Whether or not you’ve heard the term “New Thought,” you may have encountered New Thought principles. It seems to be pervasive.
In this article I’m going to take a look at what “New Thought” claims to be, where it came from, and how it has risen in prominence in our cultural mindset. It has even slithered into areas of Catholic thought.
The Man Behind New Thought
The origins of the New Thought movement are typically traced back to Phineas Parker Quimby (1802-1866) who was, by turns, an inventor, mesmerist (make of that what you will) and healer (though not medically trained). Here are some key biographical notes written by his son, George Quimby:
“Was he a religious man? In one of his articles he says, “I have been trying all my life, ever since I was old enough to listen, to understand the religious opinions of the world, and see if people understand what they profess to believe.” Not finding spiritual wisdom, he was inclined to be skeptical, and later spent much time setting his patients free from religious beliefs… But if to believe profoundly in the indwelling presence of God as love and wisdom, if to live by this Presence so as to realize its reality vividly in the practice of spiritual healing, is to be religious, then indeed few men have been more truly religious than he.
“Jesus was to him a reformer who had overcome all his religion before beginning to establish “the Truth, or Christ.” Quimby was very radical in opposing doctrinal conceptions of Christ. He uniformly called Jesus “a man like ourselves,” that he might win for the Master new recognition as the founder of spiritual science. To him “the Science of the Christ” was greater than a religion.”
Transcendentalism and Ralph Waldo Emerson, in particular strongly influenced New Thought. New Thought, in turn, was influential in the life of Mary Baker Eddy, who was a patient of Quimby’s, and the founder of the religious denomination called Christian Science.
New Thought Beliefs
While New Thought beliefs are rooted in Christianity, it is actually a stew of Transcendentalism, eastern mysticism, and scientism. A hodge podge of other philosophies, metaphysics, and spiritualties add seasoning to the stew.
In 1914 the New Thought Alliance was formed and promulgated a Declaration of Principles. You can read the ten principles for yourself. The declaration proclaims, in short, that God is an “infinite being, spirit, ultimate reality.” It also says we can align ourselves with the spiritual law so that we can “heal, prosper and harmonize.” And, of course, we are evolving, and so New Thought reserves the right to “refine our beliefs accordingly.”
When you read those ten principles one or more of the following may come to mind – “spiritual but not religious,” the “health and wealth gospel,” the “New Age,” the “cult of Oprah,” and more than one homily delivered from some Catholic pulpits.
Keep in mind, however, that it’s a mistake to confuse New Thought with New Age. New Thought focuses on the power of positive thinking – “change your thinking, change your life.” New Age engages more directly in the occult (e.g. tarot, reiki, and astral projection).
Other implicit New Thought themes are oneness (picture those “Coexist” bumper stickers and you’re right on point) and that humanity is inherently good. New Thought says there was no “fall of man” and no original sin.
New Thought in Practice
The main New Thought “movements” are the Centers for Spiritual Living movement and the Unity movement. There are, however, many other independent initiatives, loosely coordinated through the Affiliated New Thought Network.
There are also no published estimates of the number of practicing New Thought members. Centers for Spiritual Living, the largest movement, claims to have 400 spiritual communities.
But the reach of New Thought principles extends far beyond the formal New Thought movements. Examples of New Thought figures in popular culture are Eckhart Tolle, Deepak Chopra, Tim Ferris, Gabor Mate and Rhonda Byrne.
The Law of Attraction and Manifesting
The 1956 recording by Earl Nightingale “The Strangest Secret” is an example of New Thought gone viral. “Strangest Secret” sold over one million recordings and was released as a book in 1968. It presents the concept of the power of positive visualization of a goal. But it goes on to propose there is essentially a law that if you work toward that “seed in your mind” it will absolutely become a reality. In fact, Nightingale asserts, “It not only will, there’s no way that it cannot. You see, that’s a law.” He then equates this law with the laws of Sir Isaac Newton and gravity.
In our current day, this idea of bringing our thoughts to reality by tapping into some nebulous universal law is, without much meaningful distinction, referred to as either “manifesting“ or the “law of attraction” or “the Secret.” Catholic Answers apologist Jimmy Akin provides a tidy analysis of this kind of thinking. He summarizes that goals and positive thinking are fine, but mixing them with loosely formed practices of invoking supernatural powers is a risky path to travel.
