The "mind sciences" we will be discussing are Christian Science, the Unity School of Christianity, and the United Church of Religious Science. They will be collectively called the mind sciences because of the similarities between them. The founders of these religions believe that the human mind is the most powerful thing in the universe, even more powerful than God. This idea that the human mind is above everything else did not originate with the mind science cults. You can find this in philosophy, science, politics, and the popular culture. One French philosopher and mathematician by the name of Rene' Descartes (1596-1650) believed that in order to figure out the world, all one needs is reason and math. Descartes believed that the way to prove things exist is to think about them. One example of this is that to prove his own existence Descartes believed that ("I think, therefore I am"). He also believed that God existed because "he" thought about Him. ("I think about God, therefore He exists") Descartes believed that all you need to believe in God is reason, not faith. Another man who influenced this Age of Reason or Enlightenment was Sir Isaac Newton (1642-1727). With his new discoveries and inventions (gravity, calculus, etc) the belief that thinking and reason of the mind were the keys to the universe hit a high. Almost overnight, reason became more important than religion.
Another movement from history is that is similar to the mind sciences today is New Thought. This movement took philosophy, science, and religion to a different level by emphasizing metaphysics and mental healing. Phineas Parkhurst Quimby (1802-1866) is considered the founder of New Thought. He believed that all sickness originated in the mind and was a consequence of false beliefs. Quimby believed he could heal physical disease by mere suggestion. Quimby also believed that the person being healed had to be open to the wisdom of God, which he called "the Christ". This isn't the Christ as in Jesus Christ, but an impersonal principle of the mind. Quimby believed that Jesus was a human being who used the Christ principle to heal people and not Jesus Christ the Savior as we know Him as Christians. New Thought evolved into the Divine Science Church which taught:
- God is the sole reality.
- Sickness is the failure to realize this truth.
- Healing comes when you realize that the human race is one with God.
New Thought is basically pantheism, which is the belief that all is God. God is more like a "universal life force" or an "infinite idea" and not a personal Creator who is independent from His creation. They believe that the life of God and life of man are the same which is from Hinduism. Henry David Thoreau and Ralph Waldo Emerson were both pantheists.
The "Mind Sciences"
The three main mind sciences are looked upon as cults and share these basic beliefs:
- God is an impersonal principle, or Divine Mind.
- The Divine Mind is all that is real.
- The material world does not exist; it is only a part of the Divine Mind.
Christian Science
Christian Science is the best-known of the mind sciences. It was founded by Mary Baker Eddy who was born in 1821 in New Hampshire. Baker was a sickly child who got involved in spiritualism and occultism as an adult. In 1862, Mary Baker went to eh mind healer Phineas Quimby for spinal inflammation. She claimed that she was healed. Eddy became a student of Quimby's metaphysics and mental healing. After Quimby died, Eddy published a book, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures which is believed to have been plagiarized from Quimby. Eddy established the Massachusetts Metaphysical College, where she taught her principles to 4000 students for a period of eight years. In 1879 she founded the Church of Christ, Scientist in Boston. When she died in 1910, the church had a million members, far more than today. Currently there are 2300 Christian Science churches worldwide with 1600 int he United States. Christian Scientists have traditionally forbidden members from seeing doctors. As a result, there have been court cases where some of their members have been charged with manslaughter, child abuse, and murder because of this stance. The church as since, softened its prohibition of medical treatment, although it is still discouraged.
Unity School of Christianity
Charles and Myrtle Fillmore founded this religion in 1891. Myrtle Fillmore was introduced to Quimby's New Thought at a lecture in 1886 by one of his followers. Fillmore had tuberculosis at the time and learned that "a child of God" does not get sick from the lecture. She claims that she experienced a complete healing at this lecture and immediately embraced this belief. Soon after, Myrtle started reading every piece of New Thought and Christian Science literature she could find. Myrtle's husband Charles also studied metaphysics, occultism, Hinduism, and Christian Science. In 1889, he started a magazine called Thought. A year later, Charles Fillmore claimed he had a vision in which a voice said "Unity". He took that and he and Myrtle formed the Unity School of Christianity which took ideas from the other religions. Unity has 300 churches and 100,000 members. It also has a mailing program that sends over 33 million pieces of literature a year.
United Church of Religious Science
The fastest growing of the mind science cults is the United Church of Religious Science, or Science of Mind. This was founded by Ernest Holmes in 1927. Holmes was influenced by some of Quimby's students like the Fillmores. He wrote a 600 page book called The Science of Mind. He also started a magazine called Science Journal. Holmes spread his religion by speaking in person and on radio. He gained admiration from politicians, celebrities, and even some clergy. One of these include Dr. Norman Peale, author of The Power of Positive Thinking.
Overview of Beliefs
These three mind sciences have many similarities. The more we learn about these religions and beliefs, the more we realize that people will go to great lengths to get around the truth of the Bible, which is truth about God, Jesus, humanity, sin and salvation.
