A Christian Perspective on Mind Movies

If you spend any time online, you've probably come across the term "mind movie." They've gotten a lot of attention on YouTube.com and fit into the category of self-help materials that are a little bit like pop psychology.

 

This type of pseudo-spirituality views the "Universe" as the driving force behind your destiny, in the same way as the film "The Secret" and the book "Law of Attraction" do. The basic assumption is that anything you send out into the universe will come returned to you as a result of the vibrations you emit.

 

If you send out negative energy, you will receive a negative dose in proportion to the amount you sent out. God is viewed as a benign global servant rather than a master. Of course, if you send out the right positive vibrations and ideas, this is what you'll get in return, and naturally, that's what everyone wants to do: get the nice things in life they want.

 So, you say, what could be wrong with that? Surely, God wants us to enjoy all of the nice things he has made for us, so mind movies must be a good thing?

Let's look at what the Bible says about these topics and how it affects our decisions. The first passage that comes to mind that would appear to reflect a self-fulfilling character is,

In essence, the concepts that arise in our minds guide our bodies and lives. Every action is preceded by a series of thoughts. In reality, even behaviours that most people would consider unconscious or subconscious, such as speaking, are preceded by thoughts.

To most persons of average intellect, the fact that a negative thinker is more likely to generate poor outcomes should come as no surprise. You believe something isn't going to work, and you set out to prove it, both consciously and subconsciously, so that you can look back and say to yourself, "See, I told you I couldn't do it!"

A person of positive persuasion, on the other hand, will equally pursue actions that will lead to the fulfilment of what they believe to be true. For example, someone training for a fun run such as the Sydney City To Surf who thought in their heart that they could run the distance to the finish line at Bondi Beach will realize that they need to perform some training before the race.

Throughout the agony of those hill climbs, the individual is thinking about the positive outcome of their training, which is the ability to finish the event in a decent time.

So, this underlying premise appears to be valid from a psychological standpoint, but as Christians, we need to look a little closer at the pagan or occult philosophy that underpins the whole "Universe" nonsense.

 

The universe is under God's control, not the other way around.

Christians believe that God created the cosmos and that He existed before it began, therefore the idea of this created entity possessing a power that can be exploited to one's own benefit should be disturbing to them.

The Bible instructs us to submit our wills to God's will and allow him to steer our lives toward making Christ Lord of all. So the idea that we might be able to overcome this with a mind movie should be a source of concern. Is this to say that a Christian can't utilize a mind movie to help them do tasks that would otherwise be difficult?

 The answer to that inquiry could be found in another section of the Bible mentioned by Jesus in Mark 11:223,24. "If someone says to this mountain, 'Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and believes in his heart that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. As a result, I tell you, believe that you have received anything you ask for in prayer, and it will be yours." It will be done for you if you believe and do not doubt.

Do our minds have untapped potential?

 Is there anything else that this passage hints at? Something that suggests our minds have untapped mental power? Another factor to examine is the world of medicine and the impact of positive thinking on the successful results of patients who are surviving terminal illnesses. It is well proven that patients who think positively perform better than those who are resigned to their fate.

 If we pushed that thinking power into overdrive with a mind movie, we might be able to explain some of the fantastic stories of success in relationships, business, and personal development that can be found all over the Internet.

Positive messages about God, our families, friends, and our ministry or business ambitions, if they are for the glory of God, are scarcely deceitful or deceptive ways to conduct or control our minds.

To find out more about the Mind Movies and other Christian movies, visit crossflix.