New Thought (Unity / Religious Science)
A cluster of American metaphysical movements that place mind, affirmative belief, and spiritual healing at the center of religious life, New Thought is best known through institutional branches such as Unity and Religious Science and through a wider cultural influence on self-help and spiritual healing practices.
Quick Facts
- Period
- 1801 - Present
- Region
- Americas
- Key Figures
- Charles Fillmore, Emma Curtis Hopkins, Ernest Holmes +3 more
Key Figures
Charles Fillmore
Co-founder of Unity
Unity School of Christianity/Unity movementCharles Fillmore (1854â1948) is recognized as a principal co-founder, along with his wife Myrtle, of Unity, one of the m...
Emma Curtis Hopkins
Teacher and Systematizer
Independent teacher; leader in Chicago/New York metaphysical circlesEmma Curtis Hopkins (1849â1925) is often called the "teacher of teachers" within New Thought history because of her role...
Ernest Holmes
Founder of Religious Science (Science of Mind)
Institute of Religious Science and School of Philosophy; Science of Mind movementErnest Holmes (1887â1960) is the author of The Science of Mind (first edition, 1926) and the formative organizer of the ...
Joel S. Goldsmith
Mystical teacher and founder of The Infinite Way
The Infinite Way movement/author and lecturerJoel S. Goldsmith (1892â1964) was an American spiritual teacher whose writings and lectures gave rise to The Infinite Wa...
Myrtle Fillmore
Co-founder and spiritual exemplar
Unity School of Christianity/Unity movementMyrtle Fillmore (1845â1931) is remembered within Unity history as a foundational figure whose life and testimony helped ...
Phineas Parkhurst Quimby
Early Practitioner/Influential Precursor
Independent mind-cure practitionerPhineas Parkhurst Quimby (1802â1866) is widely regarded by scholars as a seminal figure in the intellectual origins of N...
The Story
This narrative combines documented history with dramatized scenes for storytelling purposes.
Origins and Founding
The movement historians call New Thought emerges in the United States in the nineteenth century from a confluence of religious, medical, and intellectual curren...
Beliefs and Worldview
New Thought traditions articulate a family of beliefs that center mental causation, the immanence of the divine, and the efficacy of affirmative spiritual pract...
Practice and Ritual Life
The lived religiosity of New Thought is practical, often unornamented, and oriented toward interior transformation rather than elaborate ritual spectacle. Servi...
Authority and Transmission
New Thought's systems of authority are plural, often localized, and frequently decentralized. Unlike ecclesial traditions that ground authority in apostolic suc...
The Tradition Today
In the present day New Thought exists as an internally diverse and geographically dispersed family of religious and spiritual practices. Institutional descendan...
Timeline
Phineas Quimby begins public practice as a healer
**1836** â In the mid-1830s Phineas P. Quimby establishes himself in Portland, Maine and begins treating patients using techniques he associated with mesmerism and mind cure. His casebooks and notes, later preserved in archives, become important documentary sources for later metaphysical healers.
Death of Phineas Parkhurst Quimby
**1866** â Quimby's death marks the end of his direct practice; his manuscripts and notebooks circulate thereafter among a wider metaphysical community and become a touchstone in debates about the origins of New Thought.
Formation of early Unity publications and prayer ministries
**1880s** â Charles and Myrtle Fillmore begin publishing metaphysical tracts and establishing prayer groups in Kansas City in the 1880s and 1890s; these activities lead to the consolidation of Unity as a distinct organizational presence in American metaphysical religion.
Emma Curtis Hopkins trains a generation of metaphysical teachers
**1890s** â Hopkins teaches classes in Chicago and New York that produce numerous disciples who go on to found independent New Thought ministries and institutions, demonstrating the movement's emphasis on teacher transmission and practical pedagogy.
Periodicals and printed daily devotionals become widely circulated
**1924** â By the 1920s Unity and other New Thought groups are publishing daily devotionals and periodicalsâsuch as Unity's Daily Wordâwhich help to standardize devotional routines across geographically dispersed adherents.
Ernest Holmes publishes The Science of Mind
**1926** â Holmes's book articulates a systematic metaphysical philosophy and becomes a foundational text for Religious Science practitioners; it also catalyzes the formation of institutes and study centers.
Proliferation of independent New Thought teachers and radio/lecture circuits
**1930sâ1950s** â The mid-twentieth century sees the expansion of itinerant lecturers, radio broadcasts, and small independent ministries, which spread New Thought ideas beyond denominational structures.
Joel Goldsmith publishes The Infinite Way material
**1940s** â Goldsmith's lectures and essays circulate widely and influence a contemplative strand within New Thought that emphasizes silent communion with the indwelling Presence.
Death of Ernest Holmes
**1960** â Holmes's death leaves a consolidated body of texts and institutional structures (schools and centers) that continue to educate ministers and laity in Religious Science principles.
Institutional professionalization and ministerial credentialing
**Late 20th century** â Several New Thought organizations adopt formal ministerial training, ethical codes, and governance structures to adapt to changing legal and social expectations about religious organizations.
Organizational mergers and reconfigurations (e.g., Centers for Spiritual Living)
**2000** â Around the turn of the millennium, institutional reconfigurationsâmergers and new national organizationsâreshape the denominational landscape of Religious Science and allied groups, creating new administrative centers and networks.
Digital diffusion of New Thought practices
**Early 21st century** â Podcasts, streaming services, and online courses expand the reach of New Thought teaching, enabling transnational followings and blurring the line between institutional religion and commercial self-help.
Sources
- academic_bookA Republic of Mind and Spirit: A Cultural History of American Metaphysical Religion
Catherine L. Albanese, Yale University Press (2007). Broad cultural history situating New Thought within American metaphysical religion.
- academic_bookSpirits in Rebellion: The Rise and Development of New Thought
Charles S. Braden. Classic historical study of American metaphysical movements that includes discussion of early mind-cure practices.
- reference_workThe Encyclopedia of American Religions
J. Gordon Melton (editor). Standard reference with entries on Unity, Religious Science, and related movements.
- academic_bookThe Oxford Handbook of New Religious Movements
James R. Lewis (editor). Scholarly essays on various modern religious movements; useful comparative frameworks.
- primary_textThe Science of Mind
Ernest Holmes (1926). Foundational text for Religious Science; frequently cited within the movement.
- academic_bookSpiritual, But Not Religious: Understanding Unchurched America
Robert C. Fuller. Discusses the broader context of American spirituality, including New Thought influences on contemporary practice.
- encyclopedia_entryNew Thought
Encyclopaedia Britannica entry providing a concise overview and historical outline.
- archiveQuimby Papers and Notebooks (archival collections)
Collections of Phineas Parkhurst Quimby's notebooks and case notes, held in various archives and used by historians; documentary basis for early mind-cure practices.
- primary_textThe Infinite Way
Writings and lectures of Joel S. Goldsmith. Primary source for Goldsmith's contemplative stream within New Thought.
Explore Related Archives
The creeds documented here connect to the broader record. Explore the context through our sister archives.
