Collection: Christian D. Larson

Christian Daa Larson (1866– 1955) was an American New Thought pioneer and instructor, and additionally a productive writer of otherworldly and New Thought books. His works affected eminent New Thought creators and pioneers.

Born in Iowa, he went to Iowa State College, and furthermore went to a Unitarian Theological school in Meadville, Pa. In his mid twenties, Larson ended up keen on the Mental Science lessons of Helen Wilmans, Henry Wood, Charles Brodie Patterson, and other productive New Thought scholars of the time. Larson had an investigative personality and his very own new ‘thought’ compositions made a big influence on the movement. Larson trusted that all individuals have a gigantic idle power inside them, which could be tackled for progress with the correct personality and legitimate mentality. He endeavored to discover a place where science and religious philosophy could meet so as to give a practical and systematic philosophy of life.

In September of 1901, Christian Larson started to publish books for a leading New Thought periodicals of the time. This was around the time he began his writing profession, proceeding to compose more than 40 books in the New Thought and metaphysical genre. Larson additionally affected the work and theory of Ernest Holmes, the originator of Religious Science (otherwise called Science of Mind). Holmes had been examining the Christian Science course book, Science and Health, yet was especially impressed with the New Thought compositions of Larson. Ernest is said to have deserted the Christian Science textbooks in favour of Larson’s works.

Larson moved to Los Angeles, California around 1911. He wed Georgea L DuBois on February 14, 1918. They had two children, Louise DuBois Larson (1920) and Christian D. Larson Jr. (1924). The family lived for many years in Beverly Hills.

When Ernest Holmes’ 2-year old magazine changed its name to Science of Mind in 1920, with Larson as associate edior and a regular contributer. Christian D. Larson is acknowledged by Horatio Dresser as being one of the influencers in the forming of the early New Thought development. By 1928 Christian D. Larson’s work started showing up in the Science of Mind magazine as a feature of the teaching courses. Christian Larson was on the permenent staff of the Institute of Religious Science in Los Angeles, founded by Ernest Holmes.

In 1912 Larson wrote “The Optimist’s Creed”. In 1922, it was adopted by Optimist International, also called the Optimist Clubs.

Christian D. Larson was an important leader in the New Thought movement. His initial effect on Ernest Holmes, Norman Vincent Peale, and various other self improvement and inspirational writers influenced much of the New Thought movement in general. Some 100 years after they were first published, numbers of Larson’s books still stay popular and in print today.