I am proud to be a Religious Scientist.
I am proud to be part of a 100 year old philosophy, faith and way of life.
I am proud to be part of a 180+ year movement of New Thought and mental science, taking the Ancient/Ageless Wisdom of Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism and many other isms, along with the teachings of Yeshua, Moses, Plato, the Bhagavad Gita, the Vedas, the Tao, the Apanishads, and so many more and melding all that with the advances in quantum physics and consciousness sciences.
In his book, The Science of Mind, Ernest Holmes stated "Religious Science is a correlation of laws of science, opinions of philosophy, and revelations of religion applied to human needs and the aspirations of man." He also stated that Religious Science/Science of Mind is not based on any "authority" of established beliefs, but rather on "what it can accomplish" for the people who practice it. Whether I and others in this Movement are speaking, writing or teaching this philosophy, the idea is to always state how to think in order to manifest one's greatest good, not what to think in order to receive favor from a Santa Claus version of the Divine. There is no favor to receive, it is always there as a birthright to each of us. It is a power for Good (unconditional Love) and we get to decide what that good (the experience) looks like.
It was 100 years ago this year that Dr. Holmes wrote his first book....
In CREATIVE MIND, Dr. Holmes laid out the basic tenets of the Religious Science philosophy. He wrote about who, what and why we are; stating that "Spirit is the first cause in the creative Universe" - call It God, Father/Mother, Divine Intelligence, the Power, the Force, the Big Bang, the Genesis, whichever (God doesn't care) - and that "Man is the outcome of the desire of that Spirit to make something which expresses the same life that It feels." Here, I would refer you to the Burning Bush in the Old Testament's Exodus describing Itself as the "ehyeh asher ehyeh", the "I Am that I AM." Basically, Dr. Holmes was saying that there is One Mind and we are an individualization of that Mind, a personification of that Universal Power, call It what you may. Or as it says in the Gospels, "the Kingdom of Heaven is within."
In the book we are celebrating this year, Ernest Holmes also stated the concept of "The Law of Life is always with us and for us." Speaking here about the Law of Cause and Effect or the Law of Attraction or Correspondence, etc. He pronounced the Law's function at the beginning of every broadcast of his radio show or as he began his television show...
And we are using it right now!
That was during the last 100 years and many other books and periodicals, blogs and lectures from various New Thought and transformational leaders have taught and inspired us from those same or similar ideas that Dr. Holmes and others of his time wrote about.
But what about the next 100 years?
One of Holmes's most passionate beliefs was that our teaching should stay "open at the top" to new insights. He stated that "nothing in our teaching is cast in stone." He even wrote about the idea that if in 100 years you are still depending on the Science of Mind book, you didn't get it. He didn't state that to discount his work or that of any of the New Thought and Ageless Wisdom writings. He wanted us to keep progressing through his teachings, those of the Ancient/Ageless Wisdom and what is now considered the beginnings of the New Thought Movement (i.e. Ralph Waldo Emerson and the Transcendentalists, Phineas Quimby and mental healing, Thomas Troward's clear and concise writing on the metaphysical mysticism of mental science, Emma Curtis Hopkins' open at the top perspective and teaching of "High Mysticism" and "Scientific Christian Mental Practice" to the 20th centuries' new thought leaders, and several others) to the point where science and metaphysics met and beyond. Dr. Holmes stated:Whenever you find truth, it belongs to everybody. You can't patent or copyright it. Truth isn't a product of our thinking. It exists. You must have faith and confidence in your own interpretation of God, man and the universe.February was Black History Month. Last Sunday, on February 25th, I read of a man, who on that date in 1870, using his strengths as one of faith and confidence, began to share his wisdom and position in the advancement of not only the rights and dignity of the African American people, but for all, and in a way that was never before done or even allowed. His name was Hiram Rhodes Revels. He was a Mississippi Republican and also a minister of the AME Church. On that day in 1870, Rev. Revels took the oath of office as the 1st African American Senator of the U. S. Congress.
It wasn't easy for Revels. His credentials arrived in the Senate on February 23rd and was immediately blocked by a few Democrats who had no desire to see a black man serve in Congress. They argued that Revels had not been a U.S. citizen for the required nine years as black Americans became citizens with the passage of the 1866 Civil Rights Act, just four years earlier. Revels was born a freeman and his supporters dismissed that statement, pointing out that he had been a voter many years earlier in Ohio. When it came to the vote, the Senate voted 48 to 8 to seat Revels.
