There was organizational conflict between the two organizations almost from the start so in 1953, the institute adopted the "Plan" to put everyone back under one organization. However because the "Plan" was presented to the local churches on a take it or leave it basis, 16 churches choose to leave it and remained in IARSC. Since the 1950's there have been attempts to bring the two organizations together, and both organizations continue to work together to find common ground.

A third organization called the ANTN started in 1988. A movement is afoot to organize the curricula of the various organizations so that credits could be transferred from church to church regardless of affiliation.

What is the difference between new thought and new age? It is difficult to separate the New Thought Movement from the New Age Movement in the mind of the public, but here are some distinctions:

New Thought is based on the mystical teachings and the metaphysical truths of the ages. While the great influences were Emerson, Quimby, and Troward, New Thought does not draw its inspiration from any one man or one source. All persons are spiritual beings and all have equal access to spiritual inspiration.

Much of the New Age teaching claims as a source of its inspiration, channeled material, either in the form of automatic writing, trance induced information or the actual channeling of supernatural entities. It is difficult to either challenge or verify sources that claim to come directly to select individuals from God or the "heavenly host."
New Thought teaches unity. There is only one Spirit, one Law, one Divine Mind and everything emanates from It. There are no intermediates between this One Mind and the individual. Each person has equal access to this One Mind. This One Mind is contacted within the consciousness of the individual. There are no forces, entitles, crystals, energy systems, tarot cards, amulets, fortunetellers, psychic beings or extra-terrestrials that deliver Truth to the individual. Truth is revealed to the Individual directly from Spirit within the individual. It is fundamental to our teaching not to give away our spiritual power or authority to any external source by whatever name it is called.

Unity School of Christianity

Unity was founded by real estate operator Charles Fillmore and his wife, Myrtle. They started the movement in the 1880's with a magazine called "Modern Thought." Myrtle first discovered the New Thought teaching when she attended a lecture by a student of Emma Curtis Hopkins. She had been suffering from tuberculosis and during the lecture, a revelation came to her:

"I am a child of God and therefore I do not inherit sickness."

Although her healing was not instantaneous, she knew she had been healed. She gradually convinced Charles that he should begin studying New Thought. As a result, both Charles and Myrtle went to Chicago to study with Emma Curtis Hopkins. Mrs. Hopkins had been a student of Mary Baker Eddy. When she went to Chicago to teach her brand of Christian Science, she was disavowed by Mrs. Eddy. Mrs. Eddy believed that she (Mrs. Eddy) and only she had had a unique and divine revelation from God, that she owned Christian Science and that nobody could teach it without her express authorization. Mrs. Hopkins believed that spiritual Truth could come to any person from God and when that revelation came, it was both the spiritual right and duty to teach it. Mrs. Hopkins had many students. One who also learned from her was Dr. Ernest Holmes, who visited her in the 1920's.

The Fillmore's never desired to have a church, but they wanted a teaching institution. They never concerned themselves about money. They believed that what they gave out would be measured back to them. In December of 1882, they entered into a Declaration and Covenant with what they called the Spirit of Truth. It read:

"We, Charles Fillmore and Myrtle Fillmore, husband and wife, hereby dedicate ourselves, our time, our money, all we have and expect to have, to the Spirit of Truth, and through it, to the society of Silent Unity. It being understood and agreed that said Spirit of Truth shall render unto us an equivalent for this dedication, in peace of mind, health of body, wisdom, understanding, love, life, and an abundant supply of all things necessary to meet every want, without making any of these things the object of our existence."

The basis of the movement was Silent Unity, a 24 hour a day prayer circle available to all. The educational basis came later in the form of a series of "Lessons in Truth" by Dr. Emily Cady. These lessons became the first Unity textbook. There is some difference between what Fillmore himself believed and what Unity asserts today. He was a product of his times. Here are some of his beliefs:

Truth is universal.

"No man, or woman, nor angel, nor archangel has a copyright on Truth." All claims of exclusive inspiration of whatever nature are fraudulent. And Truth gets distorted in organizations. The body of each man and women is the temple of the living God, not some religious institution.

Jesus is a way shower.

Humans are tempted by body consciousness and therefore fall from the consciousness of God. Although humans try to make their way back to God, their own thinking, their thought emanations tend to crystallize and create a prison of sense consciousness. Somehow a break must be made through the crystallization where the light of a higher way can be let in. According to Fillmore, this break comes by the way of Jesus, who came to Earth to lead humanity back to spiritual consciousness.

God is not a person.

God is not a person but an Eternal Principle that appears as Law, Being, Mind, Spirit, the Cause and Source of All. It is in the human mind where the meeting ground between God and the individual is found.

Many of the ideas of Unity are similar to Science of Mind. Unity has a much greater emphasis on Jesus as the way shower. Science of Mind emphasizes the Law and Spiritual Mind Treatment. Unity sees the "Fall of Man' in a negative sense as humanity's separation from God. Science of Mind sees the "Fall" as part of the evolutionary process of consciousness. It would not be uncommon to hear Ernest Holmes quoted in a Unity Church or Charles Fillmore quoted in a Religious Science Church.

