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I am sorry for the ones who latch on to say it's this or that outside of their control that has damned them. I really am. I used to play that victim role as well, and it served its purpose. Then I realized I have a say in this life of mine. Now that I've stepped up to the plate and take responsibility for my life, it looks a whole lot different.

Don't pity me. I don't want or need your pity, which is another word for contempt of a person.
You don't know anything about me. And, btw, that is exactly what the judgmental therapist who recommended *The Secret* said to me...interesting that you would use the same exact verbage that she did.

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I think for someone to accept this thought/reality it would be most effective to let go of the concepts of guilt, shame, and blame. As if they don't exist.

You don't believe in guilt? Funny, you use guilt as a tool. Making a person feel guilty seems to be modus operandi for cultists.

What a VERY childish and immature thing to say:

Go to Amazon and look for the second book, then click on "Read all customer reviews", then "Lowest Rating First". The reviews of those who were unimpressed make for some interesting reading.

Go to the Lowest Ratings first. Why? Are you afraid that if you start at the good ratings, people may actually say they like the book?

I've actually read the Abraham books and they are very interesting. I found nothing "cultish" about them. I didn't agree with all of it, but there were some good points.

When are we as Christians going to quit playing the denial game and swiftboat those things and ideas that are different. If we REALLY have the truth, then reading books by others, or seeing the latest Harry Potter movie will not destroy our faith but make it stronger.

Grow up People. And get out of your little tiny box. You might like it.

I bought the book Ask and It Is Given, in which Esther Hicks channels Abraham. After watching the original version of The Secret, featuring Esther Hicks, I started reading the book. I started having doubts about this teaching very quickly. I found several examples in the book of what I consider to be total nonsense, and then, after reading some opinions on the internet, I literally threw the book into my trashcan. However, having been duped by other religious/spiritual teachings in the past, I wanted to have a better understanding of this one before putting it completely out of my mind. Last night I did the Google search Esther Hicks charlatan and found this discussion at RickRoss.com. The postings here are so excellent that I decided to take the book out of the trashcan and share some of my views on the matter.

First let me say that if Jerry Hicks was once an Amway Diamond distributor, as claimed by other posters here, then he definitely was a scamartist at that time in his life. I believe that he is still working the same scam under a slightly different guise. If you Google Amway fraud or Amway scam you can easily verify that over 90% of Amway distributors (and distributors of most other MLM companies) lose money in the business. The bait of the scam is the claim that Amway (or other MLM scam company) is a very profitable business for those that learn how to work it correctly. After buying a distributorship, the sucker finds out that in order to learn how to work it correctly he must also buy an endless series of audio/video productions, trainings, and seminars from the Diamonds (or whatever they are called by other MLM scam companies). The vast majority of the Diamonds income does not come from commissions on Amway product sales, but rather from the sales of these motivational and business development training products.

The bait of Abraham is (page 9):

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There is nothing that you cannot be, do, or have, and we want to assist you in achieving that.

The claim that There is nothing that you cannot be, do, or have is absolutely false, and I believe the Hicks know this; thus, I also believe that the claim We want to assist you in achieving that is also absolutely false. Nonetheless, the bait is tempting to believe in, so many bite it and get on the bandwagon. But, just like almost all MLMers, LOAers soon find out that reality does not agree with the bait that initially hooked them. Thats when they find out that success is indeed possible if only they buy an endless series of audio/video productions, trainings, and seminars from the Hicks. Same game, different name.

Abraham says (page 5):

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We are talking to you at many levels of awareness, all at the same time, but you will only receive whatever you are now ready to receive. Everyone will not get the same thing from this book, but every reading of this book will net you something more. This is a book that will be read many times by those who understand its power. It is a book that will help physical Beings understand their relationship to GOD and ALL-THAT-THEY-REALLY-ARE.

Reading the book less than once was enough for me. This book has the power to instill delusional beliefs into the minds of those who accept its claims, an outcome that becomes increasingly likely the more times the book is read. And, of course, reading this book repeatedly makes it increasingly likely that a person will buy other products from Abraham-Hicks.

Here is one of the most nonsensical ideas promoted by Abraham (pages 59-60).

