ON THIS PAGE
Emphasis Mine In Bible Verses
An Observation
About Unity
The Name
The Headquarters
History
Influences
Beliefs
Jesus The Way Shower etc.
Christ's Divinity and The Role Of The Bible
The Crucifixion, Virgin Birth, And The Second Coming Of Jesus Christ
Charles Fillmore's version of the 23rd Psalm
Affirmative Prayer
Footnote I - Tracing The New Thought Movement
Footnote II - Intellectual Dishonesty
An Observation
What I have not figured out is what makes some people think they are unrealized gods. As far as I can see, they are subject to the same foibles and failures as the rest of us and have the same needs and wants. I am reasonably sure they bleed the same colour, and, like us poor mere mortals, can be killed by a well placed bullet. In other words, what exactly is it that makes them gods? Can they fly, read thoughts, live forever, travel to distant planets, create something out of nothing, lay an egg?
Since I am reasonably sure they can do none of these things what exactly is involved in them "realizing their divinity"?
When we come down to brass tacks these are nothing more than meaningless and deceptive ideas wrapped up in fancy phrases and a very dangerous treading on occult territory.
About Unity
Unity is a classic new age cult that has the outward appearance of a Christian organization but holds pantheistic or new age beliefs at its core. It is perhaps best known for its devotional publication The Daily Word published bimonthly since the first issue in July 1924. Its positive and uplifting messages are read avidly each day by thousands of people.
Unity was founded in the early 1890s by Myrtle and Charles Fillmore in Kansas City, Missouri, not as they say "to be a separate church or religious denomination, but as a spiritual movement within religions dedicated to helping people of all faiths apply positive spiritual principles to better their lives". [01] In place of a definite creed the "Unity Statement of Faith" written by Charles Fillmore is available in a pamphlet.
Unity boasts over 300 active churches the highest number of congregations being in Florida, Texas, Missouri, and Michigan (specific counts can vary because many are autonomous). Unity Worldwide Ministries represents a larger network, with over 650 churches and ministries globally.
In fact, "The Unity movement is thought to reach some six million persons most of whom, however, are not members. Its influence extends far beyond the membership". [02]. One has to wonder how many of those six million know or understand what lies behind this organization and what their beliefs are.
The Name
According to Charles Fillmore
In the spring of 1891, he and his wife and a few students met together one evening to pray. As they were sitting in the silence, suddenly into the mind of Charles Fillmore flashed the name UNITY. At the moment, he had not even been thinking about a name and when it came to him it startled him.
"That's it!" he cried out. "UNITY!" he told the others. "UNITY! that's the name for our work, the name we've been looking for."
Later he told friends the name came right out of the ether, just as the voice of Jesus was heard by Paul in the heavens. "No one else heard it, but it was as clear to me as though somebody had spoken to me." [03]
The Headquarters
Unity's headquarters in Unity Village in Lee’s Summit (Missouri) - 15 miles from Kansas City - began development after World War I. It boasts Mediterranean style architecture and two buildings that are included on the National Register of Historic Places.
The Fountain Courtyard is a stunning venue showcasing the largest fountain installation in the Kansas City area, stretching the length of a football field. Covering 14,090 square feet, the central courtyard features a series of three mirror pools, creating soothing sounds and a tranquil atmosphere for all visitors. The striking Venetian-inspired Bridge of Faith serves as a captivating centerpiece, complemented by the adjacent Rose Garden, which boasts 800 roses in 50 varieties. [04]
To round off the picture are a golf course, hotel and conference center, bookstore and coffee shop, nature trail, and indoor and outdoor wedding and reception venues.
Unity also publishes other books, pamphlets, and periodicals besides the well known Daily Word. The service called Silent Unity is available day and night to aid people through counseling and prayer. Large numbers of people of all faith traditions call in with requests for aid.
Classes at Unity retreats held at Unity Village are conducted for interested individuals and a course of study is offered to those who wish to become Unity ministers and teachers. [05]
History
The Fillmores were students of Phineas Parkhurst Quimby - mental healer and metaphysician. Myrtle was also a follower of Mary Baker Eddy - the founder of Christian Science, who was likewise influenced by Quimby. Unity, therefore, was birthed by the Fillmores, but its roots go back to directly to Mary Baker Eddy and both directly and indirectly to Phineas Quimby". [06].
