What is New Thought?

The New Thought movement--not to be confused with New Age--is a more than century-old, practically oriented spirituality that promotes fullness of all aspects of living, through constructive thinking, meditating, and other ways of realizing the presence of God. New Thought includes Unity, Religious Science (Science of Mind), Divine Science, and other groups and individuals. It was recognized as "The Religion of Healthy-Mindedness" by William James in The Varieties of Religious Experience. New Thought involves habitual God--good--aligned mental self-discipline. It has no one creed, but has affinities to idealistic philosophical traditions of all ages and places. It is mostly Christian in background, but has become allied to various religions. New Thought continues to develop conceptually, educationally, and organizationally. Because New Thought affirms freedom of belief of each person, New Thoughters cover a broad range of theological positions, from traditional supernaturalistic theism (God largely outside the world) at one extreme, to pantheism (all is God) at the other, with the newer panentheism (all is IN God) as a centrist, mediating position, rapidly gaining supporters in many theological quarters. In common with most other religions and spiritualities, most forms of New Thought take for granted the existence of continuing substance; however, the Process New Thought represented by the Anderson and Whitehouse writings linked below accepts a process understanding recognizing experience, process, living quanta of energy, and the interactions of these many minds, as the nature of reality. This Process New Thought presents process, panentheism, and a personalism recognizing God as the supreme, not anthropomorphically conceived, person as essential to an adequate New Thought. The latest expression of process thinking within New Thought is Process Science of Mind. An earlier non-pantheistic interpretation of New Thought was advocated by Horatio W. Dresser.

1845

Mary Caroline Page is born on August 6 in Pagetown, Ohio. As a small girl she adopts the name Myrtle. She wants to be a schoolteacher when she grows up so that she can teach children to make the world a better place.

1854

Charles Sherlock Fillmore is born on August 22 in St. Cloud, Minnesota. He grows up curious about many things. He reads classic authors like Shakespeare, Tennyson, Emerson, and Lowell. He works hard as a printer's helper and later as a grocery clerk and in a bank. Then he moves to Texas and works with the railroad.

1874

Myrtle goes to Oberlin College in Ohio. She studies the "Literary Course for Ladies." The classes last only one year. During this period in history, women were not allowed to go to college for four years. After Myrtle graduates from college, she moves to Texas to be a schoolteacher.

1876-1885

Charles meets Myrtle in Texas, and they get married in 1881. In 1884 the Fillmores move to Kansas City, Missouri. Charles sells real estate.

1886-1888

Myrtle gets very sick. She thinks there is nothing she can do about it, because she has been sick since she was a little girl. Charles and Myrtle go to a class taught by Dr. Eugene B. Weeks. Myrtle leaves this talk with a stronger faith in God and a new way to pray. She says, "I am a child of God, and therefore I do not inherit sickness. "When she says this, she believes she is going to get better.

Within two years, Myrtle does get better. Her family and friends are excited, and they start praying too. Charles continues studying world religions and philosophies. He also studies the link between religion and science. Charles and Myrtle start writing about their beliefs, and shortly thereafter Unity is born.