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Since many people approve of some of the conditions that others have created but disapprove of others, they set out on the impossible mission of trying to control conditions. Through personal force or strength, or gathering together in groups to gain the feeling of more power or control, they seek to preserve their own Well-Being by attempting to take control of any circumstances that they believe could threaten it. But, in this attraction-based Universe where there is no such thing as exclusion, the harder they push against unwanted things, the more they achieve vibrational alignment with unwanted things--and in doing so, the more they invite unwanted things into their own experience.

The Hicks have a nice house and a fancy bus that they travel around the country in. I wonder if they use locks. I bet they do. Furthermore, I bet they have a security system on their home and have someone keep an eye on their fancy bus while they are doing their seminars. It is perfectly okay to keep your possessions safe and secure by making it more difficult, if not impossible, for unwanted people to have access to them, access that might lead to damage or theft. It is also perfectly okay to protect your mind from unwanted intrusions by liars, cheats, scamartists, and crazy people. Anyone who believes the nonsense stated here by Abraham is pretty certain to experience the kind of confusion that might cause a glassy-eyed stupor that might cause him to buy more Abraham-Hicks products. Consider the fact that Abraham claims to be a non-physical group of entities that are divine in nature. What would motivate him to tell such a humongous lie? I contend that he is not divine in nature, but rather malicious. The only type of person or non-physical being that would ever tell you this type of lie, one designed to get you to drop your defenses against real and potential threats, would be one who is either insane or is interested in stealing from you, one who might even be interested in enslaving you. Abraham is insane or a demon, or both.

Abraham is literally offering us Alladins lamp (page 81).

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If you have the ability to imagine it, or even think about it, this Universe has the ability and the resources to deliver it fully unto you, for this Universe is like a well-stocked kitchen with every ingredient imaginable at your disposal. And within every particle of this Universe is that which is wanted and the lack of it. This perspective of abundance, and the lack of it, is the environment in which focus is possible--and focus activates the Law of Attraction.

My dictionary defines delusion as: A false belief or opinion. A fixed, dominating, or persistent false mental conception resistant to reason with regard to actual things or matters of fact. Abraham is clearly encouraging readers to embrace delusional ideas here. For example, I have the ability to imagine one billion tons of gold bars located in a large safe under my house. Unfortunately, the Universe does not have the ability or the resources to deliver it fully unto me. Too bad. I guess if I really want to accomplish something I am going to have to imagine something more realistic, like maybe a 100 ounce gold bar in my hands. Note that Abraham says that the smallest particle in the Universe could deliver to me my one billion tons of gold bars. Only a crazy person could possibly believe such an idea that is so inconsistent with reality. It is a basic teaching of economics, and one that I fully agree with, that we work as individuals and groups to allocate limited resouces to achieve our various goals. If more resources are wanted than are available, then someone or some group is not going to get any. That is a fact. But Abraham makes it sound so easy that many are tempted to believe the nonsense anyway. It is not surprising to me that there are many repeat customers of Abraham-Hicks products and that a cult has grown up around these ideas.

Here is Abrahams version of the group hug (page 82):

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As Non-Physical Source Energy expressing through your physical experience, your physical experience is truly the Leading Edge of thought. And as you are fine-tuning your creative experience, you are taking thought beyond that which it has ever been before. As you enthusiastically made the decision to come into this physical body and create in this way, you understood, from your Non-Physical vantage point, that this physical world was not broken and in need of repair--and you did not come forth to fix it. You saw this physical world as a creative environment in which you, and everyone else, could express yourselves creatively--you did not come forth to try to get others to stop doing what they are doing and do something else. You came forth understanding the value in the contrast, and the balance in the variety. Every physical Being on your planet is your partner in co-creation, and if you would accept that and appreciate the diversity of beliefs and desires--all of you would have more expansive, satisfying, and fulfilling experiences.

This is another way of saying that you should not resist anything that anybody else does. Anything goes, and that is good. You should see the value in the contrast, and the balance in the variety. This is exactly the kind of submissive, feeble-minded thinking that any tyrannical dictator/slavemaster would want his subjects to experience. While you are busy experiencing your glassy-eyed stupor, they are busy stealing what you own and putting you into bondage. I agree that the physical world is not broken and in need of repair. The physical world is a collection of natural resources and things that human beings have made. Some of these things nurture us and make our lives better, and some of these things harm us and make our lives worse. It is good for us to use our creative energies to increase the amount of things that nurture us and make our lives better, and to decrease the amount of things that harm us and make our lives worse. If someone is doing something that harms us and makes our lives worse, it is perfectly okay, perhaps noble, to get that person to stop doing what they are doing and do something else. For example, if a person is going around town with a gun, killing people at random, it is perfectly okay to arrest that person and incarcerate him. And if an organization such as Abraham-Hicks is actively brainwashing people to believe in nonsensical psycho-babble, it is perfectly okay for us to expose it for what it is, attempt to stop it, and to help people who have been harmed by it.

