Peter lowentrout

Alsaadi 9

Salim Alsaadi

Peter Lowentrout

R/ST 100

May 10, 2017

Center for Spiritual Living

The Centers for Spiritual Living (CSL) is a religious organization established in 1949 by Ernest Holmes. The religion primarily focuses on enhancing philosophical thoughts that incorporate science and religion together. The organization has since evolved from the United Centers for Spiritual Living (UCSL), which was initially recognized as the United Church of Religious Science (UCRS) to the current name after UCSL and UCRS were merged. Holmes together with the Fenwicke, his brother, came to establish the organization as a result of their learning experience in Boston. The brothers were convinced that a person's mind has the power or capability to cause a healing effect or fulfil an individual's life. Therefore, together with other scholars who shared the same ideology, Holmes established an institution aimed at promoting their idea.

In 1927, Holmes set an educational centre in Los Angeles (Institute of Religious Science and Philosophy) where he taught his principles. The establishment of the institution soon led to the adoption of his principles by the graduates from the IRSP leading to the religion's official recognition in 1949. In the early 1950s, the organization split into two distinctive religions namely, Religious Science International (RSI) and the United Church of Religion (UCR). However, in 2011, the two organizations re-emerged and formed the Centers for Spiritual Living. Therefore, the incorporation of the two religions has resulted in its membership growth to over 400 churches in the Northern America.

Kenn Gordon, a doctorate holder in divinity, was elected in 2011 as the first spiritual leader of the organization. However, before his appointment, Gordon had served as a member of the CSL board of directors. Apart from his leadership role at the CSL, Gordon is also engaged in various activities that promote the religion such as educating people to understand the science of the spirit and mind. He also contributes as a writer on Patheos, one of the leading websites where religious matters are discussed. Moreover, he is a regular contributor to Science and Mind Magazine and the author of Mind and Manifestation, a book used by the members of the CSL as a spiritual tool.

Currently, the organization has seen tremendous growth due to the population of its members, which has led to the establishment of 286 CSL centres across the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, and other 27 states around the globe (“Find a Center”). Moreover, the expansion has also led to the inclusion of 400 communities around the world, which translates to millions of followers. Essentially, the teachings of the CSL centres are universal and aimed at enhancing new philosophical thoughts on science and religion through different spiritual tools. Therefore, the teachings of the religion are primarily based on the science of spirit and mind, which is also known as religious science.

The religious science provides an in-depth elaboration on matters regarding life such as life is sacred and all humans are made in the image of God. Therefore, the teachings and doctrines of the CSL acknowledge and utilize the ancient spiritual knowledge. Moreover, the organization welcomes any individual from the various religions such as a Christian, Buddhist, Hindu, Muslim, and Jewish with an objective of promoting peaceful coexistence among communities. As witnessed in the growth of the religion since the emergence in 2011, I am anticipating a major growth with an expectation of more members of its congregations. The current expansion of 238 centres can be utilized to support the projected growth.

The Teachings and the Doctrines of the Religion

The religion's beliefs are derived from Holmes teachings as illustrated in the book, The Science of Mind, which was published in 1927. Therefore, Holmes teachings have been incorporated into the religion's statement, “What we believe.” Essentially, Holmes teachings acknowledge and borrow some beliefs from other religions such as Christianity. For instance, Christians believe in the Supreme God, which is similar to CSL's belief. Therefore, CLS teachings recognize God as a Living Spirit Almighty. Moreover, the religion believes in the cause of God's self-existence and absolute and indestructible nature. The manifestation of God is through His creations, which include the human beings. However, the manifests are not absorbed by the creation.

Incarnation is another belief recognized by the members of CSL. The religion has a strong faith in the incarnation of human spirit, which makes people to be incarnated in one spirit. Therefore, the members' belief in incarnation translates to their faith in immortality, eternality, and the continuation of an individual's soul after death (Center for Spiritual Living – Seattle).

