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Who We Are and What We Teach
Welcome from
Rev. Stephen Rambo
Living a Spiritually Awakened Life
I believe you’re searching for something. Let me congratulate you, because I believe you’ve found it!
CSL Simi Valley is a place to discover the answers to the questions of your life.
Now before you misunderstand, I don’t want to suggest we have the answers to all your questions: What we do have is a philosophy, a teaching, a belief system that suggests where to find the answers – within through a process of faith-based spiritual introspection and discovery.
We believe in the power of right thinking!
The founder of Science of Mind and first teacher of Religious Science, Dr. Ernest Holmes, says right thinking “cancels and erases everything unlike itself. It answers every question, solves all problems, is the solution to every difficulty.” We believe in and teach the power of affirmative thinking founded on spiritual principles.
Ours is a spiritual community where you can begin your journey or continue one on which you’ve already embarked. And here, you can do it in community with open-hearted, like-minded individuals who practice the principles of love, inclusion, equity, and justice. We are guided by a vision of a world that works for everyone.
Our mission to help achieve that goal is woven through all our activities.
We’re community, inclusive, loving and authentic.
We celebrate all paths to God, in gratitude, empowering self and others.
We serve compassionately through outreach, inspiration, and education.
I’m so glad you’re here and have taken time to get to know us online.
Let’s get to know one another.
I believe you will find a spiritual home here.
Our Mission
We believe in God, the Living Spirit Almighty; one, indestructible, absolute and self-existent Cause. This One manifests itself in and through all creation but is not absorbed by its creation. The manifest universe is the body of God; it is the logical and necessary outcome of the infinite self-knowingness of God.
We believe in the incarnation of the Spirit in everyone and that all people are incarnations of the One Spirit.
We see a world in which there is generous and continuous sharing of heart and resources
We believe the ultimate goal of life to be a complete emancipation from all discord of every nature, and that this goal is sure to be attained by all.
We believe in the unity of all life, and that the highest God and the innermost God is one God.
We believe that God is personal to all who feel this Indwelling Presence.
We believe in the direct revelation of Truth through the intuitive and spiritual nature of the individual, and that any person may become a revealer of Truth who lives in close contact with the indwelling God.
We believe that the Universal Spirit, which is God, operates through a Universal Mind, which is the Law of God; and that we are surrounded by this Creative Mind which receives the direct impress of our thought and acts upon it.
We believe in the control of conditions through the power of this Mind.
We believe in the eternal Goodness, the eternal Loving-kindness, and the eternal Givingness of Life to all.
We believe in our own soul, our own spirit, and our own destiny; for we understand that the life of all is God.
FAQ's
Q. What is Centers for Spiritual Living?
A. Centers for Spiritual Living is an organization of nearly 400 spiritual communities around the globe that provide spiritual tools to transform personal lives and help make the world a better place. At Centers for Spiritual Living, our spiritual communities teach powerful principles for personal growth and global transformation, honoring all paths to God.
Q. Who founded of Centers for Spiritual Living?
A. Dr. Ernest Holmes founded the spiritual movement that started Centers for Spiritual Living. Born in 1887 on a small Maine farm, Dr. Holmes spent his teenage years outdoors, asking himself “What is God? Who am I? Why am I here?” This questioning led to his 1926 book, The Science of Mind, which outlined the foundational viewpoints of modern New Thought.
Q. What is Science of Mind®?
A. Science of Mind® (also referred to as Religious Science) is the core teaching of Centers for Spiritual Living. Science of Mind is a philosophy that integrates spiritual truths with science and physics. Simply put, Science of Mind teaches the unity of all life. Intentions and ideas flow through a field of consciousness, which actually affects and creates the world around us. This idea is common to most major religions and is supported by the teachings of psychology and quantum physics. In Science of Mind, we believe that the secret to living a successful life is to consciously choose positive and productive thoughts. Put another way, “As you think, so you become.”
Q. Are Science of Mind and Religious Science the same?
A. Religious Science is the name of the church that Dr. Ernest Holmes started, which was the precursor to Centers for Spiritual Living. Dr. Holmes’ comprehensive book of teachings is entitled The Science of Mind. Members of Centers for Spiritual Living often use the phrases Science of Mind and Religious Science interchangeably.