Abraham continues his All is good brainwashing attempt (pages 83-84):

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From your Non-Physical perspective of the enormous variety of experiences, beliefs, and desires that exist among the people of your world, you felt no need to omit or control some of them. You understood that there is room enough in this expansive Universe for all manner of thought and experience. You had every intention of being deliberate about your own creative control of your own life experience and your own creations--but yow had no intentions of trying to control the creation of others. The variety did not frighten you, but instead, inspired you, for you knew that you were each the creator of your own experience, and you understood that your exposure to the contrast would inspire specific directions within you, and that just because others may choose differently, it did not make you right and them wrong, or them right and you wrong. You understood the value of the diversity.

Abraham likes to tell us that we were all thinking pretty much the same way before we were born, but then we all started behaving differently and wanting different things after we were born. Does that make sense to you? It makes no sense to me at all. Assuming that we have spirits or souls that had awareness in a non-physical realm prior to this lifetime, an idea that does make sense to me, then it makes sense that our beliefs varied greatly prior to birth, just as they do today in our physical lives. Abraham is attempting to whitewash the fact the quality of spirits varies greatly. There are good spirits, evil spirits, and all kinds of spirits in between. A valid spiritual or religious teaching should teach us the difference between good and evil, and also encourage us and teach us methods whereby we can increase the good and reduce the evil in our lives. Abraham is clearly attempting to get us to drop our guard and to offer no resistance to evil. The only possible purpose of this is to make it easier for evil spirits to take advantage of good spirits. It has been claimed that Lucifer is the arch deceiver. If that description is accurate, then Abraham and the Abraham-Hicks organization are Luciferian in nature.

Abraham continues his effort to disarm and weaken us (page 86):

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Each point of view matters; every request is granted; and as this amazing Universe unerringly expands, there is no end to the Universal resources that fulfill these requests. And there is no end to the answers to the never-ending stream of questions--and for that reason, there is no competition. It is not possible for someone else to recieve the resources that were meant for you, and you cannot selfishly squander resources that were intended for someone else. All desires are answered; all requests are granted, and no on is left unanswered, unloved, or unfulfilled. When you stay aligned with your Energy Stream, you always win, and somebody else does not have to lose for you to win. There is always enough....If someone is not receiving what they are asking for, it is not because there is a shortage of resources; it can only be that the person holding the desire is out of alignment with their own request. There is no shortage. There is no lack. There is no competition for resources. There is only the allowing or disallowing of that which you are asking for.

I agree with the commonly stated claim that 5% of the people own 95% of the wealth of this world. A myriad of scams and crimes have been perpetrated throughout history by governments, businesses, religions, and individuals in order to concentrate the bulk of the wealth into the hands of the few. It makes it much easier for those who want to amass wealth without earning it if they can get the masses to believe the kind of nonsense being taught by Abraham. For example, what would you think if you had worked 30 years producing useful goods and services for others, invested some of your profits into a portfolio of stocks and bonds now worth one million dollars, only to find out tomorrow that I had hacked into your account and stolen all of it? Did I recieve the resources that were meant for you? Of course I did. Your request to have one million dollars to live on in retirement was not granted. My request to have one million dollars that I did not earn was granted. So, was every request granted? Of course not. Furthermore, resources are limited and people and groups do compete for them. Honest people compete in a fair manner, offering something of value in return for something of value. Cheaters, liars, and thieves compete in an unfair manner, offering something of no value or of negative value in return for something of value. Abraham would prefer that you not know these facts, and that you offer no resistance to the cheaters, liars, and thieves present in the world today. Abraham is a total fraud.

