New Thought

Belief system

New Thought religions are a panentheistic belief system, and are often considered more philosophy than religion by adherents. From its initial emphasis on the healing of disease, New Thought, which adopted the name in the 1890's, developed into an intensely individualistic and optimistic philosophy of life and conduct. In 1914, the International New Thought Alliance was formed, encompassing many smaller groups around the world, which include Divine Science, Unity, Science of Mind, and Home of Truth. The alliance is held together by one central teaching: that people through the constructive use of their minds can attain freedom, power, health, prosperity, and all good, molding their bodies as well as the circumstances of their lives. O. S. Marden and Ralph Waldo Trine, contributed to the doctrine of the movement, especially in the latter’s In Tune with the Infinite (1897). There are a multiplicity of diverse and contradictory ideas in New Thought including concepts from a myriad of idealistic, spiritualistic, pantheistic, kabbalistic, and theosophical thought, as well as overtones of the mystical, and particularly strong Christian and Buddhist influences.[3] They sometimes refer to a Universal Intelligence, Universal Presence, Divine Mind, Creative Intelligence, Creative Energy, Nature, Mother/Father God or just God. Some take literally the Christian teaching that "the kingdom of heaven is within." They teach that thought is creative and use affirmative thought or prayer to make our lives what we seek to have them be.

The central teaching of New Thought is that thought evolves and unfolds, and thinking creates one's experience of the world. The movement places great emphasis in positive thinking, affirmations, meditation, and affirmative prayer. New Thought churches often avoid dogmatic pronouncements about the afterlife or other theological questions, and vary in the degree to which they associate themselves with Christianity or other major world religions (Unity is perhaps the most explicit of the New Thought denominations in identifying itself with Christianity) although they generally have been influenced by a wide range of ideas.

Although New Thought churches are often misidentified with the New Age movement, New Thought beliefs predate contemporary New Age thinking by nearly a century, and New Thought churches typically do not share major tenets of New Age thinking. Also, New Thought does not invest power in the "stuff" that New Age people tend to use; it neither endorses nor condemns such New Age staples as crystals, channelling, astrology, and others. New Thought is distinctive from traditional religious movements in that it is expected to evolve and not remain static. Adherents believe that as humankind gains greater understanding of the world, New Thought churches will evolve to assimilate new knowledge.

Therapeutic Theories

New Thought has received particular emphasis in the Divine Science, Unity and Science of Mind Churches, which teach that that Infinite Intelligence or God is the sole reality, sickness is the result of the failure to realize this truth, and healing is accomplished by the affirmation of the oneness of the human race with the Infinite Intelligence or God.[4][5][6]]

Related organizations

From this movement emerged several independent organizations that are actively spreading today, including Religious Science, Divine Science, Unity, and the Universal Foundation for Better Living.

Rev. Della Reese, who starred in the TV series Touched by an Angel, is a New Thought minister leading a UFBL church in Los Angeles. Author Louise Hay was trained as a Religious Science practitioner.

The largest of the New Thought organizations is the Unity Church, comprised of over two million members worldwide. Although Emma Curtis Hopkins, formerly associated with Christian Science, was considered the "teacher of teachers" of several key New Thought leaders, Christian Science developed in a different direction and is not considered a New Thought denomination. There are generally recognized ten modern religious traditions in New Thought today: those already mentioned plus the Church of Truth, largely based in Canada, and the Japanese Seicho-No-Ie religion. In addition, there are large organizations independent of any of the New Thought denominations, such as the Agape International Spiritual Center, Sacred Center New York, New Thought Ministries of Oregon, Teachings of the Inner Christ, and Barbara King's Hillside Chapel.

The Secret

As editor of New Thought magazine, William Walker Atkinson and his 1906 book Thought Vibration or the Law of Attraction in the Thought World are associated with the thinking behind the 2006 movie, The Secret. According to Rhonda Byrne, who created "The Secret", she was also largely inspired by New Thought author Wallace Wattles.

History

The following individuals figured prominently in the history of the New Thought Movement:

There have also been significant individuals through the years who have left their mark on the New Thought Movement as respected authors & leaders:

Contemporary Leaders

In recent times, Dr. Wayne Dyer has been described as being in the vanguard of the New Thought movement, along with other popular self-help teachers, such as Deepak Chopra, Neal Donald Walsch, Terry Cole-Whittaker, Rev. Dr. Michael Beckwith, Rev. August Gold and Rev. Joel Fortinos authors of The Prayer Chest (The three secrets of prayer). Also, the Australian movie The Secret, touches several core philosophies found in New Thought.^{[citation needed]}

Footnotes

External links