Posted on 07/24/2004 8:43:00 PM PDT by TBP
Vienna, Va., July 23--(RNS) Leaders of the New Thought movement used their annual conference as an opportunity to encourage a nontraditional spiritual quest.
At a morning session of the 89th Annual Congress of the International New Thought Alliance, held July 18-23, speakers suggested new ways to approach the metaphysical path on which they walk.
In a speech titled "Thinking With NewER Thought," the Rev. Noel McInnis of Wilsonville, Ore., supported the congregational singing of a revamped version of "Let There Be Peace on Earth." "We just need to make over the old song," said McInnis, an ordained minister of Religious Science. Instead of "Let there be peace on Earth and let it begin with me," he advocated "now there is peace on Earth and it has begun with me."
Such a change fits into their movement, McInnis argued, gaining applause for his idea. "New Thought is the art and science of making over perception," he said.
New Thought dates to the 19th century and includes groups such as Religious Science, Divine Science and the Association of Unity Churches. Some congregations focus on Christian themes while others de-emphasize the Bible and Jesus in favor of more on Asian religion or other influences.
The Rev. Blaine Mays, president of the Mesa, Ariz.-based alliance and a minister with the Unity movement, said the alliance includes about 300 member churches ranging from small congregations to Christ Universal Temple in Chicago, which claims more than 15,000 members. "We're very comfortable in saying that all of New Thought incorporates ... Christ's teachings but we do not say that is all there is," he said. He said the notion of "NewER Thought" is welcomed by leaders of the movement. "I thank God we keep hearing it," he said, "because movement members must never be satisfied with where they are."
At the meeting, a "prayer team table" decorated with an electric candle offered pink prayer request cards for attendees to fill out. There were spaces to check off "areas of concern" in such categories as health, joy, employment, peace, self-esteem and the environment.
Just beyond the table was a hotel room that had become the meeting's bookstore, carrying the title "Daily Inspiration for Better Living" as well as books on tai chi, an Eastern meditative exercise.
One book, "Open Your Mind and Be Healed," by Johnnie Colemon, had a foreword by Della Reese, one of the celebrities in the New Thought movement. Known for her starring role in the "Touched by an Angel" television show, Reese leads the Understanding Principles for Better Living congregation in West Hollywood, Calif.
As a pianist played gently, 50 or so people gathered for the morning session by reciting a principle of the alliance: "I am a spiritual being, living in a spiritual universe, governed by spiritual laws."
Those attending said the nontraditional aspects of the movement attracted them. The Rev. Lisa Marks, a Religious Science minister from Richmond, Va., grew up Jewish and opened the EnerPeace Center in February that focuses on spiritual education and healing. The center draws 10 to 15 people for midweek meditative services. "Traditional religion didn't speak to me and really when I got to be an adult the Jewish community didn't hold anything for me," she said. "I've always been of this mind-set and when I found ... Religious Science, it was like I had come home."
Another attendee, retired nurse Hyacinth Burgher from Brooklyn, N.Y., is a licensed teacher's candidate in the Unity movement. She was raised Anglican in her native Jamaica but found Unity met her needs when she was "seeking to cope with life's hard knocks."
Twenty years later, she said, "it still seems to be the answer ... At this conference, it's definitely challenging me to bring my understanding to still another level, which is a higher level."
Rev. McInnis is a friend of ours and one of the founding ministers of our local church.
New Thought is about healing more than anything, and the principle that when you change your thinking, you can change your life.
I am more than a little confused about this "new thought" thing. Is this new age like it appears to be?
In a speech titled "Thinking With NewER Thought,"
There is nothing new under the sun.
"Let There Be Peace on Earth."
The Scripures tell us that there will NOT be peace on earth until Our Lord comes again.
What's up with praying for something that God has told us isn't going to happen?
What purpose does it serve except to distract from the work of saving souls?
Like the cult of "social justice," the cult of "peace on earth" serves the ends of Satan.
You are correct. Jesus said, "Do not suppose I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword." Matthew 10:34. He spoke often of taking up the cross and following the hard path to heaven. Being a Christian is too hard for post modernists. They want the easy route, the "feel good" way to "spirituality." Jesus said, "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it." Matthew 7:13.
There is nothing new under the sun.
"Behold, I make all things new again." There is always something new. You and I are not the same people we were yesterday. Nothing in this world is static. Only God is changeless.
"Let There Be Peace on Earth."
The Scripures tell us that there will NOT be peace on earth until Our Lord comes again.
First, that is interpretation. Second, the "Lord" is God, and God has never gone anywhere. Third, how do you know that the person you think you're waiting for hasn't returned numerous times? It's not as if society would accept him if he did.
