The Educational Path | Classes | Distance Learning | Class Policies
Current Schedule

The Educational Path

A brief overview of the educational programs offered by Religious Science Baltimore

• SOM 100 Series: basic foundations
• SOM 200 Series: continuing study
• SOM 300 Series: professional practitioner education
• SOM 400 Series: ministerial training

Religious Science churches around the world offer ongoing accredited educational programs to assist Truth students in uncovering their own spiritual magnificence. The curriculum is divided into three main segments.

The 100 and 200 series of classes are for all students, and may be taken in any order. The 100 series focuses on basic education in New Thought principles, and the 200 series takes a deeper and broader look at the practical application of those principles. With over fifteen courses to choose from, there’s something for everyone.

The 300 series is designed for the student who intends to be licensed by Religious Science International as a Professional Practitioner — one who is trained to offer Spiritual Mind Treatment (our form of affirmative prayer) for themselves and for others. To enroll in the 300 series, students must have successfully completed the entire 100 series and 4 courses from the 200 series. Permission from the instructor is also required. Upon successful completion of the 300 series, the student is eligible to enter an practitioner internship, working with clients and serving in their local church. Following a successful interview with the RSI Board of Education, and the passing of qualifying examinations, the student may be licensed as a Professional Practitioner of Religious Science (RScP).

The 400 series is the most rigorous series in the curriculum. Prerequisites are the successful completion of the 100, 200, and 300 series of classes. Permission from the instructor is also required. Due to the intense nature of this course series, it is open only to those students who plan to enter into the ministry.

The Science of Mind® 100 Series

The SOM 100 Series is designed to give the student a solid background in the theory and practice of metaphysical principles.

SOM 101: The Spiritual Path

The Spiritual Path introduces students to the background, history, and beginnings of Science of Mind® as well as to a new concept of God. Classes explore how god relates to the individual and how thought creates our personal reality. This course introduces the steps of spiritual mind treatment, also known as affirmative prayer.

SOM 102: The Nature of Effective Prayer

The Nature of Effective Prayer is designed to give the student a thorough understanding of the nature and practice of affirmative prayer. SOM 102 incorporates exercises that develop the student's understanding of how to pray effectively for themselves. Participants practice by writing spiritual mind treatments.

SOM 103: Building a Healing Consciousness

In Building a Healing Consciousness, students deepen their understanding of effective spiritual mind treatment, and develop a greater understanding of the nature of the creative process in the individual. The student will begin building a healing consciousness through their affirmative prayer work.

SOM 104: The Principles of Successful Living

In SOM 104, students explore the role of consciousness in co-creating his or her own life. developing a positive, life-affirming consciousness is one of the goals of this class. Upon completion, participants will have a greater understanding of our place in this spiritual universe and our relation to the one creative source.

 

The Science of Mind® 200 Series

In the 200 series, there are many courses to choose from. Each class is eight weeks in length and a student must complete any four courses, in any order, to receive a certificate of completion.

SOM 201: The Mind-Body Connection

The Mind-Body Connection explores the connection between the mind and the body, using the Science of Mind® textbook and other more current materials. Special attention is paid to the recent interest in alternative medicine and holistic healing.

SOM 202: The Power of Decision

The Power of Decision is designed to empower students to reach independent decisions which enhance the quality of their lives. Based on the powerful metaphysical classic, this course is valuable for both the new and experienced student.

SOM 203: This Thing Called You

This Thing Called You is a prime example of Ernest Holmes’ mature philosophy. Topics of exploration include: cocreation, the power of your belief, your inner authority, and how to increase your faith. This is excellent for new students and as a refresher course for more experienced learners.

SOM 204: Spiritual Laws

This is a practical class which empowers the student to develop positive thinking skills. The classic text Working With the Law by Raymond Holliwell provides lucid explanations of exactly how the spiritual laws operate in our lives. These laws are utterly reliable; this class shows the student how to use this knowledge to benefit every area of living.

SOM 205: Spiritual Economics

Focusing on prosperity issues, the student of Spiritual Economics will gain a greater understanding of the basic metaphysical principles which govern our financial well-being. Participants will learn how to use these principles effectively in everyday life. This is a sensible, solution-oriented class, and is appropriate for the new or advanced student.

SOM 206: What the Mystics Taught

All religions find common ground in mysticism. The focus of this course is on deepening the student's actual experience of the timeless and eternal nature of Spirit. Practical techniques and historical insights help the student see through the eyes of the great spiritual lights from many traditions.

SOM 207: The Edinburgh Lectures

Based on the classic lecture series, the Edinburgh Lectures have inspired nearly every other early New Thought writer. Judge Thomas Troward delivered them in Scotland in 1908 and they have served as the touchstone for metaphysical thinking to this day. His mind is logical, brilliant, and precise. This class is excellent for the serious student of New Thought.

