The New Thought Movement

[keithnurse]

Another "new religious movement" is The New Thought Movement. There is a lot of info on it at "The New Thought Movement Homepage"
New Thought Movement Home Page and Association for Global New Thought TNTM originated in the nineteenth century when Emma Curtis Hopkins, who was a Christian Scientist, was kicked out of Christian Science for deviating from Mary Baker Eddys doctrine, I'm not clear how she deviated, but she did. Hopkins left Boston, went to Chicago and there started the her own school called the Illinois Metaphysical Seminary. Her students went on to found the various denominations of modern New Thought. Among them were Charles and Myrtle Fillmore who founded Unity School of Christianity. Unity now has churches all over the country and around the world and is the largest New Thought denomination. Ernest Holme, another Hopkins student, wrote the book "Science of Mind" and founded the "Religious Science" which has two organizations, The United Church of Religious Science and the other is Religious Science International. Melinda Cramer founded Divine Science, a smaller denomination. There are other New Thought groups, all described on the New Thought Movement Homepage and on their links page. New Thought has had influence far beyond it numbers. It heavily influenced Norman Vincent Peale, Oral Roberts, Robert Schuller and much of modern success and pop psychology literature.

 

[DadBurnett]

A slight correction relating to the Fillmores, they created the Unity School of Practical Christianity. As far as the split between Hopkins and Eddy, it centered around Eddy's assertion that her way was the one and only true path. Emma disagreed and as you have said, her teachings led to the creation of Unity and other NT communities. About the influence alleged, the NT movement began before people like Peale, Roberts, Schuller ...
JRB, Independent NT minister

 

[keithnurse]

A slight correction relating to the Fillmores, they created the Unity School of Practical Christianity. As far as the split between Hopkins and Eddy, it centered around Eddy's assertion that her way was the one and only true path. Emma disagreed and as you have said, her teachings led to the creation of Unity and other NT communities. About the influence alleged, the NT movement began before people like Peale, Roberts, Schuller ...
JRB, Independent NT minister

I don't understand your last sentence here "about the influence alleged, the NT movement began before..........". Of course NT began before Peale, Schuler, etc. I said the NT movement influenced Peale, Schuler, etc. How could it have influenced Peale, etc. unless it DID begin before Peale?

 

[DadBurnett]

You are, of course, correct! I simply misread your sentence. Sorry 'bout that!

 

[DadBurnett]

I''m curious, what do you see the major differences between UU and NT to be?

 

[keithnurse]

I''m curious, what do you see the major differences between UU and NT to be?

There are a number of differences:
1. UUs place much more emphasis on social issue and political issue activism. New Thought churches and centers may give food to a local food pantry for the poor. UUs do that too but also do more supportive action for liberal political action like support "living wage" legislation, publicly opposing the death penalty, vocally supporting the movement for same sex marriage. New Thought churches and centers usually encourage individual members to personally support whatever that person supprts politically but the churches themselves rarely get involved in social or political issues.
2. There are few, if any New Thought atheists. NT allows wide lattitude in what you consider a god to be but very few would call themselves atheists. Atheists have a significant presence among UUs. UUs are either humanist/atheists, buddhist, pagan, theist or mystical eclectic.
3 NT people tend to believe that if you are poor or homeless, you need to change your consciousness to a prosperity consciousness, your outer circumstances will change. UUs may or may not believe similar ideas but they also would address the immediate issue with sending you to a food bank, and hooking you up with social service agencies and lobbying government for more funding for homeless assistance agencies.
None of this is meant to say UU is better than NT or the opposite. There is considerable overlap between the movements. These are just generally true differences. UU and NT both look to Ralph Waldo Emerson as a spiritual ancestor of theirs.

 

[DadBurnett]

I deeply appreciate your explanation of some of the differences; very clear, concise and on track. I deeply respect UU for it expression of compassion and activism. You have also touched on one area of agreement - NT (Unity in particular) does not claim to be better than any other pathway ...