The Bible
As Christians, we know that the Bible is the most trustworthy, reliable, and practical scripture. It is the only divinely inspired written message from God to humankind. (2 Tim. 3:16) The mind sciences take a different view:
- Christian Science teaches the Bible is no more important than a regular history book. If the Bible is interpreted literally then it will lead to "unbelief and hopelessness", they believe. The only way to interpret the Bible is spiritually, and to do that you have to use their founder's book Science and Healthy with Key to the Scriptures. Mary Baker Eddy says that her book is the only "absolute Truth."
- The Unity School religion of the Fillmore's believes that the bible is fine, but to capture all the truth, you need to study the holy books of all the religions. They also say that if you don't want to go to that trouble then you can unlock the truth from your own being, or get a copy of the Unity book, the Metaphysical Bible Dictionary.
- Religious Science teaches that there are many holy books, and they are all equal to the Bible as far as divine revelation. Holmes was fond of Hindu scriptures. He taught that ultimately, the Science of Mind is " the culmination of all religions."
God
The Bible reveals that God is the eternal (Isaiah 40:28), holy (Isaiah 6:3), all-powerful (Revelation 19:6), all-knowing (Proverbs 5:21), loving (1 John 4:7-9), creator of the universe (Genesis 1:1). The mind sciences believe very different.
- Christian Science teaches that because God is all and all is God and God is Spirit, only the spirit is real. The material world does not exist-it is an illusion. The trinity does not exist, just the Divine Principle, which is expressed in a trinity of its own: Life, Truth, and Love.
- The Unity School believes that everything visible is a manifestation of God, the one Spirit. God is not a being with life, love, intelligence, and power. God is the Divine Principle that live in everything.
- Religious Science believes that the universe is the body of God, a view called panentheism. Every person is part of the universe, so every person is part of God. Holmes says "Taking the best from all sources, Religious Science has access to the highest enlightenment of the ages."
Jesus
Christianity is the only religion that believes that Jesus Christ is Savior. All other religions and cults have stripped Jesus of His divine nature and try to make him a mere human. The Bible teaches that Jesus was fully God and fully man (Colossians 2:9). The mind sciences believe:
- Christian Science follows Quimby's principle of "the Christ." Jesus was a human who merely possessed the "divine idea: of the Christ. They believe that Jesus didn't save anybody when He died on the cross. We save ourselves through metaphysical principles.
- Unity School teaches that human Jesus was different from the impersonal Christ principle. We are the same as Jesus, except that we haven't yet expressed the Christ principle as fully as Jesus did.
- Religious Science believes that Jesus merely showed us the way. Jesus embodied the Christ "consciousness," and we can do the same thing. They do not believe in death and do not believe Jesus every died on the cross.
Humankind and Sin
Christianity says that God created people in His image (Genesis 1:26-27) but our relationship with God was broken because of sin (Romans 3:23). The mind sciences see humankind differently.
- In Christian Science, humans are part of God because God is everything. We also possess the Divine Mind, which is good and do not sin. Humans once they become one with the Divine Mind, do not sin and do not get sick and die.
- Unity School believes that all is in God, so there is no sin. The only sin is to believe in sin.
- Religious Science teaches that all human beings are divine. We don't sin, just make mistakes. The only sin is to be ignorant of our own divine nature.
Salvation and Death
The Bible teaches that as sinners, all people need salvation. Without it, we will face judgement. Salvation is the only way to be made right with God. The only way to be saved is through Jesus Christ (Romans 5:8-10). As Christians, we will go to heaven to to be God forever in heaven (john 3:16; 14:1-3). Those who reject Jesus will go to hell for eternity. (Revelation 20:15). The mind sciences view salvation very differently.
- Christian Science believes that Life, truth, and love (the trinity of their religion) are the keys to salvation. When you stop believing in sickness and sin, you will be saved. They believe that "Man as God's idea is already saved." They also do not believe in hell and heaven results from correct thinking. Death is merely transition for the mind, which keeps on living to correct the wrong thinking about sickness and death.
- Unity School believes that sins are forgiven when you cease to sin by understanding that you are good. They embrace the Hindu belief in reincarnation and through a series of reincarnations you can become more like Jesus, who embodied the Christ principle. Eventually, you will be saved and won't need reincarnation anymore. There is no hell, in the end everyone is saved.
- Religious Science says that God does not punish sin, so there's no need for salvation. "As we correct our mistakes, we forgive our own sins." Salvation is essentially a matter of the mind. Heaven and hell are merely illusions we create in our own minds. Everyone is already saved, so all we have to do is rid our minds of the illusion and embrace reality. Heaven is already in us, we have to embrace it.
Discussion
- What is one founder and example of a religion or belief from the mind sciences that most surprised you?
- Although the mind sciences are considerably small in number, they seem to be popularized in our culture. What are some ways, we as Christians can combat this appeal to the lost?
