The world is tired of mysteries, does not understand symbols, and longs for Reality.
What is Reality? Where may It be found? How may it be used?
These are some of the questions we should like to have answered.
_ Dr. Ernest Holmes
Science of Mind Textbook
Is "Absolute" another word for God? Yes
The absolute Truth is: God Is All There Is. As Absolute Being, God is Infinite, Perfect, Unlimited, Unconditioned, Self-Existent, and all
Self-sufficient. (See Reality).
The Unconditioned--that which nothing can limite; that which forever transcends any conceivable limitation or determination. Unconditioned perfection, Self-Existent, Self-sufficient. Often used as a synonym for God. Truth is absolute and remains unaffected by the opinions, desires or beliefs of humanity.
The term affirmation is normally associated
with a verbal statement that is made about some goal that we are trying
to achieve, or some experience we desire to have. However, the act of affirmation
is really much more than that. It is an act of faith. It is the ability
to put aside your doubt and fear in order to act as if your desired goal
were already a reality. In this sense, an affirmation can be any statement,
act, or symbolic gesture that affirms the reality of your intentions. Through
the process of affirmation we "act as if" our highest aspirations
were already a reality.
The Great Affirmation is “I am, therefore I can, therefore I will.”
Do we use it? Of course
Do we take it literally? No.
The Bible was written 2,000 to 3,000 years
ago, by the Semetic people, for the Semetic people. The Bible is a valuable
and valid source of the Truth when read and understood
according to the authors' consciousness and heritage. Truth is Truth and the
Bible must be read with an open mind, looking for the
higher meaning in the stories, metaphors, and parables. To fully understand
the Bible, through the consciousness of human beings; therefore, we must understand
humankind to understand the book.
Bible Interpretation
The keys to interpreting the Bible are 1) understanding the historical setting,
the place, the time, the reason the Scripture was written. 2) Know the author
is particularizing a general principle. 3) Find the general principle. 4)
How can this general principle be applied in our life? 5) Apply it.
What is the difference between Cause and Effect
Cause is always that which produces an effect.
Metaphysically, we are always becoming cause to our effect by our thinking
and deepest beliefs (see Consciousness). Our conscious mind is the
point where cause begins. The effect or result is reflected in our physical
bodies and the body of our affairs. When we become aware of this process,
we find that as we change the cause (our thinking), the effect (our lives)
changes automatically. In New Thought, we deal in cause rather than effect.
( See Thought ).
Was Jesus the Christ? Yes.
The word "Christ" comes from the Greek word Christos, which means "anointed" or "enlightened one." Christ is a universal idea, and each one "puts on the Christ" to the degree that he surrenders a limited sense of life to the divine realization of wholeness and unity with Good, Spirit - God.
Christ is viewed as a universal principle rather than a person. It is the principle of God expressing through humanity. Jesus of Nazareth was a human personality through which the Christ Principle, or Divine Personality, expressed itself on Earth. The principle of Jesus Christ represents the mystical marriage of our inner spirit with our outer personality. This union produces an expression of Life that includes both, yet is greater than either. The potential for this expression lies within each one of us. Therefore, Jesus is viewed as a great example for humanity, rather than the great exception. Ernest Holmes, founder of the philosophy of Religious Science, says:
"Religious Science
does not deny the divinity of Jesus; but it does affirm the divinity of all
people. It does not deny that Jesus was the son of God; but affirms that all
beings are children of God. It does not deny that the Kingdom of God was revealed
through Jesus; but affirms that the Kingdom of God is also revealed through
you and me."
Christ is a Greek word that is used to translate the Hebrew word “messiah.”
The word “messiah” means the Anointed One of God. The anointed one
is each person in potential. The Christ is not the title of one person, but
is a state of consciousness that is attained when the individual realizes
and lives from his full potential.
Do we consider ourselves Christians?
A "Christian " by definition is one who:
1. Believes in Jesus Christ
2. Follows his teachings
In the traditional sense, we do not consider ourselves Christian because we do not claim the man Jesus as our "Lord and Saviour" (see Saviour). However, we do believe in his teaching. The Science of Mind textbook, the writing of Joel Goldsmith, Divine Science Principle and Practice, as well as the writings of Unity are all based largely upon his teachings.
We believe that the teacher Jesus came to show
us each the way of the Christ (see Christ). Therefore, it is up to
each individual to analyze his own life to decide if he is Christian or not.
The message of the Christ is Unconditional Love, Nonjudgment, Forgiveness,
Brotherhood, and Peace. Perhaps true Christianity is more of a lifestyle than
it is any one particular religion.
What and where is consciousness?
Our consciousness is our mental awareness. It is both the conscious and the subconscious mind and all they contain. In essence, our consciousness is simply the sum total of everything we have ever believed and accepted to be the Truth about ourselves from the moment we were born until this moment in time.
Our consciousness is how we make individual
use of Universal Mind. Our consciousness forms a belief system into which
Life pours Itself (see Mind). We can change our consciousness through
Spiritual Mind Treatment (see Prayer). The ultimate consciousness we
want to develop would embrace an awareness that "God Is All There Is."
Creative Process
The creative process occurs in the following manner. Spirit contemplates Itself.
In order to see what It is contemplating, It steps outside of Itself, thus
creating polarity. This creates the positive and negative, which results in
manifestation and gives rise to evolution.
Are we a Cult?
According to the dictionary , a cult is a group which studies a system of religious worship in admiration of, or devotion to, a person or thing.
In New Thought we worship God. We believe that
God may be called many names, but that this does not change the all encompassing
essence of God, this only changes the person who is using a particular name
of God. New Thought teaches that there is no need for a "middle man" to intercede
between ourselves and God.
We teach that people should use their minds and hearts and not simply follow
like blind animals. If you look around in the world today, there are several
religions which are focused on personality instead of the teaching.
There is no shunning in New Thought. New Thought does not excommunicate. There
are no Fatwahs in New Thought. New Thought believes in freedom. Freedom to
choose what to think and what you do with your life. Our teaching is universal,
"in the open," and places no one above or below ourselves. We believe God
is available to everyone equally. DivineUnity has the Universal Declaration
of Human Rights on its websites. It has been said that the key difference
between New Thought and most other teachings is that in New Thought a person
does not have to remove her head at the door. A person can come and go freely
and is encouraged to use her heart and mind to test teachings in her life.
