Contending For The Faith---Part 28

 

In St. Jude 1:3, we read, "Dearly beloved, taking all care to write unto you concerning your common salvation, I was under a necessity to write unto you: to beseech you to contend earnestly for the faith once delivered to the saints." [Emphasis mine]. Contending For The Faith is a series of posts dedicated to apologetics (i.e.,  the intellectual defense of the truth of the Traditional Catholic Faith) to be published the first Monday of each month.  This is the next installment.

Sadly, in this time of Great Apostasy, the faith is under attack like never before, and many Traditionalists don't know their faith well enough to defend it. Remember the words of our first pope, "But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect..." (1Peter 3:16). There are five (5) categories of attacks that will be dealt with in these posts. Attacks against:

• The existence and attributes of God
• The truth of the One True Church established by Christ for the salvation of all 
• The truth of a particular dogma or doctrine of the Church
• The truth of Catholic moral teaching
• The truth of the sedevacantist position as the only Catholic solution to what has happened since Vatican II 

In addition, controversial topics touching on the Faith will sometimes be featured, so that the problem and possible solutions may be better understood. If anyone had suggestions for topics that would fall into any of these categories, you may post them in the comments. I cannot guarantee a post on each one, but each will be carefully considered.

Manifestly Evil

On a TikToc video, there is a young lady appearing to be in her early twenties. She is talking about how in one year she will have a handsome boyfriend, a dream job making lots of money, and her life will be full of nothing but happiness. How does she know all this will happen to her? She "knows" it will happen because she is "manifesting" or "manifesting her dreams," which has become ever more popular since it entered the mainstream during the COVID lockdown of 2020.

Most people who spend considerable time on social media will recognize the term “manifesting” or “manifesting your dreams.” It has become a buzzword of sorts, for people of all ages to publicly declare the things they want to see happen in their future. Young people are “manifesting” love or good grades or college acceptances, etc. It’s easy to think that it’s just another word for wishing for something. For many people using it, that may be exactly how they see it. However, when you start to dissect what’s contained within that word, the troublesome nature of it appears. Manifesting claims that you can get anything you want by thinking it, saying it out loud, and creating it (combining it with works or rituals). If you think it sounds occult, you are correct.

This post will expose the occult nature of manifesting. If you know someone (or someone's teenager) involved with this practice, you will be equipped to warn them of the danger and, by the grace of God, get them to stop. (N.B. This post is derived from multiple online and book resources. I take credit for none of it, other than condensing the information together into a terse and readable post.---Introibo).

The Secret of Manifesting

In the early 2000s, occultist Oprah Winfrey featured what became one of the most popular books of the last twenty years, one that transformed a culture eager to abandon the old mores of hard work and bygone Christian scruples in favor of an easier, technologically-shaped personal fulfillment. The book was called The Secret, and in it the author, Rhonda Byrne, claimed to have discovered mysterious — though eminently practicable — knowledge from ancient, learned men. 

The Secret is explained as a spiritual law based on the “law of attraction.” According to this “law,” we are energy and our thoughts are energy, so whatever we “put out” draws the same kind of energy back to us. If we think or believe a negative thing, such as “I will never get a good job,” then we have just “placed an order” (as one panelist on the Oprah show put it) to the universe, as one would do in a restaurant, and that is what will happen. However, if we believe, feel, and act on a something good that we desire, then that is what will come to pass. We are supposed to believe and act as if that which we desire has already come about.

Some good points were made: we should be grateful for what we have, and we should be forgiving. These attitudes are beneficial for everyone, and most likely enable us to fare better in life. However, rather than appreciating these purely for their moral value, they are taught as part of techniques that allow us to be open to receiving what we want when we learn to create our own reality.

