RELIGIOUS SCIENCE EMPHASIZES BEING SPIRITUALLY IN ALIGNMENT.Byline: Holly J. Andres Staff Writer Praying for the best possible outcome for everyone involved in a long-running lawsuit wasn't what chiropractor chiropractor a practitioner in chiropractic. chiropractor A health professional trained in chiropractic; chiropractors do not perform surgery or prescribe drugs; of 50,000 licensed chiropractors in the US, many practice 'straight' chiropractic, ie Bill Schirmer had in mind 33 years ago. He really wanted to pray only for himself. But his teacher in an introduction to a science of mind class suggested something revolutionary to Schirmer. ``My teacher told me, `Do not treat (pray) to win, pray for the higher good,' '' said Schirmer, who resisted the idea at first. ``But 10 days later the lawsuit was settled and it turned out that the resolution was in the best interest of all involved. Right then I decided to become a practitioner of science of mind.'' Not only did Schirmer become a practitioner, a person who is licensed to lead prayers in the Church of Religious Science, but Schirmer was ordained or·dain tr.v. or·dained, or·dain·ing, or·dains 1. a. To invest with ministerial or priestly authority; confer holy orders on. b. To authorize as a rabbi. 2. as a minister in the church as well. Today, the Rev. Bill Schirmer has been leading the congregation at the 51-year old La Crescenta Church of Religious Science for 13 years. Schirmer said the most common reaction he's heard from visitors to his church who learn about its principles is from people who tell him, ``I've always believed that way. But I never knew that such a church existed that I could come to.'' The Church of Religious Science teaches science of mind - the interrelationship in·ter·re·late tr. & intr.v. in·ter·re·lat·ed, in·ter·re·lat·ing, in·ter·re·lates To place in or come into mutual relationship. in between ``laws of science The laws of science are various established scientific laws, or physical laws as they are sometimes called, that are considered universal and invariable facts of the physical world. Laws of science may, however, be disproved if new facts or evidence arise to contradict them. , the opinions of philosophy and the revelations of religion applied to human needs and the aspirations of man,'' according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. church literature. ``We are an unstructured church, with minimum dogma and minimal rituals,'' Schirmer said. ``The one thing that we ask our members is that they believe in a higher power Higher power is a term used in a 12-step program, such as Alcoholics Anonymous, to describe "a power greater than yourself." Although many participants equate their higher power with God, a belief in God or in formal religion is not mandatory; the higher power is intended as a . They may call that higher power God or something else.'' Schirmer, whose religious background included going to Baptist and Unitarian churches, took a basics of science of mind class after hearing about it from friends when he lived in New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of . He said he thought the ideas reasonable and he was curious to hear more. According to church literature, science of mind teaches that people control the successes and failures in their life by their thinking processes. Science of mind acknowledges that everything in the universe operates by an order, a cause and effect. By using the cause and effect principle on thought processes This is a list of thinking styles, methods of thinking (thinking skills), and types of thought. See also the List of thinking-related topic lists, the List of philosophies and the . , people can change their life for the better. Ernest Holmes was the founder of the Church of Religious Science. The New Thought movement of the late 1800s intrigued Holmes. Schirmer said that Holmes studied New Thought writers such as Ralph Waldo Emerson and Mary Baker
Mary Baker (????-????) was a British painter. She was born in London and produced works for the Society of Arts, as well as exhibiting miniatures and portraits at the Royal Academy over a fourteen year Eddy, the founder of the Church of Christ, Scientist Church of Christ, Scientist: see Christian Science. , as well as the ideas of eastern religions. Holmes synthesized those ideas into a philosophy. Followers of the science of mind philosophy grew in numbers in numbered parts; as, a book published in numbers. See also: Number to where the new church was formed in Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. in 1927. David Pies visited the church out of curiosity about five years ago. Schirmer was his chiropractor, and he thought it would be interesting to see Schirmer in action at his church. ``I was intrigued with the idea that his one job dealt with the body being out of alignment,'' said Pies, who is an attorney in the California Department of Industrial Relations industrial relations pl.n. Relations between the management of an industrial enterprise and its employees. industrial relations Noun, pl the relations between management and workers . ``You could think of this church in those terms,'' he said. ``The body can be out of alignment and you can spiritually be out of alignment with the universe. Religious Science can align you with the power of the universe, or God.'' The Glendale resident said that one of the principles of science of mind is that people are deserving and worthy of all the good things in life. Pies said that Religious Science churchgoers also believe in being grateful for the good things in their life and not focusing on what's wrong with their life all the time. ``The philosophy gets you to refocus your thinking. Science of mind is distilled from many philosophies and then those ideas are used in our dealings with our modern society. It's a usable, working type of religion,'' Pies said. ``It's helped me to be grateful for the things that I have. It has helped me with my relationships. I use it in every part of my life.'' As Schirmer likes to joke, ``I straighten out spines and minds.'' His lesson this Sunday will focus on improving mental health. ``People go around with mental baggage that they've been carrying around since they were young. People have low self-esteem, guilt or resentments. Maybe their parents or friends said that they were funny-looking or stupid. That's a lot of baloney,'' Schirmer said. ``We all have our own gifts. This lesson will discuss how to deal with these using certain techniques to make changes.'' The Rev. Bill Schirmer will deliver the message ``How to Improve Your Mental Health'' at the 10 a.m. Sunday service. La Crescenta Church of Religious Science, 4845 Dunsmore Ave., La Crescenta. Call (818) 249-1045. CAPTION(S): Photo PHOTO ``The body can be out of alignment and you can spiritually be out of alignment with the universe. Religious Science can align you with the power of the universe, or God.'' - David Pies Glendale resident, left, with the Rev. Bill Schirmer at the Church of Religious Science John McCoy/Daily News |
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