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

New Thought The New Thought movement (also Higher Thought) is a new religious 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 ...

minister, ordained in Divine Science and Religious Science

Early life

Joseph Denis Murphy was born in Ballydehob,

County Cork County Cork () is the largest and the southernmost Counties of Ireland, county of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, named after the city of Cork (city), Cork, the state's second-largest city. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster ...

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

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

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

. He joined the

Jesuits The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...

. 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 deity, deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in parti ...

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

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in 1922. He journeyed as a steerage passenger on board the RMS ''Cedric'', sailing from

Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...

, England, to the Port of New York; on the ship's passenger manifest, his occupation was listed as chemist, the Irish term for pharmacist. He became a professional

pharmacist A pharmacist, also known as a chemist in English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth English, is a healthcare professional who is knowledgeable about preparation, mechanism of action, clinical usage and legislation of medications in ...

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

(having a degree in

chemistry Chemistry is the scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a physical science within the natural sciences that studies the chemical elements that make up matter and chemical compound, compounds made of atoms, molecules a ...

by that time). Here he attended the Church of the Healing Christ (part of the Church of Divine Science), where Emmet Fox had become minister in 1931.

Career

Murphy traveled to

India India, officially the Republic of India, 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 by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

and spent a lot of time with Indian sages, learning

Hindu philosophy Hindu philosophy or Vedic philosophy is the set of philosophical systems that developed in tandem with the first Hinduism, Hindu religious traditions during the Iron Age in India, iron and Classical India, classical ages of India. In Indian ...

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

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, where he met Religious Science 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 spi ...

, and was ordained into Religious Science by Holmes in 1946, thereafter teaching at

Rochester, New York Rochester is a city in and the county seat, seat of government of Monroe County, New York, United States. It is the List of municipalities in New York, fourth-most populous city and 10th most-populated municipality in New York, with a populati ...

, 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, 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. 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 A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of graduate study and original research. The name of the deg ...

psychology Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Its subject matter includes the behavior of humans and nonhumans, both consciousness, conscious and Unconscious mind, unconscious phenomena, and mental processes such as thoughts, feel ...

from the

University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in ...

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, 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)The Perfect Answer (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)The Meaning of Reincarnation (1954)Believe in Yourself (1955)How to Attract Money (1955)Traveling With God (1956)
*''Peace Within Yourself (St. John Speaks revised)'' (1956)
Prayer Is the Answer (1956)How to use your Healing Power (1957)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)Techniques in Prayer TherapyNuclear 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

Secrets of the I Ching (1970)

Psychic Perception: The Magic of Extrasensory power (1971)Miracle Power for Infinite Riches (1972)

Telepsychics: The Magic Power of Perfect Living (1973)The 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)

These Truths Can Change Your Life (1982)Collected Essays of Joseph Murphy (1987)
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References

External links

Biography
Joseph Murphy Trust
Joseph Murphy
at

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