Mind Movies - A Christian Perspective

Well if you spend any time online you will be familiar with the term "mind movie". They have gained enormous popularity on YouTube.com and fall into the category of self-help resources that are somewhat of the pop psychology category.

This genre of psuedo spirituality holds the "Universe" as the responsible agent of your destiny, along the same line of thought that movie "The Secret" and the book, "Law of Attraction" also suggest. The basic premise is that whatever you put out to the universe, you will be given back due to the certain vibrations you emit.

If you emit negative vibes, then you will get a negative dose back due you according to the measure you first gave out. God is not seen as in control, but just a benign universal servant. Of course if you vibe out the correct positive vibrations and thoughts then this is what you get back, and naturally this is what everyone is interested in doing, getting the good things in life that they are pursuing.

So what could be wrong with that I hear you say? Surely God wants us to have all the good things he has created for us and so this must be a good thing, therefore mind movie must be a good thing?

Lets take a look at what the Bible says along these lines of thought and how it effects our outcomes. The first verse that springs to mind that would seem to indicate a self-fulfilling nature would have to be,

"As a man thinks so he is", Proverbs 23:7

This verse is very profound and holds the truth in human psychology that many new age teachings have borrowed from.

In essence the body and life is guided by the thoughts that originate in our minds. All actions are preceded by thoughts. In fact even certain actions that most people would consider unconscious or subconscious, like speaking for example all involve thoughts first.

The fact that a negative thinking person is more likely to achieve negative outcomes should come as no surprise to most people of average intelligence. You think something is not going to work, and then you go about consciously and subconsciously trying to prove this, so that in the end you can say to yourself - "see I told you I couldn't do it!"

The opposite can be true as well, a person of positive persuasion will equally pursue the actions that are going to lead to the fulfilment of what they believe to be true.

For example a person training for a fun run such as the Sydney City To Surf, who believed in their mind that they were capable of making the distance to cross the finish line at Bondi beach, is going to understand that they need to prepare for the race by doing some training.

All the while amidst the pain of those hill climbs the person is thinking about the positive result of their training, being able to finish the race in a respectable time. They see themselves achieving their goal, and so they set about to prove it to themselves. As a man thinks...

So from a psychological point of view, this foundational principle would seem to be true, but as Christian person we need to look a little closer to the pagan or occult thought behind the whole "Universe" mumbo jumbo.

God Controls the Universe Not the Other Way Round

Christians believe that God created the universe and was there before the beginning so the thought of having this created thing having a power that can be manipulated to ones own end should be somewhat concerning for the Christian person.

The Bible teaches us to surrender our wills to God's will and allow him to direct our lives in the direction of making Christ Lord over all. So the notion that somehow we can override this by a mind movie, should also raise some concern. Does that mean that a Christian cannot use a mind movie to help them achieve things that otherwise would be made more difficult?

The answer to that question could lie in another area of scripture that Jesus mentions in Mark 11:223,24 "I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, 'Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours." If you believe and do not doubt then it will be done for you.

Admittedly this verse makes a direct connection to prayer and by support of other passages in scripture we understand that this relates to the asking of God and his benevolent response and answer to our prayers. That being said, it still strikes as rather odd that Jesus would use such an example to prove this point about belief being the major contributing factor in the equation, especially when you consider that the throwing of a mountain into the sea, apart from a volcanic eruption such as Mount Krakatoa, would hardly seem to be something that would formulate part of God's will for a Christian to be seeking.

Do Our Minds Hold an Untapped Power?

Does this passage suggest to us something more? Something that indicates a power that our minds have that is untapped? Another area of consideration would have to be the field of medicine and the effects that positive thought has on the successful outcomes of patients surviving terminal illnesses. It is widely documented that the positive thinking patient does better than the ones resigned to the fact of their demise.

Now suppose we took that thought power and put it into overdrive with a mind movie, this could explain some of the amazing reports of success in relationships, business and personal development that can be found around the Internet in forums and video sharing sites.

It does get difficult for the Christian when you consider what some people are reporting their mind movies have done for them. This is where a Christian considering the practise of creating a mind movie and watching regularly either on screen or in variably in one's mind, which where it is intended to play over and over, needs to plan carefully and prayerfully.

For the Christian creating a mind movie that rejoices in God's goodness as an act of worship, there can be no uncertainty here of blurring the lines between what is an acceptable practise and what may be considered an occult practise.

Positive messages about our God, families, friends, goals in our ministry or business if it be to the glory of God, these could hardly be considered a false or a misleading way to conduct or control our minds. Another scripture reminds of this,

"Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable-if anything is excellent or praiseworthy-think about such things.", Philippians 4:8

But if we are to set up a mind movie that is attempting to take control where we know we should not be seeking it, this I believe is where we would be stepping over the line and should show restraint.

"Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God.", I Corinthians 10:31