Do we believe in death? Yes - and No
The divine principle of Life is an eternally unfolding, upward-spiraling movement. The spirit of God is the spirit of man, and it is both birthless and deathless. The principle of life life cannot know death.
The human experience of dying is but the laying
off of an old garment and the donning of a new one. There is a material body
and a spiritual body. This spiritual body is the so-called resurrection body.
We demonstrate at the level of our
ability to know the Truth
A demonstration is simply the result of our
mental and spiritual work, which creates a greater and more abundant life.
Our demonstrations may be large or small. We should celebrate them all because
they illustrate our ability to consciously know the Truth and use Principle
in positive ways! ( See Principle and Truth).
The only destiny that we have we decree
by what we think and embody today, becoming our reality tomorrow. Our destiny
is simply the perfect outpicturing of our individualized use of Law of Cause
and Effect. (See Cause and Effect and Consciousness)
Do we believe in a devil? No.
To believe in a devil would be to believe in
duality or, in other words, to believe that there could be a God - and some
opposing power. There is not a power for good and a power for evil; there
is only one power, and that is God. There are people, however, who misuse
their power. The only devil we shall ever know is that which appears as a
result of our own negative thinking, which then creates negative results.
The devil is not a person, but an idea based in hellish thinking. (See hell).
New Thought teaches that, since the only power acting anywhere is God,
the devil simply cannot exist as a force acting in opposition to God's expression
through Spirit. Therefore, there really is no devil. There is only the manifestation
of falsely held beliefs within our minds, which produces that appearance of
some sinister invisible force, or being, acting in our lives. To blame unpleasant
conditions and circumstances on the devil, or anyone else, is a way of avoiding
responsibility for our own experience of life.
Medically, a diagnosis is a recognition of the presence
of disease, according to symptoms or conditions
In New Thought, a diagnosis
is considered nothing more than an opinion about current conditions.
We know that while conditions may be facts, facts can also change. A diagnosis
should not be ignored, because God's intelligence can be revealed in
and through medical opinions, however it is not a verdict or a death sentence.
We know that as we do our work in consciousness, we are operating at the Spiritual
level. This means that we are reminding ourselves that God is First Cause
to all our experiences and that in the mind of God there is no disease, nor
any other discordant condition. (See Prayer).
"Dis"- ease is simply an effect of wrong thinking.
It is an impersonal thought force operating
through people which is not the truth about them. To the degree which our
creative minds become "at-ease," dis-ease in our bodies will dis-appear. As
we become more aware of the true presence of God at the very center of our
being, inner peace will be the result. God-Self awareness is the key to being
at-ease.
Distribution
We do not create the power of Spirit. Creation occurred once, and the power
is given to us to discover. We are the discoverers and the distributors of
the power of Spirit.
Divine Mind
Another name for Spirit or First Cause.
Divine Science
"The Practice of the Presence of God is the whole of Divine Science."
--Nona Brooks
~~~
Divine Science has two roots, one in San Francisco and the other in Denver.
Malinda Cramer from San Francisco, California had a similar experience as
Nona Brooks in Pueblo, Colorado. Cramer's experience presaged Brooks by a
year or two. From their separate experiences similar movements began. Then
Nona Brooks and her two sisters Althea Brooks Small, and Fannie Brooks James
learned about Malinda Cramer's teachings and their similarity and asked if
they could use the name Divine Science which was the name that Cramer was
using for her teachings. In 1898 the Brooks Sisters incorporated the Divine
Science College in Denver to educate teachers and practitioners, organize
churches and ordain ministers.
Divine Science teaches that the Creator/God/Great Spirit is limitless Being,
equally present everywhere, Creator has its center everywhere with a circumference
nowhere. Eternal and manifesting in all Creation and beyond Creation, Great
Spirit, the Creator is all Good.
Divine Science is a practical teaching which
has its roots in the Teachings of Christ and includes teachings from wherever
Truth is found. This is a teaching that can be practiced and applied to everyday
living to improve our relationship with self, and to others in our lives so
that we may be divinely guided for highest good. Divine Science views Yesua
(the original Aramaic name for Jesus) the Christ as the Wayshower. Jesus attained
the highest conscious awareness of God the creator as the living Spirit within.
By studying and living the principle that God is present at all times, in
all places, in all beings, we begin to demonstrate the power of positive consciousness
through love and compassion.
DivineUnity
DivineUnity is New Thought with a focus on compassion. Helen
Zagat was the Pastor of the Church of DivineUnity in New York in the 1950's.
Like many of the smaller New Thought Churches and denominations, DivineUnity
slumbered for many years until as the movement grew and more and more people
asked about a denomination that placed a clear emphasis on compassion as opposed
to manifestation, it reawakened through the work of various ministers and
practitioners around the world. Today DivineUnity is the fastest growing denomination
in the world. DivineUnity places an emphasis on ability and understanding.
There are classes to learn to be an effective practitioner and to become an
ordained minister of DivineUnity. But if a seeker masters the principles and
passes the tests, then DivineUnity will certify them. One must demonstrate
mastery to be a practitioner and feel a call to be a minister. Then to become
a minister one must also master a body of knowledge that will ensure that
you can share New Thought effectively with any seeker. DivineUnity is the
latest evolution in New Thought answering the needs and desires of millions
of seekers.
The 7 Basic Beliefs of DivineUnity
1. We believe in the unity of all life and the unity of all life with the
Divine Energy that is the root and fruit of all being.
2. We believe in spiritual evolution. The entire universe is evolving and growing and we are evolving from human self-conscious individuals into complete awareness of our DivineUnity as divine centered people.
3. We believe in the goodness of Spirit and in our innate goodness, because we are made in the image and likeness of the Divine. We believe that through perceiving our DivineUnity we are able to best embody the Divine will. We are worthy and loved.
4. We believe in responsibility and compassion. We take full responsibility for our lives because we are free, spontaneous, and unique individualization's of the Divine and we embody Divine love through compassionate action.
5. We believe in healing. We believe in using doctors and healers to achieve healing but that any condition can be transformed through affirmative prayer. Where doctors fail, the Divine will prevail.
