Sir John Templeton – Unity Benefactor
author of “Riches for the Mind and Spirit: A Treasury of Words to Help, Inspire and Live By.”
Sir John Templeton was one of the most successful, stock market fund managers in history. He harnessed the power of science to explore the deepest questions of the universe and humankind’s place and purpose within it. He founded “The Templeton Prize” that annually presented sizable monetary prizes to individuals and organizations whose exemplary achievements have advanced his vision.
Over many years he awarded large sums to Unity, even though he was a lifelong member of the Presbyterian Church. His mother had imbued in him the spiritual philosophy of the Unity School of Christianity. He benefited from reading Unity books and magazines for more than sixty years. He believed in Unity’s spirituality.
“At the age of four or five, before I started school, I learned from my mother that one of the greatest blessings given to humanity is the gift of reading.” He knew that much of the world’s wisdom resided in the written word. From the Bible, from philosophers and poets, and from other writers, he had a clear understanding of the spiritual and ethical laws of life. “The world’s literature teaches us valuable lessons that no amount of money can buy. Those lessons are there for everyone. They are free and they are priceless.”
You might wonder, what profit is there in studying the wisdom passed down to us? Why not simply live from day to day, taking things as they come? The answer is that our stay on Planet Earth is a brief one and the time we are given to educate ourselves is all too short and we can always benefit from others.
The wisdom we find teaches us that happiness does not come to us, but through us. It is a journey and not a stopping place. Achieving a goal brings less happiness than working with inspiration toward a goal. Happiness comes through the work we do, the skills we develop and the love and attention we show to others.
In 1915 Charles Fillmore, co-founder of the Unity movement, wrote in “Prosper”:
The Lord is my banker; my credit is good.
He maketh me to lie down in the consciousness of omnipresent abundance;
He giveth me the key to His strongbox.
He restoreth my faith in His riches.
He guideth me in the paths of prosperity for His Name's sake.
Yea, though I walk in the very shadow of debt,
I shall fear no evil, for Thou art with me.
Thy silver and Thy gold, they secure me.
Thou preparest a way for me in the presence of the collector.
Thou fillest my wallet with plenty; my measure runneth over.
Surely goodness and plenty will follow me all the days of my life,
And I shall do business in the name of the Lord forever.
Give from your heart in every area of life. Give your feelings to others. Give attention. Give well-reasoned thoughts. Give by taking on charity jobs. Give to fundraising. Give money where it is needed and can truly help someone. Give thanks for your many blessings and opportunities.
Invest in ¥(Yen), €(Euros), $(Dollars). (Note that ¥€$ spells out “YES”.)
01/19/25