21 Oct The Science of Mind
Another homegrown L.A. religion is the Church of Religious Science, part of the group of movements known as New Thought. Ernest Holmes (1887-1960) moved to Venice, California, in 1912 from the East coast where he had been a student of Mary Baker Eddy, the founder of Christian Science. He gave his first talk downtown at the Metaphysical Library in 1916, kicking off a speaking tour that took him around the nation for the next ten years. He lived in L.A. for the rest of his life
Dr. Holmes published his book The Science of Mind in 1926, and began speaking to large audiences in L.A. at such places as the Biltmore Hotel, the Ebell Theatre, and the Wiltern. In 1954 the Church of Religious Science was incorporated, and it now counts over 400 congregations and 40,000 members.
The Science of Mind and Dr. Holmes’ work has had a huge influence on the self-help movement. It promotes using the power of the mind for healing and fulfillment, controlling one’s thoughts, and holding a belief in a desired outcome. Instead of referring to Spirit as God, they call it Universal Mind, and believe in the unity of all life. Part of the offerings at the Church are Spiritual Mind Treatments, or Affirmative Prayer, where a petitioner is aided by a statement of their desired outcome as having already happened. “Amen. And so it is.”
Although he eventually broke away to start his own church, Michael Bernard Beckwith and Agape (see page xxx) were heavily influenced by Dr. Holmes and the Church of Religious Science.
Founder’s Church of Religious Science
3281 W 6th Street, Los Angeles, CA 90020
The Metaphysical Library (now The Brack Shops)
527 W 7th Street, Los Angeles, CA 90014
© 2020 Catherine Auman
This is an excerpt from Catherine Auman’s book Guide to Spiritual L.A.: The Irreverent, the Awake, and the True
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