Republican Senator Charles Sumner of Massachusetts sized up the importance of the moment as he roared, "All men are created equal, says the great Declaration, and now a great act attests this verity. Today we make the Declaration a reality. The Declaration was only half established by Independence. The greatest duty remained behind. In assuring the equal rights of all, we complete the work."
Senator Revels only served for a year or so, however he was the forerunner of the ex-slave Blanche K. Bruce serving six years starting in 1874, Edward Brooke (R-Mass) who served two senatorial terms from 1967-1979, Carol Moseley Braun (D-IL), President Barack Obama, and six others including, most recently, California's Kamala Harris, and, as well, over 140 in the House of Representatives.
A preacher, educator, administrator, Senator, former Republican (he later left party), Revels was the embodiment, the flesh and blood of the 15th amendment, which stated...
The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude....and, as well, the second paragraph of the Declaration of Independence, which read...
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.We, as Religious Scientists, are the embodiment of the Science of Mind and Spirit. We are the flesh and blood of the next 100 years of this philosophy. As Religious Scientists we must be bold in our word, clear in our thoughts, strong in our feelings, consistent in our spiritual practice, and always, always connected through our hearts.
We have launched a Movement which, in the next 100 years, will continue to be what Holmes called "the great new religious impulsion of modern times, far exceeding, in its capacity to envelop the world, anything that has happened since Mohammedanism started." He continued, "We have to have the same faith in what we teach and practice that the scientist has, or the gardener has, and when that great simplicity shall have plumbed and penetrated this density of ours, this human stolidness and stupidity, this debauchery of the intellect and the soul, something new and wonderful will happen. It is the only thing that will keep the world from destroying itself."
The next 100 years is about not only learning to walk this talk, but living this talk and being this talk, as around we walk. It is time we all be about the living of the Science of Mind and Spirit, not only in and for our own experience, but that of our community, city, state, country and planet. It is time we commit to standing tall and positioning ourselves mentally, spiritually and physically in declaring that we all are to be "devoted to knowing the Truth that sets humanity free from the problem of ignorance; that Truth which alone can bring enlightenment to the world, that war should cease, that people should live together in harmony because they have recognized the Divinity within each other," as Holmes stated. We are all called to be heart-centered, take a stand and step into Spirit-based social justice either with treasure, time, talent or a mixture of the three.
How do we do that, take a stand mentally, spiritually and physically? In the dream I have written about before; the one where I met the Law of Cause and Effect, the gist of it was that where we take our stand in Mind and Heart, using our imagination, intuition and intention, matters. Do we take our stand on Truth Trail or Lack Lane? Is it on Fear Avenue or Faith Freeway? Is action taken with the perspective that we live on I Don't Deserve It Drive or Belief Boulevard? We can teach the world that standing on Spirit Street or Truth Trail will not only recognize the Divinity within each other, it will show our magnificence and theirs. Faith, Love, Declaration, Revelation, Intention, Gratitude are all energy, expressed. As Albert Einstein would say...
And he wasn't alone. Nikola Tesla stated...
As well, many neuroscientists and psychiatrists, who are using the method of empirical or measurable evidence, are finding that consciousness is an intrinsic property of everything, like gravity. Many gather together yearly to discuss the crossroads of consciousness and science with the Dalai Lama at his Mind and Life conference.
So, let's make the next 100 years of the Science of Mind and Spirit one of making a cosmos out of the chaos we may be in at present, ease out of all the dis-ease there is the world, a harmonious balance of the Divine Feminine and Masculine in all genders, equality out of the imbalances that still exist in our systems, and most of all, love out of the ignorance's we face. Since all is energy, we can match the frequency of cosmos, ease, harmony, equality and love in Mind, Heart and body; in thought, feeling, belief and, especially, action. When we do the mental work, then take action, not only for our good, but for that of our world, we uplift everyone and everything.
There is One Mind, the Mind of God, and we have the Power of that Mind to use, be, and live in the vibration of Good. And to spread the joy of that communion of that vibration to illuminate, populate and celebrate our magnificence and that of everyone on Mother Earth.
Namaste!
