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.
This profile is in progress — history, deeper BITE evidence and survivor voices are still being added. Contributions welcome via GitHub.
Timeline
- 1889Unity Church founded
- 1927Religious Science founded
Sources
- Beryl Satter, 'Each Mind a Kingdom' (1999) search ↗
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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We accept correction requests from anyone — current and former members, researchers, journalists, family members, and the listed organisation. Submissions are reviewed by an editor; we do not auto-publish.