More about this in Footnote I
According to the First Unity Church of St. Louis
"In 1886, Myrtle became very ill. She had been "frail” as a child, was sick throughout most of her life and was told there was nothing she could do about it. After attending a lecture about the power of positive prayer (by Dr. E.B. Weeks, a noted metaphysician and disciple of Phineas Quimby), her faith in God became stronger, and she began spending untold hours in prayer and meditation, seeing health and strength for herself, affirming, "I am a child of God, and therefore I do not inherit sickness.” [07]
Myrtle Fillmore's story of her healing was a very popular article featured in Unity magazine. She said that it flashed upon her that she might talk to the life in every part of her body and have it do just what she wanted. She began to teach he body and got "marvelous results" telling her limbs that they were "active and strong" and apologizing for the "foolish, ignorant course" that she had pursued in the past, when she "condemned them and called them weak, inefficient, and diseased". [08]
Within two years, Myrtle was well. She lived on 45 years more, healthy and vital, making her transition at age 86. [09]
"Myrtle believed that she had discovered a great "spiritual truth" regarding healing, i.e., by repeating this phrase as a positive affirmation she would be healed. She began to offer her services to others and soon developed a following of those seeking divine healing. [10]
Charles Filmore, on the other hand was of a more 'practical' turn of mind. If there was a healing he wanted to know why thus began to devote a certain time every night trying 'to get in touch with God'. He went on to say
having exceedingly realistic dreams. For months I paid no attention to them, my business at that time being of the earth earthy — buying and selling real estate. The first connection that I observed between the dreams and my affairs was after closing the purchase of a piece of property I remembered that I had dreamed about the whole transaction some months before.
"After that I watched my dreams closely and found that there was a wider intelligence manifesting in my sleep than I seemed to possess in the waking state, and it flashed over me one day that this was the mode of communication that had been established in response to my desire for information from headquarters. [11]
Influences
Early Influences (All Emphasis Added)
Three key sources indicate the influential books the Fillmores read. The first source is the Fillmore’s inventory of books they sold through the first issue of Modern Thought, published in April 1889. It advertised 109 books and 94 pamphlets, which they sold from their one-room office in a downtown Kansas City office building. The strongest emphasis among the works was on Christian Science and Theosophy. The inventory also included Eastern themed texts such as The Bhagavad Gita, The Yoga Philosophy, Legends and Theories of Buddhists and The Light of Asia.
The second source is the Fillmore Family Book Collection, today housed in the Unity Library and Archives at Unity Village, Missouri. Its 87 books represent the family’s interest in history, religion and literature, including the Transcendentalists. The full contents of the original library are unknown.
The third source is a list of seven pamphlets, based on his American lectures, for sale by Swami Vivekenanda in the July 1, 1897 issue of Unity magazine. [12]
Note: The Transcendentalists were 19th-century New England thinkers - led by Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau - who championed individualism, self-reliance, and the inherent goodness of people and nature. Emerging in the 1830s as a reaction against rationalism and organized religion, they emphasized intuition over logic and found spiritual divinity within nature and the self.
In 1893 the Fillmores attended the first Parliament of the World's Religions in Chicago, "where they were strongly influenced by Hindu philosopher Swami Vivekananda, who spoke of religious tolerance and universal acceptance." See Parliament of the World's Religions
As said earlier, Unity
was birthed by the Fillmores, but its roots go back to directly to Mary Baker Eddy and both directly and indirectly to Phineas Quimby". [13]
The New Thought movement that can be traced back to Phineas Parkhurst Quimby has continued down though the years through people like the Fillmores and Hopkins, then through Norman Vincent Peale and Robert Schuller in our day.
See Footnote I - Tracing The New Thought Movement.
Beliefs
In Charles Fillmore's words (All Emphasis Added)
We have studied many isms, many cults. People of every religion under the sun claim that we either belong to them or have borrowed the best part of our teaching from them. We have borrowed the best from all religions, that is the reason we are called Unity. ... We studied Christian Science. [They studied all the religions.]
We were also classed as New Thought people, Mental Scientists, Theosophists, and so on, but none of these sufficiently emphasized the higher attributes of man, and we avoided any close affiliation with them ... Unity is not a sect, not a separation of people into an exclusive group of know-it-alls. Unity is the Truth that is taught in all religions, simplified and systemized so that anyone can understand and apply it. Students of Unity do not find it necessary to sever their church affiliations. [14]
Unfortunately for them "borrowing the best from all religions" means Unity's beliefs are completely incompatible with Biblical beliefs.
You can either follow Unity's teachings, read their periodicals, and /or attend one of their many churches
OR
you can be a be a saved follower of Jesus Christ. THERE IS NO IN-BETWEEN AND NO COMPROMISE
Following are some of their unbiblical beliefs
Jesus The Way Shower etc.
Unity is positive, practical, progressive approach to Christianity based on the teachings of Jesus and the power of prayer. Unity honors the Universal Truths in all religions and respects each individual's right to choose a spiritual path...