5 comments:
What surprised me the most is that they think Jesus was a regular man using Christ principles to heal people. They actually took “Christ” and made it into some medical practices. What were they on when they though that one up?? Dale and I actually know someone who got involved in something like this, using his mind to help him get off his drug addiction. It worked for him, but I think it was the support group and will power that worked. For something like that, positive people and a strong will help you get better. Positive thinking really does make a difference in someone's recovery, but their philosophy on religion is all wrong. I can see our young people easily slipping into this kind of religion. It sounds great, and they use parts of the Bible, distorted, but parts of it. I think if we educate our children on what people are going to present to them as "better" religions, they will know what to expect and how to react. It's when we've never exposed them to it that it sounds good coming from a stranger. Educate!!! That's the key for combat.
Well this whole lesson was very strange to me. I haven't heard too much about the mind sciences' beliefs so really didn't know what exactly they believe. I knew they weren't Christians and had some far out thinking. The most surprising part of the history to me was the Quimby New Thought religion. I guess mainly because that dealing with pantheism and how Quimby influenced pretty much all three of the main mind sciences. It is all strange though. Especially the thoughts of the mind controlling what happens, "If you think it is true, then it is." The thoughts of sickness being in the mind and that we can control it is also very strange to me. Also, the thought of being saved when someone stops believing in sickness and sin. Of course that is opposite to what we as Christians believe. We know you must realize you are a sinner and can only be saved by Jesus Christ from your sins. We as humans CANT do it. I guess the best way to combat these mind sciences spreading their beliefs is of course fervent prayer and intentional evangelism. Those are the keys to seeing new Christians.
Okay....I have several clients who are involved with this type of "religion" - Metaphysics. They have a "Bible Study" on Range Road in Hammond. They do not call themselves a "church". Anyway, they are morally good people and a very close congregation. They evacuated in groups after Katrina. After spending many hours with them, I have seen no evidence of "Christ-like" behavior. The ones I know, several families, do not seem to have much actual knowledge of the Bible. But why should they? If it is all a concept of their own way of thinking, why do they even have Bible study? Truth is, they actually don't. Seems to me, this is just another form of humanism. By the way, they are ALL very educated people! If they actually studied the Bible, they would learn the "Truth". It is truly sad to see so many people be sincere and "sincerely wrong." I just PRAY that God will use me to reach just one of them! I never criticize their religion. I just talk about the Lord and my PERSONAL relationship with Him. Since they think that God is a concept, they do not consider Him to be a real person. Since they are "religious", I have the liberty to discuss Christ, the person.
Also, we sorta have some experience with Christian Science. When we lived in another town, we would go to their church building at night and take all the free brochures they had on display at the front door of the church. Of course we read some of this material and we thought we would do our part to "prevent the spread" of this propaganda... we were much younger then. Now that we are older and know better how to combat these false teachings, we just pray for them and let God handle the rest.
And, by the way, Norman Vincent Peele wrote, "The Power of Positive Thinking". I have read it and it is excellent reading material. "Positive thinking" results in "positive actions". I did not read it in the context of a religious book. However, the Bible is the most postive book I have ever read.
AND another question....in the "mind science" religion....what if you lose your mind? Hum? Do you loose your "salvation." What about Alzheimers...or a comma...or depression...car accident resulting in brain damage...or someone with ANY type of mental retardation or disorder??? :)I just love the absolutes of the Bible!
Okay....I have several clients who are involved with this type of "religion" - Metaphysics. They have a "Bible Study" on Range Road in Hammond. They do not call themselves a "church". Anyway, they are morally good people and a very close congregation. They evacuated in groups after Katrina. After spending many hours with them, I have seen no evidence of "Christ-like" behavior. The ones I know, several families, do not seem to have much actual knowledge of the Bible. But why should they? If it is all a concept of their own way of thinking, why do they even have Bible study? Truth is, they actually don't. Seems to me, this is just another form of humanism. By the way, they are ALL very educated people! If they actually studied the Bible, they would learn the "Truth". It is truly sad to see so many people be sincere and "sincerely wrong." I just PRAY that God will use me to reach just one of them! I never criticize their religion. I just talk about the Lord and my PERSONAL relationship with Him. Since they think that God is a concept, they do not consider Him to be a real person. Since they are "religious", I have the liberty to discuss Christ, the person.
Also, we sorta have some experience with Christian Science. When we lived in another town, we would go to their church building at night and take all the free brochures they had on display at the front door of the church. Of course we read some of this material and we thought we would do our part to "prevent the spread" of this propaganda... we were much younger then. Now that we are older and know better how to combat these false teachings, we just pray for them and let God handle the rest.
And, by the way, Norman Vincent Peele wrote, "The Power of Positive Thinking". I have read it and it is excellent reading material. "Positive thinking" results in "positive actions". I did not read it in the context of a religious book. However, the Bible is the most postive book I have ever read.
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