Fillmore believed it was possible to spiritualize the physical body and thus live forever. He publicly proclaimed that he would not die. He did live to the age of 96 and when he was 92, he threw away his cane, claiming a regeneration of one of his legs.

Divine Science

Divine Science was founded in Denver, Colorado around 1888, by Miss Nona Brooks and also in San Francisco, California by Melinda Cramer. Both women experienced physical healings and came to the realizations that they were healed by the omnipresence of God.

Their teachings are almost identical to Science of Mind. More than anything else, Divine Science emphasizes the omnipresence of God. Their concept of prayer is slightly more mystical, emphasizing a consciousness of receptivity in which Truth is revealed and accepted. The purpose is communion with God and a realization of the Divine Presence. "Affirmative prayer opens our mentality to the flow of the great Universal Mind and we consciously receive what has been available to us all the time."

Christian Science

It is hard to separate Christian Science from the personality of Mary Baker Eddy. She was a very strong woman, who was convinced that she had a unique and personal revelation from God and that she was uniquely anointed by God to bring the "Truth of Christian Science" to the world.

She founded the movement in 1875 when she produced the first edition of Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures. She claimed that she discovered Christian Science when she was miraculously healed from a "near fatal injury," resulting from a fall upon the ice. She proclaimed that she healed herself by applying the Science of the Christ. We do know that four years prior in 1862, she became a student of Quimby and began to teach his methods. At first she had nothing but admiration for Quimby, but later claimed he was a "mere mesmerist" and that she alone had discovered the true "Christian Science."

What does Christian Science teach, and how does it differ from Science of Mind?

God is All

God isTr the "Great I Am." God is Life, Truth, Love and Mind. God is All in All. But one thing God is not, God is not matter, God is not disease, God is not death. He cannot be these things, because they are illusions of mortal mind. They don't exist.

Here we find the fundamental difference between Christian Science and the other New Thought teachings. Science of Mind, Unity and Divine Science teach that matter, the material world is real, but that it is not ultimate reality. It is simply Spirit vibrating at a lower level, which can be seen. Science of Mind does not deny the relative reality of evil, death, or disease, but claims that they are unnatural. Evil is the result of the mistaken identity of the soul. Death is merely a transition to a new life, and disease is a lower form of intelligence that has temporarily affected a higher form. Since we possess a higher form of intelligence, we can direct the lower form to leave our bodies, if we so choose. This is what Troward teaches. Or we can come into the conscious realization that we are spiritual beings occupying a physical body. When we align with the innate Wisdom within us, which is our pattern of perfection, thoughts of lack, limitation, separation, and evil disappear, and we manifest wholeness and perfect health.

Disease is the mistaken belief of mortal mind.

It is not real but appears to have reality because it is supported by mortal mind. The remedy is to come into true spiritual awareness by reading the Bible, reading Science and Health or by consulting a practitioner who will aid the patient in coming to the Truth.

The practitioner is first advised to take away the fear from the patient. They, then use a process called denial, whereby they call the disease by its name, deny its reality, and then, finally, affirm Spiritual Truth.

Science of Mind accepts the position of science that there are living organisms, lower life forms, which can cause disease. But, because "higher intelligence always controls lower intelligence if it chooses to do so," we can use Spiritual Mind Treatment to affirm the reality of our higher intelligence, and thus live in a consciousness where lower intelligence can not survive. Science of Mind also uses practitioners to help us come into the realization that we are spiritual beings. Because that realization knows only wholeness and perfect health, disease cannot exist in that consciousness.

Christian Science does not believe in medical health practitioners.

Because Christian Science does not believe matter is real, it does not believe in any medical practitioners who operate in materiality. Science of Mind believes that medical practitioners are extensions of divinity and may be used in conjunction with spiritual mind practitioners.

Divine revelation comes from Mary Baker Eddy, alone.

Christian Science teaches that the inspiration for the teaching comes through Mary Baker Eddy. In her book, Science and Health, she asserts, "It is divinely inspired and therefore contains divine truth." There is only one ordained pastor of Christian Science, Mary Baker Eddy. Everyone else is a reader. The church manual states that "nothing can be adopted, amended or annulled without the written consent of the leader Mary Baker Eddy." Since she is no longer present, nothing in Church doctrine can be changed. All local churches are simply branches of the "Mother Church" in Boston and all churches give the same approved lesson each week.

In contrast, Science of Mind is extremely democratic. It teaches that divine inspiration is available to all, and that local churches are independent and autonomous.

New Age

The term "New Age" is a very loose term that encompasses music, art, social and environmental groups, as well as numerous and diverse religious organizations. Upon close analysis, the terms is almost meaningless because to its critics, it includes the respected psychologist Abraham Maslow, authors Marilyn Ferguson, Deepak Chopra, and Wayne Dyer, the writings of Shirley MacLaine as well as the channeling by J.Z. Knight of the entity, Ramtha.