We believe that Jesus expressed his divine potential and sought to show humankind how to express ours as well. We see Jesus as a master teacher of universal truths and as our Wayshower...
We believe that Jesus expressed his divine potential and sought to show humankind how to express ours as well. We see Jesus as a master teacher of universal truths and as our Way-Shower. In Unity, we use the term “Christ” to mean the divinity in humankind. Jesus is the great example of the Christ in expression.
Note: The same page also features a short video in which (in an sit down with Oprah Winfrey) Maya Angelou discusses her experience with the Unity church and the idea in Lessons in Truth - a classic Unity text, that changed her life.
At about the three minute mark she says 'It still humbles here that this "force which" made leaves and fleas and stars etc. loves her. [15]
Christ's Divinity and The Role Of The Bible
When asked whether Unity 'believes in the divinity of Jesus Christ?' and 'What the role of the Bible is in Unity' the Unity Church for Creative Living says (All Emphasis Added)
"... Unity teaches that the spirit of God lived in Jesus, just as it lives in every person. We believe that every person has the potential to express the perfection of Christ, as Jesus did, by being more Christ-like in everyday life."
And (Emphasis Added)
Unity co founders, Charles and Myrtle Fillmore, studied the Bible as history and allegory, and interpreted it as a metaphor of humankind's evolutionary journey towards spiritual awakening. In addition, Unity recognizes that the Bible is a complex collection of writings compiled over many centuries. These writings reflect the understanding and inspiration of the authors at the time they were written. The Bible continues to be a source of spiritual inspiration for us now as it was then. [16]
See The Authorship of The Bible
The Bible is unique inasmuch as it maintains consistency, harmony, and continuity from cover to cover. It has one message from Genesis to Revelation. Nothing outstanding about that you say… After all most books have one ‘theme’, story line, or subject. True! But perhaps the Bible’s uniformity is more than a little curious considering that ...
But wait! There is much more in Unity’s beliefs that strike at the very heart of Christianity.
The Crucifixion, Virgin Birth, And The Second Coming Of Jesus Christ
When asked about the 1.) the crucifixion, 2.) the virgin birth, and the 3.) Second Coming of Jesus Christ the Unity Spiritual Center of Lansing says
1.) Unity teaches that the cross symbolizes the crossing out of all false beliefs. Here again, emphasis is on life and living, through the resurrection rather than on the Crucifixion.
2.) Unity accepts the virgin birth as an experience in the spiritual unfoldment of each individual. Thus, the virgin birth is spiritually interpreted as the birth of the Christ consciousness (the awakening of the awareness of God’s Spirit within) in the purified soul.
3.) Unity understands the Second Coming as the individual expression of the Christ consciousness. This is not an event to be anticipated in the future. It is happening here and now, through prayer, meditation, study, and application.
And in answer to the question of what they teach about sin and salvation, heaven and hell, they state
Sin is our separation from God, the Good, in consciousness. Salvation is now - not something that occurs after death. It happens whenever we turn our thoughts from fear, anxiety, worry, and doubt to thoughts of love, harmony, joy, and peace. The "fall" takes place in consciousness whenever we fall into negative habits of thinking. Heaven and hell are states of consciousness, not geographical locations. We make our own heaven or hell here and now by our thoughts, words, and deeds. [17]
See Sin Salvation Heaven Hell
And if that isn't enough... in his book, Prosperity published in 1938 Fillmore revised the 23rd Psalm as a prayer for perfect heath and financial prosperity
Charles Fillmore's version of the 23rd Psalm
The Lord is my banker; my credit is good.
He maketh me to lie down in the consciousness of omnipresent abundance;
He giveth me the key to his strongbox.
He restoreth my faith in His riches;
He guideth me in the paths of prosperity for His name’s sake.
Yea, though I walk in the very shadow of debt,
I shall fear no evil, for Thou art with me;
Thy silver and Thy gold, they secure me.
Thou preparest a way for me in the presence of the collector;
Thou fillest my wallet with plenty; my measure runneth over.
Surely goodness and plenty will follow me all the days of my life,
And I shall do business in the name of the Lord forever.
Affirmative Prayer
In her book Myrtle Fillmore’s Healing Letters she wrote
This is our method of prayer: acknowledging our oneness with God, claiming the ability that this gives, and expecting to have the things needed and conducive to spiritual progress. [18]
When asked what affirmative prayer is the web site of New Thought Unity Center says (All Emphasis Added)
When most people think of prayer, they think of asking God for something.
Not so in Unity.
