Home blessings, blessings of the mail, and prayers for protection had relationship to Jewish and Roman Catholic sources, (p. Hinduism's emphasis on meditation fit well into Unity's patterns for enlightenment. Awareness of the astral and psychic manifestations harked back to spiritualism. Like traditional Christianity, it thought in terms of the art of deep and sincere worship. ![]() ![]() Like Rosicrucianism, it contemplated the idea of cosmic reality and Spirit's all-embracing principles. Like Theosophy, it speculated about reincarnation and held it as a hypothesis worthy of consideration. Unity, like Christian Science, puts major emphasis on spiritual steps to physical healing. Unity's emphasis on an inner light and spiritual interpretation of the sacraments reminded me of Quakerism. Unity, born in Truth and fostered in eclecticism, as Charles Fillmore openly admitted, 'has taken Truth from many sources, for Truth is one and universal.' Unity's awareness of Christ within would, if one wished, be traceable to the early Christian mystics, whether in the 'upper room' or whereever. Bach provides a descriptive overview of how beliefs from various world views mingle in the Unity philosophy: This viewpoint largely stems from the Fillmores' own eclectic religious background and their belief that Unity represents the best in all religions. Creeds have ever been the vampires that sucked the blood of spiritual progress in the past" (Bach, 1982, pp. In fact, Charles Fillmore once wrote that "He who writes a creed or puts a limit to revelation is the enemy of humanity. Nevertheless, the Fillmores remained committed to the idea that everyone must find truth for themselves, and that everyone need not agree with them. However, Unity clearly has not reached the hierarchical level of centralized authority that surrounds other movements, like Christian Science. 23-24).įurther evidence of boundary-setting is found in the formal requirements for ministerial ordination and the formation of the various associations as oversight organizations. Unity considers itself wholly Christian, with Jesus Christ as its true authority" (pp. According to Unity Minister Eric Butterworth (1965), "Perhaps the one distinction between the many organizations within the Truth movement of today and Unity is that Unity has centered its attention on interpreting and articulating the teachings of Jesus Christ. ![]() Unity places more emphasis on God and Christ than other New Thought organizations, which appeal more to the secular idea of optimism and the mind's ability to heal. After attending the 1905 INTA convention, Fillmore wrote, "So far as the Unity Society of Practical Christianity is concerned, we must candidly say that its teachings are widely different from those of the majority of New Thought doctrines, and we do not feel at home in the average gathering under that name, although we try to harmonize with all Truth seekers" (Freeman, 1965, p. For example, Unity broke away in 1905 from the International New Thought Alliance because Charles Fillmore felt that Unity's teachings were significantly different from other New Thought doctrines. Although the Fillmores attempted to remain as open as possible to other ideas and thoughts, they found that they did have to set boundaries on what the organization would support.
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