Joseph Denis Murphy (May 20, 1898 – December 16, 1981) was an Irish author and

New Thought The New Thought movement (also Higher Thought) is a spiritual movement that coalesced in the United States in the early 19th century. New Thought was seen by its adherents as succeeding "ancient thought", accumulated wisdom and philosophy from ...

minister, ordained in

Divine Science The Church of Divine Science is a religious movement within the wider New Thought movement. The group was formalized in San Francisco in the 1880s under Malinda Cramer. "In March 1888 Cramer and her husband Frank chartered the 'Home College of S ...

and

Religious Science The Religious Science movement, or Science of Mind, was established in 1927 by Ernest Holmes (1887–1960) and is a spiritual, philosophical and metaphysical religious movement within the New Thought movement. In general, the term "Scie ...

Early life

Dr. Joseph Murphy was born in Ballydehob,

County Cork County Cork ( ga, Contae Chorcaí) is the largest and the southernmost county of Ireland, named after the city of Cork, the state's second-largest city. It is in the province of Munster and the Southern Region. Its largest market towns a ...

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel, the Irish Sea, and St George's Channel. Ireland is the s ...

, the son of a private boys' school headmaster and raised a

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: * Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...

. He joined the

Jesuits , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders = ...

. Murphy was enrolled in the National School and was encouraged to study for the priesthood and was accepted as a Jesuit seminarian. However, by the time he reached his late teen years, he began to question the Catholic orthodoxy of the Jesuits, and he withdrew from the seminary. His goal was to explore new ideas and gain new experiences—a goal he could not pursue in Catholic-dominated Ireland—he left his family to go to America. In his twenties, before being ordained a

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in partic ...

, Had an experience with healing prayer led him to leave the Jesuits and emigrate to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

in 1922; he journeyed as a steerage passenger on board the RMS ''Cedric'', sailing from Liverpool, England, to the Port of New York; on the ship's passenger manifest, his occupation was listed as chemist, the British term for pharmacist. He became a professional

pharmacist A pharmacist, also known as a chemist (Commonwealth English) or a druggist (North American and, archaically, Commonwealth English), is a healthcare professional who prepares, controls and distributes medicines and provides advice and instructi ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

(having a degree in

chemistry Chemistry is the scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a natural science that covers the elements that make up matter to the compounds made of atoms, molecules and ions: their composition, structure, proper ...

by that time). Here he attended the Church of the Healing Christ (part of the

Church of Divine Science The Church of Divine Science is a religious movement within the wider New Thought movement. The group was formalized in San Francisco in the 1880s under Malinda Cramer. "In March 1888 Cramer and her husband Frank chartered the 'Home College of Sp ...

), where Emmet Fox had become minister in 1931.Gale Group "Joseph Murphy" ''Religious Leaders of America'', 2nd ed. Gale Group, 1999. Reproduced in Biography Resource Center. Farmington Hills, Mich.: Gale, 2009. http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/BioRC

Career

Murphy traveled to

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area, the List of countries and dependencies by population, second-most populous ...

and spent a lot of time with Indian sages, learning

Hindu philosophy Hindu philosophy encompasses the philosophies, world views and teachings of Hinduism that emerged in Ancient India which include six systems ('' shad-darśana'') – Samkhya, Yoga, Nyaya, Vaisheshika, Mimamsa and Vedanta.Andrew Nicholson ( ...

. He later on formed a new church in America with Hindu ideologies. In the mid-1940s, he moved to

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...

, where he met

founder

Ernest Holmes Ernest Shurtleff Holmes (January 21, 1887 – April 7, 1960) was an American New Thought writer, teacher, and leader. He was the founder of a spiritual movement known as Religious Science, part of the greater New Thought movement, whose spiri ...

, and was ordained into

by Holmes in 1946, thereafter teaching at

Rochester, New York Rochester () is a City (New York), city in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, the county seat, seat of Monroe County, New York, Monroe County, and the fourth-most populous in the state after New York City, Buffalo, New York, Buffalo, ...

, and later at the Institute of Religious Science in Los Angeles. A meeting with Divine Science Association president Erwin Gregg led to him being re ordained into Divine Science, and he became the minister of the Los Angeles Divine Science Church in 1949, which he built into one of the largest

congregations in the country. When the United States entered World War II, Murphy enlisted in the Army and was assigned to work as a pharmacist in the medical unit of the 88th Infantry Division. At that time, he renewed his interest in religion and began to read extensively about various spiritual beliefs. After his discharge from the Army, he chose not to return to his career in pharmacy. He traveled extensively, taking courses in several universities both in the United States and abroad. A person who had a particularly strong influence on Murphy was

Thomas Troward Thomas Troward (1847–1916) was an English author whose works influenced the New Thought Movement and mystic Christianity. Background Troward was a divisional Judge in Punjab in British-administered India. His avocation was the study of com ...

, who was a judge as well as a philosopher, doctor, and professor. Troward became Murphy's mentor. From him he not only learned philosophy, theology, and law, but also was introduced to mysticism and particularly, the

Masonic order Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...

