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In 1884, the couple moved to Kansas City. Two years later, they attended a lecture on Christian Science and its teachings given by E.B. Weeks. A spiritual breakthrough came for Myrtle Fillmore when she attended this lecture. A noted metaphysician, Weeks made a statement that would change Myrtle Fillmore's understanding of herself and set her on a new course of spiritual development. At the time, Mrs. Fillmore was in a state of mental and physical illness and had come to a point where she was not helped by either medicine or physicians. It was Dr. Weeks's statement that day that brought her the healing she sought.
She long cherished each word of the phrase "I am a child of God and therefore I do not inherit sickness." Myrtle Fillmore believed that she had discovered a great "spiritual truth" regarding healing. By repeating this phrase as a positive affirmation, Fillmore believed she would be healed. Myrtle Fillmore began offering her services to others and soon developed a following of those seeking divine healing. Over the course of the next year, she was completely cured of her tuberculosis.
Myrtle Fillmore was convinced of the teachings. Charles Fillmore was more skeptical and not so eager to jump into this new practice. Over an extended period of time, and only after he had a chance to study metaphysics did he become convinced of the truth of the teachings of Christian Science.
Charles Fillmore then threw himself into spreading the message of Christian Science. In 1889, the couple founded a magazine called Modern Thought. This publication followed the Christian Science principles and reflected the interests of the Fillmores in the occult, Eastern Religions, and Spiritualism.
The founding of the Unity School of Christianity began slowly. In 1890, the couple started the Society of Silent Help as a healing prayer group. In 1891, Unity was begun as the official magazine of this society. According to Charles Fillmore the name Unity was adopted in 1895, denoting that Unity was devoted to the spiritualization of all humanity and took the best from all religions. He said the following regarding the eclectic belief system of Unity:
We have studied many isms, many cults. People of every religion under the sun claim that we either belong to them or have borrowed the best part of our teaching from them. We have borrowed the best from all religions, that is the reason we are called Unity.... Unity is not a sect, not a separation of people into an exclusive group of know-it-alls. Unity is the Truth that is taught in all religions, simplified...so that anyone can understand and apply it. Students of Unity do not find it necessary to sever their church affiliations.
A movement began from these original publications and prayer efforts, and in 1903, it became known as The Unity School of Practical Christianity. The present day name was adopted by the group in 1914. In 1909, another magazine called Weekly Unity was added, and Charles Fillmore published his first book, Christian Healing. Coming from a background of teaching where she interacted with children, Mrs. Fillmore realized the need to do something for the children. She founded a Sunday school, and in 1893 started Wee Wisdom, which is the oldest children's magazine in America.
In the 1920's, their work was greatly expanded, including the founding of a vegetarian restaurant called the Unity Inn. In 1922, Charles Fillmore began radio broadcasts on WOQ in Kansas City and two years later purchased the station.
In 1924, the present day official publication, Unity Daily Word was begun. Because of the spreading influence of the group, many other groups began meeting and using Unity literature as teaching and discussion aids. People who attended prayer groups and lectures led by the Fillmores established themselves as teachers.
The Fillmores became concerned that others were using their materials to delve into areas and subjects they did not intend or approve. In order to control what others were teaching, in 1925 they formed the Unity Annual conference. This was an organization of recognized ministers and teachers who would oversee Unity Centers.
Two years after Myrtle Fillmore's death in 1931, Charles Fillmore remarried Copra G. Dedrick. He also published his second book, The Metaphysical Bible Dictionary.
Negative sentiments are typically implied when the concepts "cult" and "sect" are employed in popular discourse. Since the Religious Movements Homepage seeks to promote religious tolerance and appreciation of the positive benefits of pluralism and religious diversity in human cultures, we encourage the use of alternative concepts that do not carry implicit negative stereotypes. For a more detailed discussion of both scholarly and popular usage of the concepts "cult" and "sect," please visit our Conceptualizing "Cult" and "Sect" page, where you will find additional links to related issues.
The Unity School of Christianity has established several congregations in every section of the United States. In 1992, the Association of Unity Churches had 70,000 members with 547 congregations (Melton: 1017-1019) and 116 study groups in North America. They also had 55 congregations and 50 study groups in 15 different countries, mostly in Europe (Lewis: 505-508).
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Unity School of Christianity denies the Trinity, the deity of Jesus, the personality of the Holy Spirit, the necessity of the atonement of Jesus for our sins, heaven, hell, sin, and the existence of the devil. It teaches the belief in one God and in Christ, the Son of God who is made manifest in Jesus of Nazareth.
