New Thought movement (mainstream)
New Thought movement (Unity Church, Religious Science, Divine Science). Mainstream low-control alternative-Christian tradition. Substantial influence on later self-help and prosperity-gospel.
CLCI radar
BITE breakdown
0 — New Thought movement (Unity Church, Religious Science, Divine Science); mainstream low-control.
Profile facts
In context
New Thought movement crystallised in late-19th-century USA (Phineas Quimby, Mary Baker Eddy, Charles Fillmore). Major denominations include Unity Church (Charles and Myrtle Fillmore, 1889), Religious Science / Centers for Spiritual Living (Ernest Holmes, 1927), Divine Science (1898). Mainstream voluntary tradition.
Recovery resources
- ICSA (International Cultic Studies Association) — General referral and cult-aware therapist directory.
- INFORM (Information Network on Religious Movements) — LSE-founded UK research-based information service covering new religious movements.
- Freedom of Mind Resource Center — Steven Hassan's organisation; BITE-model resources and family-side exit guidance.
See the full curated list at /resources.
Evidence by BITE axis
- mainstream low-control
Timeline
- 1889Unity Church founded
- 1927Religious Science founded
Evidence matrix
Structured sources cross-linked to the claims they document. Tiered per the source hierarchy. For free-text citations see the Sources section below.
| Title | Type | Reliability | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Thinking, New Thought, New Age: The Theology and Influence of Emma Curtis Hopkins (1849-1925) · archive | Academic | Secondary | — |
| American National Biography | Academic | Secondary | — |
Sources
- Beryl Satter, 'Each Mind a Kingdom' (1999) search ↗
- New Thinking, New Thought, New Age: The Theology and Influence of Emma Curtis Hopkins (1849-1925) — https://www.academia.edu/423344 open ↗
- American National Biography — https://doi.org/10.1093/anb/9780198606697.article.0801784 open ↗
We cite sources by name and outlet rather than fabricating links. Where a source includes its own URL, the open ↗ link opens it directly; otherwise search ↗ runs a Google Scholar query for the cited title — useful for verifying academic sources. For news outlets, search the outlet's own archive.
Change history
Substantive edits logged per the score-updates policy.
- 2026-05-29Phase 1 Batch J: per-group recovery resources applied via programmatic palette (closest-fit by category + subCategory + score). Palette: Mainstream-comparator lighter.
- 2026-05-20Score band scheme migrated from 4 bands to 5 (Minimal 0–5 / Low 6–12 / Moderate 13–20 / High 21–30 / Extreme 31–40). No CLCI value changed; the new Minimal band was carved out of the bottom of the previous Low band.
Relevant hubs
Curated entry points on CLCI Hub for situations connected to this group.
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