Could this be what you think?
I don't need to be "saved"...I was never lost. I was not born a sinner.
Dogma
is for people who need structure and someone to teach them right from
wrong. We do not need to be taught right from wrong. We are made in the
image and likeness of God. We have the potential for wholeness and are
responsible for our choices, actions, experiences, and the results they
create.
Jesus' teachings
are very relevant and useful for the 21st Century, as are the teachings
of many other Divinely inspired men and women. Jesus was the great
example not the great exception.
Here's what we are . . .
Our daily devotion is to discover God within us and to reveal more of
our true spiritual nature and potential.
We are a Religious Science church, a New Thought church with Transcendentalist relatives such as Emerson, Whitman, and Troward.
Here's what we are not ...
We do not teach you what to think, we teach you how to think. We
support independent, positive, life-giving, affirmative thinking as the
approach to even the most difficult of life situations. We are not a
cult devoted to or obsessed with a person or principle. We do not
worship a leader or a book, nor do we look to UFOs, crystals, tarot
cards or even Jesus to save us. We don't teach judgment or prejudice
toward anyone no matter what their race, religion, or sexual
orientation. We do not proselytize, evangelize, or attempt to convert
anyone.
We are not the same as Christian Science. We have no association with Scientology. We are not a "New Age" church.
Here's what we think. . .
There is no devil. God is all there is in the universe. There is only
One Power and that Power is God. God is Intelligence, Energy, Love,
Abundance, Joy, and All Good.
Each
human being is a creation of God, made in God's image and likeness,
with the choice of how to use universal principles. Evil is the result
of man's misuse of these principles, and not a separate power.
God
is not human, and has no gender or limiting human emotion such as
anger, wrath, vengefulness, or jealousy. God does not ever deny us or
punish us, but has provided the law of Cause and Effect that says that
whatever we believe, we create. We experience the consequences of this
freedom of choice, but never punishment by God.
The
Word, or thought of God, is the Creative Source back of all things. God
is eternally initiating the Divine Creative Process. Our thought is
creative because we are created out of and one with this Creative
Source. Change in our lives begins with a change in our thoughts.
Here's who we are . . .
Center for Spiritual Living - Manatee, is a member of
the Centers for Spiritual Living (previously known as the United Church of Religious Science). This movement was founded in
1927 by Dr. Ernest Holmes. Hundreds of our churches can be found across
the Americas, Europe, Australia, Russia and Africa.
Here's what we do . . .
Pre-service meditation is at 10:00 a.m. Our 10:45 a.m. Sunday service celebrates the unique, Divine expressions
that we are and supports us in experiencing the grandest Divine idea of
ourselves and each other.
Our ministers present a positive, practical, and uplifting message.
We
teach classes and workshops in how to use the power of our thought,
affirmative prayer, meditation techniques, and other life enriching
topics.
Our Ministry of Prayer offers confidential prayer support.