Unity teaches that Jesus is divine, but that divinity, in itself, is not confined to Jesus alone. All people are able to achieve divinity. The logic is that since all people are created in the image of God, all people have the potential to be divine. The great example of divinity for all people is Jesus himself. Jesus created an "at-one-ment" between God and humanity and, through Jesus, each person can regain their estate as a son of God (Melton:1015).
The principal texts include the Bible, but Unity follows a metaphysical interpretation. This is exhibited especially in the texts of Charles Fillmore, mainly his Metaphysical Bible Dictionary which offers an allegorical approach to the scriptures. One example of this is his interpretation of the twelve apostles. He sees them as "twelve powers in humans which can be used for the salvation of the world. The kingdom of God is seen as the harmony within each individual" (Melton: 1015). People also criticized their use and interpretation of the 23rd Psalm. They are accused of denying basic Christian distinctions between an Omnipotent God and his creatures, and the reality of sin and the nature of salvation (Lewis: 506). Other important Unity texts include Primary Lessons in Christian Living and Healing, Both Riches and Honor, and Lessons in Truth. It teaches that experience, if you are 'in tune' with God, is more accurate and reliable than the Bible.
Unity teaches reincarnation as a step towards immortality and Fillmore himself taught the possibility of eventual physical immortality though a union with Jesus.
The second birth is that in which we 'put on Christ.' It is a process of mental adjustment and body transmutation that takes place right here on earth.
Some practices that are recommended to achieve this include vegetarianism and chastity. There are several practices within the New Thought tradition that have become synonymous with Unity. For example, Unity has long emphasized the form of prayer termed "entering the silence" (Melton:1017) which starts as a form of quiet inwardness. Charles Fillmore said:
Set aside a time every day...and pray whether you believe or not...If you will persistently find Truth, even though you do not believe it at first, you will find that your prayers have power. Faith is like a mustard seed, and it will grow. Pray, pray, and keep praying; affirm, and yet affirm once more. Your persistent prayers will succeed (Fillmore: 85).As Unity developed, the Fillmores instituted a free-will offering plan for those in need. This free-of-charge plan set them apart from other metaphysical groups whose practitioners charged a fee for healing assistance work (Lewis: 506). Unity also emphasizes the use of affirmations, or the repetition of positive statements which affirm the presence of a condition hoped for but not yet attained. One of these affirmations, termed the Sevenfold Affirmation is recited as such:
I am a child of the living God.
I have within me the all-creating power of the Christ.
It radiates from me and blesses all whom I contact.
It is my life, my strength, my courage,
My patience, my peace, my poise,
My power, my wisdom, my understanding,
My joy, my inspiration, and my abundant supply.
Unto this great power I entrust all my problems,
Knowing they will be solved in love and justice.
O Lord Christ! I have laid all my desires upon
Thine altar, and I rest on Thy graciousness.
Unity has dropped several traditional rituals and sacraments even though some rituals have been created to mark special occasions, such as Christmas and the birth of babies. Unity also teaches prosperity consciousness which is a belief according to which just as a relationship with God handles the problems of sin and sickness, it can also handle the problems of poverty, which is a matter of consciousness and success. It manifests itself when one realizes that God is all abundance. In 1924, Unity began a periodical, The Daily Word, a daily devotional magazine, that today has become its most widely circulated periodical. It has readers far beyond the bounds of the Unity and New Thought Movements.
Today the Unity movement is centered in Unity Village, a 1,400 acre tract adjacent to Lee's Summit, Missouri. Headed by Connie Fillmore, the granddaughter of Charles and Myrtle, it was permanently located here in 1949. It is not only the headquarters of the Unity School of Christianity, but also for the Association of Unity Churches. The grounds include Silent Unity, the Unity School for Religious Studies, the Village Chapel, the Unity School Library and Heritage Rooms and a publishing concern that produces books, cassette tapes, and radio and television programs. The program called Silent Unity offers a 24-hour a day prayer service, and in the Silent Unity building, a prayer vigil is kept without interruption.
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Association of Unity Churches
This is the
official site for the Association of Unity Churches. It includes information on the
Association, a calendar, a chat room, a list of all the churches on-line, frequently
asked questions, other helpful sites, inspiration, products for sale and anything
else you need to know about the Association.
http://www.unity.org
The Unity-Progressive
Council Home Page
This is the home page for the Unity-Progressive Council. It is committed to the progressive
presentation of Unity's traditional teachings and the development of organizations based on
those teachings.
http://www.angelfire.com/oh/dhammapada/upcome.html
Unitics Online
This is a site termed by the site itself as "The one stop shopping for Unity on the
Internet." It includes hundred of links for any kind of "unity" you are looking for.