Unity uses "affirmative prayer." Rather than begging or beseeching God, this method involves connecting with the spirit of God within and asserting positive beliefs about the desired outcome. Affirmative prayer is the same method of prayer Jesus taught when he said, "So I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours" (Mark 11:24).
If, for example, one were to pray traditionally, one might say: "Please God, help me find a job." By contrast, an affirmative prayer might be: "I am now guided to my right and perfect employment."
Metaphysicians believe that thoughts transmit magnetic energy and this energy attracts other energy of the same frequency. Whether you are conscious of it or not, your thoughts are transmitting energy that is attracting more of the same. When you remain focused on your intentions, you will draw those things into your life. [19]
Sound Familiar?
It Should!
It is deeply alarming that most Christians seem to be blissfully unaware of the fact that the principles of the Word-Faith movement being trumpeted from pulpits across the land, not only stem from the same occult sources as the spiritual movement known as New Thought, but uses exactly the same terminology and techniques.
See The Prosperity Gospel and The Word of Faith Movement
Footnote I - Tracing The New Thought Movement
Phineas Parkhurst Quimby (1802-1866 ) -
Most people in the Christian world are familiar (at least to some extent) with Joseph Smith founder of the Mormons. Yet the name Phineas Parkhurst Quimby, an unschooled Maine clock-maker and a spiritual teacher, mesmerist, and inventor who believed that he had rediscovered the lost healing methods of Jesus - is relatively unknown.
He popularized the notion that sickness and suffering ultimately have their origin in incorrect thinking. Quimby's followers held that man could create his own reality through the power of positive affirmation (confession).New Thought in other words)
His influence spread to leaders like Emma Curtis Hopkins who trained many of the later New Thought teachers. For example, she mentored Charles and Myrtle Fillmore, the founders of Unity Church; Ernest Holmes, author of The Science of Mind; and other central figures behind New Thought.
Several of today's cults and heresies have been directly or indirectly influenced by Quimby whose influence has permeated down into the very fabric of the church. See The Prosperity Gospel and The Word of Faith Movement
Note Dr. E.B. Weeks, whose lecture on the power of positive prayer that Myrtle Fillmore first attended was a noted metaphysician and disciple of Phineas Quimby.
Mary Baker Eddy - founder of Christian Science
Although there are differences between the teachings of Christian Science and those of Quimby, Mary Baker Eddy, the founder of Christian Science, was a patient of Quimby’s and shared his view that disease is rooted in a mental cause. What she learned from Quimby's teachings led to her own unique ideas about metaphysical healing.
She once argued that when Moses composed the creation account in Genesis he intended that the name Adam represents a dam (as in the dam at Niagara Falls) that "stands for obstruction, error, even the supposed separation of man from God". [20]
Unity is however closer to New Thought, which in general emphasizes the primacy of mind and spiritual healing, than it is to Christian Science.
Emma Curtis Hopkins (1849 – 1925)
Was the author of "High Mysticism" and "Scientific Christian Mental Practice" was an American spiritual teacher, mystic, who was involved in organizing the New Thought movement. She studied with Mary Baker Eddy for two years eventually starting her own school...
Among her students were many who later became prominent teachers and leaders within the New Thought movement, including Charles and Myrtle Fillmore, founders of the Unity School of Christianity.
"She drew upon the Bible, the non-Christian scriptures, and the works of the world’s great philosophers and saints in her teaching. Her mysticism was a very potent influence upon Ernest Holmes. [21]
Ernest Holmes (1887–1960)
Was founder of the worldwide Religious Science Movement and author of The Science of Mind, sometimes called one of the greatest New Thought books ever written. Science of Mind is a spiritual, philosophical and metaphysical religious movement within the New Thought movement.
Note:
Norman Vincent Peale credited his theology of positive thinking to Ernest Holmes. On the back cover of Science of Mind Peale wrote
"I believe God was in this man, Ernest Holmes. He was in tune with the Infinite."
The back cover of Ernest Holmes: His Life and Times bears Peale's tribute
"Only those who knew me as a boy can fully appreciate what Ernest Holmes did for me. Why, he made me a positive thinker." See Norman Vincent Peale
Robert Schuller: So called 'Christian minister' Robert Schuller talked about how Peale had been his inspiration and mentor and how he had started the positive thinking movement. Schuller then said he had swallowed it: "Hook, line, and sinker." See Robert Schuller {PLACE IN TEXT}
Footnote II - Intellectual Dishonesty
Here is one example of extreme cherry picking and self serving dishonesty.
Eric Butterworth often referred to as a "Twentieth Century Emerson", was a highly respected New Age pioneer and innovator of New Thought, whose life was dedicated to helping people to help themselves".
