Hi. I recently began to attend a Unity Church. I can understand and believe a lot of what they think about positive thought. Positive thought is what brought me from some terrible situations I was born to to the life I always dreamed of - dreaming of this life I made is that positive thinking. So, when I found this church and heard everyone saying positive thought, I was like "cool." But, then some things happened to some children very close to me that were beyond the children's control, and I immediately went to the aid of these children and helped them. My idea of positive thought is that if you are truly having a positive thought it will be motivated by action. It seemed that I received no support and that my action oriented approach was not understood. People seemed to be giving me the repeated message that I needed to just think positive and wait for it to change on its own and if I did anything different than that then I was negative. I don't think religion ever works if you sit at a distance and judge the situation based on what you "believe". I think belief must be tested by action. If you're out in the world working with the people who have needs, then you see if your prayers and your approach are from God by how things turn out in individuals lives. And, this is true for all religions. I don't believe we should ever join movements that try to dictate the rights of others. I think we should be out in the world working with individuals one by one so that we can understand the various factors that can create needs and help people individually to make the best decision after we have all the facts. If you are not willing to get out there and lend a hand and wait to see the final outcome, you can sit back and force any belief on anyone because it's effectiveness doesn't get tested. So, now I'm having a hard time accepting the beliefs presented to me in this church. This does not mean I have a problem with anyone in this church. I actually LOVE all of the people very much, but don't want to be like these people I love. I want to share with them, not emulate them. Had I sat back and had positive thoughts with no action I would not have had the successes I've had in life and would not have been able to help the others I helped overcome the same obstacles. We might be spiritual beings, but for whatever reason God has us on this earth at this time, and I believe we must work for the best for all while we are on this earth. Does anyone have any advice? Thanks,

What kind of quality control is there on defining 'positive', 'negative', and the 'best' for everyone.

I'm not sure what kind of empiricism you will ever find in a church, on oprah, or on talk radio for that matter.

I understand or would assume most of us are painfully curious, are seeking anwers etc. A lot of people bank on that, pt barnum quotes asside i found some comfort becoming an athiest. Took hope in not settling for easy answers, and that's there's a raft of educated scientist and engineers keeping us in the light despite the oncoming hun(neocons, religionists, new age illuminati and media shills) in recent years.

I gotta give thanks again for the internet, there's little advocacy for my lgat dilemna locally.

My mom attends the church of religious science regularily, I've told her i find the monist aspect appealing, I kind of draw the line at spritual mind treatments and the 'positive' 'negative' schism and universal mind stuff. I don't know why they need this 'magic' stuff but to fill the rafters with 'soul searchers'.

I'm thinking of getting ol mom this for her birthday, just debating how backhanded it would seem? [www.press.uchicago.edu]

Hi Rhony,

Sounds like you have your head on straight and can think for yourself in spite of your church surroundings. I'd say go ahead and keep going if you like the people, keep thinking straight like you are, and you may eventually decide against going there anymore because you're on a different mental wavelength than they are. Or, you might stay on. Either way, keep thinking for yourself!

You're absolutely right about how positive action leads to results, not just just positive thinking. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. You did right to help those children.

Relying only on positive thinking is much like a child with a birthday cake full of candles, or a dandelion gone to seed. They close their eyes, make a wish, and poof! They expect the universe to deliver. It seems some people never outgrow that.

It's probably comforting to some people to believe that all you need to do is think "properly" and the universe will deliver; what an easy way to control your life. Then real life happens and they find it doesn't really work that way.

You obviously know better, and probably not everybody in Unity is like that either. Keep your free mind! It's the most valuable tool you'll have, believe me.

Fishbulb - thank you. Good thoughts and good advice.

