List of New Thought denominations and independent centers
Encyclopedia
This is a list of New Thought
membership organizations. It is historically based, therefore not all of these groups may be in existence at this time.
New Thought
New Thought promotes the ideas that "Infinite Intelligence" or "God" is ubiquitous, spirit is the totality of real things, true human selfhood is divine, divine thought is a force for good, sickness originates in the mind, and "right thinking" has a healing effect.Although New Thought is neither...
membership organizations. It is historically based, therefore not all of these groups may be in existence at this time.
A
- Affiliated New Thought NetworkAffiliated New Thought NetworkThe Affiliated New Thought Network, or ANTN, based in Pacific Grove, California, is a organization of New Thought centers across the United States that was founded in 1992. Recognized as a cooperative fellowship, it is an intrafaith organization...
, associated with Religious ScienceReligious ScienceReligious Science, also known as Science of Mind, was established in 1927 by Ernest Holmes and is a spiritual, philosophical and metaphysical religious movement within the New Thought movement. In general, the term "Science of Mind" applies to the teachings, while the term "Religious Science"...
SOM - Agape International Spiritual CenterAgape International Spiritual CenterAgape International Spiritual Center is a transdenominational congregation in Culver City, California. Founded in 1986 by Michael Bernard Beckwith, it currently has approximately 9,000 members who follow its New Thought spirituality. Beckwith leads the congregation along with his wife, Ricki...
- Association for Global New ThoughtAssociation for Global New ThoughtThe Association for Global New Thought, or AGNT, is an organization of ministers, lay people, heads of other New Thought organizations, and people of all faiths dedicated to "conscious co-creation"...
, Santa Barbara, CaliforniaSanta Barbara, CaliforniaSanta Barbara is the county seat of Santa Barbara County, California, United States. Situated on an east-west trending section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Coast of the United States, the city lies between the steeply-rising Santa Ynez Mountains and the Pacific Ocean...
C
- Centers for Spiritual LivingCenters for Spiritual LivingThe Centers for Spiritual Living, or CSL, is a religious denomination promoting Religious Science that was founded by Ernest Holmes in 1949...
, based in the teaching of Ernest HolmesErnest HolmesErnest Shurtleff Holmes was an American writer and spiritual teacher. He was the founder of a Spiritual movement known as Religious Science, a part of the greater New Thought movement, whose spiritual philosophy is known as "The Science of Mind." He was the author of The Science of Mind and...
's Religious ScienceReligious ScienceReligious Science, also known as Science of Mind, was established in 1927 by Ernest Holmes and is a spiritual, philosophical and metaphysical religious movement within the New Thought movement. In general, the term "Science of Mind" applies to the teachings, while the term "Religious Science"...
movement. - Church of the Divine UnityChurch of the Divine UnityThe Church of the Divine Unity was a former Unitarian and Universalist church located on the east side of Broadway between Prince and Spring Streets, SoHo . It was built c.1845 and likely transferred to American Unitarian Association after c. 1854...
, founded in Boston, Massachusetts, c. 1890s; associated with The Metaphysical ClubThe Metaphysical ClubThe Metaphysical Club was a conversational philosophical club that future Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr., psychologist William James, and polymath Charles Sanders Peirce formed in January 1872 in Cambridge, Massachusetts and dissolved in December 1872. Upon Peirce's arrival at... - Church of the Healing ChristDivine ScienceThe Church of Divine Science is a religious movement within the wider New Thought movement. The group was founded originally in San Francisco in the 1880s under Malinda Cramer...
in New York CityNew York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, associated with Divine ScienceDivine ScienceThe Church of Divine Science is a religious movement within the wider New Thought movement. The group was founded originally in San Francisco in the 1880s under Malinda Cramer...
( defunct) - Church of the Higher LifeChurch of the Higher LifeThe Church of the Higher Life was founded in Boston, Massachusetts in 1894 by Helen Van-Anderson.It was the first New Thought Movement with a regular leader and organization.-Sources:...
