The so-called Law of Attraction is little more than a repackaging of good old Protestant or Catholic shame in modern clothes. It is profoundly unhealthy because it does absolutely nothing to help its adherents cope with day-to-day life, what we might call “reality.” Instead it focuses people on what might be one day if only they do the right thing and dump enough money in the pockets of “practitioners.” In this way it is little different that the fictional “prosperity gospel,” which holds that if you just give enough money to the preacher God will pay you back ten fold (or more). Both the prosperity gospel and the law of attraction also suffer from the same proof problem – other than those trying to get you to sign up for yet another conference, pay for another prophecy/practitioner session, throw money in the collection place, or buy another book, we can’t find anyone for whom either of these scams has actually worked.

Healthy spirituality helps us cope with life as it is and equips us to deal with change when it comes along. It doesn’t promise us what it can’t deliver, chief among which are short cuts, tricks, or sleight of hand deals to change our circumstance. It doesn’t take our power away by insisting we have to avail ourselves of “those in the know” to effect spiritual transformation. Most of all, it doesn’t equate wealth with spiritual progress – because they are not the same thing. Getting rich won’t make us happy, it will just transfer our misery to nicer surroundings. Being a better human being and treating each other with more kindness and compassion does make for lasting happiness, and is the goal of healthy spirituality.