| New Thought: Ancient Wisdom | | | | It made no sense to her. If God is all pervasive we |
| New Thought and Christianity mix together about as | | | | must be able to see signs of God everywhere, end |
| well as Christianity and everything else. What's | | | | of story. So she decided to start her own church. |
| important to realize is that the fundamental principles | | | | This is where it gets interesting. Emma Curtis |
| at back of the entire New Thought Movement | | | | Hopkins, Editor of the Christian Science Journal, gets |
| predate Christianity, even the old testament by many | | | | fired from her position as editor and decides to found |
| thousands of years. | | | | her own church naming it exactly the same as the |
| Many scholars call these lessons The Hermetic | | | | one she just left! If she couldn't get the Church of |
| Wisdom, but even that is misleading because Hermes | | | | Christian Science to see things her way, she was |
| is a western name attributed to an ancient Egyptian | | | | going to create her own Church of Christian Science |
| philosopher named Thoout. 'New Thought' is | | | | and name it: The Church of Christian Science. |
| essentially the teachings of 5,000 year old Egyptian | | | | How is that even possible? Well, that sort of thing |
| named 'Thoout' adapted for our modern palates. | | | | can't really happen these days, but this was over 30 |
| Basically, the New Thought Movement is based on | | | | years before radio or widespread use of telephones |
| the notions of: | | | | and the Christian Science Movement was spreading |
| | | | quickly all over the United States. People were |
| 1. Divine Goodness | | | | interested in a new way of practicing their faith and |
| 2. Equality across race, gender, creed, and economic | | | | Christian Science was rapidly filling that void popular |
| status | | | | across the then 37 US States. People were |
| 3. The Human Creative Potential (we can create the | | | | interested the teachings, most people didn't even |
| lives we want) | | | | realize that there were two completely unaffiliated |
| 4. The agreement of like things (also called the 'Law | | | | organizations with the same name! |
| of Attraction') | | | | New Thought Christianity Proliferates |
| 5. The inclusive / pervasive nature of Divinity | | | | Emma Curtis Hopkins was a "Preach what I practice" |
| Sounds pretty simple right? Not really any different | | | | sort of teacher. If her students were going to follow |
| than the United States Declaration of Independence. | | | | in her footsteps they would need to create their |
| Would it surprise you to know that the 20 of the | | | | own churches as well. Some of her noteworthy |
| original signers of the Declaration of Independence | | | | students include: |
| were students of these ancient Hermetic teachings? | | | | - Charles and Myrtle Fillmore who co-founded Unity |
| New Thought Meets Christianity | | | | Church |
| Amongst other things, Emma Curtis Hopkins | | | | - Anna Rix Militz who founded The Home of Truth |
| (1849-1925) is often credited with coining the phrase; | | | | - Ernest Holmes who founded The Church of |
| "The New Thought Movement." She was a | | | | Religious Science |
| tremendously confident, prolific, outspoken, and | | | | - Malinda Cramer, Nona L. Brooks, and Fannie Brooks |
| controversial figure in our world's history who was | | | | who co-founded The Church of Divine Science |
| always willing to stand up for precisely what she | | | | There are many other New Thought Christian groups |
| believed in; including being instrumental in securing | | | | out there with over 800 Churches worldwide and |
| womens' right to vote in the United States. | | | | close to 10 million practitioners spread around the |
| As editor of, "The Christian Science Journal" she | | | | world. So diverse are they, that any effort to |
| attempted to bring the Eastern lessons of Hinduism | | | | concisely describe them all here would be ridiculous. |
| and Buddhism into the scope of Christianity. It was | | | | So are they all the same? Do they all teach the same |
| her firm belief that seeds of truth rest within all world | | | | things? Actually, each and every one of them |
| religions and must be understood from a viewpoint | | | | teaches something different, but the Core Principle: |
| above any proprietorship. In other words, she didn't | | | | "There is a all pervasive force of goodness underlying |
| see Christianity as bound by strict dogmas or singular | | | | all things" is a root common to them all. |
| teachings, instead she saw the core concepts as | | | | This is an epically important principle for the people all |
| being present in religions all over the world. | | | | over the world. To shed the idea that we are |
| But Christian Science was a religion and wasn't about | | | | inherently bad and replace it with the idea that we |
| to discard its strict teachings for sake of one | | | | are inherently good is a tremendously empowering |
| woman's views. So she was dismissed as editor of | | | | way to think. Literally hundreds of different Churches |
| the Christian Science Journal and very nearly | | | | now offer their own versions of that same core |
| excommunicated from their ranks. | | | | truth with the world. I for one think it's a pretty |
| If you can't join them, beat them... | | | | entertaining way to get the message out. After all, |
| From her perspective the core teachings of | | | | the idea of being 'born good' instead of being 'born a |
| Christianity insist that Divinity is Omnipresent. How | | | | sinner' ought to be worth at least few dozen |
| could Divinity simultaneously be all powerful and all | | | | versions... |
| pervasive yet owned by any one religious group? | | | | |