6. We believe there is truth in all religions. We respect all love based ministries and all compassionate spiritual paths. We believe in harmony among diverse peoples, cultures, families, and life styles of the world rooted in and respecting the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
7. We believe in spiritual transformation.
As we open our minds and hearts to the Divine, and consciously love and serve
others, we are transformed into the embodiment of DivineUnity. We choose our
lives as spiritual beings with courage and grace.
Do we believe in the use of doctors and medicine?
We believe that God is omnipresent and therefore can do Its healing work in many ways. Certainly if God is everywhere, in everyone, then the intelligence of God can and does work through the doctor's mind and body as well as through any medication prescribed.
Of course, the ultimate goal for us in New
Thought is to understand that it is our thinking which creates all conditions
in our bodies and in the body of our affairs. It is a simple case of cause
and effect. As we grow in our awareness of this truth, we know that there
will come a time when we are so fully aligned with the power and presence
of God within us that there is no need for medical attention, for we are maintained
in our natural state of perfection and wholeness. "Perfect God, perfect man,
perfect being"!
Yes. In New Thought, we believe that all is God, and that God is expressed
through doctors and medicine just as God is expressed through all of the physical
universe. New Thought believers believe in spiritual as well as physical healing,
and New Thought Practitioners often work in conjunction with doctors and other
physical and mental health practitioners to facilitate healing. If we look
at the current work in medicine on the Mind-Body-Spirit connection, then we
see that Medicine is finally catching up to the New Thought teachings that
Phineas Quimby taught in the 1800's and that was taught by Origen, Servitus,
and Empedocles and Yesua.
What is duality and how does it affect us?
Duality is the belief in two separate and opposing powers. We heal this fear by experiencing God's presence within us first, then realizing that God is always Omnipresent.
Duality results from a fear-based belief that
we are, could, or might possibly be separate from God or Good; and the appearance
of "things, conditions, and individuals" in the material world seems to reinforce
this belief. (See Omnipresent, Reality, and Devil)
What is embodiment, and how do we use it?
To embody is to "give form or make part of." When we embody our thoughts and words through Affirmative Prayer/Spiritual Mind Treatment, we are actually allowing our thoughts to generate feelings. Our thought generates a feeling, we "give it form or make it part of" our entire being, spiritually, mentally, and physically.
Embodiment conveys to subconscious mind our
acceptance of a conscious idea. We embody things constructively when we believe
in what we want and want what we believe in. (See Truth).
Is "energy" another word for God? Yes.
Divine Energy is at the center and circumference
of all that is. Quantum physics tells us energy is everywhere present and
working even down to the subatomic level. Metaphysics tells us that energy
in any form is God in action. All energy is creative. We direct energy first
by understanding it and then by unifying with it. (See Thought).
What does the word eternality mean to us in New Thought?
The Eternal is the essence of God, which has
no beginning and no end. It is without time or space. There is that part of
each of us which is also eternal because we are One in God. (See Death
and Reincarnation)
Evil is simply the word "devil" without the letter "d."
Evil is an experience of the soul on its journey toward the realization of Reality. (See Reality)
Of itself, evil is neither person, place, nor
thing and will disappear in exact proportion as we cease thinking negatively
and using destructive methods. As long as we make mistakes we shall be automatically
punished. A simple case of cause and effect. (See Sin)
Evil remains a problem as long as we continue to believe in it as a separate force and refuse to address the cause of whatever effect is in the world.
Evil is not a place, a person, nor thing and will disappear in direct proportion to our discontinuance of destructive methods.
New Thought does not deny the appearance of evil. However, it teaches that
evil does not exist as a force or power in the world. That which is called
evil is merely the obstruction, or inversion, of the only power acting, which
is Spirit. The obstruction of Spirit's expression always occurs in the mind
through the holding of false beliefs. According to Religious Science, the
only presence acting in the universe is God, which is always Good. Evil is
merely the way that we withhold our expression and experience of that good
by accepting false beliefs into our minds.
Evil. It can be summed up in one word: limitation.
Evolution. The evolution of physical form is the result
of the evolution of intelligence. Intelligence is the consciousness that
creates the physical form. See Involution/Evolution.
See Law of Seven.
What is fear, and how can we deal with it?
Metaphysically, fear is an emotional experience
generated by a sense of separation from Source, God. All fear is attached
to a concern of loss at some level. A full realization of God's Presence,
as source and supply of whatever is needed to sustain
us in wholeness, will neutralize fear. Fear is simply the lack of the awareness
of God's Presence, which in It's highest vibration is love. (See Love)
Five Kingdoms
There are five evolutionary kingdoms. Each is a prerequisite for the other
and each higher kingdom is nourished by the kingdom below it. The first is
the mineral kingdom, the second is the plant kingdom, the third is the animal
kingdom (the kingdom of simple consciousness), the fourth is the human kingdom
(the kingdom of self-consciousness), and the fifth is the Divine kingdom (the
kingdom of unconditional love). We are in the evolutionary process of moving
from the fourth kingdom to the fifth kingdom, from species, “Homo sapien”
to species, “Homo noeticus.”
Forgiveness
It is the ability to cleanse ourselves of our past mistakes, by relying totally
on Spirit. “Behold, I make all things new.” True forgiveness involves
true worship. “All-creating Spirit is able to forgive our sin and desires
to do so.”
Fulfillment
The secret of the fulfilled life is the embodiment that God has already given
everything to us, and all we need to do is assume the attitude of a grateful
and expectant receiver. Then as we receive, we dispense. The word for “dispenser”
in Sanskrit is "human."
Do we believe in God? Of course!
God is all we believe in.
God is the First Cause, the Great I Am, the One and Only. God is Spirit or Creative Energy, which is the cause of all visible things. God is all we that we see and do not see.
God is Love, Wisdom, Intelligence, Power, Substance, and Mind. God is the Truth that is real, the Principle that is dependable.
To the degree that we can experience the presence
of God in us, and as us, we shall be whole
Do we believe in a Heaven?
Heaven is the inner state of happiness. It
is not a place or locality "out there" somewhere with streets paved with gold.
It is the real state of being. The Kingdom of Heaven is within and can be
fully experienced when we bond and unify with the presence of God at the center
of our being.
Do we believe in a Hell?
Hell, just like Heaven, is a state of mind, all based on our awareness or lack of awareness of the presence of God within us.
Hell is a discordant state of being, a belief in duality, a belief or sense of separation from Source, God. Many people are filled with hellish thoughts and therefore experience a "living hell" every day.
