The 10 Core Concepts of Science of
Mind
Dr. Ernest
Holmes, the founder of Religious Science and developer of the
Science of
Mind philosophy, gave this definition for his teaching: Religious Science is a
synthesis of the laws of science, opinions of philosophy,and revelations of
religion, applied to human needs and the aspirations of humankind.
Dr. Ernest
Holmes was a mystic who found God in the silence. Going within and experiencing
God in the deepest part of himself was his spiritual practice. His spirituality
was reflected in his living; he believed he was one with God, and he
experienced that oneness in all that he did. As important as the mystical
experience was to Dr. Holmes, he also believed that religion had to be applied
to everyday life problems, as an integral part of the walk of faith. Wholeness
involved the Presence, yes, but also the Power -- the two faces of the dual
nature of God.
Dr. Holmes
developed the Science of Mind philosophy to reflect his twin beliefs that the
inner experience of God gave entry to the Power of God and that changing the
way we think about our conditions causes the Power of the
Universe to
change those conditions to make our lives better. Science of Mind identifies
the spiritual principles that apply equally to everyone in every situation, and
it teaches us how to use them for our advantage.
In their
1993 revision of the Foundational Class curriculum, Religious Science educators
demonstrated that the Science of Mind philosophy is based on 10 Core
Concepts that serve as the organizing principles of the Universe. The complete
text of the Core Concepts can be found in the Foundational Class workbook.
Summarized, with keywords, they are:
1 -
Oneness- God is the Source of all that is, and God is all that is. Everything
in the Universe is made of the God-substance and is a unique, individualized
expression of God.
2 – Triune
Nature - God expresses Itself in three aspects -- Spirit, Soul, and Body. Each
human being also has these same three aspects. Thus, there is
God as
macrocosm, human beings as microcosm.
3 -
Creative Nature - God thinks, and the world comes into being. Likewise, all
human accomplishments originate in thought. Our human thinking process is a
reflection of the Divine Creative Process in microcosm.
4 - Prayer
- All Good is eternally available and ready to flow into human experience. We
activate this flow by means of prayer. Through affirmative prayer, or spiritual
mind treatment,we increase our consciousness of Good eternally flowing to us.
5 – Wholeness
- Spirit is a transcendent, perfect Whole that contains and embraces all
seeming opposites.As human beings, we have free will and can
Choose what
we experience, whether it be positive or negative.The same Principle that
brings us freedom, prosperity, and joy also allows us to
experience
bondage, lack, or misery, according to our consciousness.
6 -
Abundance - All that anyone will ever need or desire is already provided by
Universal Abundance. This applies to everybody, not just some people. Every
person is heir to the riches of Creation, without regard to merit.
7 - The
Reciprocal Universe - For every visible form there is an invisible counterpart.
This means that what we receive corresponds to what we imagine and believe we
can receive, the Law of Mental Equivalents. This also is the Golden Rule: that
what we do to others will be done also to us, the Law of Cause and Effect.
8 -
Forgiveness - In the Eternal Now, there can be no place
for Divine
anger, unforgiveness, or punishment. If we perceive a need for forgiveness,
this is a human condition. Human forgiveness is the process
that frees us to live in the Eternal Now. It is the essential step before real
spiritual growth can flourish. Science of Mind teaches that the
ultimate goal of life is complete emancipation from all discord of every nature, and
that this goal is sure to be attained by all.
9 -
Immortality- The
Universal Truth about life is that life never ends. What we call death is simply
the changing of one form of life for another. Death, the belief and perception
that life must come to an end, is a human concept. As in birth the invisible
becomes visible, so in dying the visible again becomes invisible. Life
continues on another plane when the body has outlived its usefulness.
10 - The
Christ - Christ is not a person, but a Principle, a Universal Presence, the
Universal Image of God that is present in all Creation. This is the concept of
the Cosmic Christ, which is present within every person. Each human individual
partakes of the Christ nature to the degree that he or she recognizes the
Cosmic Christ within and lives out of that revelation. Jesus of Nazareth was a human individual who revealed
the Christ Nature to the highest degree ever known.