Religious Science's Declaration of Principles When someone asks you, "What do you believe?", it sometimes seems easier to answer this question by listing all the things one does not believe. A reporter once asked Dr. Ernest Holmes to put in his own words, briefly, what Religious Science teaches. His answer has become known as the Declaration of Principles. Religious Science or the Science of Mind is all about awakening to our own inherent magnificence. The principles that follow have nothing to do with what we're against, for in truth, we're not against anything, but for something wonderful. To help make the Principles more accessible, we've provided one possible translation of what they mean to each one of us in our everyday lives. The Principles One Translation I believe in God, the living Spirit Almighty; one, indestructible, absolute, and self-existent Cause. There is one infinite, intelligent, all-powerful Spirit; it was not created, for it is eternal: always existing, and self-propelling. This One manifests Itself in and through all creation but is not absorbed by its creation. This Spirit is at one with everything, making things out of itself by becoming them, but is still more than all that it creates. The manifest universe is the body of God; it is the logical and necessary outcome of the infinite self-knowingness of God. The Universe is this spirit in form. The unmanifest becomes manifest by means of spiritual laws that have always existed. Spirit must take on form, for Spirit knows itself perfectly. I believe in the incarnation of the Spirit in humankind and that all people are incarnations of the One Spirit. All people are Spirit in form; I am Spirit in form. While we seem many, we are all connected by our spiritual origin, like waves on the ocean. I believe in the eternality, the immortality, and the continuity of the individual soul, forever expanding. There is no death; only the eternal transformation of forms into new forms. What I call my soul, my truest and deepest identity, lives on forever. I believe the kingdom of Heaven is within me, and that I experience this Kingdom to the degree that I become conscious of it. The "kingdom of heaven" is a state of consciousness where I know my oneness with Spirit. Itís right here, right now, and I can awaken to it. I believe the ultimate goal of life to be a complete emancipation from all discord of every nature, and that this goal is sure to be attained by all. Life was not meant to be lived in poor health, loneliness, poverty, or limitation of any kind. In fact, Spirit is longing to be expressed in perfect harmony in every facet of my life. And I can achieve this experience in this lifetime. I believe in the unity of all life and that the highest God and the innermost God is One God. All life is One. The appearance of duality is an illusion. Wherever I locate it, within me, above me, or all around me, Spirit is the best of the best. I believe that God is personal to all who feel this Indwelling Presence. I can have an experience of this Spirit as my confidante, my beloved, my helper, my benefactor, my advisorñwhatever I desire it to be, because it is all those things, and more. I believe in the direct revelation of Truth through the intuitive and spiritual nature of humankind, and that anyone may become a revealer of Truth who lives in close contact with the indwelling God. Like the illumined ones, I can experience the direct revelation of Truth in my own mind. Anyone who opens their heart and mind to this kind of knowing can do this. I believe that the Universal Spirit, which is God, operates through Universal Mind, the Law of God. Whatever I choose to call it, the one infinite Spirit operates by means of impersonal spiritual laws. I am surrounded by this Creative Mind which receives the direct impress of my thoughts and acts upon it. These laws create my life experience out of my consciousness, which is the overall trend of my beliefs, thinking, attitudes, and emotions. I believe in healing the sick through the Power of this Mind. I believe in the control of conditions through the Power of this Mind. By changing my beliefs, thinking, attitudes, and emotions, I can change my life. I can heal my body and change unwanted conditions. I can create new conditions. I believe in the eternal goodness, the eternal loving-kindness, and the eternal givingness of life to all. Whatever this Spirit may be, it is goodness. It is loving and kind. It is the eternal giver, offering all of itself to its creation. I believe in my own soul, my own spirit, and my own destiny. I am a unique creation of this one infinite spirit, and was created out of it with a powerful and joyous purpose for being. I am this infinite intelligent Spirit, individualized. I understand that the life of humankind is God. My life, and all life, is god.
	Ukiah Center for Positive Living