Martin Alfred Larson (1897–1994)

As the title declares, this is an overview of New Thought religion in both its current (1980s) form and in historical context. Larson starts with a brief look at Michael Servetus in the 16th century (a figure usually claimed by the Unitarians for his anti-trinitarian views) and follows that with a deep dive into the life and theology of Emanuel Swedenborg in the 18th century. Subsequent chapters are a who's who of the New Thought world, touching on players who may be familiar to 21st century readers such as Unity Church, but also many who were famous in their times but no longer household names such as P.P. Quimby.

Although the dust jacket calls the book an "objective analysis", Larson is clearly an enthusiastic believer in New Thought theology, practitioners and popularizers. That is, until he comes to Mary Baker Eddy, the founder of Christian Science. All the faults of Eddy and her organization are explained in highly misogynist terms. For example, Christian Science, he says, became popular (in the late 1800s) because every small town had its share of hypochondriac spinsters from which to draw membership. He criticizes the movement for having more than half its members female, where 60% female membership is very common across Protestant denominations. It's an undertone elsewhere, but Eddy certainly drew out his worst.

Christian science, I learned, is a common claim across New Thought religion. If one is "scientific" when interpreting the Bible, one can see the deeper meanings. If one understands these mystic interpretations, the entire universe of health, prosperity and happiness is available for one to tap into. This is explained as the "influx" of God themself, which every human can "take in." Thus, if you are not happy, healthy and prosperous (all things God wants us to be) it is because you are refusing what God is trying to give you, AKA blame the victim. If all this sounds New Age-y, it's because New Thought really is the parent of New Age. Everything is under your personal control, so if things are not going well, you are the problem. End of discussion.

It's interesting to consider how much New Thought has affected not just religious culture but popular American culture. What is Prosperity Gospel if not a piece of New Thought theology stripped from its heretical origins? And clearly New Thought was part of occult concepts expressed in books like the Kybalion (1908). The heresies of the 18th century became commonplace by the 19th and 20th.… (mehr)