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Lessons in Truth

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Learn how to transform your life by the power of thoughts, words, and beliefs. Metaphysics and practical Christianity are simplified in twelve comprehensive lessons. Over 1.6 million books sold!

162 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1989

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502 people want to read

About the author

H. Emilie Cady

73 books10 followers

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5 stars
239 (60%)
4 stars
104 (26%)
3 stars
37 (9%)
2 stars
6 (1%)
1 star
9 (2%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews
Profile Image for Edythe Prince.
4 reviews
January 30, 2014
If you are reading this book I recommend you listen to Lessons in Truth series on the Truth Transforms podcast by Rev. Gaylon McDowell. It starts around February 2013 and he discusses a chapter per show and does a great job. Here is a link..
http://www.unity.fm/episode/TruthTran...
Profile Image for Faythe Swanson.
127 reviews13 followers
Read
July 28, 2011
This book greatly enhanced my spiritual growth & made me think about things a little deeper. Reading this will make you think about what thoughts you have, the words you speak, & what you believe (& why!). I think the last chapter of this book was the best!
Profile Image for Toi.
Author 1 book4 followers
May 29, 2013
I love (and prefer) books that challenge my way of thinking, esp. about matters related to God and spiritually. You may or may not choose to agree with Cady. However, you are forced to AT LEAST think about why you believe what you believe and determine if it's all (or in part) worth reexamining.
10 reviews1 follower
Read
December 10, 2008
the one book that changed my life.
Profile Image for Eileen.
540 reviews21 followers
January 17, 2013
First published in 1894, this book makes clear many of the important tenets of the New Thought movement of the late 1800s. The author emphasizes the indwelling of the Spirit in each person, that God is All in all, and the hopeful possibilities for the future as people become more & more aware of this reality. She was influenced by other New Thought teachers of her time – Emma Curtis Hopkins, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Charles and Myrtle Fillmore, Emmet Fox and other great minds of the New Thought movement.
6 reviews4 followers
March 13, 2017
Very healing. Embrace this book with an open heart and mind. Once you understand some of the truths and ideas, you cannot go back to your old way of thinking. Strengthened my awareness of my oneness with God. One thing; you must be seeking wisdom or fulfillment to understand this book. If you are not ready, don't waste your time. Keep the book on the shelf for when you are ready because you WILL need it someday. Then read it over and over and over. This is a book you keep for a lifetime of reference.
Profile Image for Barb.
424 reviews1 follower
December 28, 2016
Cady presents New Thought philosophy to increase our personal empowerment transforming our thoughts, words, and beliefs. Although first published over 100 years ago the relevance today is clear, dispite the "old language'. She expounds on 12 truth principles to live by. Emilie Cady's premise is of an "indwelling Christ through whom and by whom come life, health, peace, power, all things". Lessons in Truth is a part of the curriculum used at Unity School of Chrisitianity.
28 reviews2 followers
June 25, 2009
This book was my introduction to "New Thought" religion and philosophy. Irreplaceable.
6 reviews3 followers
February 10, 2019
Half of the Book is Wonderful

I will re-read this book and see if the first half makes any sense in light of second. For now, let me first place this book in the context of the 19th Century New Thought Movement, then look at chapters 7-9, and then 1-6. I hope my unusual approach will prove justified.

Religious or spiritual movements like Christian Science and Unity, (and, for that matter 20th Century best-selling secular self-help books like Napoleon Hill’s Think and Grow Rich and Norman Vincent Peale’s The Power of Positive Thinking) can be traced back to a New England watchmaker named Phineas Quimby (1802-1866). New Thought may be America’s sole original contribution to religion.

The common element in New Thought schools is the supremacy of mind over circumstances. Of course, the more religious sort had their own theology emphasizing the all-ness of God and the unreality of evil (sickness, poverty, death). They became associated with healing, and with Unity, the broader applications presented in Cady’s book of 12 Lessons.

New Thought has survived primarily in the muddy “power of positive thinking” current while Christian Science and Unity are struggling.

The latter half of Cady’s book is a very good practical exploration of what today we would call meditation. While Christian Science focused on healing, Cady had no problems with dismantling resistance to any of God’s good things. This might be dismissed as a precursor to the “prosperity gospel” except Cady—whose Yankee practicality is her most attractive feature—seems to view the material benefits of answered prayer as God’s way of proving the lessons in the book and leading the seeker to more disinterested enlightenment.

