UNITY continued pool Charybdis on the Sicilian shore. Both will lead one to darkness and destruction. B ne more word will suffice in regard to the founders before we go into the analysis o f the teaching o f Unity. When the Fillmores’ son, Royal, died in 1923, very little was said o f his death but when Mrs. Fillmore "passed to the invisible side o f life” (as they expressed it) in 1931, it was publicly stated that she herself had "willed to go.” The inference is that if she had not, she might be living still! Charles Fillmore married their secretary in 1933 when she, Cora Dedrick, was 57, and he 79. She edited and elaborated on his many writings and added some o f her own. Her name as well as that o f his first wife, Myrtle, appears on numerous Unity publications. Charles Fillmore himself died in July 1948 at the age o f 94, having spent 60 years o f his life establishing and perfecting Unity. T o the very last he claimed that the cells o f his body were being renewed and apparently he did not consider the possibility o f death for him. But he, like Mrs. Eddy, and the thousands that .have followed in their train, sleep in their narrow graves, in spite o f all their statements that they could not be con quered by death. Woodbury defined Unity quite well in one paragraph in the article I have previously referred to, and from which I quote again: "What the sect has done, speaking generally, is to combine Christian beliefs with the tenets o f several Eastern religions, wrap them all up in a new package, and put a label on the package which guarantees hope to every body everywhere.” * Unity does indeed promise peace, hope, prosperity, every good thing — freedom from want and worry — but it is all false, because Unity is not built upon the foundation o f the written W ord o f God, the Bible, or the living W ord o f God, the Lord Jesus Christ, the only Saviour. Nowhere in all o f its teachings is the sin question dealt with. Nowhere is man given any real hope o f eternal life through the shed blood o f the Son o f God. At its heart Unity is cruel and cormpt and a deadly foe to the gospel. Unity and the Bible I t is very difficult to find a definite statement in Unity about any subject. This is particularly true o f its esti mate o f the Scriptures. For instance, you read this in "What Unity Teaches” by one o f their writers, Eliza beth Sand Turner: "Unity seeks to interpret the Bible. All its teachings are based on it. Some o f its teachings are in accord with orthodoxy [these I have been unable to discover]; some are quite unlike it. Unity does not claim that its interpretation o f Biblical statements is infallible or that it is final. It holds that as man’s spiritual consciousness expands he will receive ever-increasing revelations o f Truth.” * American Magazine, March 1947. Used by permission.
Two things at least are clear from this: It will not be found to be an orthodox interpretation o f the Bible; nor does Unity believe, that with the Book o f Revelation the canon o f God’s W ord to man was ended. Like Mrs. Eddy, who added her "revelation” to the Scriptures; like Jeho vah’s Witnesses, who depend upon "the light now due” from Russell and Rutherford; like the Mormons, whose Book o f Mormon and writings o f Joseph Smith replace the Bible; like Seventh-day Adventists, whose prophetess, Ellen G. White, taught that her "Testimonies” were inspired; so the Fillmores and other Unity authorities claim that the "Truth” they have received goes beyond the W ord o f God. This is characteristic o f every false religion that I have studied and is one o f the ways in which you can tell that they are heretical. Each false religion comes with its book, either to "interpret,” add to, or take the place of, the Bible. But the Lord said: " I f they speak not according to this Word, it is because there is no light in them.” Unity’s interpretation is wholly allegorical, metaphysical, "spiritual.” Their Metaphysical Bible Dictionary takes the names o f persons, events and places and tells us their "inner meaning.” It is very absurd and makes a travesty o f God’s Word. If other literature were dealt with in this way, we would have no history, no biography, no law, no medi cine — nothing but allegory. F or instance, in interpreting the Christmas lesson, we find the following explanation given in their publi cation, Weekly Unity, o f Dec. 20, 1953; this eight- page magazine carries a weekly comment on the Sunday school lesson, based upon the Scriptures selected and copyrighted by the International Council o f Religious Education. The method used is that o f questions and answers and here is a wide field in which one can orient himself in the Unity teaching and thought. "What is the 'great light’ seen by those who 'walked in darkness ?’ "It is the understanding that life is eternal and that death is not a part o f the divine law. This ligh t’ removes the shadow o f fear o f death from the race mind. Death is not the end o f life. Illumined by Christ, we see that life does not end, but is continuous. "H ow is the birth o f the Christ made manifest in the mind o f man? "As a faint conception on his part o f his possibilities as a child o f God. In the beginning he does not see how he can make practical use o f it. The idea is immature, like a 'babe wrapped in swaddling clothes.’ "What do the shepherds symbolize? "They symbolize the watchful, protective, guarding thoughts o f those who are trying to learn Truth. "What does the angel represent, and why was 'a multitude o f the heavenly host’ with it? "Angels represent thoughts and this 'angel o f the Lord’ is a thought o f great power, divine goodness, and love.”
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THE KING'S BUSINESS
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