About Religious Science

View a short video on New Thought and it's relationship to ourselves, our community and our world.

• Healthy-Minded Spirituality
• So What Does New Thought Teach?
• New Thought, Ancient Wisdom

Healthy-Minded Spirituality

New Thought was called "The religion of healthy-mindedness" by William James. And that's really the truth! Sometimes confused with what is called "New Age" in the media, New Thought is actually the perennial philosophy, that thread of truth that is woven through all the world's great spiritual traditions. It's spirituality for the 21st century. The principles of New Thought are to be found in Christianity, Buddhism, Islam, Zen, Hinduism, and many philosophical and theological works.

Of course, in the West, we love practicality. And it's the practical application of these principles that make all the difference. If you've ever watched Oprah Winfrey, and seen her interview a guest who explains a way to make your life better by changing your intentions, you've seen New Thought principles being taught. If you've read some of the works of Deepak Chopra, which focus on how to heal your body by healing your mind, you've read about New Thought. There are many contemporary authors and teachers illustrating the principles of New Thought through their work. You might be surprised at how long the list is!

There are so many ways to approach the truth, and all of these authors are offering a pathway to understanding and transformation. We invite you to join us in an ongoing exploration of these principles, and in learning to consistently and persistently apply them to your life.

At the Center for Spiritual Living, the particular style of New Thought we teach is Religious Science. It is based on the ideas found in Dr. Ernest Holmes' 1926 book, The Science of Mind. These ideas aren't new, of course! In fact, there were many influences on the formation of Religious Science. Dr. Holmes looked at the world's great religions and philosophy, at the scriptures from many traditions [the Bible, Upanishads, Vedas, Koran, and so on], and the best that science had to offer in his day. He read the works of Emerson and Thoreau, studied the mystics, and followed his own intuition. The result was a book that offered a practical and practicable way to approach spirituality that is free from dogma, from rigid rules or thinking, and totally contemporary today.

So What Does New Thought Teach?

Simply, New Thought teaches the law of cause and effect; that it is done unto us as we believe; that as we sow, we do indeed reap. While the theory of New Thought or Religious Science is simple, the proof of it is in the practice.

We teach clear, easy-to-follow ways to change our belief, to sow more mindfully, and to set only those causes in motion we're happy to experience. The main practice we teach is affirmative prayer, also known as spiritual mind treatment. It's spiritual, because it deals with the spiritually based causes of what we experience. It's mental, because it happens within our own minds and hearts. And it's a treatment, because it provides tangible, definite results! This is a teaching that has helped millions of people. They have experienced healings of terminal and inoperable cancer, depression, poverty, bad relationships, and a lack of job fulfillment.

Many Center for Spiritual Living churches also will teach techniques in meditation, contemplation, mindfulness, and other forms of positive living.  Whatever the vehicle, the point is to live more consciously, so that our lives become richer, fuller, and more meaningful.

For more information about Center for Spiritual Life, New Thought or Religious Science, you might consider taking one of our classes in Baltimore. You can also ask specific questions by emailing our ministers.

New Thought, Ancient Wisdom

Throughout even the earliest records of human existence the basic concept of creation has remained consistent. Creation began with a thought or words from the Self-Existing Presence, which acted upon its own thought and the Universe of physical creation came into existence. This idea is expressed in the two stories of creation found in Genesis.

The creative nature of "the Word" is referred to numerous times in the Bible. In John 1:1-2, we read: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God. He was in the beginning with God. And in John 1:14: ...and the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.

Only in recent history is Jesus thought to be the one and only son of God. Philosophers throughout time have generally agreed that the term "The Son" more aptly refers to Creation in the broadest possible understanding of the word.

Meister Eckhart (1260-1329 A.D.) a Catholic theologian of major significance was posthumously condemned by the Pope in a decree issued on March 27, 1329 for expressing just such a belief. Eckhart said, "God never begot but one Son, but the Eternal is forever begetting the only begotten."
New Thought is heir to this basic concept as articulated by Eckhart and all the great philosophers before and after him.

Phineas Parkhurst Quimby is generally recognized as the father of New Thought. He was a New England clock-maker and inventor. Inspired by the work of Anton Mesmer, the founder of mesmerism, later known as hypnosis, Quimby studied and experimented with the effect of thought on the physical body. Quimby's method always involved two people, a subject and a practitioner. His work is well documented in The Quimby Manuscripts compiled by Horatio Dresser.

One of Quimby's subjects was Mary Baker Eddy. Quimby successfully treated Mary Baker Eddy for an aliment. Later Mrs. Eddy institutionalized the healing methods of Quimby in the form of a religion known as Church of Christ Scientists more widely known as Christian Science.

Mary Baker Eddy made important contributions to Mental Healing. In the process of working to heal her injured back, Mary Baker Eddy demonstrated the capacity of the individual to use the principles of mental healing for oneself without the aid of another. Mrs. Eddy is also responsible for establishing the first female clergy.

One of Mary Baker Eddy's students, Emma Curtis Hopkins, influenced New Thought profoundly. She did so by becoming the teacher of so many great thinkers that she became known as the "Teacher of Teachers". Her students included Dr. Ernest Holmes [the founder of Religious Science], Charles and Myrtle Fillmore [the co-founders of Unity], and Nona Brooks, who founded Divine Science. If Quimby is the father of New Thought, Hopkins is certainly the mother.