I talked to a counselor friend of mine about this, and she said something similar to what you said. She said that to think that only positive thoughts will change without action is actually a psychological phenomena called magickal thinking, but that if I love the people and feel safe thinking for myself that she sees no harm in me taking the good from the situation and leaving what doesn't work for me. She just warned me that if ever I feel like I don't have the choice to think for myself that I need to leave before I get indoctrinated, but that I should not assume that will happen. She said I actually might have a good impact on the people watching. So, you are saying something very similar to what she said, so I think to keep going and give it a chance while thinking for myself is the answer. Thank you so much for taking the time to respond to me.

Roni

Kastlefeer (hope I spelled that right) - thank you. That sounds like an interesting book and I may check it out. I like that the description recognizes that most people do think positively. That's a unique approach as many of the other books that have been recommended to me focus on the fact that people think negatively and should think positively. Thus, I think the uniqueness of the presentation here makes this worth reading for me and possibly your mum. But, I haven't read it yet, so that's just my first impression.

Thanks for your thoughts. They are helpful.

Quote
Rhony
Hi. I recently began to attend a Unity Church. I can understand and believe a lot of what they think about positive thought. Positive thought is what brought me from some terrible situations I was born to to the life I always dreamed of - dreaming of this life I made is that positive thinking. So, when I found this church and heard everyone saying positive thought, I was like "cool." But, then some things happened to some children very close to me that were beyond the children's control, and I immediately went to the aid of these children and helped them. My idea of positive thought is that if you are truly having a positive thought it will be motivated by action. It seemed that I received no support and that my action oriented approach was not understood. People seemed to be giving me the repeated message that I needed to just think positive and wait for it to change on its own and if I did anything different than that then I was negative. I don't think religion ever works if you sit at a distance and judge the situation based on what you "believe". I think belief must be tested by action. If you're out in the world working with the people who have needs, then you see if your prayers and your approach are from God by how things turn out in individuals lives. And, this is true for all religions. I don't believe we should ever join movements that try to dictate the rights of others. I think we should be out in the world working with individuals one by one so that we can understand the various factors that can create needs and help people individually to make the best decision after we have all the facts. If you are not willing to get out there and lend a hand and wait to see the final outcome, you can sit back and force any belief on anyone because it's effectiveness doesn't get tested. So, now I'm having a hard time accepting the beliefs presented to me in this church. This does not mean I have a problem with anyone in this church. I actually LOVE all of the people very much, but don't want to be like these people I love. I want to share with them, not emulate them. Had I sat back and had positive thoughts with no action I would not have had the successes I've had in life and would not have been able to help the others I helped overcome the same obstacles. We might be spiritual beings, but for whatever reason God has us on this earth at this time, and I believe we must work for the best for all while we are on this earth. Does anyone have any advice? Thanks,

Rhony, if the minister at this church is teaching that positive thought alone without action is sufficient to effect positive change, then that minister is not teaching the Unity teachings properly. That is not what Unity teaches, and I know what I'm talking about.

Quote
Kastlefeer
What kind of quality control is there on defining 'positive', 'negative', and the 'best' for everyone.

I'm not sure what kind of empiricism you will ever find in a church, on oprah, or on talk radio for that matter.

I understand or would assume most of us are painfully curious, are seeking anwers etc. A lot of people bank on that, pt barnum quotes asside i found some comfort becoming an athiest. Took hope in not settling for easy answers, and that's there's a raft of educated scientist and engineers keeping us in the light despite the oncoming hun(neocons, religionists, new age illuminati and media shills) in recent years.

I gotta give thanks again for the internet, there's little advocacy for my lgat dilemna locally.

My mom attends the church of religious science regularily, I've told her i find the monist aspect appealing, I kind of draw the line at spritual mind treatments and the 'positive' 'negative' schism and universal mind stuff. I don't know why they need this 'magic' stuff but to fill the rafters with 'soul searchers'.

