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WHAT IS RELIGIOUS SCIENCE |
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What is Religious Science? By Rev. Jim Chandler Revised & Edited by Jim Chandler & Mike Stofka In Memory of Dr. H. Fred Vogt Rev. Jim's First Religious Science Minister & Mentor What is Religious Science? Religious Science came out of the mainstream of Judeo-Christian tradition. The most important distinction is that we believe in Oneness, what Ralph Waldo Emerson referrers to as the Over-Soul, not the duality found in opposites like hot/cold or light/dark or good/evil. It is understandable that duality would be embraced first in religious traditions because we observe apparent opposites in the physical world rather than the unity behind them. Religious Science, founded by Dr. Ernest Holmes in the early 1920's, is one of the three most recognized New Thought churches (the others are Divine Science and Unity). New Thought traces it's origins back to the early 1800's, much earlier than some other beliefs, such as modern Christian Fundamentalism, which dates back to about 1915. New Thought is an uniquely American philosophy, first beginning in the pioneer spirit of the United States in the 19th century. New Thought has now spread around the world. In 1994 Barbara Marx Hubbard (no connection with L. Ron Hubbard or Scientology) predicted, "New Thought is now or will become in the next thirty to fifty years the most important single movement on earth."
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The philosophy of Religious
Science is called Science of Mind. Leaning heavily on the late
19th and early 20th Century writings of Ralph Waldo Emerson, Judge
Thomas Troward, and Emma Curtis Hopkins, the Science of Mind philosophy
has become a major force in the critical thinking movements of the 20th
century. Norman Vincent Peale is one of the many prominent
individuals who credit Dr. Holmes with influencing his teaching.
Religious Science churches are members of one of two organizations. In the United Church of Religious Science there are approximately 250 congregations and study groups totaling more than 40,000 members from California to the Ukraine. United Church of Religious Science (UCRS) also publishes a monthly magazine, Science of Mind, with a circulation of over 150,000. In 1995 Science of Mind received the coveted Cleo award for the most improved magazine with a circulation of over 50,000, and continues to enjoy growing popularity. Religious Science International (RSI) is the second organization. It comprises over 100 congregations, and 20 associations (like study groups). It is based in Spokane, Washington, and RSI's magazine is called Creative Thought. Churches in both organizations are based on the same philosophy and share the same basic teachings. |
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