What's up with praying for something that God has told us isn't going to happen?
First of all, as I understand it, God has told us no such thing. Second of all, God works for us by working through us. When we declare peace and dedicate ourselves to it, we bring it closer to reality.
Surely, you are not opposed to peace? Now, we may well support the current war, but we seek peace with freedom for all people. What is wrong with that?
What is called "the peace that passes understanding" is and should be available to all. I understand that the so-called "peace" movement in politics is largely a bunch of raving Communists, but why are you seemingly put off by the very idea of peace itself?
What purpose does it serve except to distract from the work of saving souls?
From what? And why is it your business to "save" souls, especially those who don't necessarily want your version of salvation?
I don't think we need to be "saved." I think we need to understand and unfold our true nature, expressing more fully the "Father within."
As Dr. Ernest Holmes wrote, "There is no sin but error, no punishment but consequence." (The term literally means "missing the mark.")
Like the cult of "social justice," the cult of "peace on earth" serves the ends of Satan.
Now, this is just plain silly.
Let me ask you a question. I have asked it on these fora before and never gotten an answer. Is God infinite? Or is God limited?
No, New Agers use psychic power and crystals and other such things to derive their own authority and sense of the world. New Thought is a healing philosophy, a philosophy of the mind and heart, about unfolding the Kingdom of God in our own lives. New Thought teaches that your thought is your destiny -- that your choices made the situation you find yourself in and that by making a new choice, you can change it. The comedians used to say "What you see is what you get," and they were close to being right. What you believe is what you get. "As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he."
New Thought is spiritually kin to Unity and Christian Science and due to the plagarism of Kenneth Hagin, the Faith Movement.
See. BR McConnell, Another Gospel.
Not at all. It's about individual choices and individual responsibility. As a onetime minister of ours once said, "We have freedom of choice but not of consequence."
New Thought is about revealing God in every individual's life.
Note the end of the article, in which converts describe becoming dissatisfied with their traditional religion, because it did not "speak" to them. Don't get me wrong, "being fed" is important, but faith is not about personal enjoyment: its about the truth, comfortable or not.
We each find our own way to Truth. When the old path becomes too limited for you, you find new paths to follow.
No one could practice a religion in which he or she is not comfortable. Practicing New Thought requires spiritual discipline, but not a lot of artificial rules.
As I said, it's about revealing God in each individual life and in our world. God cannot and will not be constrained by a set of human rules. God works in our lives in unique and distinct ways.
***We each find our own way to Truth. When the old path becomes too limited for you, you find new paths to follow.***
"I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except by Me."
-- Jesus
New Thought isn't new, it's as old as Eden.
Unity -- formally the Unity School of Christianity -- is one of the branches of New Thought, along with Religious Science (Science of Mind), Divine Science, the Universal Foundation for Better Living, and others.
Christian Science is not part of New Thought, although there is now a movement within Christian Science that wants to join with the New Thought movement. They share many views, and Christian Science is one of the forerunners of New Thought.
The founders of all the New Thought denominations were students of Emma Curtis Hopkins, who had been editor of the Christian Science publication until she and Mrs. Eddy split. Emma went out on her own, authoring a number of books and teaching students who then went on to lead the early New Thought movement.
The New Thought writer Joel Goldsmith considered himself a Christian Scientist, but I'm not sure Mrs. Eddy and her acoluytes would be any more accepting of Goldsmith than they were of Hopkins.
Christian Science stops where Mrs. Eddy chose to stop. New Thought is always open to new ideas, new revelations.
for one thing, New Thoughters will go to doctors and many drink alcohol. (In fact, there are a lot of 12-steppers in the movement.)
And all of these groups, including New Thought, are well represented at New Age festivals and in New age publications.
Actually, they're not. Some members may be involved, but the groups themselves do not interact with the New Age movement. While they share some philosophical positions, the differences, as I outlined above, are significant.
What, exactly, is "the Faith Movement"? I amm not aware of that.
***What, exactly, is "the Faith Movement"? I amm not aware of that.***
Faith Movement - AKA The Gospel of Health and Wealth, Prosperity Theology, Positive Confession
Proponents: Kenneth Copeland, Kenneth Hagin, Benny Hinn, Morris Cerullo, Jerry Savelle, Fred Price.