New Thought teaches that heaven and hell are states of mind. We experience heaven when we are are in harmony with the Life that surrounds us.
Hell is a state of mind
that we experience when we don't understand why something unpleasant is happening
to us. We can choose to create our own heaven or hell on Earth, and take our
beliefs with us when we go through the transition the world calls death to
the next plane of existence.
Human Kingdom
The human kingdom consists of three forms of consciousness: ego self-consciousness,
which is aware of itself as an individual but sees itself as a victim of circumstances;
alter ego consciousness, which is aware of the Law of Mind but uses it for
selfish purposes and Unity Consciousness, which uses the Law and Love of God
simultaneously. Functioning from the level of Unity Consciousness brings about
the Divine Kingdom.
"I Am That I Am!
The "I Am" is the highest name of God.
The "I Am" is both individual and universal.
As we begin to walk in the "I Am" consciousness, we heal all sense of separation
from God. God In Me As Me Is Me! Affirming "I Am" is the most powerful statement
we can make. The impartial Law of Mind also affirms that what we place "I
Am" in front of, we become.
I AM. The I AM is the creative principle in the universal and the individual.
In Hindu scripture, it is called Brahmin in the universal and Atman in the
individual. “I AM that I AM.”
Immanent and Transcendent
Spirit is both immanent and transcendent at the same time. It is both in creation,
as creation, and beyond creation, unmanifest, at the same time. It is in creation
but not used up by creation. That would be pantheism. Science of Mind is not
pantheistic, it is panentheistic.
See Death
Intuition
The inner knowingness of Divine Right Action in every situation. The ability
to use and rely on our intuition takes practice.
The small wee voice inside us. The inner feeling that stems from our DivineUnity
which allows us to easily discern. 'The power or faculty of attaining direct
knowledge or cognition without evident rational thought.' in other words it
means to know something instinctually. For me intuition means an inner sensing
or knowing based on relaxing into the divine flow and trusting my connection
with God by following through with my instincts, it is like following the
small voice from within which is a direct connection with God. We are open
to intuition to the extent that we are relaxed enough to listen to the flow
of Divine Knowledge which manifests as 'God in us, as us, is us.' When we
are listening to the divine flow, our intuitive nature allows for us to transcend
the surface information and come to a deeper gnosis of a situation, person
or group.
Involution
Involution is the process by which Spirit manifests as matter.
Involution/Evolution
Spirit involves Itself in creation by becoming form. The form or matter then
evolves into higher and higher degrees of consciousness. Spirit becoming matter
is involution; matter becoming Spirit is evolution.
Jachin and Boaz
These are the twin pillars of the Temple of Solomon, which can loosely be
seen to symbolize the Law of God, Jachin, and the Word of God, Boaz, holding
up Creation, the Temple.
Was Jesus the son of God? Yes
We believe that Jesus was indeed the son of
God - and so is every human being the son or daughter of God.
It is the purpose of Jesus to show us the Standard for Living to guard us
from the inverted use of the Law. He is the living model or prototype of the
Christ-Man.
How does judgment affect us?
When the teacher Jesus said, "Judge not that you shall not be judged" he was simply referring to the Law of Cause and Effect. Since judgment is passed in our own mind, it impacts necessarily in our own experience, and not necessarily the experience of the person we are judging. When we judge others (or ourselves), we only create a sense of separation between ourselves and God.
It is also not ours to judge if others are
deserving of some form of punishment. The Law of Cause and Effect operates
without judgment. There is no punishment - only consequences. When we begin
to see first and foremost the Presence of God in ourselves and others we have
no need or desire to judge. (See Sin)
Do we believe in karma?
Karma is neither good nor bad, as it is not a thing in itself. It is simply the use we make of our mentality through the Law of Cause and Effect. Therefore, at any given moment we can begin to change our present as well as our future, because we can change our minds about the way we think and believe.
We do not recognize karma as inevitable retribution
or reward, because God cannot hold judgments or grudges. As we learn from
our mistakes and forgive ourselves, we let go of the past and all of its ties.
This moment is our point of power and now is when we become a cause to a new
effect or new karma. (See Destiny)
The law is Mind in action.
The Law of Mind is the creative medium through which Spirit of Conscious Mind moves. The Law is deductive only. It receives the impress of thought and acts upon it much in the same way the creative medium of the earth's soil receives a seed, never rejecting it.
Whatever we think, believe in, feel, visualize,
image, read, and talk about is going into the creative medium of our subconscious
mind, which is our individualized use of Universal Mind. The Law is a blind
force, and whatever goes into the subconscious state of our thought tends
to return as some condition or effect. (See Mind)
Law of Averages. The evolutionary workings of Cosmic Intelligence without the conscious participation of the self-conscious individual. We subject ourselves to the Law of Averages where “things happen to us,” or we can decide to transcend the Law of Averages by taking dominion, using the Personal Factor, and then things happen through us.
Law of Growth. The inherent necessity for an idea or seed thought to germinate. This explains why demonstrations appear to take time.
The Law of One. The Law of One is the Law of Unity. It is our starting and ending place and is symbolized by the circle. There is unity in seeming multiplicity. Everything proceeds from the One Unified Source and everything flows back to the One. If we become confused in the world of effect, we remember to go back to the One, the cause and source of all.
The Law of Seven . The Law of Seven corresponds to the principle of evolution. There are seven steps in any evolutionary process until the next dimension or level of consciousness is reached. Just as notes on a musical scale move to a new octave, so does the evolution in consciousness. See Octave.
The Law of Three. Before any manifestation takes place, there are three forces that are acting within the primordial energy. These are the positive, the negative and the neutral; the creator, the disintegrator and the sustainer. The Law of Three is the law of trinity that explains the creative process. The Universal creation is a three-fold process of Spirit involving Itself into Mind to create Body. We are threefold beings, Spirit, Mind and Body. In Science of Mind terms, the Law of Three is the Law of Involution or Spirit involving itself in matter.
God is the essence of love.
"He that loveth not, knoweth not God; for God
is Love" (1 John 4:8). Love is the self-givingness of spirit to its creation
and is a cosmic force who sweep is irresistible. Love is the highest vibration
in the universe; nothing can withstand its embrace. The opposite of love is
fear. In the light and vibration of love, the darkness of fear cannot exist.