The first step is to think about what you want. Perhaps you are lonely. Declare to yourself that a year from now you will have the relationship of your dreams. Make the declaration in the present tense. “I am married to the woman of my dreams,” and then live as if it were so. Clean out your closet to make room for her clothes. Take down the pictures of yourself in your happy singleness and replace them with couples. Or perhaps you desire wealth without having to work. The Universe (always capitalized in the book because it is pantheistic--i.e., God and the universe are one), as many teachers of manifesting insist, has no idea of pennies or portfolios. What is a single dollar to the Universe, compared to a million? If you want a lot, don’t just expect that it will come, write a check to yourself with a fixed date in the near future. These sorts of desires are consequential, but perhaps you want something modest, like a good parking space (See youtu.be/OMXOiR-CMsw). To prove that manifesting is real, practice on the ordinary desires of life and you will begin to gain confidence.

One practitioner of manifesting gleefully relates its success:

Manifesting mentor: Rhonda Byrne, Australian television writer and producer, author of The Secret and The Power

Manifesting motto: “Nothing can come into your experience unless you summon it through persistent thoughts.”

My manifesting: The Secret emphasizes three main steps: ask, believe, and receive. For four years, I couch-surfed through L.A. I’d suddenly been laid off and decided to eliminate my biggest expense — rent. I also decided to whittle down my insane (almost $100,000!) student loan debt. When it was time to get an apartment again, I wanted to find one I loved and had everything I wanted (small building complex, washer/dryer, safe area, easy parking, etc.), so I wouldn’t move anytime soon. So, I took The Secret into consideration: “asked” the universe for it and “believed” I would find it. Then, after a few months, I “received” and finally found my dream place — the most charming 1920s duplex that had all my must-haves and wants. My boyfriend and I moved in, and then we broke up. When he moved out, I looked for two roommates via Craigslist and word-of-mouth, stating that only one person could occupy each bedroom and that they had to have jobs. Pretty standard things. However, there seemed to be a catch with every person who contacted me.

A manifesting friend said, “Remember The Secret. Visualize the roommates you want.” It worked for her, so I tried it and pictured my ideal flatmates: two people in their 20s, friendly, clean, and work normal-ish hours, etc. I then revised my Craigslist ad and was more specific. My inbox became flooded with responses and I chose the best-suited candidates. Every single person seemed ideal and wanted to move in. I picked my two favorites and they could not be better fits.

Some people will wonder if these things would have happened anyway, as the result of perseverance. I don’t know, but when I was down and out, I believe “manifesting” worked miracles and I still practice it today. Bottom line? It can’t hurt to try it for yourself and see what happens. (Emphasis mine).

(See hellogiggles.com/everything-about-manifesting/).

Manifesting Every Witch Way

Does manifesting really work as claimed? Yes and no. No, it is based on the heretical and false worldview of pantheism. There is much wrong with thinking God and the universe are one (or God is in all things). The Vatican Council of 1870, infallibly condemned the idea:

3. If anyone shall say that the substance and essence of God and of all things is one and the same; let him be anathema.

4. If anyone shall say that finite things, both corporeal and spiritual, or at least spiritual, have emanated from the Divine substance; or that the Divine essence, by the manifestation and evolution of itself, becomes all things; or, lastly, that God is a universal or indefinite being, which by determining itself constitutes the universality of things, distinct according to genera, species and individuals; let him be anathema.

5. If anyone does not confess that the world, and all things that are contained in it, both spiritual and material, have been, in their whole substance, produced by God out of nothing; or shall say that God created, not by His will, free from all necessity, but by a necessity equal to the necessity whereby He loves Himself; or shall deny that the world was made for the glory of God; let him be anathema.

There are also myriad logical and philosophical problems with pantheism, which I will not go into here. Suffice it to say, if the worldview upon which something allegedly works is false, then that something --in this case manifesting--cannot be real. However, there are two possibilities that can make manifesting "work:" one is a naturalistic explanation, and the other supernatural. 

Naturalistic Explanations

1. Self-fulfilling prophesy. The self-fulfilling prophecy effect is a scientific explanation for the success of manifestation. We often conform to the beliefs we have about ourselves and act according to how we expect ourselves to act. This is a natural process, but by consciously changing what beliefs and expectations we have about ourselves, we can essentially hijack the process and change our path to achieve more. Therefore, our expectations become our reality.