If the above quotes do not reveal Abrahams true nature, maybe this one will (pages 127-128):

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You now remember that you are free (in fact, you are so free that you could choose bondage), and that everything that comes to you is in response to the thoughts you are thinking. You now remember that whether you are thinking about your past, present, or future, you are offering a vibration that equals your point of attraction. You now remember that the Law of Attraction is always fair, and there is no injustice--for whatever is coming to you is doing so in response to the vibrations that you are offering due to the thoughts you are thinking. And, most important, you now remember that Well-Being is the basis of your world, and that unless you are doing something that is disallowing it, then Well-Being is your experience. You may allow it or resist it, but only a Stream of wellness, abundance, clarity, and all good things that you desire...flows. And you now remember that there is no dark switch; there is no Source of evil or Source of sickness or lack. You may allow or you may resist Well-Being--but everything that happens to you is all your doing.

Wow. I am momentarily speechless. How could anyone believe such crap? People think and behave in different ways, and people affect each other. What comes to me is in response to what I am thinking and doing, what other people are thinking and doing, and other forces (such as the weather, earthquakes, or volcanoes) that are beyond my control. Sure, my positive thoughts and actions cause me to have a more positive experience in my life, but regardless of how much I allow positive experience in my life, sometimes wellness, abundance, clarity, and other good things do not flow. There are forces at work in my life other than my own, and I accept that some days are better than others. At the risk of stating the obvious, let me say that Abraham is trying to fool us into believing that there is no such thing as evil in this world, and that if we think that there is then there is something wrong with us. Again, I reiterate that these false teachings are designed to make it easier for evil people and spirits to take advantage of good people and spirits. Just say no to Abraham and those of his ilk.

Here are two teachings from Abraham that clearly contradict each other. It seems to me that a non-physical group of beings communicating Source Energy would not teach contradictory ideas. Therefore, I must conclude that Abraham is not what he claims to be.

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(page 88): The greatest gift that you could ever give to another is your own happiness, for when you are in a state of joy, happiness, or appreciation, you are fully connected to the Stream of pure, positive Source Energy that is truly who you are. And when you are in that state of connection, anything or anyone that you are holding as your object of attention benefits from your attention.

This teaching is telling us that we can have a positive creative effect in the lives of others. I would go further and say that we can have a negative creative effect in the lives of others also. I also disagree with the first sentence. I believe that the greatest gift that I can give another is one that I am able to give that will benefit him or her the most right now. Sometimes it is to share my happiness, sometimes it is to share some other emotion. Sometimes it is a thing, sometimes it is a service that I can perform. For a crimminal or other transgressor, tough love could be a much better gift than hugs and kisses. For a child it might be explaining something he is having difficulty understanding. My best gift depends on the person I am giving it to and the situation we are in right now.

Later in the book, Abraham totally contradicts the idea I just quoted. (page 135):

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Most people offer the majority of their thought vibrations in response to something they are observing. When they observe something wonderful, they feel wonderful; when they observe something awful, they feel awful, but they believe they have no control over how they feel because they realize that they cannot control the circumstances that they have observed. Many people spend the majority of their lives attempting to control circumstances because they believe that in the controlling of the circumstance, they will feel better. But no matter how much control they gain over the actions of others, it is never enough--because there is always another uncontrollable circumstance. You have no creative power within the lives of others, for they are offering their own vibrations, which equal their own point of attraction, just as you are offering your own vibrations, which equal your own point of attraction.

Abraham giveth, Abraham taketh away. In one breath (or block of Source Energy thought) he tells us that we can bless another person with our happiness, and in the next we are told that we have no creative power in the lives of others whatsoever. Also note that this passage begins by referring to thoughts, then switches to feelings, seemingly equating the two. Of course thoughts and feelings are different kinds of experiences. I sometimes watch surguries perfomed on the Discovery Health TV channel. Seeing the cutting and bleeding often makes me feel queezy, but I think it is interesting and amazing that surgeons can perform such incredible operations, and that people can heal and experience improved health as a result of them. Abraham is definitely wrong about control. It is possible to be satisfied with achieving a certain level of control over other people even though there exist other circumstances over which you have no control at all. Satisfying and beneficial control structures exist in many families, businesses, and other groups. And of course we can all use our creative powers to influence and affect the lives of others. This quote by Abraham is a good example of the babbling idiocy that the book is full of.