To know God's presence is to experience unconditional love. To see the presence
of God in others is to love them. Unconditional love is always the answer
What is meditation, and how do we use it?
Meditation is the time honored technique for taming, training and transforming
the mind. New Thought endorses all forms of meditation, from guided meditation
which include visualization to the more traditional mind stilling techniques.
It is through meditation that we come into a state of God communion and thereby
experience a greater sense of unity of all life.
Meditation quiets the conscious mind to facilitate a fuller expression of God's presence. Meditation is not for the purpose of praying or receiving answers. It is after we meditate that the higher Self may be revealed in the form of guidance or desired answers.
There are many forms of meditation, and one
is not better than another. Meditation will help instill a deep sense of inner
peace and relaxation, which benefits us spiritually, mentally, and physically.
Is New Thought a metaphysical teaching and what is metaphysics?
New Thought is a metaphysically based teaching. There
is nothing mysterious or supernatural about metaphysics. Meta means
above and beyond, and physical means material or that which is experienced
by the five senses. Metaphysics is simply the study of God as Creative Intelligence
or Universal Mind, which is everywhere present, in and through all
that we see, touch, smell, hear, taste. . . . and beyond! Today Physics is
catching up with metaphysics. When we study quantum physics we discover that
many of the principles that have been taught throughout time through the various
mystic paths from different parts of the world are now being proven and used
to create higher technology or effect healing and transformation.
(See Omnipresent)
By "Mind" do we mean God's mind? Yes
We also mean our own mind, as we are all one in God. There is actually no such thing as "your" mind and "my" mind, or "his" mind or "her" mind, and God's mind. There is just one mind in which we all live, move, and have our being.
This mind is both conscious and subconscious,
Conscious mind is the spirit either in God or man, and the subconscious mind
is the law of conscious mind in action and is, therefore, subject to conscious
mind. Spirit moves through the law of mind to create (see Cause and
Effect). That which we call "our mind" is simply that point in God-consciousness
where we are aware of Self. (See Spirit)
Everything that occurs in our lives is simply the out-picturing of our consciousness operating through the Law of Mind. Therefore, those events that seem to be miraculous in nature are actually the Law acting at a level beyond our awareness. As we evolve our consciousness, what previously seemed miraculous becomes a natural, normal and understandable way of life. In actuality, there is only one miracle, this is Life itself.
Are we part of the New Age movement?
Do we believe in the use of crystals, channelers,
psychics, hypnotism, or tarot cards and astrology?
New Thought is not New Age. . While we are in the new age of scientific discoveries and spiritual awakenings, there is nothing new about the principles we study and strive to apply to our daily lives. New Thought teaches the age-old wisdom of many of the world's great religions in a new and contemporary format. This wisdom always leads us back to the fact that our Truth and connection to God can only be found within; therefore, we feel no need to use any "tool" outside our own consciousness to experience total wholeness, peace of mind, and a balanced life.
We do not feel the need to turn to aids
or entities outside our own innate intelligence for divine guidance or advice.
To do so would be to give our power away. New Thought and Science of Mind
exist for one reason: "To help each person discover his own true inner power,"
not to take it away from him. God is the only true power. It is First Cause
and must be found within each individual, not in the outer world. Our desire
is to heal any and all feeling of belief in separation from the source of
all our good - God. This is an inner experience and an age-old Truth!
Although many people with New Age leanings are attracted to the various
New Thought denominations such as DivineUnity & Religious Science and
some New Thought practices such as meditation are also practiced by those
who consider themselves New Age, New Thought does not consider itself a New
Age Religion. DivineUnity and all New Thought denominations honor all paths
that lead to God, whether they be Christian, Jewish, Buddhist, Hindu, Muslim,
New Age, or any other spiritual paths.
NEW THOUGHT
It is more than a philosophy that explains our true
relationship to God. It is a new level of awareness where everything we think
is new, where we are creating from Principle and not from past experience,
precedent. New Thought teaches the absolute oneness
of creator and creation, cause and effect. It consists of clear teaching that
the Power and Presence of God resides in the individual, but yet at the same
time is greater than any individual.
See New Age
Objective Mind
The objective mind is an organ of the relative and reasons from the perspective
of the relative world. Objective mind becomes Individual Conscious Mind when
it transcends the relative and dwells in the Absolute.
The All-powerful One God!
The benefit in knowing that God is all-powerful lies in the fact that we are One with this Power. As we begin to experience the presence of God within, we know we can let this power do wonderful things through us.
This is where our power in Spiritual Mind Treatment
comes from. We know that we of ourselves do nothing but realize the Divine
Truth. It is God within that does the work. (See Truth)
The Constant Presence of the Universal Whole!
God Is All There Is!
There's not a spot where God is not! The entire premise of New Thought rests solely on the fact that "God Is All There Is", the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End, and everything in-between.
While we know we are not all that God is, God
is all that we are. All discord in our lives arises because at some level
we have created a sense of separation from God. Our ultimate goal in New Thought
is to heal this mistaken belief. As we daily practice our unity with God by
experiencing God's full presence at the center and circumference of our experience,
a deep and fulfilling sense of Inner Peace and Wholeness will be the result.
This is the Peace of God which truly does pass all understanding.
Because Spirit is infinite, It must be everywhere present at the same time;
not just part of It, but all of It. Therefore, all of the presence and power
of Spirit is within each of us.
The All-knowing Mind of God!
The truth is there has never been now will there ever be a problem or question the solution or answer to which doesn't already exist in the Omniscient Mind of God.
Through Spiritual Mind Treatment and meditation, we can consciously align with the Omniscient Mind of God, realizing that we already exist in It. As we do this, we begin to draw into our minds the wisdom and courage necessary to heal us in our difficulties.
We could begin daily to affirm and know: God
in me as me Is me, and therefore I now know what I need to know!"
Personal Factor
The Personal Factor is the decision of the self-conscious individual to consciously
participate in the evolutionary process. Up to the introduction of the Personal
Factor, evolution proceeds mechanically. To continue the process, the self-conscious
individual must decide to participate. We need Spirit to provide the potential
and energy, and Spirit needs us to fully manifest Itself.
Personality, Standard of. The Divine Personality
is the individual who embraces the attributes of Spirit and lives those attributes:
Life, Light, Love, Peace, Power, Beauty, and Joy.