, founded in 1894 by Helen Van-Anderson in Boston, Massachusetts ( defunct; "the first New Thought society with a regular leader and organization"
D
- Divine ScienceDivine ScienceThe Church of Divine Science is a religious movement within the wider New Thought movement. The group was founded originally in San Francisco in the 1880s under Malinda Cramer...
, founded in 1892 in San Francisco, CaliforniaSan Francisco, CaliforniaSan Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
by Malinda CramerMalinda CramerMalinda Elliott Cramer was a founder of the Church of Divine Science, a healer, and an important figure in the early New Thought movement.- Biography :...
I
- Institute of Religious Science and School of PhilosophyReligious ScienceReligious Science, also known as Science of Mind, was established in 1927 by Ernest Holmes and is a spiritual, philosophical and metaphysical religious movement within the New Thought movement. In general, the term "Science of Mind" applies to the teachings, while the term "Religious Science"...
(school; opened 1927; Religious ScienceReligious ScienceReligious Science, also known as Science of Mind, was established in 1927 by Ernest Holmes and is a spiritual, philosophical and metaphysical religious movement within the New Thought movement. In general, the term "Science of Mind" applies to the teachings, while the term "Religious Science"...
) - International Divine Science AssociationDivine ScienceThe Church of Divine Science is a religious movement within the wider New Thought movement. The group was founded originally in San Francisco in the 1880s under Malinda Cramer...
, the international wing of Divine ScienceDivine ScienceThe Church of Divine Science is a religious movement within the wider New Thought movement. The group was founded originally in San Francisco in the 1880s under Malinda Cramer... - International Metaphysical LeagueThe Metaphysical ClubThe Metaphysical Club was a conversational philosophical club that future Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr., psychologist William James, and polymath Charles Sanders Peirce formed in January 1872 in Cambridge, Massachusetts and dissolved in December 1872. Upon Peirce's arrival at...
, the international wing of The Metaphysical Club, founded in 1900 in New York CityNew York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
(defunct; absorbed into the International New Thought AllianceInternational New Thought AllianceThe International New Thought Alliance is an umbrella organization for New Thought adherents "dedicated to serving the New Thought Movement’s various branches, organizations and individuals".- History :...
in 1914) - International New Thought AllianceInternational New Thought AllianceThe International New Thought Alliance is an umbrella organization for New Thought adherents "dedicated to serving the New Thought Movement’s various branches, organizations and individuals".- History :...
, founded in London, England in 1914 by renaming the National New Thought Alliance (founded in 1908) which had been formed by renaming the World New Thought Federation]] (founded in 1905), which had formerly been the New Thought FederationInternational New Thought AllianceThe International New Thought Alliance is an umbrella organization for New Thought adherents "dedicated to serving the New Thought Movement’s various branches, organizations and individuals".- History :...
(founded in 1900); upon INTA's creation it also absorbed the he Metaphysical Club|International Metaphysical League (founded in 1900), which was the international wing of The Metaphysical Club (founded in 1872); thus at the time of its official "founding", INTA had an unbroken membership history that stretched back 42 years.
L
- Living Enrichment CenterLiving Enrichment CenterLiving Enrichment Center, often referred to as LEC, was a New Thought megachurch and retreat center in the U.S. state of Oregon. Originally founded in the Scholls, Oregon farmhouse of senior minister Mary Manin Morrissey in the mid-1970s, the church grew so exponentially that it moved to a 94,500...
, founded by Mary Manin MorrisseyMary Manin MorrisseyMary Manin Morrissey is a New Thought minister from Oregon, U.S.A. She was a founding minister of Living Enrichment Center in the 1970s. By the mid-1990s, the church's congregation was variously estimated at numbering between 2,000 and 5,000, making it the biggest New Thought church in the state...
( defunct; see New Thought Ministries of OregonNew Thought Ministries of OregonNew Thought Center for Spiritual Living, formerly New Thought Ministries of Oregon, is a New Thought church in the U.S. state of Oregon....
