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| Religious Science (Science of Mind) | |
|---|---|
| Name | Religious Science (Science of Mind) |
| Founder | Ernest Holmes |
| Founded in | 1927 |
| Headquarters | Los Angeles, California |
| Scripture | The Science of Mind |
Religious Science (Science of Mind) is a New Thought spiritual movement and metaphysical system developed in the early 20th century that emphasizes affirmative prayer, metaphysics, and spiritual healing. It synthesizes ideas from Phineas Parkhurst Quimby, Ralph Waldo Emerson, William James, Mary Baker Eddy, and Emma Curtis Hopkins, and was institutionalized through organizations and publications in the United States and internationally. The movement is associated with a network of churches, educational institutions, and media efforts centered in Los Angeles and has influenced a range of public figures and cultural currents.
Ernest Holmes formulated the movement's core text, The Science of Mind (1926), drawing on precedents in New Thought circles, including teachers such as Phineas Parkhurst Quimby, Emma Curtis Hopkins, Prentice Mulford, and writers like Ralph Waldo Emerson, William James, and Mary Baker Eddy. Holmes established the Institute of Religious Science and School of Philosophy in Los Angeles in 1927, amid contemporaneous developments involving organizations like the Unity Church and the Church of Religious Science movement. The formative decades featured conferences, radio broadcasts, and publications that connected practitioners in New York City, Chicago, San Francisco, and London, paralleling the institutional growth of groups such as the Theosophical Society and the National Spiritualist Association of Churches.
Throughout the mid-20th century, leaders and ministers trained at Holmes's institute expanded congregations across the United States and internationally, cooperating with figures connected to Hollywood and the Hollywood Bowl cultural scene. The movement's institutional history intersects with American religious pluralism during the interwar and postwar periods, alongside movements like Christian Science and Positive Thinking proponents such as Norman Vincent Peale.
Religious Science teaches a pantheistic or panentheistic understanding of divinity, describing an impersonal yet immanent Creative Intelligence often framed in universalist language seen in works by Ralph Waldo Emerson and William James. Central tenets include the power of thought and conscience to influence experience, a metaphysical law sometimes compared to concepts in Hermeticism and the writings of Prentice Mulford. The canonical text, The Science of Mind, articulates a doctrine of affirmative prayer and mental causation that echoes themes from Phineas Parkhurst Quimby and Emma Curtis Hopkins while addressing practical concerns similar to those discussed by Napoleon Hill and Dale Carnegie.
Ethical and social teachings emphasize personal responsibility, prosperity, and spiritual healing, resonating with contemporaneous leaders such as Norman Vincent Peale and movements like Positive Christianity. Religious Science often frames salvation as realization of Truth within the individual, paralleling metaphysical concepts found in Transcendentalism and some readings of Buddha and Laozi.
Worship services commonly include affirmative prayer, meditation, spoken word liturgies, and music featuring choruses and contemporary arrangements similar to practices adopted by Unity Church congregations and progressive Protestant communities in Los Angeles and New York City. Rituals emphasize spoken decrees, visualization techniques, and healing services influenced by the healing traditions of Christian Science and the testimonial culture found in Pentecostalism and African Methodist Episcopal Church gatherings.
Teaching formats include lecture courses, Sunday services, youth programs, and special workshops modeled after continuing-education approaches used by institutions like Chautauqua Institution and adult-education programs at Harvard Divinity School extension offerings. Ministers are trained in pastoral care, public speaking, and metaphysical counseling through seminar curricula comparable to programs at seminaries such as Union Theological Seminary.
The movement's institutional structure centers on ministerial training and a network of churches affiliated with organizations founded by Ernest Holmes, including the Institute of Religious Science and successor bodies with offices historically in Los Angeles and satellite centers in cities like New York City, Chicago, San Francisco, London, and Toronto. Institutional governance has varied, involving boards of trustees, ministerial associations, and independent congregational leadership, similar to denominational models seen in groups like the Unitarian Universalist Association and the National Council of Churches.
Educational outreach includes publishing houses, radio and television ministries, and conferences that have engaged media platforms akin to those used by Pat Robertson and The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, albeit with different theological emphases. Prominent affiliated institutions and ministers have fostered networks of study groups, retreats, and international partnerships spanning North America, Europe, Africa, and Asia.
Religious Science has influenced self-help literature, popular spirituality, and public figures in arts and entertainment, contributing concepts found in works by authors such as Napoleon Hill, Louise Hay, Deepak Chopra, and Rhonda Byrne. Its emphasis on affirmative thinking and prosperity theology has permeated media, motivational speaking circuits, and wellness industries in hubs like Hollywood, New York City, and London. Elements of its practice appear in contemporary mindfulness and positive psychology movements studied at institutions like University of Pennsylvania and Harvard University.
The movement's cultural footprint includes outreach through radio, television, and print, intersecting with broader American religious movements such as Evangelicalism and New Age spirituality, and impacting civic life in municipalities where congregations have engaged in interfaith coalitions, charity efforts, and public discourse on healing and mental health alongside organizations like Red Cross and local community centers.
Critics have questioned Religious Science's metaphysical claims, particularly the efficacy of affirmative prayer and prosperity teachings, with debates appearing in academic and journalistic forums alongside critiques leveled at Christian Science, Prosperity theology, and self-help authors like Napoleon Hill and Rhonda Byrne. Skeptics in scientific and medical communities, including researchers affiliated with institutions such as Johns Hopkins University and Mayo Clinic, have challenged therapeutic claims when posed as substitutes for clinical care.
Controversies have also involved governance disputes, financial transparency, and celebrity endorsements that paralleled controversies in other religious movements associated with Hollywood and televangelism, drawing scrutiny similar to inquiries into organizations like PTL Club and personalities connected to televangelist networks. Debates continue regarding the movement's social ethics, racial inclusivity, and interactions with mainstream religious institutions such as Roman Catholic Church and mainline Protestant denominations.
Category:New Thought religions