Thank you Q, you are a gentleman.
Ernest Holmes, who wrote The Science of Mind (now in it's 50th printing since 1938) was deeply inspired by the writings of Emerson,-not hard to imagine if you have read much of his work- Hopkins, Troward, and others lead him into his own investigation into this field of endeavor. As I understand it, the conflict with traditional views is that we, as the created, share in the Divine Nature. Most of the Christian community separates man from the Divine by what it refers to as "Original Sin" New Thought doesn't make this distinction, though it does not deny man's capacity for tragic error. What it does say, is that the closer we draw to our Divine source, the greater and more expansive will be our experience here in the physical. This would include prosperity, good health, good relationships, and a closer walk with God. Some of the writings, especially those of Phineas Quimby, are more to the point, and less poetic or mystical than those of Troward, and Holmes , but the principles are essentially the same.
It is this kind of thinking that originally boosted the positive thinking idea that Norman Vincent Peal espoused in his wonderful works. My Father used to keep books like that around the house when I was a child, so I grew up reading them, along with scripture.
Ideas like "The things I do so shall you also" and " The kingdom of God is within you" also, "Seek first the kingdom of God and all things shall be added unto you" show the Christian roots of many facets of the movement.
An offshoot of this movement started by Mary Baker Eddy, became known as Christian Science, though much of her method and ideas came from her association with Quimby, who originally helped her regain her health.