Here's a brief summary:
HISTORY
Born in 1860, E. W. Kenyon is generally recognized as the founding father of the modern Word-Faith Movement. Beginning as a Methodist, he became quite ecumenical, associating with the Baptists. Some of his work even resulted in the founding of a few Primitive Baptist Churches. Late in life, Kenyon moved into Pentecostalism. At the same time, he combined elements of the metaphysical cults, such as Christian Science, New Thought theology, and Unity School of Christianity (D.R. McConnell, A Different Gospel, pp. 31-35). "The doctrines of correct thinking and believing accompanied by positive confession, with the result of calling a sickness a symptom (denial of reality supported by a Gnostic dualism) are not found in Christian writings until after New Thought and its offspring had begun to develop them. Therefore, it is not unreasonable to state that the doctrine originated and developed in these cults, and was later absorbed by Christians in their quest to develop a healing ministry" (H. Terris Neuman, An Analysis of the Sources of the Charismatic Teaching of Positive Confession, p. 43).
Though obviously not the movement's originator, some have also called Kenneth Hagin the "grand-daddy of the faith teachers" (Sherry Andrews, "Kenneth Hagin ‹ Keeping the Faith," Charisma, October 1981, p. 24). In a survey of readers of Charisma (a major Charismatic magazine) concerning those ministers that influence them the most, Kenneth Hagin was 3rd, ranked behind only TV evangelist Pat Robertson, and the heir apparent to the Word-Faith movement throne, Kenneth Copeland (Kenneth Hagin, Jr., Charisma,"Trend Toward the Faith Movement," August 1985, pp. 67-70).
***Actually, they're not. ***
Having spent several hundred hours studying the New Age Movement, including looking at their publications, conferences, festivals, etc. They are side by side.
They may have some differences but they are kissing cousins and often flock together.
You are saying a lot of things that are true, but you are skewing them. There are bells going off in my head, because I have been taught that that is how evil presents itself; as good and normal, just slightly off. Something not right. When you say that God is not limited by artificial rules, you are right. But this New Thought thing seems to say: Only God can make the rules, but He chooses not to make any. None which He demands we follow, anyhow.
I know for a fact that these organizations do not embrace New Age movements. They make it very clear that they don't. I'm surprised that in your study of the subject, you haven't seen that.
None of whom would ever be quoted in any New Thought contaxt. These people have nothing that New Thoughters would claim as their own.
At the same time, he combined elements of the metaphysical cults, such as Christian Science, New Thought theology, and Unity School of Christianity (D.R. McConnell, A Different Gospel, pp. 31-35). "The doctrines of correct thinking and believing accompanied by positive confession, with the result of calling a sickness a symptom (denial of reality supported by a Gnostic dualism) are not found in Christian writings until after New Thought and its offspring had begun to develop them. Therefore, it is not unreasonable to state that the doctrine originated and developed in these cults, and was later absorbed by Christians in their quest to develop a healing ministry" (H. Terris Neuman, An Analysis of the Sources of the Charismatic Teaching of Positive Confession, p. 43).
So much misunderstanding in this paragraph, it's truly astounding.
First of all, New Thought absolutely rejects dualism. It is about as non-dualist as any philosophy I know of. To claim that any of its doctrines are dualist is either a straight-out falsehood or simply the repetition of an error that the writer picked up from his sources.
Next, according to the accepted definition of a "cult" there is no New Thought denomination that qualifies, unless, as so many Christians, your operative definition of cult is "a religion with which I don't agree."
Furthermore, speaking Truth to power is hardly what one would call a "denial of reality." Fact and Truth are often different things. "As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he." The idea is to change the mental environment in which a person thinks about a subject, with the result being that the circumstances regarding the subject change. I have seen this work time after time. If the "Faith movement" is using this principle, then good for them. No one in Nwe Thought would mind that at all. (Assuming, of course, that they are using it honestly, not using it as a scam.)
The point is that New Thought in all its forms is a healing ministry that recognizes and awakens the power of mind.
I'mm not sure the so-called "Faith movement" is recognizing the power of mind in the same way that New Thought does. You seem to know more about that movement than I do. I can tell you that New Thought is very explicit about it.
The major doctrine of New Thought, in whatever form, is that whatever is going on in your life is a mirror of what is going on in your consciousness.
Ultimately, God makes all the rules. Our limited awareness does not limit God. It merely limits us.
New Thought tells you all about the rules -- The Law, it is called, and it is a very simple thing. What you put into consciousness comes out in form. It is like planting seeds in soil. What New Thought calls scientific prayer (in Religious Science, specifically, it is referred to by the term of Ernest Holmes -- spiritual mind treatment) could be considered your planting. Now, assume that we have planted rose bushes. Assuming that we leave them alone (except to water, of course -- in consciousness, affirmations), then we get rose bushes. You can't plant tomatoes and get strawberries.
Well, it's the same thing with the ideas that we plant in mind. You can't plant illnes and get health; you can't plant lack and get abundance (unless it's an abundance of lack.) It just doesn't work that way.
That's God's rule, The Law in action.
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