New Thought

New Thought is a spiritual and metaphysical movement that emerged in the United States in the 19th century and influenced a wide range of religious, self-help, and wellness currents. Its development intersected with figures and institutions connected to Transcendentalism, Unitarianism, Brook Farm, Ralph Waldo Emerson, and Phineas Parkhurst Quimby, while its ideas later informed movements associated with Christian Science, Unity Church, Religious Science, and personalities in the worlds of literature, psychology, publishing, and popular music.

Origins and Historical Development

The movement's antecedents drew on thinkers and movements such as Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, Phineas Parkhurst Quimby, William James, and institutions like Brook Farm and Andover Theological Seminary; these influences mingled with lectures, periodicals, and healing practices tied to figures like Mary Baker Eddy, Emma Curtis Hopkins, and Charles Fillmore. During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, networks formed around organizations and publications including the Unity Church, Institute of Religious Science and School of Philosophy, International New Thought Alliance, and periodicals that connected ministers, lecturers, and authors such as Thomas Troward, Ernest Holmes, Orison Swett Marden, and Napoleon Hill. Expansion continued through the 20th century as connections spread to communities and institutions linked with Aleister Crowley-era esotericism, Carl Jung's analytical psychology, Edgar Cayce's readings, and the publishing infrastructure of houses like Harper & Brothers and Simon & Schuster. By mid-century, intersections with the Chautauqua movement, Hollywood, Radio Corporation of America broadcasters, and personalities associated with self-help and motivational speaking broadened reach, while later decades saw engagement with figures in New Age circles, Human Potential Movement centers, and alternative medicine networks.

Core Beliefs and Teachings

Teachings emphasize the efficacy of thought, mind, and spiritual law as articulated by writers such as Ernest Holmes, Charles Fillmore, Emma Curtis Hopkins, and Thomas Troward; doctrines propose a universal divine presence interpreted in ways resonant with Panentheism, Advaita Vedanta-influenced writers, and comparative treatments by scholars like Joseph Campbell and Mircea Eliade. Central tenets include the power of affirmative prayer and visualization promoted by authors such as Norman Vincent Peale, Napoleon Hill, Wallace D. Wattles, and James Allen, and doctrines about mental causation explored in works by William James, Sigmund Freud, and Carl Jung (not as proponents but as interlocutors). Moral and ethical teachings show affinities with the social critiques of Henry David Thoreau and communal experiments linked to Robert Owen and Charles Fourier, while metaphysical interpretations intersect with esoteric currents represented by Helena Blavatsky, Annie Besant, and Alice Bailey.

Key Figures and Influential Organizations

Prominent leaders and authors associated with the movement include Phineas Parkhurst Quimby, Mary Baker Eddy, Emma Curtis Hopkins, Charles Fillmore, Ernest Holmes, Emma Curtis, Norman Vincent Peale, Napoleon Hill, Thomas Troward, and James Allen; institutions include the Unity Church, Religious Science (Science of Mind), the International New Thought Alliance, and publishing outlets that circulated works by Orison Swett Marden and Ralph Waldo Emerson. Other influential organizations and networks engaging with similar ideas encompassed the Chautauqua movement, Theosophical Society, American Metaphysical Society, and media platforms connected to NBC, CBS, and ABC figures who broadcast spiritual programming, alongside later groups linked to Esalen Institute, Synanon (historically intersecting in countercultural space), and faith communities rooted in authors like A Course in Miracles contributors and supporters.

Practices and Rituals

Common practices include affirmative prayer and spiritual mind treatment promoted by leaders like Ernest Holmes and Charles Fillmore, visualization and prosperity techniques taught by Napoleon Hill and Wallace D. Wattles, healing services and laying-on-of-hands influenced by Phineas Parkhurst Quimby and Mary Baker Eddy, and group meditation and study meetings modeled on lecture circuits associated with Chautauqua speakers, touring ministers, and conference organizers. Ritual forms vary widely across congregations and organizations, from liturgies and hymnody in Unity Church centers to seminar formats used by Esther Hicks-associated workshops, from radio and recorded sermons distributed via networks connected to Herald Tribune and Reader's Digest platforms to modern digital content channels linked with major publishers and broadcasters.

Cultural Impact and Criticism

The movement influenced literature, popular psychology, business culture, and entertainment through figures such as Norman Vincent Peale, Napoleon Hill, Oprah Winfrey-affiliated authors, Tony Robbins-style motivational speaking, and Hollywood celebrities who drew on self-help texts; its language and techniques permeated management training at firms and organizational cultures associated with corporate leaders and media outlets. Criticism has come from theologians of Roman Catholic Church, Evangelicalism, and scholars aligned with critical theory, historical materialism, and academic historians who trace claims about causation and healing to contested sources; skeptics such as investigative journalists and medical researchers have engaged with practices linked to alternative healing and prosperity theology, while legal and regulatory bodies have sometimes intervened in cases tied to medical neglect or fraudulent claims. The ongoing dialogue includes defenders in contemporary spirituality circles, reformers within congregations, and critics from academic, journalistic, and religious institutions.

Category:Religious movements