New Thought Or A Modern Religious Approach

The renowned historian examines the evolution of the New Thought Movement from its eighteenth-century European roots to twentieth-century America. In this enlightening study, Martin A. Larson presents New Thought as a rebellion against the conventional dogmas of Western religion. He begins with an in-depth look at the work of Emanuel Swedenborg, the philosopher and Christian mystic who was compelled to publish his theological writing anonymously outside his native Sweden. In the United States, however, the Shakers and their predecessors were able to avoid persecution despite setting forth a complete repudiation of traditional Christian doctrine. They achieved this by accepting the Bible as divine revelation while denying its literal meaning. Through the process of Spiritual Interpretation, they supplanted orthodox religion with a totally new system of faith and belief. This work is dedicated to all those seeking truth in a religion that meets the needs of modern life. The author pays special tribute to such forerunners as Michael Servetus, Emanuel Swedenborg, Phineas Quimby, Warren Felt Evans, Horatio W. Dresser, Ralph Waldo Trine, Emma Curtis Hopkins, Charles Fillmore, Ernest S. Holmes, Thomas Troward, Joseph Murphy, and a host of others who have contributed to the movement known as New Thought, a philosophy of health, happiness, and prosperity.

Thousands of people constantly ask three questions: What is the new thought? How is it different from orthodox religions? What is the line of divergence between new Christian thought and science? The purpose of this volume is to respond to these questions. The message of Abel Allen's new thought is a revolutionary book that will help you discover the power of thought and how you can transform your life into all aspects. Written by the renowned writer and expert in personal development, Abel Allen, this book is an essential guide for anyone who wishes to improve their life and reach their goals. Explain with all kinds of detail what is the concept of new thought, with biblical quotes and also world -renowned writers such as Emmerson or Walt Whitman The book begins with an introduction that will help you understand how thought can change your life. Then, Allen takes you through examples and data to help you develop a mentality with a correct thought. One of the most interesting aspects of the book is that Allen offers a variety of examples and testimonies of people who have applied the principles of positive thinking in their own lives and have experienced surprising results. The book is written in a simple and easy to follow, which makes it ideal for both beginners and for those who already have experience in personal development or in the field of metaphysics and religion. In addition, it is full of practical advice and exercises that you can start applying immediately in your daily life. If you are looking for a personal development book that really helps you understand the divine and the earthly, this book is authentic, the best book you can read about what would constitute a rational Christianity. You will find a set of ideas in the message of the new thought in which it is the most compatible between what we know about science and God at this time. In summary, the message of Abel Allen's new thought is an essential book for anyone looking to have a deeper knowledge of the new thought and the impact it has on people's lives. The message of Abel Allen's new thought is the perfect choice for any honest seeker of the divine.

First published in 1902, William James's Varieties of Religious Experience is considered a classic in religious studies and the psychology of religion. But how has James's classic study weathered decades of development in psychology and behavioral sciences? Do the assertions about religious experience in the Varieties still ring true in light of neuro-cognitive and neuro-hormonal research, resiliency studies, studies of temperament, and traumatic studies? By extending William James's own research throughout the century since its publication this volume seeks to answer those questions. In doing so, it revolutionizes our understanding of James's own view of psychology and reveals the extraordinary value of James's perspective for religion, psychology, and spirituality today. In doing so, it offers vital insights for pastoral care and faith development at both the individual and congregational level. From the Introduction by James Fowler: Drawing on the authenticity of her own experience, Bridgers carries us into a remarkably clear and well documented account that traces William James's evolution as a psychologist, philosopher, and a deeply engaged inquirer into the dynamics of spiritual development and transformation... This book has a major contribution to make. Bridgers's study illumines the horizons of contemporary research in the study of religious experience, in all its varieties, and in the context of globalization.