The members of the religion also have a belief that heaven is within them, which enables them to experience it to a level where they become conscious of heaven. Human life is also highly regarded as a precious gift from God. Therefore, the primary objective of an individual's life is to be emancipated (set free from all social, legal, and political oppressions) to ensure that all humans live a free life.

CSL acknowledgement of God as the Supreme Being as per the teachings makes God a unifying factor of all life. Moreover, the religion's beliefs separate God into two characters, namely, the innermost God and highest God with the innermost God as the guide of human actions due to His indwelling presence (“Our Beliefs”). On the other part, truth is one of the crucial doctrines that determines an individual's well-being. Therefore, the religion has faith in the direct revelation of truth through the spiritual and intuitive nature of an individual, which makes everyone to have the capability, to tell the truth through the guidance of the innermost God.

The state of a person's mind is also primarily linked to the beliefs of the religion. Therefore, the organization has a belief that the communication between God and a human being is through a universal mind, which consists of the law of God and the human surroundings (thoughts and the reactions on such thoughts). A universal mind has various capabilities that are beneficial to humans such as the ability to heal the sick. Moreover, a universal mind would enable an individual to believe in the eternal kindness, the goodness of God through His provision of life to all humans. Therefore, all matters regarding a person's mind translate to the belief in his or her spirit, soul, and destiny with the understanding that people’s lives reflect the life of God.

Through the religion's beliefs, it is evident that the organization is quite dogmatic since they are inclined to their beliefs, which are clearly stated in the faith's spiritual tools. The beliefs translate to the organization's core values (healing, love, togetherness, spiritual growth, abundance, diversity, and service to others). Essentially, the beliefs are guided by the spiritual tools, which are highly regarded as sacred since the tools contain the guidelines to be followed by the members of CSL.

The spiritual tools acknowledged and utilized by the religion are meditation, prayer, spiritual practices, and pide oracion. Spiritual tools are simply the spiritual living programs established by the organization to help its members enhance their spiritual understanding. Therefore, an individual who is interested in such program needs to register on the website of the organization's particular centre by clicking the "Online Net Community" tab and fill the form. The centre would then organize the meeting where the registered members would meet up and discuss various issues touching spiritual life.

Pide Oracion, which has a meaning for “ask for a prayer,” is an online platform where the members of CSL can place a prayer request at any given time (“Pide Oración”). Therefore, to utilize this method, a member only needs to log into the organization's official website (Not the centres' web page) and request for a prayer by typing their various prayer requests (“Pide Oración”). The purpose of the organization's creation of the platform is the provision of a healing power through prayers to the members at any given time and place since the service is operational 24/7.

The Organization's View on Humanity and Society

As indicated in the religion's teachings and doctrines established by Holmes, it is evident on how it has high regards for humanity. The lessons regarding human life are similar to the beliefs of Christianity. Therefore, human life is sacred and all humans are made in the image of God (“Our Beliefs”). Moreover, it is against the religion's doctrines for an individual to cause harm to other people. On the other hand, the organization's view on society is majorly concerned with the promotion of peaceful coexistence among the residents of different communities. Since a community consists of individuals of various religions such as Christians, Buddhists, Hindus, Muslims, and the Jewish, therefore, it is critical for people of a given society to accept and learn to stay peacefully with others. However, the religion acknowledges that some individuals in the society are prone to cause harm to others because of lack of knowledge or convictions on the teachings of humanity. Therefore, for such people to learn to coexist with others, they need to have a comprehension on the doctrines of CSL.

Teachings from One of the CSL Sermons

I once attended one of the programs of the Centers for Spiritual Living based in Sand Point Way, Seattle. The formal meeting took place on 30th April 2017 and was spearheaded by Brent Cunnings (“How to Star a Spiritual Living Circle”). The meeting was recorded and can also be accessed on the YouTube (“How to Star a Spiritual Living Circle”). The theme of the talk was about humility and the spiritual practice of an individual's willingness. Cunnings majorly dwelt on three questions such as follows: a person’s willingness to involve God in his or her relationship, the willingness of not being a victim of circumstances, and the desire to always tell the truth no matter the circumstances instead of living in a fantasy world. Cunnings further gave an example scenario where he was once forced to tell the truth during a counselling session or face dire consequences. The elaborations were quite emotional to the audience, which could be realized by the type of attention given to the speaker.