He was considered "a legend and spiritual icon in the Unity Movement" establishing three Unity ministries. He was the author of 16 best-selling books on metaphysical spirituality, a gifted theologian, philosopher, and lecturer, and for over fifty years a teacher of "practical Christianity,"
Dr. Maya Angelou called Butterworth her "teacher" and he was the first Unity minister to appear on Oprah. Apparently his book, Discover the Power Within You was a favorite in Oprah Winfrey’s personal library about which she said, "This book changed my perspective on life and religion. Eric Butterworth teaches that God isn't "up there." He exists inside each one of us, and it's up to us to seek the divine within."
Jesus, according to Butterworth's influential book Discover the Power Within You was "perhaps ahead of his time" in that he taught of the endless potential of humanity and its spiritual unity with God while presenting "a workable philosophy, a way of life."
However, Eric Butterworth did what people commonly do - embrace the parts of the Bible that suits them and reject the rest.
Butterworth's teaching is based on the belief that some two thousand years ago a man named Jesus found and shared the secret of divinity. The only source that tells us that Jesus lived two centuries ago is the Bible.
Quite apparently, Butterworth believed this but then proceeded to ignore everything else the New Testament said about Jesus i.e. who He was, what His purpose was in coming to earth, what He said and did while He was here.
See Section on Jesus -
Without money and arms, He conquered more millions than Alexander, Caesar, Mohammed, and Napoleon. Without science and learning, He shed more light on things human and divine than all philosophers and schools combined. Without the eloquence of schools, He spoke words of life such as never were spoken before or since, and produced effects which lie beyond the reach of any orator or poet. Without writing a single line, He has set more pens in motion and furnished themes for more sermons, orations, discussions, learned volumes, works of art and songs of praise, than the whole army of great men of ancient and modern times.
Born in a manger and crucified as a malefactor, He now controls the destinies of the civilized world and rules a spiritual empire that embraces one-third of the inhabitants of the globe. The annals of history produce no other example of such complete and astonishing success in spite of the absence of material, social, literary, and artistic abilities, indispensable to success for a mere man." Philip Schaff.
End Notes
[01] First Unity Church of St. Louis. How Unity Began. https://www.unitystl.org/how-unity-began/
[02] Unity. Britannica AI. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Unity-new-religious-movement
[03] The Founding of Unity. Chapter IV. Page 62. "In the Beginning". https://tinyurl.com/3rs9vssj
[04] Fountain Courtyard https://www.unityvillage.org/spaces/fountain-courtyard/
[05] Unity. Britannica AI. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Unity-new-religious-movement
[06] Russ Wise. Probe Ministries. Unity School of Christianity. https://probe.org/unity-school-of-christianity/
[07] First Unity Church of St. Louis. How Unity Began. https://www.unitystl.org/how-unity-began/
[08] The Founding of Unity. Chapter IV. Page 49 "In the Beginning". https://tinyurl.com/3rs9vssj
[09] First Unity Church of St. Louis. How Unity Began. https://www.unitystl.org/how-unity-began/
[10] Russ Wise. Probe Ministries. Unity School of Christianity. https://probe.org/unity-school-of-christianity/
[11] The Founding of Unity. Chapter IV. Page 54 "In the Beginning". https://tinyurl.com/3rs9vssj
[12] Unity Minister Eric Page. How Unity Adopted Eastern Religious Ideas.
https://www.unity.org/en/article/how-unity-adopted-eastern-religious-ideas
[13] Russ Wise. Probe Ministries. Unity School of Christianity. https://probe.org/unity-school-of-christianity/
[14] The Founding of Unity. Chapter IV. Page 61. "In the Beginning". https://tinyurl.com/3rs9vssj
[15] What is Unity? https://unityoftheblackhills.org/what-is-unity/
[16] What is Unity. Unity Church for Creative Living. St Johns, FL https://tinyurl.com/3scvnxyr
[17] Unity Spiritual Center of Lansing. https://www.unitylansing.org/what-unitys-perspective-things-theological
[18] Letters of Myrtle Fillmore (1936) https://www.truthunity.net/books/letters-of-myrtle-fillmore/our-work
[19] New Thought Unity Center, What is affirmative prayer https://tinyurl.com/2t63mrpv
[20] Mary Baker Eddy, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures (Boston: The First Church of Christ, Scientist, 1971), 338. As quoted in Esotericism and Biblical Interpretation by Ron Rhodes".
https://www.ronrhodes.org/esotericism-and-biblical-interpretation
[21] New Thought History. Center for Spiritual Living St Augustine
https://cslstaugustine.org/new-thought-history/
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