DigiCat Publishing presents to you this special edition of "Modern Religious Cults and Movements" by Gaius Glenn Atkins. DigiCat Publishing considers every written word to be a legacy of humankind. Every DigiCat book has been carefully reproduced for republishing in a new modern format. The books are available in print, as well as ebooks. DigiCat hopes you will treat this work with the acknowledgment and passion it deserves as a classic of world literature.

How did an African-American man born in a ghetto in 1879 rise to such religious prominence that his followers addressed letters to him simply "God, Harlem U.S.A."? Using hitherto unknown materials, Jill Watts portrays the life and career of one of the twentieth century's most intriguing religious leaders, Father Divine. Starting as an itinerant preacher, Father Divine built an unprecedented movement that by the 1930s had attracted followers across the nation and around the world. As his ministry grew, so did the controversy surrounding his enormous wealth, flamboyant style, and committed "angels"—black and white, rich and poor alike. Here for the first time a full account of Father Divine's childhood and early years challenges previous contentions that he was born into a sharecropping family in the deep South. While earlier biographers have concentrated on Father Divine's social and economic programs, Watts focuses on his theology, which gives new meaning to secular activities that often appeared contradictory. Although much has been written about Father Divine, God, Harlem U.S.A. finally provides a balanced and intimate account of his life's work.

Contrary to popular thought, New Age spirituality did not suddenly appear in American life in the 1970s and '80s. In American Feminism and the Birth of New Age Spirituality, Catherine Tumber demonstrates that the New Age movement first flourished more than a century ago during the Gilded Age under the mantle of 'New Thought.' Based largely on research in popular journals, self-help manuals, newspaper accounts, and archival collections, American Feminism and the Birth of New Age Spirituality explores the contours of the New Thought movement. Through the lives of well-known figures such as Mary Baker Eddy, Madame Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, and Edward Bellamy as well as through more obscure, but more representative 'New Thoughters' such as Abby Morton Diaz, Emma Curtis Hopkins, Ursula Gestefeld, Lilian Whiting, Sarah Farmer, and Elizabeth Towne, Tumber examines the historical conditions that gave rise to New Thought. She pays close attention to the ways in which feminism became grafted, with varying degrees of success, to emergent forms of liberal culture in the late nineteenth century—progressive politics, the Social Gospel, humanist psychotherapy, bohemian subculture, and mass market journalism. American Feminism and the Birth of New Age Spirituality questions the value of the new age movement—then and now—to the pursuit of women's rights and democratic renewal.

Be faithful in your giving and God will reward you financially. It's not always stated that blatantly but the promises of the Prosperity Gospel--or the name-it-and-claim-it gospel, the health-and-wealth gospel, the word of faith movement, or positive confession theology--are false. Yet its message permeates the preaching of well-known Christian leaders: Joyce Meyer, T. D. Jakes, Joel Osteen, Creflo Dollar, Kenneth and Gloria Copeland, and many more. The appeal of this teaching crosses racial, gender, denominational, and international boundaries. Why are otherwise faithful Christians so easily led astray? Because the Prosperity Gospel contains a grain of biblical truth, greatly distorted. For anyone who knows that Prosperity Gospel theology is wrong but has trouble articulating and refuting the finer points, this concise edition contains all the robust arguments of the hard-hitting original edition in a shorter, more accessible form.

This volume approaches the Word of Faith as a worldview, and analyses the movement through N. T. Wright's model for worldview-analysis in order to provide necessary nuance and complexity to scholarly interpretations of the Word of Faith. The reader receives insights into the movement's narrative, semiotic, practical and propositional dimensions, which cumulatively offer a multifaceted understanding of how the Word of Faith interprets reality and engages with the world. The analysis shows that there is a narrative core to Word of Faith beliefs in the form of a unique theological story with focus set on the present restoration of Eden's authority and blessings. This study demonstrates how the Word of Faith operates as a distinct worldview that parses the world through the lens of faith's causative power to affect a direct correspondence between present reality and Eden's perfection. The findings advance a critical and therapeutic approach that acknowledges how the worldview both strengthens and subverts Pentecostalism.