Polarity
It is the interaction of the active and passive aspects of Spirit resulting
in creation and the beginning of the evolutionary process.
What is a practitioner?
When and why should I use one?
A practitioner is a person who embodies the principles of New Thought usually with training through one of the denominations. A "certified" or "licensed" practitioner has undergone a process leading to certification which insures that he or she is trained and capable. Practitioners may be trained and licensed through any New Thought denomination to perform Spiritual Mind Treatment for others (see Prayer). Each denomination has varying methods of achieving this but the end result is the same. A person who can see the truth of Divinity as the root of your being. A practitioner does not counsel or give advice.
To do treatment work is to practice mental and spiritual healing. All healing is done in consciousness and is reflected in the physical body and the body of one's affairs. Because the practitioner knows he and the person for whom he is treating are both one in the Mind of God, he treats to know within himself the truth about that person. Being one in Mind, this self knowingness rises into consciousness of the one being treated. (See Mind and Consciousness)
One might use the services of a licensed practitioner
when one is emotionally entangled or too close to a problem to consciously
know the Spiritual Truth about himself. (See Truth)
Do we pray in our teaching?
Prayer, by definition, means a "humble communication in thought or speech to God, or an object of worship expressing supplication, confession, and praise."
In New Thought we do communicate in thought and speech with God, through a process we call Spiritual Mind Treatment, or affirmative prayer. We believe that God has already given us, by our divine birthright, all that we ever will need to live a comfortable, healthy, whole, and prosperous life; our only job is to accept it! The communication always takes place within our own consciousness and mind.
Affirmative Prayer or Spiritual Mind Treatment is simply a process used to change our consciousness or belief system.
Treatment acknowledges to Mind (or Law) that
what we are treating for already exists and is ours. There is never any begging,
or supplication - only acceptance. The Law of Cause and Effect makes it so.
Indeed, it is done unto us as we believe!
New Thought honors and endorses all forms of sincere prayer. In addition,
it teaches a unique and scientific form of prayer called Spiritual Mind Treatment.
This is a powerful, affirmative method of prayer based on the practices of
Jesus the Christ that was developed by early New Thought Leaders and refined
by Dr. Ernest Holmes, the founder of Religious Science.
It involves a five step process that embodies all of the elements of the creative
process of Life itself.
It is the heart's sincere desire, uttered or unexpressed.
Presence
Personalness. Infinite Personalness is the Love of God, which cannot be explained
but can be only experienced. It is also called “the Presence.” It
has both intelligence and volition. We touch “the face of God” when
we reach “that indescribable reciprocity of feeling by which we instinctually
recognize something in another making it kin to ourselves.”
What is the Principle upon which New Thought is based?
New Thought is the study of the Principle of Being. Principle is defined as : "A fundamental Truth of Law." We might say that because God Is All There Is, Principle is the Intelligence of God in Action.
How does Principle operate? By means of each
of us, the Intelligence of God, as conscious mind, moves through a field of
subconscious mind (or creative medium), creating a result (or effect). Knowing
that we all exist in the One Mind of God, we each individualize this Principle
every time we think and feel. As we understand Principle and how It operates,
we can chose to rely upon It to change our lives in positive ways. As Thomas
Troward taught: "Principle is not bound by precedent!" It
is unlimited potential, which each person accesses as they open their awareness
to Universal Spirit.
(See Law)
See Sin
What is our race mind and what does it do?
Also referred to as the collective unconscious or social belief system, race mind is the collective unconscious thought of the entire human race. It is a thought force that permeates the entire planet.
Race mind suggestion is the human belief system operating through the mentality of the individual who is open to and receptive to it. If we are not aware it is quite easy to slip into the vibration and influence of race mind. Race suggestion can be prolific source of negative energy resulting in disease.
We can rise above the negative vibration of
race thought by consciously focusing our awareness daily upon a higher reality.
Race mind cannot operate through one who is fully aware of God's presence
in and around him.
We live in a world where that which we can see,
touch, and smell seems like reality -
but it is actually our unreality!
The "Ultimate Reality" is the absolute truth, which behind all form is the formless energy and intelligence of the one God. The apparent reality (that which we see, touch, and smell) is just that - it appears to be something, and is always subject to change. Ultimate Reality is changeless perfection; therefore, the Real Self is perfection, for God could not know anything unlike Itself. The Spirit of God within us all and all around us is the only true reality.
As we begin to get in touch daily with this
perfect principle, we can then demonstrate it in our daily lives. Perfect
God, Perfect Man, Perfect Being - this is the Absolute Truth.
A realization is an impression of
Reality on the mind.
The ultimate Reality is: God Is All There Is. As we live and move and have our Being within this reality, divine Realization will become commonplace for us.
A realization may be experienced as a divine
"Ah-ha!" It's simply an awareness of God's presence, infused within us and
around us in whatever we are saying or doing.
(See Reality)
Reciprocity
The energy process whereby the universal becomes individual and the individual
becomes universal.
Redemption
Redemption comes through the realization of individuals that they are one
with the Universal.
What do we believe about reincarnation?
On page 387 of the Science of Mind textbook, Dr Holmes writes: The spiral of life is upward. Evolution carries us forward, not backward. Eternal and progressive expansion is law and there are no breaks in continuity. . . . . I can believe in planes beyond this one without number, in eternal progress. I cannot believe that nature is limited to one sphere of action.
Life is an eternal flow, and we are streams of consciousness within this flow, forever unfolding. The question of reincarnation is meaningless when we accept the fact that at some level we have always been and will always be; it's what we do today with who we are that matters. (See Eternal and Destiny)
New Thought neither endorses nor rejects any particular theory or concept of reincarnation. Since life is eternal, there are an unlimited number of possibilities for its evolvement after the experience of physical death. In Religious Science, it is accepted that there is an on-goingness of life and we deal with what is before us in the present moment.
The relative is that which depends on something else for its existence.
In New Thought, the relative is anything we experience with the five senses of sight, hearing, touch, taste, and smell. While the relative world may appear as conditions separate and apart from the All, it is not. God is all there is.
In the beginning, there was only God, who so desired to be more fully expressed, that out of Itself It created form through which to do so. Hence, the relative. The relative is really another term for the Body of God. God is Absolute and Relative! (See Absolute and Universe)
Any religion is simply the giving of a
certain form to humankind's idea of God.
