What New Thought means
New Thought is a spiritual and philosophical movement that holds that thought shapes experience, and that the mind can be used to promote healing, well-being and success. It is not one church but a family of groups, authors and teachers. The term appears in the late 19th century, and its ideas are the source of much modern talk about affirmations, positive thinking and “manifesting.”
Origins
The movement is commonly traced to Phineas Parkhurst Quimby (1802-1866), a Maine healer who taught that illness could be rooted in false beliefs and that correcting the mind could help recovery. People associated with Quimby, along with influences from Transcendentalism and Swedenborgian thought, helped shape the broader “mind-cure” movement. Teachers such as Emma Curtis Hopkins, sometimes called the “teacher of teachers,” then trained many leaders who founded their own groups.
Main denominations
- Unity, founded by Charles and Myrtle Filmore, which keeps a Christian framing.
- Religious Science / Science of Mind, associated with Ernest Holmes and his 1926 book The Science of Mind. Several organizations descend from this strand.
- Divine Science, another early branch.
- The International New Thought Alliance, an umbrella body that connects many of these groups.
Core beliefs
Beliefs differ, but common themes include:
- The divine is present in everyone and everything.
- The mind and thoughts have creative power over experience.
- Affirmative prayer, meditation and visualization are tools for change.
- Health and prosperity are connected to mental attitude.
Many of these views echo ideas in the New Age movement and in the broader list of New Age beliefs. New Thought writing also shaped The Kybalion (1908), a popular book that presents its teachings as Hermetic principles.
The law of attraction
The “law of attraction,” the idea that like attracts like, appeared in New Thought writing in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and was popularized again in the 2000s by the book and film The Secret. There is no scientific evidence that thoughts alone cause external events, and critics argue the idea can wrongly imply that people are to blame for illness or hardship. It is wise not to substitute it for medical treatment.
New Thought, New Age and Christian Science
New Thought is often confused with other movements:
- Christian Science, founded by Mary Baker Eddy, has historical links to the same milieu but is a distinct church with its own doctrine and generally rejects the New Thought label.
- The New Age is a later, looser current that absorbed New Thought ideas but also includes channeling, astrology and many other practices.
What religion is Doreen Virtue?
Doreen Virtue was a well-known author of angel-card decks and books in the New Age field. In 2017 she announced that she had become a Christian and stepped away from her earlier work. Her story is often cited in discussions of the boundary between New Age spirituality and conservative Christianity.
“New Spirituality” and stages of spiritual life
“New Spirituality” is not a fixed term. It is generally used for non-institutional, personal approaches to meaning, often described as “spiritual but not religious.” Different traditions describe stages of spiritual life in very different ways, so no single list is authoritative. Whether such approaches count as religion is examined in Is New Age a Religion?
Criticism
Critics say New Thought oversimplifies suffering, makes unproven health claims, and can encourage a prosperity-focused outlook. Supporters respond that its emphasis on attitude and meaning has helped many people. As with any spiritual practice, it is best used alongside, not instead of, professional help for health or financial matters.