2. Confirmation bias. We also naturally collect evidence to support our understanding of the world, so we are more likely to collect evidence in favor of our potential if we first change our beliefs about our potential. This confirmation bias helps propel us, using our own actions, towards our desired outcomes.

(See linkedin.com/pulse/manifesting-pseudoscience-psychology-behind-practice-jaeden-schafer/

Supernatural Explanation

When we pray and share with God the desires of our heart, our prayers are directed to God within the relationship that we have cultivated with Him in His One True Church. To what or to whom are all these “manifesting” declarations going? There are only two sources of supernatural power: God or Satan. The world would like to tell you there is a neutral source of power, but there isn’t. There is no “Universe” out there that is neither good nor evil that can "hear" all these manifestations.

There is no neutral power source for us to be able to get what we want. So whether people recognize it or not (and frankly many don’t), when you engage in “manifesting,” you are engaging in a pagan practice that is heretical and invites in the forces of Hell. This could lead to demonic obsession or even possession. Satan will sometimes give people what they want to entrap them and bring about their spiritual ruin. 

Manifesting is used by practitioners of the pagan religion Wicca, i.e., witches. There is a danger of using actual demonic rituals. One witch describes how she used manifesting to get a job. Even though she claims not to believe in pantheism ("putting it out to the Universe") she nevertheless engages in necromancy:

I didn’t really “put it out to the universe.” What I did was:

• Pull my own focus towards it with manifesting objects
• Ask the ancestors for guidance and mediate on what my deceased grandparents would advise
•  Spent hours every day applying for jobs and taking interviews
• Trusted my network and continually reached out to them
• I ritualized my focus by using altar candles to signify time to contemplate my next move

(See storytellersupply.com/is-manifesting-witchcraft-how-to-manifest; Emphasis mine). 

Manifesting Mental Illness

Even pagan psychologists are recognizing real mental health problems can ensue by practicing manifesting. Far from a "cheery outlook," manifesting can cause a host of mental health issues:

Toxic positivity. Attempting to stay positive all the time and focus only on positive thoughts can invalidate your true feelings, which usually include negative emotions and thoughts as well as positive thinking. Suppressing painful or difficult feelings and thoughts actually leads to an increase in negative thinking, which in turn can exacerbate or catalyze mental health issues.

Self-blame. Positive manifestation teaches us that we are entirely in control of what happens in our lives. Therefore, if something bad happens, it must be our fault. This just isn’t true. While personal responsibility is real, we cannot control everything that happens to us. And blaming ourselves for things that don’t work out the way we wanted them to just makes us feel worse. A lack of self-compassion is correlated with poor mental health.

Aggravated OCD Symptoms.  Manifestation and OCD are a particularly bad combination. Studies show that people with OCD are more likely to believe that having negative emotions and negative thoughts will make something negative happen. As a result, they use rituals and compulsive behaviors as ways to ward off these bad things.

Believing our thoughts are truth. If we think that we’re being judged by others, that no one loves us, or that bad things will always happen to us, the law of attraction tells us that these things are true. This belief can make social anxiety, depression, or other mental health issues worse.

Setting yourself up for failure. The law of attraction teaches that we can achieve our desires and dreams without taking concrete and practical steps to get there. This magical thinking sets us up for failure and disappointment, and can contribute to poor self-esteem, which is an underlying cause of mental health conditions.

In fact, some experts believe that manifestation behaviors and thoughts can trigger mental health conditions even in people with no previous diagnosis. 

(See newportinstitute.com/resources/mental-health/manifesting-change; Emphasis mine). 

Conclusion

Manifesting is a false, heretical, and dangerous practice that can cause harm to both mind and soul. We must work for good things we want, and pray for God's grace and strength, accepting His Will in everything. In using Traditionalist Catholic prayer and its corresponding work ethic (while relying on God's Providence), we will not get everything we want, as somethings are not good for us, even if we can't see why.  However, if we persevere in the faith, God will always grant unto us that which we truly need to reach--- ultimate success in Heaven.