SOM 208: Emerson's Essays

Ralph Waldo Emerson was the most quoted, most inspirational writer in America for over a hundred years. His concept of American Voice, of Self-Reliance, and of The Oversoul have influenced the New Thought movement profoundly. He is quoted by all the great metaphysical writers and he was the first to break through traditional Christianity in such a way as to inspire multitudes to higher thought. Background information on Emerson's times and his fellow members of the Transcendentalist circle is covered.

SOM 209: Bible Scholarship and History

This course examines the history and the many misconceptions of the most published book of all time, with special attention to the fallacies of fundamentalist interpretation. The course looks at the most recent advances in bible scholarship, including the discovery of the Nag Hammadi texts [Gnostic in origin] and the Dead Sea Scrolls. The class is an excellent background course for the New Thought student who wants to know more about the bible. Not advised for beginning students.

SOM 210: Bible as Metaphor

This is a look at the Bible as story, Bible as myth. Drawing from sources as diverse as Clarissa Pinkola Estes, Aesop, Joseph Campbell, and Jelaluddin Rumi, this course looks at the many Life Stories in the bible, where we play every character. Students will learn powerful and effective tools for translation and interpretation.

SOM 211: The Metaphysical Bible

Many students of New Thought are familiar with Rocco Errico and his translations of the Bible. This course looks at the metaphysical meanings of the parables and familiar stories you remember from childhood.

SOM 212: Joseph Campbell: Myth and Spirit

Joseph Campbell was perhaps the greatest thinker of the 20th Century. His writings cover a vast range of spirituality, culture, and human mythology. His presence, which most people only experience through the wonderful Power of Myth video series, was transcendent. This course takes an overview of Campbell’s work, helping the novice and scholar alike make sense of their own personal myth.

SOM 217: Spiritual Fitness

description coming soon...

Texts:

Spiritual Fitness by Caroline Reynolds
Spiritual Fitness Teaching Manual by Dr. Dennis Merritt Jones

SOM 298: It’s All God

This course takes a long view of the development of New Thought Religious Science. In It's All God, you'll gain a deeper understanding of where Religious Science came from, learn to see the Divine in everything and everyone, and come to understand why New Thought is poised to become the spirituality for the 21st Century.

Texts:

It’s All God by Walter Starcke
Companion Workbook by by Walter Starcke or Dr. Dennis Merritt Jones

SOM 299: The Magic of the Soul

description coming soon…

Texts:

The Magic of the Soul by Patrick Harbula

 

The Science of Mind® 300 Series: Practitioner Studies

The Science of Mind® 300 Series is designed for the serious student of Religious Science intending to apply for licensure as a Professional Practitioner. Departing from the unit format of SOM 100 and 200, this series includes 96 hours of intensive coursework. The duration of this class is approximately one calendar year. This course is a far-reaching exploration of the theory and practice of metaphysical principles as applied to healing and transformation. Students of this course gain mastery of the use of affirmative prayer for themselves and for others; they become adept at the application of spiritual principles to every situation.

During the 300 Series, students enter into an internship mode of learning. It is the practitioner internship that prepares the student for a professional practice as a licensed Practitioner of Religious Science. Including practical experience and advanced training, internship is both highly challenging and highly rewarding.

 

The Science of Mind® 400 Series: Ministerial Studies

The purpose of this series is to train a student in effective leadership with an ability to relate the Principles of Science of Mind® to everyday living and to express these principles in a clear, practical way. With over 200 class hours of instruction and a duration of 19-24 months, students gain experience and skill in communications, speaking, counseling, teaching, leadership, ethics, comparative religion, business and marketing. Students who successfully complete the 400 series will have gained: A clear understanding of the basic principles of Science of Mind® and the ability to communicate these effectively. An ability to prepare a teaching outline for a class or formal lecture from material within the curriculum of Religious Science International and to conduct both a class and a formal lecture with clarity, conviction and authority. Qualities of leadership in church operation, management, growth and expansion. The skill to produce students who are able to clearly teach Science of Mind® classes accredited by Religious Science International or non-accredited Religious Science classes. It should be noted that this course is intended only for the student who has a clear intention of beginning a Religious Science ministry upon completion of the course. For more information, contact Rev. Jeffrey Proctor at classes@rsibaltimore.com.

“Nature seems to await our comprehension of her, and since she is governed by immutable laws — the ignorance of which excuses no one from their effects — the bondage of humanity must be a result of our ignorance of the true nature of Reality. To learn how to think is to learn how to live.”
-Ernest Holmes