It includes inspiration for the ears (sounds and lessons you can download and hear on
your computer), inspiration quotes, prayers and songs, affirmations, newsletters,
lessons and classes, humor, prosperity, inspirational stories, poems, short Charles
and Myrtle Fillmore stories, labyrinths, daily word stories, Unity Magazine, and
biblical inspiration.
http://members.tripod.com/~uniticsonline/index.html
Silent Unity - The Prayer Place
This is a Unity church-run prayer web site where you can send a prayer
request twenty-four hours a day. Located at Unity World Headquarters, Silent Unity has
come to be known as "The Prayer Place," where someone is always praying, twenty-four
hours a day, 365 days a year. Whenever you want to pray, whatever your request may be,
we are here to pray with you. There is never a charge. All requests are enfolded in
continuous prayer for 30 days, held in strictest confidentiality, and treated with
reverence and respect.
http://www.unityworldhq.org/silentu.htm
Unity School of
Christianity - a history
This
site offers a comprehensive description of the church. It includes the
history, and beliefs, including a complete outline of all the points of
the teachings. It includes detailed descriptions of God, Jesus,
reincarnation, and affirmations. This is a scholarly page that is very
informative and complete.
http://www.leaderu.com/orgs/probe/docs/unity.html
Unity School of Christianity - Biography
This is another page with information about the doctrines and beliefs of the church. There
is not much detail though and there is no bibliography. The basic tenets are there, but
the details are not really filled in.
http://members.aol.com/cbjjr/lorddoc6.html
New Thought Traditions
This page gives information about the New Thought Movement in general. It mentions the Unity
School as part of this. It, too, is brief, yet informative for someone who does not have much
information already.
http://www.new-though.org/suggest.html
Watchman Fellowship Profile of Unity
This counter-cult organization presents basically accurate information about Unity interpreted
through the prism of conservative evangelical Christianity. Unity is found to have strayed from
sound doctrinal teachings.
http://www.watchman.org/unitypro.htm
Christian Apologetics & Research Ministry
This is a another counter-cult page that lacks the tedious commitment
to accurately presenting the views of Unity we find in The Watchman
site. The author of this page assumes the reader will be able to
discern the points where Unity departs from conservative Evangelical
Christianity. In identifying Unity as "a dangerous non-Christian cult"
the page scores high on our index of intolerance.
http://www.carm.org/unity.htm
Top | Profile | Beliefs | Links | Bibliography |
- Bach, Marcus. 1972.
- The Unity Way of Life. Unity Village, MO: Unity Books.
- Braden, Charles S. 1967.
- These Also Believe: A Study of Modern American Cults and Minority Religious Movements. New York: The Macmillan Co.
- D'Andrade, Hugh. 1974.
- Charles Fillmore: Herald of the New Age. New York: Harper and Row.
- Fillmore, Lowell. 1956.
- The Unity Treasure Chest: A Selection of the Best Unity Writing. New York: Hawthorn Books, Inc.
- Freeman, James Dillet. 1978.
- The Story of Unity. Unity Village, MO: Unity Books.
- Lewis, James R. 1998.
- The Encyclopedia of Cults and Sects and New Religions. Amherst, NY: Prometheus Books.
- Melton, Gordon J. 1986.
- Biographical Dictionary of American Cult and Sect Leaders. New York: Garland Publishing Inc.
- Melton, Gordon J. 1996.
- "Unity School of Christianity," Encyclopedia of American Religions, 5th ed. Detroit: Gale Research Inc. 637-38.
- Simmons, John K. 1998.
- "The Forgotten Contribution of Annie Rix Miltiz to the Unity School of Christianity," Novo Religio Vol 2, No 1. On line at http://www.novareligio.com/simmons.html.
- Witherspoon, Thomas F. 1977.
- Myrtle Filmore, Mother of Unity. Unity Village, MO: Unity Books.
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Contact Unity:
Unity School of Christianity
1901 NW Blue Parkway
Unity Village, Mo. 64065-0001
Phone -- (816) 524-3550
Fax -- (816) 251-3554
Email -- unity@unityworldhq.org
Association of Unity Churches
PO Box 610
Lee's Summit, MO 64063
PHONE -- (816) 524-7414
FAX -- (816) 525-4020 (24 hours)
Created by Caroline
Farmer
For Sociology 257, Fall, 1998
Last updated: 07/25/01