New Thought and Universalism
New Thought is an embarrassment of heretical riches. It is Pantheism (god is the universe and the universe is god), Gnosticism (spirit is good, body is bad), Pelagianism (we’re in control), really just about all of the “isms” rolled into one.
But worst of all is the Christian-centric Universalism. New Thought is heavily steeped in the New Testament and teachings of Jesus, but it sees Christianity as just one way among many. It also sees Jesus as one spiritual guide among a crowded field of gurus.
New Thought enjoys the burnish of Christianity but has no real need or commitment to it. In New Thought everyone advances spiritually along whatever path they choose.
Examples
Here are some examples from Dr. Roger Teel of the Mile Hi church (part of the Centers for Spiritual Living):
“… all thought unfolds through a law in a creative medium, such that thoughts become things. And so we have the opportunity to shape our personal universe through the work we do within ourselves”
“So the interesting thing about New Thought is that we hold that we live, move and have our being in God.”
“So we hold that Jesus was the great example. . . . while we definitely believe that we are teaching the principles that Jesus invited us to embrace, we don’t always agree with all of the other dogma and doctrine of traditional Christianity.”
“We also don’t teach that there is an entity that is the devil or Satan… We believe that the evil that humankind perpetuates comes out of ignorance and fear.”
“And I think another thing that we’re capable of doing in New Thought is realizing that, ultimately, it’s like paths around a mountain. If you visualize a mountain and there are many paths ascending…at the base of the mountain it looks like they’re so different, so far apart. But the more you walk them, and explore them, it’s as though they converge, and they converge at the center, at the top.”
Jesus – Take Him or Leave Him
Rod Serling (of Twilight Zone fame) was an active Unitarian (closely aligned with New Thought). In 1964 he delivered a speech on the topic of racism, that’s been making the rounds recently. It is an illuminating example of the attraction, and pitfalls, of New Thought.
Mr. Serling observes, “a little of man’s awareness has shown itself. A little of his essential decency, his basic goodness, his preeminent dignity has been made a matter of record. There’ll be moments of violence and expressions of hatred, an ugly echo of intolerance. But these are the clinging vestiges of a decade past not the harbingers of a better cleaner future. … We prove it by affirming our faith. We prove it by having faith in our affirmations.”
Those are pleasant and optimistic sentiments, well aligned with New Thought principles. And they are blissfully devoid of Christian reality.
Mr. Serling ignores the fallen state of man and need for redemption. Since there’s no need for redemption, there’s no need for a Redeemer. Note that there’s not a single mention of God in the speech. Instead of faith in God we will progress to a bright future by “faith in our affirmations.”
And so New Thought is the perfect spirituality for a culture obsessed with D.I.E. (diversity, inclusion and equity). New Thought is expansive enough to embrace all things except the absolute necessity of God’s grace. Nor does it embrace the objective truth of the God-given Natural Law, a healthy distrust for the “spirit of the world,” and a sober understanding of our individual brokenness.
Echoes of New Thought
Now that you’re more attuned to the New Thought tag lines, listen closely and you’ll hear them echo in the words of some prominent Catholic leaders. That’s when it’s time to do something decidedly un-New-Thoughty. Pray for them to the One True God and sacrifice for them.
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Dear Papist –
Irony is a handy rhetorical device. Do you write columns anywhere? If so – please link. If not, you should – it would be illuminating.
Your comment hits the nail on the head in that New Thought “is here to stay.” That’s actually a key point of the article – NT is little more than the same tired old heresies warmed over and gussied up. And yes – it will be with us until the end of time. As Christ himself asked, “When the Son of man returns, will He find faith on earth?” Whatever else He finds, He will certainly encounter quite a bit of New Thought.
When Christ returns, He will return as the same Jesus who founded the Catholic Church. He will not be vishnu, or buddha, or mother earth. And He will return bearing the wounds he suffered for each of us.
Please read the paragraphs below from the CCC (better yet, all of sections 836-856) and tell me what you disagree with and why.
More importantly – recognize that you have been privileged to have been introduced to Christ and His One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church. You are called to defend and proclaim that truth.