From the experience, Cunnings connects the situations he passed through to what young people are currently undergoing. Moreover, it is evident that the speaker acknowledged God as the sole provider for all humans. An example he provided where his father left them with no financial supports this claim. He further quotes that at some given point auctioneers came to auction their belongings to repay their debts. However, all worked out well, and the situation came to pass. From the analysis of the people in attendance, it could be ruled that people from the meeting were of mixed financial background.

After the meeting, I got to have a chance with the speaker for a brief interview to understand the religion since it was my first visitation to attend any of the organization's services. I had earlier set up a meeting with the speaker and provided him with prior insights and reasons for the interview. The interview with Cunnings is summarized as follows.

Me: Hi, Mr. Cunnings, I bet your schedule is quite fixed but kindly allow me to ask about a few questions to enhance my understanding of the religion.

Mr. Cunnings: It is okay, no problem, I was prepared for this meeting so take your time.

Me: How long have you headed this spiritual group and how do you find your audience?

Mr. Cunnings: I have been the spiritual leader of this gathering for more than four years now. Moreover, the members of the group are quite cooperative. However, first timers have a little difficulty in understanding some concepts such as the topic on the universal mind.

Me: Briefly explain to me the history of the group; its formation, progress, and growth or decline pattern.

Mr. Cunnings: The group was established in 2012 and has ever since been operational with a steady growth of members. The aim of creating the group is to help new members have a better understanding of the religion's teachings and for spiritual growth.

Me: Would you briefly provide me with a brief background information on your members’ social class, education, and ethnicity.

Mr. Cunnings: Well, this is an interesting question. First and foremost, I would like to bring to your attention that CSL does not accept an individual interested in joining the religion in regards to social class, education, or ethnicity. However, for a person to join this group, he or she must be 16 years and above due to the organization's policy. Basically, there are different groups within the religion, which are differentiated by age. Therefore, for a better comprehension of the faith's doctrines, it is a requirement for members to be slotted in suitable groups. The various programs include spiritual at work, modern mysticism, and youth programs.

Me: Would you be in a position to provide me with information such as background information about the religion and the annual report that might help me complete my project successfully.

Mr. Cunnings: Sure, just provide me with your email address. However, I would recommend that you visit the organization's webpage for more information.

Center for Spiritual Living's teachings is quite essential in understanding humanity and its incorporation with science. The religion mainly focuses on enhancing philosophical thoughts that incorporate science and religion together. Through Holmes doctrines, the religion has seen major growth, which has translated to millions of its members. An interview with Mr. Cunnings provided confirmation to my research, which provided a bearing for a better understanding of the religion.

Works Cited

Center for Spiritual Living - Seattle. “Apr 30 2017 Power Talk - Brent Cunnings.” YouTube,

commentary by Brent Cunnings, 30 Apr. 2017, www.youtube.com/watch?v=O38RKoTvAvY.

“Find a Center.” Center for Spiritual Living. (n. d.), www.csl.thankyou4caring.org/lc-

organizations/location-finder. Accessed 01 May. 2017.

“How to Star a Spiritual Living Cycle.” Center for Spiritual Living. (n. d.),

www.csl.org/images/spiritual-living-circles/How_to_Start_a_Spiritual_Living_Circle.pdf. Accessed 01 May. 2017.

“Our Beliefs.” Center for Spiritual Living. (n. d.), cslkc.org/our-beliefs/. Accessed 01 May.

2017.

“Pide Oración.” World Ministry of Prayer. (n. d.),

www.worldministryofprayer.org/index.php/pide-oracion. Accessed 01 May. 2017.

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