Cady gets into the nitty gritty of meditation or “sitting in silence,” giving good advice on what to do with intrusive thoughts, or why aspirations are better than trying to keep one’s mind empty. But the end of all this is what seems to be a touchingly sincere desire for people to find that “their Lord” is within them, and that God is not just the Father of cold divine principles, but a warm and loving personal Mother to whom we can turn in confidence.

I read the second half with great interest. The first half I read with exasperation, as my copious notes reflect.

The first half of the book attempts to outline a theology underlying what I just described. There are “denials,” and “affirmations” and “demonstrations” and who knows what all.

Frankly, it’s a mess.

On its surface, it sounds Christian. However, Cady borders on the unscrupulous in her appropriation of Christian terms, like “Christ” and “God” for concepts far removed from any orthodox understanding. Similarly, she (like Mary Baker Eddy) is addicted to out-of-context proof texting from the Bible to support ideas that could not be further from the text. Sometimes Cady seems to realize the weak intellectual foundations of her teachings and exhorts the reader to just forget about it and see if it works! She is refreshingly endearing at those points. But then she’s back to argument by analogy and other tricks.

Since there doesn’t seem to be any essential link between New Thought and orthodox Christianity, I found myself wondering why people like Cady, and Mary Baker Eddy and Unity’s Charles and Myrtle Fillmore bothered. The historical Jesus does not seem to be God, but rather the greatest Master—a sort of Western Buddha. There doesn’t seem to be sin, just illusion or error. New Thought theology is pretty slippery, though. In the first half of the book, it seems Cady can’t write more than two pages without contradicting herself! Then again, she’s walking a very fine line between both using and disabusing terms like “sin.”

However, America was a solidly Christian nation during the heyday of New Thought. To give some perspective, Cady’s lifetime spanned the Civil War and she did not even have the right to vote when she wrote this book. A blatantly non-Christian religious movement spearheaded by women would have had trouble gaining traction. Moreover, she didn’t have all the intellectual reference points we take for granted today. When viewed in the context of her era, the second half is truly remarkable and the first is more forgivable.

Unity today seems to be spreading its wings beyond Christianity, perhaps in a conscious bid for the buying power of women attracted to a plethora of New Age ideas. Cady’s book is old style Unity, inspired by, if not based on, Christianity.

While the thinking isn’t always clear, the writing is often direct and fresh, and I enjoyed it, giving it a good study in just a few days. Cady comes through as a sincere and appealing personality. Among the New Thought canon, I enjoyed it much more than the disjointed and labored Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures. The second half makes a very intriguing and enlightening read. I would recommend this to anyone interested in New Thought, and for admirers of Unity, especially those curious about its roots.
Profile Image for Mark Wenz.
323 reviews5 followers
January 31, 2023
Recently I have discontinued attending a Lutheran church and have begun attending a Unity Church. There’s a lot I like about the Unity Church I’m attending–especially its parishioners, who are a joyful, welcoming, and optimistic group of kindred spirits. I like a lot about the church’s philosophy as well. I feel an affinity for the Transcendentalists–particularly Emerson and Thoreau–and their spiritual philosophy correlates closely with Unity. I also see parallels with Buddhism, especially in their belief that God resides in each one of us and that we can attain spiritual enlightenment by letting this spirit act and manifest itself through us. I also like the fact that the Unity church is tolerant of other faiths and believes that all of us can attain a relationship with God in our own ways, and I like the fact that, although they quote scripture, those who ascribe to Unity’s principles aren’t literalists or fundamentalists.

However, I also have problems with Unity–as I do with all religions I have studied. For one, although it’s tolerant of other faiths, it presents its own truth with a capital T, and I have always been suspicious of any philosophy that purports to tell the Truth, the absolute Truth, and nothing but the Truth. I’m more of a believer in the idea that truth is different for all of us. Secondly, Unity shares the belief held by Christian Scientists that healing can be done from within. Although I believe this and have seen it in my own life (my wife has Crohn’s Disease, and when she’s feeling at peace with the universe her Crohn’s goes into remission whereas when she’s stressed and conflicted her Crohn’s activates itself). But to suggest that my connection with God is going to heal the torn tendon in my shoulder or heal the arthritis in both of my knees is, in my opinion, complete foolishness. I wear a knee brace, and I was told by a member of the church this week to cast aside my brace and heal myself–and then this person had the gall to tell me that I was probably just wearing the brace to draw attention to myself. (“No,” I responded, “I wear the brace because my knee doesn’t hurt nearly as badly when I do so.”) Another aspect of the book that I have trouble with is its attaching a gender to God, who is referred to as Him and The Father throughout Cady’s lessons. Why does God have to be male? Why does God have a gender at all? Finally, Unity’s philosophy seems geared to an educated, white, upper-middle to upper-class population that doesn’t have the stressors that the persecuted members of our society have had to forebear. I have yet to see a person of color or someone living in economic distress in any of the dozen or so Unity services I have attended, and any religion that appeals to such a narrow demographic, in my opinion, must be missing something.