The word "religion" comes from the Greek/Latin word religare, which means to "bind together."
It seems, however, that many of the world's religions have done just the opposite, separating humanity not only from each other but from God as well. All religions can assist their members in realizing their divineunity with one another and God. This is what New Thought teaches.
Is Religious Science a religion?
Religious Science was founded by Ernest Holmes, a five
foot three powerhouse of metaphysics. Holmes did not attend university but
was a self-taught philosopher who rigorously studied all of the world's Spiritual
paths for most of his life. Ernest Holmes created the first edition of his
Science of Mind text in 1927. The term Science of Mind was used by many early
New Thought Leaders in the late 1800's. Holmes book synthesizes the truths
that he discerned were present throughout all of the world's faiths. That
book is the foundation of the principles of Religious Science. He never intended
to begin a new faith, but people around him were deeply moved by his insights
and thus he was persuaded to allow a church to be created to assure that the
principles he revealed would be forever available to the world.
Religious Science is based on Holmes' Science of Mind text which is a spiritual
philosophy for today’s world which draws upon the various New Thought
Traditions through the spiritual lens of Ernest Holmes. It is the "correlation
of the laws of science, opinions of Philosophy, and revelations of religion,
applied to human needs and the aspirations of each person".
"Uncomplicated by dogma, hidden doctrine, superstition, or outdated concepts, Science of Mind probes deeply and directly into the very Source of Life, emerging with a pure and useful knowledge of principles which are universal."
Based on the Truth which arises in every
culture in the form of science, philosophy, and religion, Religious Science
provides a blueprint which reveals the Truth about the seemingly unknown forces
that shape our universe. This enables us to consciously participate in our
own life as a co-creator with the Divine.
Religious Science is not scientology.
Religious Science is not Christian Science.
Religious Science exists to facilitate the reawakening of each individual's awareness of the higher Self.
Each Church of Religious Science, through Sunday services, Science of Mind classes, self-growth seminars, and individual counseling,provides an educational and spiritual process in a supportive environment, enabling all who desire to discover and know the ultimate Oneness of Universal Life to do so.
Religious Science is not in opposition to any religious belief or philosophy. Rather it seeks to bring to light the thread of truth that exists in all religions.
Religious Science recognizes that each individual is on a
path to his own fulfillment and must be guided by his own inner voice.* Religious
Science offers practical and definite methods with which each individual can
create positive life changes. Among the benefits of teachings of Religious
Science is the understanding of positive prayer or spiritual mind healing.
We
Religious Scientists often refer to Affirmative Prayer as Spiritual Mind Treatment.
In summary, Religious Science offers healing, spiritual understanding, and an opportunity to experience greater love , greater joy, and greater life expression. In the words of Dr. Ernest Holmes,
"There is a power for good in the universe, greater than you are, and you can use it!"
In its broadest sense, Religious Science can be approached as a science, a philosophy and a religion. One of the later New Thought denomination, Religious Science is a straightforward approach to the Universal Truths found in many of the world's greatest religions. The Principles we believe in free us from guilt, fear, and, superstition. (See Science of Mind)
See Death
Is Jesus our Savior? No.
Jesus was a wayshower and master teacher who knew the divine Truth about himself and all others. We do not believe he died on the cross to save us from sin. (See Sin)
We look to the teacher Jesus as the great example rather than the great exception. In this teaching, no attempt is made to rob Jesus of his greatness or refute his teachings. "The works that I do shall you do also; and greater works than these you shall do." Therein lies the divine potential for all humankind.
What is the Science of Mind?
The Science of Mind is the name of the book first written by Dr. Ernest Holmes in 1926 and revised in 1938. It became the text and basis for the teaching of Science of Mind as a science, philosophy, and religion for many thousands of people worldwide.
As a science, the Science of Mind is based on specific universal principles that many of the world's leading scientists are now proving. As a philosophy, the Science of Mind is a simple, practical, and down-to-earth way of understanding the full nature of the Universe and our relationship to it.
For the dedicated student, the Science of Mind
is not just a teaching but a way of life!
(See Religious Science)
Do we believe that humanity is born of Sin
and will always be sinners?
The original meaning of sin was simply to fall short of or "miss the
mark" of spiritual perfection. A sin is not a thing, it is merely an
activity that produces an undesirable effect in out lives. In other words,
we are punished by our sins, not for them.
The word "sin" comes from an ancient Greek term. When an archer missed his target with his arrow, he sinned. Sin means to miss the mark or to make a mistake.
There is no sin but a mistake, and no punishment but a consequence. The Law of Cause and Effect always brings with it the consequences of the action or mistake.
God does not punish sin. As we correct our
mistakes, we "forgive" our own sins". God does not sit in judgment, or punishment.
God allows us to answer for our own mistakes (sins) to the immutable law of
Cause and Effect. There is no good or bad - only consequences.
Spirit becomes what It contemplates and as individualizations of Spirit, we
become what we contemplate. Therefore, sin in a result of turning our mental
mirror the wrong way and reflecting limitation rather than divinity. Sin is
caused by misidentification - identifying with condition rather than cause.
It is the separation of individuals from their true source. Actually, it is
illusion, because we never can be separated from our true source. Sin is making
decisions from effect rather than from cause.
Sorcery
The inverted use of spiritual power. It is the use of Law without Love.
See Antichrist.
Do we believe that man has a Soul? Yes.
The truth is there is only one Soul and it is the Soul of the Universe. Individual man's soul is simply that point within him where the Universe (or God) personalizes itself.
We believe that the soul is man's creative medium and is therefore subjective (or subject) to conscious thought. The soul is that perfect part of our being which accepts us and our actions, never judging us as right or wrong, always ready to "assist" us in achieving whatever we chose to do when we believe we can do it.
The soul has been referred to as the "mirror
of mind," because it reflects forms of thought which are given it. We choose
the thoughts it reflects (or in other words, brings into experience). (See
Law)
Does man have a Spirit? Of course!
More than that, man actually is spirit. We believe that the Spirit of God desired to be more fully expressed, so that out of Itself It created form to express through.
That form takes many different shapes and conditions. Among the highest forms of God's expression is the human form - You! Rather than trying as human beings to have a "spiritual experience," we should realize that were are truly spiritual beings having a human experience.