The end is near, but first one last quote. If I havent bored you to death with my long-winded discourse, dont stop yet. You gotta read this killer quote (pages 290-291):

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Every death is self-imposed. The best reason to make your transition into the Non-Physical is not because the physical is miserable. It is because you have a sense of completion in the physical--and you are looking for another vantage point. Death is a withdrawal of Consciousness; it is like taking attention from here and putting it there. Every death is brought about by the culmination of the vibration of Being. There is not an exception to that. No one, beast or human, makes their transition into the Non-Physical without it being the vibrational consensus that is within them, so every death is a suicide because every death is self-imposed.

I did not make that up. Get the book, and turn to page 290. Abraham really did say that. If this subject were not so serious, I would be rolling on the floor laughing so hard that my stomach would hurt. I believe that some people die at a time that suits them perfectly, and some people do not. My uncle recently died at the age of 91. He was a farmer, gunsmith, and father of 15 children. He was a good, happy man who lived a full life. His body was kinda worn out, especially his heart. The doctors revived his heart on several occaisions, but one night their efforts failed and Uncle Fred died. He was ready to go. On the other hand, I am certain that there have been people who got shot by a wacked-out gunman, hit by a drunk driver, or other causes, that were in the prime of their lives, with many unfulfilled hopes and dreams, who were not ready to die yet, but it happened anyway. There are circumstances in this world that are beyond our control. Some of those circumstances are deadly.

Right now I have a positive outlook on life, and I want to continue living for awhile longer. I am attracting wonderful opportunities to enrich my life and the lives of others. I strive to increase the good, and reduce the evil in my world. With that in mind, I believe the next thing I will manifest will be to tear all the pages out of this poisonous book and run them through my shredder. I have encountered other evil entities similar to Abraham in the past, and I realize the risk they potentially pose to my Well-Being. I am going to shred this book and visualize everything related to this demonic teaching disappearing from my world.

I know for a fact that there are a number of lies in this article, spun to minimize and glorify Ester and Jerry. Jerry did sell Amway and broke up Ester's first marriage while he too was married. And don't discount her Amway ties either. Furthermore, for the period from about 1958 until 1968 or so he was a clown at state fairs, birthday parties etc., not an actor musician, MC, etc. Full make up and funny shoes. He was also never in the circus, except maybe as a clown.
By all accounts he is a selfish, money driven snake oil salesman and has been since his youth, going from one con to the next, sponging off of his wives and anyone else he can sucker. It would seem that Ester is finally the worthy partner for him, the one that brought him real wealth and atttention. His other two wives, Ester is only his 3rd, could only provide one or the other, one was an actress/dancer the other the daughter of the founder of Amway.
Snaps to him for managing to create such a viable business, I only wish I were getting a cut

I think people get sucked into Abraham Hicks because at first you only hear loving messages. Its all about joy. Which in itself is a beautiful thing and really makes you feel like you discovered the answer to life.

But...But....there is a whole different side to the Abraham Hicks teachings. Its the side you don't discover until you've gone through some of their work and older recordings.

Abraham says that we shouldn't try to control what others do. Murderer's, child molestors, rapists and thieves...it is not our job to control them and the victim invited those events onto themselves!!! Are you kidding me?

I think those teaching are incredibly insane, even evil. *If* Esther is truly channeling some entity, it must be evil. It knows that it will attract with loving messages at first and once they have you *believing*, they then explain that the things you always thought were tabu are actually okay, because we don't know that the child isn't enjoying the sexual advances of an adult....It goes on and on, and is very disturbing.

I highly recommend everyone help their family members get out of this insane cult. Its scary to think that it spreads such evil.

Blessed Be

Sparta"Abraham says that we shouldn't try to control what others do. Murderer's, child molestors, rapists and thieves...it is not our job to control them and the victim invited those events onto themselves!!! Are you kidding me? "

Sparta, you spoke my heart! I can't believe his stuff on the art of allowing and blaming the victim. ?!?!?!?!

besee

Bugaboo22,

I'm curious as to the source of your information on Jerry Hicks. There doesn't seem to be a lot of reliable information on him and you seem to know a lot about his history. Can you verify that the circus story is not true and I had not heard that he was married to the daughter of the Amway founder. The clown stuff is also very interesting.

wow.................thats info

i hear...rumor...they have a million dollar a month business