Now that I have given you my personal background experiences with the Unity church, let’s examine Cady’s book, which was given to me by the woman who introduced me to the church in the first place. Realizing that the book was written about 125 years ago, I tried to read it with that context in mind, but after going through the twelve lessons, I only could verbalize a handful of “truths” that the book was trying to relay to me because of how abstract it was. Also, I didn’t like the numbered points and would much have preferred conventional prose written in an expository style with transitional words, phrases, sentences, and paragraphs, and with the author connecting ideas in a logical fashion, instead of the mishmash of proclamations that the author presents numerically throughout each lesson.

So, did I enjoy the book or feel edified, inspired, or altered by it? The honest answer is “Not really.” I do agree with the basic premise of Unity: that God exists within us and all around us and is accessible to all of us and that He/She is not an anthropomorphic figure hanging out somewhere in the sky but rather a spirit that manifests itself through our relationship with it. So that’s my connection, and, perhaps, that’s good enough for now. Perhaps you’ll find this an inspirational read, but I did only on the most basic and superficial of levels. I was hoping for more. Grade: C+
Profile Image for Lisa Salinas.
124 reviews9 followers
August 30, 2020
Some good quotes worth highlighting and saving, but overall did not enjoy. Also did not mesh with my beliefs... the following quote as an example:

"I believe that the veriest heathen that ever lived, he who worships the golden calf as his highest conception of God, worships God. His mind has not yet expanded to a state where he can grasp any idea of God apart from a visible form, something that he can see with human eyes and handle with fleshly hands. But at heart he is seeking something higher than his present conscious self to be his deliverance out of evil."
Profile Image for Dionysia Browne.
1 review3 followers
March 8, 2019
Profound and heat opening

This book has expressed the deep truth and peeled back the layers of mental confusions . It is learning and unlearning as well . Thank you for opening the door within
Profile Image for Onur.
132 reviews6 followers
September 11, 2019
Well, explanations of truth based on Holy Bible are clear and she also gives prayers (based on Bible again) for invocation purpose of experience of our Godself (however, i failed for some reason). This book deserves respect, as it was written in the very early years of 1900s.
1 review
August 8, 2020
If you ever read one book in your life read this one, your life will be changed forever.
Profile Image for Zdenek Sykora.
435 reviews20 followers
August 12, 2022
Very good reading and for those who are interesting in metaphysics - this is the must read book.
124 reviews
June 17, 2023
This is a slow read. Each chapter builds upon the one before. Lots to think about.
30 reviews
Read
October 7, 2024
You need to be quite advanced in your spiritual development to comprehend this book. A masterpiece if you can; foolishness if you can't.
10.5k reviews34 followers
September 15, 2024
A VERY POPULAR SET OF "LESSONS" EXPOUNDING THE PRINCIPLES OF THE UNITY SCHOOL

Harriet Emilie Cady (1848-1941) was an American homeopathic physician and New Thought author. She also wrote 'Complete Works of H. Emilie Cady,' 'How I Used Truth,' 'Miscellaneous Writings,' etc.

She notes, "Many have thought of God as a personal being... God is the name we give to that unchangeable, inexorable principle at the source of all existence. To the individual consciousness God takes on personality, but as the creative underlying cause of all things, He is principle, impersonal; as expressed in each individual, He becomes personal to that one---a personal, loving, all-forgiving Father-Mother." (Pg. 22)

She suggests, "My advice is: If you want to make rapid progress in growth toward spiritual understanding, stop reading many books. They only give you someone's opinion about Truth, or a sort of history of the author's experience in seeking Truth. What you want is revelation of Truth in your own soul, and that will never some through the reading of many books." (Pg. 28)

Later, she cautions, "Do not be confused by seeming contradictions in the lessons. I have said heretofore that too much introspection is not good. I repeat it; for there are those who, in earnest desire to know God, are always seeking light for themselves, but neglect to use that which they already have to help others." (Pg. 99)

She advises, "You may say to yourself, or another may say silently to you, over and over again, that you are well and wise and happy. On the mental plane a certain 'cure' is effected, and for a time you will feel well and wise and happy. This is simply a form of hypnotism, or mind-cure. But until, down in the depths of your being, you are conscious of your oneness with the Father, until you know within yourself that the spring of all wisdom and health and joy is within your own being, ready at any moment to leap forth at the call of your need, you will not have spiritual understanding." (Pg. 79-80)

She admits, "If you are faithfully and earnestly living what Truth you know, and still find that your power to heal is not so great as it was at first, recognize it as all good. Be assured, no matter what anyone else says to you or thinks, that the seeming failure does not mean loss of power. It means that you are to let go of the lesser, in order that you may grasp the whole, in which the lesser is included." (Pg. 119-120)

This book has sold more than 1.6 million copies, and is understandably one of the most popular expositions of the principles of the Unity School that exist.