)
M
- The Metaphysical ClubThe Metaphysical ClubThe Metaphysical Club was a conversational philosophical club that future Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr., psychologist William James, and polymath Charles Sanders Peirce formed in January 1872 in Cambridge, Massachusetts and dissolved in December 1872. Upon Peirce's arrival at...
, founded in Boston, Massachusetts by Rev. L. B. Macdonald, Dr. J. W. Lindy and Mr. Frederick Reed in 1895. This group, which is unrelated to a group of the same name at Harvard University organized by C.S. Peirce, Oliver Wendell Holmes and William James in 1872, was called "the first permanent New Thought Club" by Horatio DresserHoratio DresserHoratio Willis Dresser was a New Thought religious leader and author.-Early life:Dresser was born January 15, 1866 in Yarmouth, Maine to Julius and Annetta Seabury Dresser. His parents were involved in the early New Thought movement through their study with Phineas Parkhurst Quimby...
. This Metaphysical Club was absorbed into the International New Thought AllianceInternational New Thought AllianceThe International New Thought Alliance is an umbrella organization for New Thought adherents "dedicated to serving the New Thought Movement’s various branches, organizations and individuals".- History :...
in 1914. (membership organization; defunct)
N
- New Thought Ministries of OregonNew Thought Ministries of OregonNew Thought Center for Spiritual Living, formerly New Thought Ministries of Oregon, is a New Thought church in the U.S. state of Oregon....
(independent; founded 2004 by former members of Living Enrichment CenterLiving Enrichment CenterLiving Enrichment Center, often referred to as LEC, was a New Thought megachurch and retreat center in the U.S. state of Oregon. Originally founded in the Scholls, Oregon farmhouse of senior minister Mary Manin Morrissey in the mid-1970s, the church grew so exponentially that it moved to a 94,500...
, affiliated with Religious Science in 2007 as a member of United Centers for Spiritual Living)
P
- PsychianaPsychianaPsychiana was a New Thought denomination created in 1928 by Frank Bruce Robinson , with headquarters in Moscow, Idaho. It began and largely remained a mail-order enterprise, recruiting people through advertising in popular magazines and through direct mail solicitations.The first advertisement for...
, founded in Moscow, IdahoMoscow, IdahoMoscow is a city in northern Idaho, situated along the Washington/Idaho border. It is the most populous city and county seat of Latah County and the home of the University of Idaho, the land grant institution and primary research university for the state...
by Frank B. RobinsonFrank B. RobinsonFrank Bruce Robinson , a pharmacist of Moscow, Idaho, son of an English Baptist minister, Robinson studied in a Canadian Bible school but later rejected organized religion in favour of the New Thought Movement. He founded the spiritual movement Psychiana in 1928.-References:...
(1928 - c. 1950; defunct)
R
- Radiant Center of Philosophy in Atlantic City, New JerseyAtlantic City, New JerseyAtlantic City is a city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States, and a nationally renowned resort city for gambling, shopping and fine dining. The city also served as the inspiration for the American version of the board game Monopoly. Atlantic City is located on Absecon Island on the coast...
, associated with Kate Atkinson BoehmeKate Atkinson BoehmeKate Atkinson Boehme was a New Thought writer whose articles were published in Elizabeth Towne's magazine Nautilus. In 1918 she was associated with the Radiant Center of Philosophy in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Her book New Thought Healing Made Plain was published by Elizabeth Towne in 1918...
circa 1918 ( defunct) - Religious ScienceReligious ScienceReligious Science, also known as Science of Mind, was established in 1927 by Ernest Holmes and is a spiritual, philosophical and metaphysical religious movement within the New Thought movement. In general, the term "Science of Mind" applies to the teachings, while the term "Religious Science"...
