Quotes and
Excerpts
Norman Vincent Peale
See also
New Thought, Swedenborg &
Science of Mind
The Freemasons
(article) and Freemasonry, global
oneness & the Rose Cross
Norman Vincent Peale
(1898-1993)
Champion of Positive Thinking:
[Ad: "Download one of the greatest
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books ever written"]
"Peale confessed that as a youth he had 'the worst inferiority complex of all,' and
developed his positive thinking/positive confession
philosophy just to help himself. In 1937, Peale
established a clinic with Freudian psychiatrist
Dr. Smiley Blanton in the basement of the
Marble Collegiate Church. (Blanton brought with him the
'extensive experience' of having undergone psychoanalysis by Freud himself in Vienna...) The clinic was described as having
'a theoretical base that was Jungian, with a strong evidence of neo- and post-Freudianism."
(Norman Vincent Peale and the Power of Positive Thinking , p. 90). It subsequently grew to an operation with more than 20 psychiatric doctors and
psychologically-trained
'ministers,' and in 1951 became known as the American Foundation for Religion and Psychiatry. In 1972, it merged with the Academy of Religion and Mental Health to form the Institutes of Religion and Health (IRH).
...
"Peale pioneered the
merger of theology and psychology
which became known as Christian Psychology. Peale ... is the person who is most
responsible for bringing psychology into the professing Church, blending its
principles into a message of 'positive thinking.'
"Peale
said, 'through prayer you... make use of the
great factor within yourself, the deep subconscious mind.... [which Jesus
called] the kingdom of God
within you ... Positive thinking is just another term for faith.' He also wrote,
"Your unconscious mind ... [has a] power that
turns wishes into realities
when the wishes are strong enough.'"
Daily Guideposts - Your Source of Inspiration:
"The creative genius behind Guideposts was Dr. Norman Vincent Peale. With his wife, Ruth, Dr. Peale founded the organization in 1945.
During his long life, Dr. Peale was acclaimed as one of the foremost ministers and
motivational speakers
and writers of the 20th century. While serving as
minister at Marble Collegiate Church
in New York City, he spoke to 100 groups a year and authored 46 books.
By far the most popular of his books was The Power of Positive Thinking.
Published in 1952, that book... stayed on the New York Times bestseller list for
186 consecutive weeks. Still available today, the book has sold more than 20
million copies in 42 languages.
Positive thinking, Dr. Peale often
explained, is
faith in God and belief in oneself.
... In 1984, he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by Ronald
Reagan."
Robert Schuller: "He began to see his church as a
mission, a place where non-Christians would feel comfortable enough to come in
and then later 'accept Jesus.' How would he do this? By preaching only
positive things! Schuller credits close friend
Norman Vincent Peale '
with fine tuning his own
positive faith and laying the foundation for his own Possibility Thinking
that was to come.... Schuller reinterprets the doctrines of the Word of God to
conform with his self-esteem philosophy. His Christ is a Jesus who provides men
with self-esteem.... no need for one to recognize his own personal sin,
no need for repentance, and no need for the crucifixion...."
See
Gal 1:6-10
Guideposts Magazine
"Christian" or New Age? "Norman Vincent Peale is perhaps the most widely read author of
'positive thinking' and of the role of the 'subconscious/unconscious' mind. By the time Peale wrote
The Positive Power of Jesus Christ in 1980, he had already influenced millions through 24 books,
Guideposts magazine, and Plus: The Magazine of Positive Thinking.
" One does not have to look far to discover the true source of Peale's theology. Peale once wrote the
foreword to a psychic's book. He has also endorsed The Jesus Letters, written by two Connecticut women who claim to have made
contact with a communicating entity [spirit guide] self-identified as Jesus of Nazareth. Peale said of this
occultic automatic writing:
'It little matters if these writings come from Jesus of Nazareth or Jesus of Jane [co-author Jane Palzere], they are all the same consciousness and that consciousness is God. I am a part of God, and Jane [is] part of that same God.'...
"In the story
'The Promise," the writer shares that she uses 'positive mental imagery to help clients find healing.' Of one patient we read,
'Gloria and I experimented with various meditations and visualizations that would help her envision God's love and healing being released into her life. Inviting a healing image into the mind can have a powerful effect on the body and Gloria and I kept searching for the one just right for her.' By using a
'wing-horse meditation,' Gloria would 'travel to the imaginative garden to meet the reality of Christ's presence' who gives her
'living water.'...
"Guideposts has for years published
... speculative stories about miracle-working angels. This has now been formalized with a new magazine,
Angels on Earth. Guideposts promos this bimonthly magazine as follows:
'Come and meet angels on earth; sense their mysterious presence; feel their benevolent influences experience the brilliant light of their angelic glory. Our newest family member
ANGELS ON EARTH magazine presents stories of angels and angelic people on earth in a profoundly mysterious way; yet, radiates faith-affirming hope.... Welcome their presence into your own life today."
What Freemasonry Means To Me -
The Reverend Dr. Norman Vincent Peale, 33°:
"My grandfather was a Mason for 50 years, my father for 50 years, and I have been a Mason for 60 years. This means that my tie with
Freemasonry extends back to 1869 when my grandfather joined the Masons.
My feelings on my first entrance into a Masonic Lodge are very clear in memory. I was a young man and it was a great thrill to
kneel before the altar of the Lodge
to become a Freemason.... And it must also have been identical to the one that many great leaders of America and the world felt as they became Masons. Prominent among this select group are George Washington, Harry Truman, and 12 other Presidents as well as countless statesmen and benefactors of humanity.
.... Through Masonic teachings, good men practice love and charity. As a Fraternity they spend millions of dollars to support hospitals, childhood language disorders clinics, and research into problems that plague man's physical and mental being."
Quotations by Norman Vincent Peale (1898 - 1993):
"Believe in yourself!
Have
faith in your abilities! Without a
humble but reasonable confidence in your own powers you cannot be successful or
happy."...
" Change
your thoughts and you change your world."...
"Formulate and
stamp indelibly on your mind a mental picture of yourself as succeeding.
Hold this picture tenaciously. Never permit it to fade. Your mind will seek to
develop the picture... Do not build up obstacles in your imagination."...
"Think
enthusiastically about everything; but especially about your job. If you do,
you'll put a touch of glory in your life.... You'll love it
into greatness."
Turning America On
To Positive Thinking:
"At age 34, Peale accepted a call to Marble Collegiate Church in Manhattan where he remained for 52 years as one of New York City’s most famous preachers. Membership grew from 600 when he arrived to well over 5,000 today.
In 1945, Dr. Peale, his wife, Ruth Stafford Peale, and Raymond Thornburg, a Pawling, New York businessman founded Guideposts Magazine. With little money and a strong vision they managed to raise $1,200 from
Frank Gannett, founder of the Gannett newspaper chain, J. Howard
Pew, the Philadelphia industrialist...."
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