You are not just a body of flesh and bones! There is a self-conscious, free-choosing, volitional spirit at the center of your being. This Spirit is sometimes referred to as the "Inner Observer."
As we become more aware of the presence of
the spirit that we really are, we automatically begin to live in the awareness
that God and we are truly one, Spirit thinks consciously, and this thought
moves through the creative, subjective medium of mind (our soul) and becomes
objectified in our outer world of effect. Spirit is the cause; the result
of the thought is the effect.
Spirit and Matter. Spirit is the highest degree of intelligence and is non
conditioned. Matter is the result of lower degrees of intelligence and is
conditioned as form.
Spirit, Properties of. The properties of Spirit
are 1. Intelligence. Spirit permeates the universe with intelligence and order.
2. Responsiveness. Intelligence plus responsiveness implies personality. 3.
Goodness. Goodness is the general tendency of Spirit to increase livingness
Subjective Mind
All the creative power of the Universe is in the subjective mind. It is completely
impersonal and will create in our experience what we believe with conviction.
It contains all knowledge and all belief whether the belief is true or false.
It is both storehouse and creative medium. “Our individual subjective
mind is our personal share of Universal Mind.”
Synergy
The combination of the grace of God and the will of the individual, a combination
that produces regeneration. Although Troward does not use the word synergy,
he talks about it. The grace of God is the gift of Spirit that has already
been given to creation. It is the universe waiting to particularize itself
as the individual, but it will not do so until the individual wills It to
do so by the use of the “personal factor.” God alone is only potential.
The individual alone is limited, but together unlimited potential becomes
manifest reality. God needs humanity to fully express God. Humanity needs
God to fully express humanity.
"Thought" is the movement of consciousness
As practitioners of New Thought, we know that our thoughts are energy being directed in a specific way.
Our thought originates as cause in our conscious
mind, which then moves to our subconscious mind as Law. In other words, our
thoughts work through Law, but that Law is consciously set in motion.
(This is how thoughts become things). The realization that we are responsible
for the thoughts we think and thus can change them is the beginning of our
using Law consciously. Change your thinking, change your life!
(See Law and Embody)
TREATMENT
Troward explains three simple steps of treatment.
Step 1. Formulate a clear conception in your objective mind of the idea you wish to convey to subjective mind.
Step 2. Speak simply and directly to subconscious mind. And say, “This is what I want you to do. You will now step into my place and do it, bringing all of your powers and intelligence to bear and considering yourself to be none other than myself.”
Step 3. Release your word to subjective mind, allow it to
work, and return to your conscious mind.
Holmes adds two steps to treatment. See Prayer.
The Truth is that which is.
It is the Cause and Power in and through everything. It is birthless, deathless, changeless, complete, perfect, whole, self-existent, causeless, almighty, Spirit, Law, Intelligence, Reality - GOD.
When the teacher Jesus said, "Know the truth
and the truth shall set you free," he was simply saying that to a degree you
know the truth about yourself, you will be free and able to direct you own
life in wonderful, creative, meaningful ways, simply by understanding that
your every thought is creative. The truth about you is, "God in you, as you,
is you." God really is all that is. Know this truth and you are free to express
your true Self!
The Universe is simply the body of God.
It is that which it created out of itself in order to more fully expressed. (See Relative)
Scientists tell us that the Universe is continually
expanding. This is the creative divine Urge of God always becoming more than
it was yesterday. This same creative divine Urge permeates every cell of our
bodies. It is this urge which causes us to grow and be more than we were yesterday.
Our bodies are simply mini-universes - the microcosm within the macrocosm.
Visualization
Visualization is a favorite tool of the megastar basketball player Michael
Jordan. It is used by countless successful people in the world. It is used
by most people unconsciously and thus creates randomly instead of intelligently.
Once we begin consciously directing and using this tool it becomes a powerful
tool to enable us to achieve better results and create better lives. Visualization
is the act of directed imagination. Seeing the results of your actions prior
to taking action. In the case of Michael Jordan, he would visualize the basketball
going through the hoop and thus his mind and body were united in the goal
and the results can be seen for themselves.
The V symbol of Religious Science can be interpreted on many different levels. On a Universal level, the top of the V shows the Universal Spirit (God), then the universal subjectivity, which is the medium of all thought, power, and action, then, at the bottom, at particularization of our manifestation of Spirit.
The point drawn through the center symbolizes the descent of Spirit into matter, or form. It is necessary that Spirit be manifested in order to express Itself. The descending line shows that all comes from the One (God)). Humanity reenacts the whole Universal Life, and the nature of humanity is identical with Spirit. What is true of the Whole is true of any of its individual undivided parts. Humanity comes to a point of individualization in the Whole and is subject to the Law of the Whole. (Paraphrased from The Science of Mind by Dr. Ernest Holmes, p. 569.)
Will
The conscious and orderly announcement of purpose to the subconscious mind.
The will focuses energy for a particular purpose. There is a universal Will
of God for growth and for good for creation, but there is no universal Will
of God for the individual.
We must use the Personal Factor to put our individualized will into action.
Word
It is the original creative thought, also called “Logos.” It is
the original idea or pattern of perfect creation in the Mind of Spirit. This
Word, or Logos, is inherent in the consciousness of every individual. In the
Old Testament, It is known as Wisdom, Sophia. The Word in action is the Holy
Spirit, which teaches the dual aspects of Love and Law. The Word also teaches
dominion, which is the right and responsibility of each individual to impress
their own unique personality on the Law.
The Word of God is not any particular words
found in the Bible. The Bible is not the Word of God. The Word of God is Spiritual
Principle that inspired the Bible.
The Word means the ability of Spirit
to declare itself into manifestation, into form.
The Word of God simply means the
Self-Contemplation of the Spirit.
"I Am that I Am."
The physical universe which we see, as well as the invisible Universe, which must also exist, constitute the Self-Contemplation of God.
This is meaningful to us because as incarnations
of the One Spirit of God, each time we think or contemplate, we are really
speaking the "word" into creative Mind, and, through the law of cause and
effect, our "word" becomes manifest
Worship
When individual conscious mind comes into a direct contact with Universal
Mind, Cosmic Intelligence becomes individualized and individual intelligence
becomes universalized. The two become one. This is the true meaning of worship.
“I am the person that thou art, and thou art the person that I am.”