Malinda's story is one of the more remarkable stories in New Thought. After 25 years of suffering through this painful malady, she awoke one morning in 1885, glanced out the window and began her prayers. This morning she asked a simple question: "Is there a way out of my condition? Is there a Power in the Universe that can heal me?"

Links to Malinda Cramer's Works:

• Divine Science Principles and Practice
• Harmony
• Lessons in the Science of Infinite Spirit

At this moment, she was filled with a sense of joy and deep gratitude knowing she was healed. The answer was within and illuminated her consciousness like the rising sun. The Omnipresence of God and God's perfection transformed her beliefs and brought her to Health.

Malinda then sought out Emma Curtis Hopkins to strengthen her understanding of this Divine experience. This led to classes and then to Malinda development of her own system of New Thought. She felt the name Divine Science which had been used in India and Europe to describe the mystic arts was the best description for her form of New Thought.

It was not long before she was contacted by Nona Brooks who also wanted to use the same name. Soon the two had paired up, Malinda in San Francisco and Nona in Denver.

Malinda founded the Divine Science Home School in San Francisco on May 4th, 1888. Unfortunately the school and its wonderful library, the largest collection of New Thought texts at the time were destroyed in the fire that consumed many parts of San Francisco after the earthquake of 1906.

Although at one time some of the greatest New Thought ministers such as Ernest Holmes and Emmett Fox were ordained as Divine Science ministers, the denomination has steadily declined since their time.

Perhaps the plague of spiritual politics will disappear and new students with verve and vigor will renew this fading denomination.

The latest news is that the oldest Divine Science Church is being largely used as a theater and what was once the Divine Science School in Denver now engages some teachers with degree mill diplomas from privately created state "seminaries" which offer degrees in exchange for a simple thesis on the topic of your choice. Even the prestigious name of what was once the oldest metaphysical college in the U.S. has been changed and reports indicate that the original teachings don't seem to play a central role in this new institution.

What was once the most powerful New Thought correspondence course, opening the door to New Thought for thousands of people, as well as leading to the ordination of many wonderful Divine Science ministers has been discontinued despite the fact that the internet has created an entirely new opportunity for distance teaching.

The once thriving correspondence school of Divine Science has now been supplanted by online studies offered by other New Thought denominations.

Malinda's work soon resulted in a burgeoning Divine Science movement with churches and centers around the world. She even organized the International Divine Science Association on May 17, 1892 which later evolved into the International New Thought Alliance.

Unfortunately over the ensuing years, spiritual politics pervaded Divine Science resulting in a steady decline of membership and consequent closure of churches and centers. Only recently have any new Divine Science churches been formed for 50 years.

It remains to be seen what will happen to Divine Science, perhaps the valiant efforts of new members will rekindle the fire in this once strong denomination.

Malinda Cramer also created one of the early New Thought magazines: Harmony. The first copy of Harmony rolled off the presses in August, 1888. In conjunction with Nautilus Magazine, Harmony is considered to be a significant early New Thought publication.

The greatest challenge for Divine Science is not independent ministers but pervasive spiritual politics perverting the sacred covenant of Spiritual rebirth.

Through God, we are all one and thus healings happen at a distance, teaching can be transmitted through many means and the greatest power is imagination.

Fortunately, most of the early works of the Divine Science movement are now coming into the Public Domain and we are trusting that this will result in the renaissance of this denomination or the rise of a new one that focuses on purpose instead of politics.