Profile Image for Maggy.
Author 41 books13 followers
March 9, 2012
The first time I read this book back in 2000 I found it quite hard going and, as I was reading it as part of a study project I really read it to quickly. But I was very drawn to some of the statements and views about faith and put a whole raft of Emilie's affirmations up on my bedroom wall. I would read them to myself every morning.

At the time I had just returned from a 'failed emigration' to the USA and was working in a pub kitchen to make the rent. I'd been a TV presenter so this was a bit of a difficult time.

Within three months I had won a contract to start up an holistic health internet company - and my husband of eight years had left me. Was it this book? Not absolutely of course but it certainly influenced me deeply and I started to look for opportunities again and to return to the confident self that I had once been.

Now, 12 years later I am revisiting it and I find it transformational. I've managed to hold on to my husband of seven years while reading it (!) and my eyes are being opened to new opportunities again. It came back into my life at the perfect moment.

I have memorized quite a few of the 'denials and affirmations' and use them to start my working day.
Profile Image for Maggy.
Author 41 books13 followers
March 9, 2012
The first time I read this book back in 2000 I found it quite hard going and, as I was reading it as part of a study project I really read it to quickly. But I was very drawn to some of the statements and views about faith and put a whole raft of Emilie's affirmations up on my bedroom wall. I would read them to myself every morning.

At the time I had just returned from a 'failed emigration' to the USA and was working in a pub kitchen to make the rent. I'd been a TV presenter so this was a bit of a difficult time.

Within three months I had won a contract to start up an holistic health internet company - and my husband of eight years had left me. Was it this book? Not absolutely of course but it certainly influenced me deeply and I started to look for opportunities again and to return to the confident self that I had once been.

Now, 12 years later I am revisiting it and I find it transformational. I've managed to hold on to my husband of seven years while reading it (!) and my eyes are being opened to new opportunities again. It came back into my life at the perfect moment.

I have memorized quite a few of the 'denials and affirmations' and use them to start my working day.
Profile Image for Lisa Marie.
35 reviews
August 18, 2013
I find that when circumstances seem a little harder to deal with at times, that this book provides the foundation to cope and work through it all. While my take on religion as a whole is unique, I don't mind the psychological take on the bible vs the literal take. If you read the Secret, this is where the author started...The message is the same, if you can put your own views aside...
343 reviews
December 29, 2014
Lesson in Truth H.Emilie Cady

Lesson in Truth is a book that one has to be able to read and comprehend various ideas of what religion and its concepts entails for Christians. It is very complex and has a reader continuously going into reflexive mode.
Lesson in Truth is a book that must be read slowly.
Profile Image for Mark Bodenstein.
63 reviews1 follower
November 22, 2016
Very simple and straightforward description of our relationship with God, what that means about reality, and advice for how to behave based on that. Very uplifting. I found some of the metaphors particularly helpful. I highly recommend this book for anyone who is conscious that they're on a journey of spiritual development. It will help you on your way.
Profile Image for Eunice.
7 reviews14 followers
March 12, 2013
This book is particularly leaning towards the New Thought movement. If you're into this kind of belief, this book would be a good read. However, for someone who believes in the Holy Trinity, salvation, and Heaven, this might come as a cult manual.
Profile Image for Malika.
241 reviews7 followers
December 1, 2012
Not the easiest read. Read in in conjunction with a class of the same title at my Unity Church. I think this book is best read with at least 1 partner, where you can discuss and share perspective on Ms. Cady is presenting. This book really makes you think and yearn for discussion.
33 reviews
August 3, 2017
This book was written in the 1890's, but what a spiritually advanced thinker the author was. She certainly thought outside of the box for her time and also for current times. This book helped me do some pondering and soul searching. A very great read.
Profile Image for Ro.
250 reviews
August 19, 2009
I am reading this book as a study at the Unity church. It is fascinating to learn about the foundations of the New Thought movement.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews

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