The Roads to Truth
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Whether
you're a freshman of New Thought or a longtime veteran,
just a glance at the index of this book makes it a fact-finding,
must-have! Chapter one takes us on a short, historical
road trip of America at the end of the nineteenth century;
this helps to set the stage for understanding the political,
social, and religious mood in which New Thought was born.
From there, author Sherry Evans leads us on a thorough
journey of the founders and foundations of the three major
New Thought groups: Divine Science, Religious Science,
and Unity. Chapter two begins with a definition of New
Thought:
To put it simply,
New Thought is about right thinking, thinking that leads
to positive results--to health, wealth, peace, and happiness.
But while right thinking is the hallmark, there is much
more to New Thought than that. New Thought is a lifestyle,
a metaphysic, and a religion.
Evans is careful
to state that there are other groups that teach New Thought
philosophy, but that she limited her research to these
three because "they are the pioneers of the philosophy
on which all other New Thought groups depend." Her research
is extensive--we are literally taken to China and back;
which gives us a better than basic understanding of Buuddhism,
Hinduism, and Taoism and how they influenced and parallel
New Thought tenets.
There is also an entire chapter on how the teachings of
Jesus are integral to the core concepts and beliefs of
New Thought. This book is an excellent compendium on New
Thought philosophy.
Yolanda Porter, Science of Mind Magazine
Author Sherry Evans applies her years of study in Astronomy,
Physics, and Philosophy to The Roads to Truth: In Search
of New Thought's Roots, a serious treatise concerning
the nature of New Thought. Discussing concepts ranging
from the self-fulfilling prophecy and psychosomatic illness
to the concept of God being within each one of us and
all of nature, to the bases for successful and happy living
that underlie so many variants of "pop" psychology, The
Roads to Truth examines the common thread between
all these occurances - the acknowledgement of the paramount
importance our thoughts play within our lives. Thought
is of supreme importance, to the extent that it defines
life and the self; thought is the foundation of churches,
a power with the ability to heal physical and psychological
ailments, and the driving force behind successful lives
and careers. The Roads to Truth combines the science
of mental healing and the wisdom of numerous philosophies
to lay out the wisdom of New Thought. Among the varied
paths to enlightenment are the path of rebellion, the
path of the intellectuals, and the esoteric path, yet
all lead to a merged understanding governed by rules such
as "the law of cause and effect" (positive thoughts bring
positive effects, negative thoughts bring negative effects)
and "the law of attraction" (we attract what we expect
into our lives, whether positive or negative) and much
more. A welcome contribution to self-help shelves as surely
as metaphysical and new age shelves, as the philosophy
discussed allows one to better know oneself on the purest
level - that of one's own thoughts.
James A. Cox, Editor-in-Chief, Small Press Bookwatch
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