What is the New Thought Movement?
How I Found New Thought
Like most American children, I was raised in the Christian faith. First, we were Catholic and then we were evangelical Christian. For as long as I could remember, those beliefs never quite resonated with me. There were times throughout my youth when I fervently practiced them only for my internal belief system to win out every time. My knowledge of other religions only consisted of my limited knowledge of Judaism and Islam.
When I was 19, broken, and bereft of the faith I grew up in, I entered counseling for codependency and adult children of alcoholic issues. This counseling center also hosted a New Thought-Religious Science/Science of Mind spiritual center on Sundays. During my second service, the minister said, “Here, at this center, God is Divine Energy, not someone sitting up there judging you.” That is when I knew I was home. I have since left that spiritual center and have come to identify as a more open-minded spiritual seeker, but I still believe and practice New Thought as my primary belief system.
The Two Main Branches of New Thought
Just like the term “Christian,” “New Thought” is also an umbrella term for several different religious sects that share common tenets. The two main branches of New Thought that exist today are:
· Religious Science/Science of Mind and Spirit
Religious Science/Science of Mind and Spirit (not to be confused with the infamous Church of Scientology or Christian Science) was originally founded as a spiritual learning institute in the 1800s by Dr. Ernest Holmes, who was an American philosopher. Centers for Spiritual Living and the Affiliated New Thought Network are the two denominations of spiritual centers.
Religious Science pulls its teachings from the universal truths found in science, philosophy, and all the world’s religions. They teach a “scientific method” of prayer called “affirmative prayer,” “spiritual mind treatment,” or “scientific prayer.” Their core beliefs are that God is both “love” and “law.” This means that the Divine is unconditionally loving and operates on various spiritual laws such as the Law of Attraction and the Law of Circulation.
· Unity Church of Christ
Unity Church of Christ (not to be confused with Unitarian Universalists or Unitarians) consists of many of the same beliefs and practices as Religious Science. This includes but is not limited to, the Divine being an unconditionally loving Power and Presence, spiritual laws, praying in the affirmative, honoring all faith traditions, Jesus’ teachings of love and divine connection, and studying the Bible from a metaphysical perspective.
The only key differences are teaching a slightly different prayer methodology and more emphasis on Jesus’ teachings and the Bible. Unity identifies as “metaphysical Christianity.” Therefore, it is the branch of New Thought that is closest to mainstream Christianity. This makes it appealing to progressive Christians and those who feel comfortable with identifying as “Christian.”
3 Main Principles of New Thought
When I first found New Thought, I was passionate about it and knew that it was a great faith tradition. However, I struggled to explain exactly what it was… even to my own mother. When questioned, I would simply state some of the beliefs such as God being a spirit energy, access to inner divinity, the Law of Attraction, respect for all faith traditions, and no dogma. Over the years, I have come to narrow it down to a faith that believes in these three principles:
1. God is spirit
God is not viewed as a literal person in New Thought. However, we still use the terms “Father” and “Mother” to describe the unconditional love of the Divine, and members are free to think of the God of Their Understanding as a literal Father and Mother if they so choose. After all, there is no dogma in New Thought.
Rather, God is viewed as an unconditionally loving spirit. This is often described as a “power and presence” or an energy. Therefore, many names are used for the Divine such as “the Universe,” “Infinite Love,” Infinite Intelligence,” “Spirit,” “Source,” and “All There Is.”
Many New Thought members prefer to use the pronoun “It” when referring to the Divine. Since the Divine is a spirit energy and not a person, It cannot judge and no sacrifice or savior is required. This spirit energy is omnipresent in all creation. There is also no power, such as a literal devil, opposing it.
2. Inner Divinity
New Thought believes that there is a Divine Spark within all life. “God is all there is, and everything is God.” Just like waves are to the ocean, humans are individualizations of the Divine. Because we all have access to Divinity within ourselves, we can use spiritual laws to influence our reality. This is why New Thought stresses the idea that our thoughts create our reality.
3. Interconnectedness
This is more commonly referred to as “oneness.” New Thought believes that all life, including God, is interconnected. This is like The Lion King songs “The Circle of Life” and “We are One.” Metaphysically, there is no place where any living being stops and others begin. We are all one life. Therefore, race, religion, political affiliation, and any other factor does not divide us.
New Thought Vs. New Age
The terms “New Thought” and “New Age” sound similar. Even though both belief systems have the word “New” in their name, they are not new. Many New Thought and New Age beliefs are older than the Abrahamic religions.
“New Age” is a loose term that describes practices such as the Law of Attraction, tarot cards, crystals, chakras, yoga, meditation, astrology, numerology, psychics, mediums, etc. Even though many New Thought members engage in these practices, New Thought and New Age are not the same. New Thought places more of an emphasis on a Divine Power as the source. While many New Age people believe in a Divine Power, there is not a central belief in the Divine.
Is New Thought Christian?
Many people wonder, “Is New Thought Christian?” Well, this depends on what you consider “Christian.” There are over 45,000 known denominations of Christianity around the world, so how can there be one correct definition of Christianity?
The best answer I have heard to this question is from Rev. Dr. Michelle Medrano, a minister at Mile Hi Church:
“So, while Ernest Homes would say that we are part of the Christian tradition, it is mostly because we believe that Jesus was one of the greatest prophets, if not the greatest prophet, ever to walk the earth. That he (Jesus) taught us about love, and he taught us about the connection that we all have to the Divine Presence.
Where we are not ‘Christian-like’ is that we have not fallen into putting Jesus up on a pedestal, putting Jesus up to be something special and different than us…We just have a different way of interpreting and seeing the words in the gospel…That’s why we are Christian in that we support and believe in Jesus, but we’re not traditional in our Christian beliefs.”
New Thought views Jesus as our older brother, way-shower, and the great example, but not the exception.
Many Paths to Spirituality
There are many paths to spirituality. May we all be free to find what works for our soul journey. And so it is!