Blessings – Steve
843 The Catholic Church recognizes in other religions that search, among shadows and images, for the God who is unknown yet near since he gives life and breath and all things and wants all men to be saved. Thus, the Church considers all goodness and truth found in these religions as “a preparation for the Gospel and given by him who enlightens all men that they may at length have life.”
844 In their religious behavior, however, men also display the limits and errors that disfigure the image of God in them:
Very often, deceived by the Evil One, men have become vain in their reasonings, and have exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and served the creature rather than the Creator. Or else, living and dying in this world without God, they are exposed to ultimate despair.
846 How are we to understand this affirmation, often repeated by the Church Fathers?335 Re-formulated positively, it means that all salvation comes from Christ the Head through the Church which is his Body:
Basing itself on Scripture and Tradition, the Council teaches that the Church, a pilgrim now on earth, is necessary for salvation: the one Christ is the mediator and the way of salvation; he is present to us in his body which is the Church. He himself explicitly asserted the necessity of faith and Baptism, and thereby affirmed at the same time the necessity of the Church which men enter through Baptism as through a door. Hence they could not be saved who, knowing that the Catholic Church was founded as necessary by God through Christ, would refuse either to enter it or to remain in it.
847 This affirmation is not aimed at those who, through no fault of their own, do not know Christ and his Church:
Those who, through no fault of their own, do not know the Gospel of Christ or his Church, but who nevertheless seek God with a sincere heart, and, moved by grace, try in their actions to do his will as they know it through the dictates of their conscience – those too may achieve eternal salvation.
848 “Although in ways known to himself God can lead those who, through no fault of their own, are ignorant of the Gospel, to that faith without which it is impossible to please him, the Church still has the obligation and also the sacred right to evangelize all men.”
There is a connection between this post and the previous one on whether unbaptised infants go to Heaven.
I’m reminded of a trashy bestseller from 1957, “The World of Suzy Wong”, later made into a movie. American artist in Hong Kong gets involved with a young native prostitute who had a child with a white man who disowned her. She lives in a ramshackle house destroyed by an earthquake and fire in which the baby dies. As she puts the (unbaptised) child on the funeral pyre, per the Buddhist custom, he gives her a “letter of introduction” as to the goodness of the baby. She puts it on the pyre to be burned with the child, so that the child will be welcome wherever he goes.
Thanks for the kudos, Steve. Been blogging along with CS columnists almost since its inception as I find all the questions that need to be asked, discussed, explained and refuted will channel through this site. I do have a history of literary experience: columnist, contributor at large and 15 minutes of fame that means the world to me. Theology is the final frontier, the most profound subject humanity cam expound. With 12 years of parochial school under Jesuit influence and graduating in time to revel in the boomer generational saga where my faith soared along with the spirit of Vat 2. I sincerely believe that new thought will change the CC from within. If I were the pope this is what I’d do as top theologian. First, declare reincarnation is real. It would PAUSE the world and a hundred million new followers would join the CC. It is madness to think that Original sin commissioned The Cross. Jesus died to show (all of us) the WAY. Period. I remember as a kid being compelled to say as a Good Friday responsorial “Crucify Him, crucify him” and I shuddered to think I did. As if a child would ever, even think that in his wildest moments. Imagine going to 21st century Germany and asking them to say “To the ovens, to the ovens with those Jews.”
Speaking of which, give the Jewish people back their religion. Christ has died, risen and will come again has no need of history that drifts off into mist and myth. If the CC is so insecure that it must needlessly drag a separate faith into its own orbit to redundantly point out and claim righteousness, then it should reread Luke 18:9 because it is they the parable is addressing. As a thought experiment YOU tell me what effect it would have if the CC stopped all references to the OT ? More importantly, how would those of the Jewish faith respond ? I believe these two acts would cause an evangelization that would fill the pews, if only to hear more. I do believe in the real Presence but don’t ask everyone to believe in their heart something that requires profound understanding and faith. Benedict was right, learn to be a small tight nit community of faithful and let the world turn without you. So, thank you for the vote of confidence. , I’m sure I’ve said enough.
