The Rev. Bonnie Apps has moved from the Golden State to lead a local congregation in a little-known religion that seems better grounded in California than Utah.
The United Church of Religious Science, with one affiliate in Salt Lake City, is hardly a household name and to the uninitiated is often mistaken for the better-known and more controversial Christian Science Church, which the Rev. Apps is quick to point out is an entirely different entity."They confuse us because of the name," said the Rev. Apps, "but we go to doctors."
The other one - the Christian Science Church - has gained notoriety in cases of substituting prayer for medical attention, a practice that has landed some parents in court after their children died of ailments unattended by medical personnel.
Based in Los Angeles, the United Church of Religious Science has had a Salt Lake congregation for a number of years, but the Rev. Apps is a relative newcomer who took over the pulpit at the First Church of Religious Science in September.
She found an audience of about 200 regulars who attend Sunday services at 5448 S. 900 East. At the core of church doctrine is the belief that people have more control over their destiny than they're usually programmed to think.
"Science of Mind teaches that man controls the course of his life - his success or failure, his health or sickness, his happiness, boredom or misery - by mental processes which function according to a Universal Law."
In describing Science of Mind, the Rev. Apps said it is an uplifting blend of East and West, embracing ancient Oriental philosophies with younger Judeo-Christian tenets, adding a touch of turn-of-the-century metaphysics.
It taps Aristotle, Plato and Buddha, but steers clear of hellfire-and-brimstone.
Ernest Holmes, who in 1927 founded the Institute of Religious Science and School of Philosophy Inc., in Los Angeles, "studied and took from the best of all philosophies," said the Rev. Apps.
Implicit in the cross-cultural mix was an acceptance of diversity.
"We think all people are created in the image of God and there is more than one path to take," she said, adding that many followers today came from the "Human Potential" movement of the 1970s. There are former Catholics, Protestants and Mormons in her congregation as well.
The Church of Religious Science is not to be confused with "New Age" movements that grew across America during the late 1980s, said the Rev. Apps: "We don't talk to crystals, do channeling, tarot cards or astrology."
If a pop-culture label could be applied, it might be "New Thought," a concept that recognizes "the God within" and a natural state of grace in which every human being has a cosmic connection.
"We don't have to go see somebody to be absolved . . . we don't need an intermediary," explained the Rev. Apps. "We believe in going directly to the source."
Church services, which are every Sunday at 11 a.m., include song and meditation and "are not a solemn affair . . . it's not doomsday - `oh ye sinners repent!' - that's not what life is about," said the Rev. Apps.
The Church of Religious Science recognizes no heaven and no hell, shies away from guilt and frowns on proselyting. Basic to the Science of Mind is the sense that the end of temporal life is hardly terminal.
"There's an experience called death, which is not a failure, but a Graduation."
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(Additional information)
Science of Mind embodies religious, scientific thought
A mixture of religious and scientific philosophies form the basis for the United Church of Religious Science, as excerpted from a pamphlet titled "The Viewpoint in the Science of Mind Concerning Certain Traditional Beliefs."
Q: What is our belief about Jesus?
A: We accept his example and teachings. We do not deny the divinity of Jesus, but rather we affirm the divinity of all people . . . We think of Jesus as an example, not an exception.
Q: What do we believe about the Bible?
A: It is one among many sacred scriptures, all of which were inspired by the One Mind and presented through various spiritual teachers. We believe that for Western man, the Judeo-Christian scriptures offer an appropriate path to spiritual freedom.
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 . . . but no person can truly explain what God is, since God is infinite.
Q: Do we believe in eternal damnation?
A: No, we do not. As free individuals, we may bring great difficulties upon ourselves, but that is as near as we come to so-called damnation . . . the choice is always ours.
Q: Does Science of Mind believe in the Ten Commandments?
A: Yes, for we do not deny the validity of this wise and useful code of conduct, this intelligent and loving life pattern.
Q: Does Science of Mind believe in a "hereafter"?
A: We believe in the eternal now . . . We do not, however, believe in a sudden change in our whole nature when we leave this plane, for we retain our individual identity . . . "immortality" is not something awaiting us in the future, because we are immortal now.