Within it are groups like Werner Erhard and EST, the Baghwan Rajneesh and L. Ron Hubbard's Scientology. Just about any religious movement that is not considered to be in Jewish or Christian mainstream is labeled New Age. It generally includes crystals and channeling, theosophy, Edgar Cayce and Spiritualism. Sometimes UFO's are thrown in and esoteric Astrology is added. For spice, the Wicca, Goddess religions, and Elizabeth Clare Prophet are mentioned. And we should not forget Creation Spirituality, Transpersonal Psychology, Quantum Physics, Vedanta, and Hare Krishna.

By now, we get the idea that the term "New Age" is really a useless label that tells us very little about a particular movement. One thing is sure: Science of Mind is not New Age.

Ted Peters, in his well-written book "The Cosmic Self," summarizes the "New Age" phenomenon and then concludes..."the new age movement is not merely one thing. It is a collection of a wide variety of groups and individuals, some sophisticated and some naive, some sincere and some charlatans, some who give us new ideas and some who merely revive outdated superstitions."

When studying a so-called "New Age" book or movement, we should ask the following questions:

Is the teaching consistent with unity or does it have dualistic aspects?
Does it teach the authority to interpret, understand, and experience Spirit lies within the consciousness of each individual or does it have a structure whereby someone is claiming a "special and unique pipeline to God"?
Does it believe in the goodness and love of God within humanity and proclaim that all negativity can be healed or does it contain elements of judgment?
Is it consistent with the truth teachings of the ages as outlined in these lessons or is it the aberrant philosophy of isolated individuals?

Spiritual Mind Treatment

I am a Unique and Special Individualization of Spirit

I am a unique and special individualization of Spirit. There is no one in the entire universe like me. Everyone is created out of the Essence of God, and everyone is created uniquely. I have special gifts and talents to give to the world that nobody else can give. The universe is eagerly waiting for me to reveal myself as a spiritual being, for me to reveal my joy and my love. I do not have to worry about competition or whether I am good enough. My job is to go to the center of my being and express, without seeking anything in return, knowing that my good has already been provided for. I am a unique and special individualization of Spirit. I give of myself joyfully and completely rejoicing in life.

Questions To Ponder

Why is Science of Mind considered "New Thought" but is not New Age?
What are the basic differences between Unity and Science of Mind?
What are the basic differences between Divine Science and Science of Mind?
What are the basic differences between Christian Science and Science of Mind?
Why is the term "New Age" a useless label?

Answers to Questions

Science of Mind is considered part of the "New Thought" movement because it traces its roots back to the mystical truth teachings of the ages. It specifically embraces Quimby as the Father of New Thought and recognizes the great influences of Emerson and Troward. New Age, on the other hand, is a conglomeration of diverse groups and organizations with no agreed upon foundation or central focal points. While Science of Mind may have some points in common with some of the so-called "New Age Movements," to link Science of Mind with New Age distorts our teaching.
The differences are minor because both teachings go back to Quimby as their source. Unity places a greater emphasis on the role of Jesus as the way shower for humanity. Science of Mind considers the teachings of Jesus as important, but also emphasizes other spiritual masters of the ages. Fillmore did not see the physical world as spiritual, but claimed it could become "spiritualized." Science of Mind sees the physical world as spiritual and as we change our consciousness we will come into the full realization of its spirituality.
There is very little difference between Science of Mind and Divine Science. Both of the teachings are traced back to Quimby. Science of Mind offers a more "step-by-step" approach with its teaching of spiritual mind treatment. Divine Science emphasizes realization of the "omnipresence" of God and receptivity to Truth. Science of Mind may appear to be a little more active and practical and Divine Science a little more passive and mystical, but at their depth, they teach the same Truth.
Christian Science is different from Science of Mind in three basic respects:
1. Christian Science believes that the physical world is not real. It is an illusion of mortal mind. Science of Mind believes that the physical world is real, but that it is a derived reality of Spirit, and that we may misperceive it at lower levels of consciousness.
2. Christian Science is authoritarian based on the unique revelation of one person. Science of Mind is democratic and claims that "God's voice" is available to all, if we would but listen.
3. Christian Science does not believe in seeking the services of medical practitioners because they deal in matter, which is illusion. Science of Mind sees medical practitioners as an extension of Spirit and matter as a lower vibratory rate of Spirit.
New Age is a useless label because it doesn't explain anything. It basically categorizes spiritual movements that are "out of the mainstream of traditional Judeo-Christian beliefs." So we don't learn anything by calling something "new age." We simply label it so we can categorize it, and not have to look at it. Each movement in the "New Age" needs to be looked at separately in order to determine if it has spiritual validity for the individual.

Science and The New Age Movement

Science of Mind is part of the New Thought Movement. It is not part of the New Age Movement

Science of Mind began with the consciousness of Ernest Holmes. He started the teaching in 1916 with his brother Fenwicke, but the Institute of Religious was not founded until 1927. By 1949 almost 70 churches had come into the movement. Ernest thought it would be a good idea to have a separate organization to handle church affairs while the Institute would continue to handle education. And so IARSC was born. This International Association of Religious Science Churches became Religious Science International in 1954.

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