Q. Is Science of Mind a real science?
A. In Science of Mind, we believe that the fields of religion and science are complementary, and that science will prove what the mystics have said for thousands of years about the nature of God, human beings, and the Universe. These beliefs are being proven even now by many quantum physicists who have found that the universe is made up of energy that cannot be destroyed and is infinitely intelligent. Science of Mind is also scientific in that is uses laws of nature to prove spiritual principles. Any person can experiment with the principles and measure the results.
Q. Is Centers for Spiritual Living related to or connected with Scientology?
A. No. Religious Science and Centers for Spiritual Living are in no way related to Scientology.
Q. Is Centers for Spiritual Living associated with Christian Science?
A. No. Centers for Spiritual Living is a unique and separate entity from Christian Science.
Q. Do people who practice Science of Mind go to doctors?
A. Absolutely. In Science of Mind, we believe that healing comes in many forms. God is expressed through doctors and medicine just as it is expressed through all of the physical universe. In short, we believe in both prayer and modern medicine.
Q. Is Centers for Spiritual Living a “New Age” organization?
A. Science of Mind is a New Thought philosophy that incorporates spiritual tools of affirmative prayer, healing and creative visualization to transform lives and make the world more peaceful, harmonious, and prosperous. Centers for Spiritual Living does not consider its teachings to be New Age, but rather incorporates the ancient wisdom of all the spiritual traditions through the ages. People of all spiritual paths — Christian, Jewish, Buddhist, Hindu, Islam, New Age and others — are all welcome in our communities.
Q. Are Centers for Spiritual Living communities a place for healing?
A. Yes. Centers for Spiritual Living spiritual communities are places where amazing healings and life transformations take place.
Q. What is the role of prayer within Centers for Spiritual Living?
A. Centers for Spiritual Living honors all forms of prayer. In addition, we teach a unique and scientific form of prayer called Spiritual Mind Treatment. This powerful, affirmative method of prayer was developed by Dr. Ernest Holmes. Spiritual Mind Treatment involves a five-step process that harnesses the creative process of consciousness. This type of powerful, scientific prayer allows new levels of health, wealth, love, and wholeness to become a reality in our lives.
Q. Is Centers for Spiritual Living a cult?
A. No. At the Centers for Spiritual Living we teach that each individual has influence over, and responsibility for, his or her own life. We support personal responsibility and strongly discourage the “following of” any one person, including founder Ernest Holmes. The philosophy taught by Centers for Spiritual Living challenges people to think for themselves and only believe what feels true to them.
Q. What does Science of Mind teach about Jesus?
A. Jesus was a master a teacher and healer for mankind. He brought to the world divine teachings that are a path for all to release themselves from mental and physical bondage. We believe Jesus was spiritual master who came as an example for us all. While others who came in human form became enlightened, and continue to do so, Jesus remains a sterling example of what we can all aspire to and become. We accept his example and teachings. We do not deny the divinity of Jesus, but rather we affirm the divinity of all people, because God is the Creator of us all. We think of Jesus as an example, not an exception.
Q. What does Science of Mind believe about God?
A. God is that transcendent and beautiful Mystery: the Origin of all; the Sustainer of all; the Truth of all that is; Presence and Principle; Love and Law; Life Itself, and the Substance of all form. This is, in part, our concept of God, but no person can fully explain what God is, since God is infinite.
Q. What does Science of Mind teach about heaven and hell?
A. Heaven and Hell are states of mind, and neither is a literal geographical place. Modern science has demonstrated that there is no actual “up” or “down” in this universe, where heaven or hell might be. Both are in our minds.
Q. What is the teaching around an afterlife?
A. We believe in the eternal now, which includes both here and hereafter, for Life is an ever-unfolding experience of God’s Self-expression. There is much, much more to it than what this world contains. We do not, however, believe in sudden change in our whole nature when we leave this plane, for we retain our individual identity. And that “immortality” is not something awaiting us in the future, because we are immortal now! In other, yet unseen dimensions of life, there are new fields to conquer, new challenges, new and beautiful Truths to discover in an unlimited and divine Cosmic Universe.
Q. What does Science of Mind say about good and evil?
A. God is the Source of all, beyond good and evil. God simply is. But in human life, where our freedom allows us to make mistakes (so-called “sin”), our comparisons of actions to what would have been better lead us to ideas of good or evil. However, they are human inventions, for ultimately there is only God: Infinite Love and Truth.