I'm thinking of getting ol mom this for her birthday, just debating how backhanded it would seem? [www.press.uchicago.edu]

I've explained on another thread that spiritual mind treatment is not a substitute for action in the real world, and I've explained that the teachings of Unity and the Church of Religious thinking to not teach that positive thinking is a substitute for action in the world, nor do they teach magical thinking. Anyone who thinks that about these churches is afflicted with a limited an superficial understanding of their teachings, and, quite frankly, I'm getting a bit frustrated with seeing their teachings misrepresented, with all due respect.

Quote
Fishbulb
Hi Rhony,

Sounds like you have your head on straight and can think for yourself in spite of your church surroundings. I'd say go ahead and keep going if you like the people, keep thinking straight like you are, and you may eventually decide against going there anymore because you're on a different mental wavelength than they are. Or, you might stay on. Either way, keep thinking for yourself!

You're absolutely right about how positive action leads to results, not just just positive thinking. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. You did right to help those children.

Relying only on positive thinking is much like a child with a birthday cake full of candles, or a dandelion gone to seed. They close their eyes, make a wish, and poof! They expect the universe to deliver. It seems some people never outgrow that.

It's probably comforting to some people to believe that all you need to do is think "properly" and the universe will deliver; what an easy way to control your life. Then real life happens and they find it doesn't really work that way.

You obviously know better, and probably not everybody in Unity is like that either. Keep your free mind! It's the most valuable tool you'll have, believe me.

The vast majority of people in Unity are not like that. Every Unity church has its own personality and culture, and I would leave any Unity church that tried to teach that thinking only will change the world, and I would be quite public about it.

Quote
Rhony
Kastlefeer (hope I spelled that right) - thank you. That sounds like an interesting book and I may check it out. I like that the description recognizes that most people do think positively. That's a unique approach as many of the other books that have been recommended to me focus on the fact that people think negatively and should think positively. Thus, I think the uniqueness of the presentation here makes this worth reading for me and possibly your mum. But, I haven't read it yet, so that's just my first impression.

Thanks for your thoughts. They are helpful.

Rhony, form your own opinion about Unity, but I would recommend reading some Unity books, particuarly anything by Eric Butterworth. I think you'll find that they aren't the Pollyannaish types that many people think.

Quote
Rhony
Hi. I recently began to attend a Unity Church. I can understand and believe a lot of what they think about positive thought. Positive thought is what brought me from some terrible situations I was born to to the life I always dreamed of - dreaming of this life I made is that positive thinking. So, when I found this church and heard everyone saying positive thought, I was like "cool." But, then some things happened to some children very close to me that were beyond the children's control, and I immediately went to the aid of these children and helped them. My idea of positive thought is that if you are truly having a positive thought it will be motivated by action. It seemed that I received no support and that my action oriented approach was not understood. People seemed to be giving me the repeated message that I needed to just think positive and wait for it to change on its own and if I did anything different than that then I was negative. I don't think religion ever works if you sit at a distance and judge the situation based on what you "believe". I think belief must be tested by action. If you're out in the world working with the people who have needs, then you see if your prayers and your approach are from God by how things turn out in individuals lives. And, this is true for all religions. I don't believe we should ever join movements that try to dictate the rights of others. I think we should be out in the world working with individuals one by one so that we can understand the various factors that can create needs and help people individually to make the best decision after we have all the facts. If you are not willing to get out there and lend a hand and wait to see the final outcome, you can sit back and force any belief on anyone because it's effectiveness doesn't get tested. So, now I'm having a hard time accepting the beliefs presented to me in this church. This does not mean I have a problem with anyone in this church. I actually LOVE all of the people very much, but don't want to be like these people I love. I want to share with them, not emulate them. Had I sat back and had positive thoughts with no action I would not have had the successes I've had in life and would not have been able to help the others I helped overcome the same obstacles. We might be spiritual beings, but for whatever reason God has us on this earth at this time, and I believe we must work for the best for all while we are on this earth. Does anyone have any advice? Thanks,

Rhony, those folks who told you you were being negative by taking action to help those children do not, not, not understand the teachings of Unity. Please be patient with them.