but considering other things we know it is false. We know, for instance, that the computer was necessary. It was not sufficient.
 
OK. So what you’re explaining is that Humanity is real, because it exists and it can exist on its own. The human essence or soul exists in the same way. But, can humanity and the human soul be considered forms of energy? Where Energy is the ability to act, lead others, effect, etc., can’t Humanity be described as a type of energy that exists? For example, I feel that person’s essence. Or I can sense their essence. Or kindness, being a form of humanity can be sensed, like a good vibe, which can be a form of energy. These are questions of mine. I’m not trying to assert these ideas, only understand them. I appreciate your insight. And I’d like to compare less with other philosophies, and more towards Religion, Christians, Creation, etc. Because they argue that Energy can be synonymous with God, because it is everywhere in or a part of everything that exists. And through our thoughts, we can control energy and make things happen by our mere thoughts and feelings. (The Force. Ha.) I found that similar to me praying and having faith.
 
All things do come from energy, however, it is god that created the energy. I don’t see where this would be challenging our faith, it’s just a more abstract scientific explanation.
 
Thanks, rayne. That’s exactly what I was thinking. Whew, glad I wasn’t the only one…👍
 
rayne100 said:
All things do come from energy, however, it is god that created the energy. I don’t see where this would be challenging our faith, it’s just a more abstract scientific explanation.
Click to expand...
But that’s not thinking, it’s bad science and worse philosophy! It’s reductionist materialism.

All things came from energy, huh? Your soul, what energy did that come from?

Yes, all physical things came from energy (actually all matter and energy came from a primal monobloc that wasn’t exactly either, but I digress), but there’s more to the universe than the physical.

WHY CAN’T YOU UNDERSTAND THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN REAL AND PHYSICAL?!!!:banghead:
 
rayne100 said:
All things do come from energy, however, it is god that created the energy. I don’t see where this would be challenging our faith, it’s just a more abstract scientific explanation.
Click to expand...
Except it’s philosophically illiterate, sophomoric materialism, fit only for has-been stage magicians and bad popular science writers. It is not “a more abstract scientific explanation”, it’s bad philosophy masquerading as science.

All things did not come from energy, because energy is material–fundamentally, energy is matter (Einstein, anyone?). Nothing nonphysical–angels, human souls, the mind–came from energy. Unless you decide, contrary to three hundred years of science, to assume energy isn’t physical, in which case physicists wouldn’t study it, would they?

The whole premise is ridiculous.
 
…and I refuted him.

This is why nobody should be taught anything, unless they’re taught real philosophy first.
 
OK. I apologize, Hastram, for lacking in the philosophy and physics arena. But that is why I posted here in the first place–to ask “dumb” questions—so I can understand, to learn. Isn’t that one of the reasons why these forums exist? By you saying that energy is matter and physical, and does not exist in non-physical things, you have given your answer to my core question. Thanks!
 
benjoy07 said:
OK. I apologize, Hastram, for lacking in the philosophy and physics arena. But that is why I posted here in the first place–to ask “dumb” questions—so I can understand, to learn. Isn’t that one of the reasons why these forums exist? By you saying that energy is matter and physical, and does not exist in non-physical things, you have given your answer to my core question. Thanks!
Click to expand...
Yeah, sorry for being a bit…brusque. Stuff that seems pretty basic to me (it is basic, but only to physics and philosophy) doesn’t mean much if you aren’t acquainted with the topic at all. Sort of like, a doctor should be blamed for not knowing the heart has four chambers, but other people shouldn’t.

You’re more than welcome for any help I may have given you, though.
 
Hastrman said:
Except it’s philosophically illiterate, sophomoric materialism, fit only for has-been stage magicians and bad popular science writers. It is not “a more abstract scientific explanation”, it’s bad philosophy masquerading as science.

All things did not come from energy, because energy is material–fundamentally, energy is matter (Einstein, anyone?). Nothing nonphysical–angels, human souls, the mind–came from energy. Unless you decide, contrary to three hundred years of science, to assume energy isn’t physical, in which case physicists wouldn’t study it, would they?

The whole premise is ridiculous.
Click to expand...
I understand what you are saying but if energy is matter and matter is neither destroyed or created in the natural world, did no then, god create matter? I still do not see what the issue is. The philosophy or science wither one still does not go against our beliefs.
 
OK this is my take. My main concern was the movie’s comparison of God and energy. That was where I felt the movie challenged my faith. But, I now understand that there is no comparison. Energy may be part of all physical things in our universe, but not the non-physical. The movie does not explain that…as far as I can remember. I’m not completely knocking the movie. It does have a compelling message about positive thinking and thought manifestation.
 
rayne100 said:
I understand what you are saying but if energy is matter and matter is neither destroyed or created in the natural world, did no then, god create matter? I still do not see what the issue is. The philosophy or science wither one still does not go against our beliefs.
Click to expand...
Because all things are not from energy. Energy can’t create spirit. The film, in saying, “all things are from energy”, a) advances bad science, since the monobloc which exploded in the Big Bang was not energy as we understand the term, and b) advances bad philosophy by denying the nonphysical. Materialism is bad philosophy, and not compatible with the faith.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top