aka Science of Mind founded in Los AngelesLos ÁngelesLos Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
by Ernest HolmesErnest HolmesErnest Shurtleff Holmes was an American writer and spiritual teacher. He was the founder of a Spiritual movement known as Religious Science, a part of the greater New Thought movement, whose spiritual philosophy is known as "The Science of Mind." He was the author of The Science of Mind and... - Religious Science International, associated with Religious ScienceReligious ScienceReligious Science, also known as Science of Mind, was established in 1927 by Ernest Holmes and is a spiritual, philosophical and metaphysical religious movement within the New Thought movement. In general, the term "Science of Mind" applies to the teachings, while the term "Religious Science"...
now known as International Centers for Spiritual Living (originally the International Association of Religious Science Churches)*
S
- Science of Mind aka Religious ScienceReligious ScienceReligious Science, also known as Science of Mind, was established in 1927 by Ernest Holmes and is a spiritual, philosophical and metaphysical religious movement within the New Thought movement. In general, the term "Science of Mind" applies to the teachings, while the term "Religious Science"...
founded in Los AngelesLos ÁngelesLos Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
by Ernest HolmesErnest HolmesErnest Shurtleff Holmes was an American writer and spiritual teacher. He was the founder of a Spiritual movement known as Religious Science, a part of the greater New Thought movement, whose spiritual philosophy is known as "The Science of Mind." He was the author of The Science of Mind and... - Seicho-No-IeSeicho-No-IeSeicho-no-Ie, sometimes rendered Seicho-no Iye , is a syncretic, nondenominational, monotheistic, New Thought religion, one of the Shinshūkyō in Japan that have spread since the end of World War II...
, Japan, founded by Dr. Masaharu Taniguchi, with assistance of Fenwicke L. Holmes, brother to Ernest HolmesErnest HolmesErnest Shurtleff Holmes was an American writer and spiritual teacher. He was the founder of a Spiritual movement known as Religious Science, a part of the greater New Thought movement, whose spiritual philosophy is known as "The Science of Mind." He was the author of The Science of Mind and...
, founder of Science of Mind (Religious Science). - Society of Jewish ScienceJewish ScienceJewish Science is a Judaic spiritual movement comparable with the New Thought Movement. Many of its members also attend services at conventional synagogues....
Incorporated in 1922 by Rabbi Morris LichtensteinMorris LichtensteinMorris Lichtenstein was the founder of the Society of Jewish Science. Born in Lithuania, he later moved to Cincinnati, Ohio where he was ordained by the Reform Hebrew Union College in 1916, becoming the first Eastern European student to ever study at the institution.Lichtenstein served as a Rabbi...
U
- Understanding Principles for Better Living Church, founded in Los AngelesLos ÁngelesLos Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
by Della ReeseDella ReeseDelloreese Patricia Early, known professionally as Della Reese , is an American actress, singer, game show panelist of the 1970s, one-time talk-show hostess and ordained minister. She started her career in the 1950s as a gospel, pop and jazz singer, scoring a hit with her 1959 single "Don't You... - United Church of Religious Science, associated with Religious ScienceReligious ScienceReligious Science, also known as Science of Mind, was established in 1927 by Ernest Holmes and is a spiritual, philosophical and metaphysical religious movement within the New Thought movement. In general, the term "Science of Mind" applies to the teachings, while the term "Religious Science"...
now known as United Centers for Spiritual Living* - Unity ChurchUnity ChurchUnity, known informally as Unity Church, is a religious movement within the wider New Thought movement and is best known to many through its Daily Word devotional publication...
, founded by Charles FillmoreCharles Fillmore (Unity Church)Charles Sherlock Fillmore , born in St. Cloud, Minnesota, founded Unity, a church within the New Thought movement, with his wife, Myrtle Page Fillmore, in 1889...
Note
- The two major Religious ScienceReligious ScienceReligious Science, also known as Science of Mind, was established in 1927 by Ernest Holmes and is a spiritual, philosophical and metaphysical religious movement within the New Thought movement. In general, the term "Science of Mind" applies to the teachings, while the term "Religious Science"...
organizations, United Centers for Spiritual Living and International Centers for Spiritual Living, are now in the process of integrating their organizations.