. He became an active member of this order, and over the years rose in the Masonic ranks to the 32nd degree in the Scottish Rite. Murphy chose to become a minister and bring his broad knowledge to the public. As his concept of Christianity was not traditional and ran counter to many of the Christian denominations, he founded his own church in Los Angeles. He attracted a small number of congregants, but it did not take long for his message of optimism and hope rather than the “sin-and-damnation” sermons of so many ministers to attract many men and women to his church. Murphy was a proponent of the New Thought movement. This movement was developed in the late 19th and early 20th centuries by many philosophers and deep thinkers who studied this phenomenon and preached, wrote, and practiced a new way of looking at life and obtaining desires. Murphy wrote more than 30 books. His most famous work, ''The Power of Your Subconscious Mind'', was first published in 1963. It became an immediate bestseller and sold millions of copies worldwide.

Personal life and death

In the 1950s, Murphy married, earned a

PhD PHD or PhD may refer to: * Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), an academic qualification Entertainment * '' PhD: Phantasy Degree'', a Korean comic series * '' Piled Higher and Deeper'', a web comic * Ph.D. (band), a 1980s British group ** Ph.D. (Ph.D. al ...

psychology Psychology is the science, scientific study of mind and behavior. Psychology includes the study of consciousness, conscious and Unconscious mind, unconscious phenomena, including feelings and thoughts. It is an academic discipline of immens ...

from the

University of Southern California , mottoeng = "Let whoever earns the palm bear it" , religious_affiliation = Nonsectarian—historically Methodist , established = , accreditation = WSCUC , type = Private research university , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $8.1 ...

and started writing. After his first wife died in 1976, he remarried to a fellow Divine Science minister who was his longstanding secretary. He moved his ministry to

Laguna Hills, California Laguna Hills (; ''Laguna'', Spanish for "Lagoon") is a city in south Orange County, California, United States. Its name refers to its proximity to Laguna Canyon and the much older Laguna Beach. Other newer cities nearby— Laguna Niguel and L ...

, where he died in 1981. His wife, Dr. Jean Murphy, continued in this ministry for some years afterwards.

Bibliography

*
This is It!: The Art of Metaphysical Demonstration
'
wheels of Truth (1946)Supreme Mastery of Fear (1946)

St. John Speaks (1948)

Love is Freedom (1948)

The Twelve Powers Mystically Explained (1948)
*''Riches are Your Right (aka Special Meditations for Health, Wealth, Love, and Expression)'' (1952)
The Miracles of Your Mind (1953)
*''The Fragrance of God'' (1953)
The Magic of Faith (1954)
* ttps://books.google.co.in/books/about/Believe_in_Yourself.html?id=XQSQAAAAQBAJ&source=kp_book_description&redir_esc=y Believe in Yourself (1955)br>How to Attract Money (1955)Traveling With God (1956)
*''Peace Within Yourself (St. John Speaks revised)'' (1956)

* ttps://books.google.co.in/books/about/How_to_Use_Your_Healing_Power.html?id=skEQEAAAQBAJ&source=kp_book_description&redir_esc=y How to use your Healing Power (1957)br>Quiet Moments with God (1958)
*''Pray Your Way Through It'' (1958)you
The Healing Power of Love (1958)Stay Young Forever (1958)Mental Poisons and Their Antidotes (1958)
*''How to Pray With a Deck of Cards'' (1958)
Living Without Strain (1959)
* ttps://www.amazon.com/Nuclear-Religion-Joseph-Murphy/dp/145002694X Nuclear Religion (1961)*''Lord Teach Us to Pray (is the 2nd chapter of Traveling With God)'' (1962)
Why Did This Happen to Me? (1962)The power of your Subconscious Mind (1963)The Miracle of Mind Dynamics (1964)The Amazing Laws of Cosmic Mind Power (1965)Your Infinite Power to Be Rich (1966)The Cosmic Power Within You (1968)
* *
nfinite Power for Richer Living

Psychic Perception: The Magic of Extrasensory power (1971)
* ttps://www.amazon.com/Telepsychics-Magic-Power-Perfect-Living/dp/0139023879/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr= Telepsychics: The Magic Power of Perfect Living (1973)
he Cosmic Energizer: Miracle Power of the Universe (1974)

Great Bible Truths for Human Problems (1976)

Within You Is the Power (1977)

Songs of God (1979)

How to use the laws of Mind (1980)

* ttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/230107.Collected_Essays_of_Joseph_Murphy Collected Essays of Joseph Murphy (1987)ref>

References

External links

Biography
Joseph Murphy Trust
Joseph Murphy
at

Goodreads Goodreads is an American social cataloging website and a subsidiary of Amazon that allows individuals to search its database of books, annotations, quotes, and reviews. Users can sign up and register books to generate library catalogs and readi ...

Joseph Murphy
at ThriftBooks
Joseph Murphy
at

Google Books Google Books (previously known as Google Book Search, Google Print, and by its code-name Project Ocean) is a service from Google Inc. that searches the full text of books and magazines that Google has scanned, converted to text using optical ...

Joseph Murphy
at

Penguin Random House Penguin Random House LLC is an Anglo-American multinational conglomerate publishing company formed on July 1, 2013, from the merger of Penguin Group and Random House. On April 2, 2020, Bertelsmann announced the completion of its purchase ...