What is Religious Science?

"THE SCIENCE OF MIND"

Ernest Holmes is the founder of Religious Science, which began in America in the early part of the 20th century. He considered it a synthesis of Eastern and Western spiritual teachings, and philosophy, psychology and science. Not of all of it by any means, but of what his lifelong pursuit of knowledge brought to him. He developed a study he called The Science of Mind that included his synthesis plus definite ideas and instructions on the creative nature of Mind and how to work with one's own mind so as to experience what is desirable in life.

The book, "The Science of Mind" is the chief text book of the study. Holmes did not initially consider his work to be a religion, but more of a philosophical study. He felt that any person of any religion could benefit from studying and applying The Science of Mind. Over time Holmes developed a strong mystical sense of unity with what he sometimes called First Cause. He also used terms such as God, Spirit, Infinite Mind, or The Creative Principle. He realized this Principle (by whatever name) as being Omnipresent, Omniscient, Omnipotent and Omniactive. He did recognize his teaching as one that connected people, in consciousness, with their source and that calling it a religion was not inaccurate. As a study of what is beyond or behind all expressed life or form it is called a metaphysical study and/or metaphysical religion. Many of the people who had become leaders in this new spiritual movement desired to have it recognized as a religion and ultimately this is what happened and the centers of teaching were designated as churches.

Religious Science views the Universe as Consciousness, or Infinite Mind expressing itself in and as all creation. This Consciousness is, as noted previously Omnipresent, Omniscient, Omnipotent and Omniactive. Another way of saying this is that God or Spirit or whatever is chosen as a name is everywhere at all times and is all knowing intelligence and is the one and only power and is always in business being itself.

Humans are thought of as being centers of self-awareness within this Consciousness. The Bible statement that we were created "in the image and likeness of God" is taken literally. It is considered that this Consciousness is the creating, maintaining and sustaining Principle of all that there is, invisible and visible. It is considered that It created all form through an action of choice within Itself.

Spirit thought Itself into form through the actions of initiative and selection. This thought was elaborated by Judge Thomas Troward and influenced the thinking of Ernest Holmes. Because we are It as us, our life forms are created through the action of our own thought and we experience the dominant state of our own consciousness.

Consciousness is more than surface thought; it is a combination of thought and feeling. "As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he." This teaching puts full responsibility for an individual's life within him or her, as each person experiences the dominant state of their own mind. As thought, or deeply held belief, is changed, the circumstances of the individual change. Without a change in consciousness there is no real change in experience and often not even in outer circumstance. Religious Science teaches that there is only one power, God or Consciousness. It works on a conscious (choosing) level and subjective or sometimes called subconscious (accepting and creating) level.

There is thought to be a Law of Mind whereby what is known in Mind produces a corresponding effect in the emotions, body, and world of effects of an individual. The vast subconscious area of Mind is often thought of as acting to mirror back to an individual his states of thought/feeling. We are all considered as part of this One Mind, all using it individually as we are individualizations of it. Because we are connected, actually are the same "life stuff" we are in a communion that is indissoluble

.

We often communicate without words; and this ability can be developed. We teach a specific way of thinking to align ourselves with the Creative Principle, or God, so as to have our consciousness be a way that the innate perfection, order, harmony, beauty, love, life, intelligence etc. of this Principle may be revealed in our experience or as the life of another for whom we may be doing this kind of thinking. We call this way of ordering our minds Spiritual Mind Treatment. Sometimes we call it Scientific Prayer. It is not done to change God, but to change the thinking of the individual, or clear the thinking of the individual so as to allow the expression of the inner invisible good. It is not to make something happen, but to allow good to happen. It is also called Affirmative Prayer. There is nothing of pleading in it; it is a recognition of the Presence of God (or good) and an identifying with it. Then, there is a choice for the experience of good and an inner coming into the spirit of the good, a knowing of it already accomplished at the causative level and a gratefulness and then a release of concern as to how it shall take place. The individual may be guided into appropriate action, or may be a beholder of the expression of what is innate within himself.

Because we are all of the same substance and are part of the same Mind, a person may do Treatment for another. Truth known by anyone for the benefit of another who is in deep agreement to accept a good allows the revealing of God or good in the other person's experience. This is simply because a choice for good within Mind (which is really an action of Love) works through an inherent creative Law to produce some form of what is accepted. Because we know that we experience what we think, a person who understands Religious Science becomes increasingly free of resentment and or guilt.

We all have beliefs that do not serve us, as they are based on a false idea of who and what we are, and on the effects of those beliefs. We think of people as being ignorant of truth, but not as being sinners, or bad. We think of forgiveness as not only not condemning another or oneself, but of now knowing a Truth that replaces an error so a person is literally a new being having a new experience. For me, Religious Science is wonderfully freeing as well as very demanding. Knowing that God really is present as every individual leads to a great respect for and care for all people. I personally feel my role as a person is to know myself truly, know myself as I am known in the Mind that created me, and to reveal God, or the goodness of being through my thoughts, words and actions. As a minister I think of myself as an individual knowing what is true of others and providing an environment for self- discovery and encouragement and unconditional love.

by Rev. Nancy A. Anderson, Minister North San Diego County Church of Religious Science

March 7, 1994 Copyright 1994 by Rev. Nancy Anderson. Permission is granted for free distribution of complete 9718 byte file by electronic means. Publication by printed media is reserved by the author, Nancy Anderson.

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