Fortunately most of us agree with Serling that humans are by nature decent and good-hearted. To believe otherwise makes one a bad citizen, a bad spouse, and most damagingly, a bad parent.
Dear Capt –
It is laudable to seek and nurture the best in others. That is part of the virtue of Charity. It is also part of charity to recognize the reality of our wounded nature. Please consider the sections of the CCC below and tell me which you take issue with (especially the last sentence of 407).
Blessings – Steve
403 Following St. Paul, the Church has always taught that the overwhelming misery which oppresses men and their inclination towards evil and death cannot be understood apart from their connection with Adam’s sin and the fact that he has transmitted to us a sin with which we are all born afflicted, a sin which is the “death of the soul”. Because of this certainty of faith, the Church baptizes for the remission of sins even tiny infants who have not committed personal sin.
405 Although it is proper to each individual, original sin does not have the character of a personal fault in any of Adam’s descendants. It is a deprivation of original holiness and justice, but human nature has not been totally corrupted: it is wounded in the natural powers proper to it, subject to ignorance, suffering and the dominion of death, and inclined to sin – an inclination to evil that is called concupiscence”. Baptism, by imparting the life of Christ’s grace, erases original sin and turns a man back towards God, but the consequences for nature, weakened and inclined to evil, persist in man and summon him to spiritual battle.
407 The doctrine of original sin, closely connected with that of redemption by Christ, provides lucid discernment of man’s situation and activity in the world. By our first parents’ sin, the devil has acquired a certain domination over man, even though man remains free. Original sin entails “captivity under the power of him who thenceforth had the power of death, that is, the devil”. Ignorance of the fact that man has a wounded nature inclined to evil gives rise to serious errors in the areas of education, politics, social action and morals.
The more acute observations of Freud (as to defense mechanisms) and Skinner (as to the contingencies of reinforcement of the environment) are preferable to the traditional Catholic view of supernatural forces acting upon us for good or for evil.
It is also a much better mother who will to try to protect her baby from the evil on the outside (the modern view) than from evil on the inside (the Catholic view).
Capt –
You didn’t directly answer your specifics objections to the citations from Catechism, the “sure norm” of the Catholic faith.
I’ll take Christ (and the Saints, and spiritual masters, etc) over Freud and Skinner any day.
To wit, and regarding your comment that “It is also a much better mother who will to try to protect her baby from the evil on the outside (the modern view) than from evil on the inside (the Catholic view).” Aside from your implied (and false) straw man that Catholics don’t care about the corporeal works of mercy, I maintain with Christ that the interior is of primary concern – “And do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather, be afraid of the one who can destroy both soul and body in Gehenna.”
Blessings – Steve
Wow ! That was an extraordinary summation, Steve. I am impressed. What you may not
realize is that its a powerful plug FOR New Thought, which, is here to stay.
Dear Papist –
I appreciate you sharing some details of your background. We are certainly a ways apart – but at least we’re conversing, as it were.
You didn’t answer my question directly – regarding the CCC. I take it that you are indirectly saying you prefer your version of the faith over the true Faith that has been proclaimed through the ages and memorialized in the Catechism.
You asked me for a thought experiment – “YOU tell me what effect it would have if the CC stopped all references to the OT”
I can tell you exactly what would happen – if we forget the lessons of the OT we will have a large portion of the Church careen off the narrow path and adopt floundering heresies that appease the spirit of the fallen world with cheap grace.
Hmmmm.
The story of the Old Testament is the key to the New. The Israelites were supposed to be the light of the world. They were supposed to CONVERT the pagan world – not give themselves over to it. Why did they fail? Because we are all fallen. The OT teaches us ALL the important lesson that we are incapable of conversion on our own (again, because we are fallen) – we need a Redeemer. And that is why Christ came and then gave his disciples (all of us in the Church) the great Commissioning – “go therefore and make disciples of ALL the nations.”
When Pope Benedict made the statement that the Church must become small – he meant it would be become small because, in fact, only a relatively small number of people who actually believe and live the true Catholic faith – as opposed to trying to fit in with the New Thought crowd or whoever else – which is the OT errors all over again. It will be that small but vibrant Church that will then have the power to go out and make disciples of ALL nations (rather than letting “the world turn without us” as you say).
Yours in Christ –
Steve