Natural Law Party

This article is about the international organization. For other uses, see Natural Law Party (disambiguation).

Natural Law Party
Founded1992; 32 years ago (1992)
IdeologyTranscendental Meditation
Website
natural-law.org

The Natural Law Party (NLP) is a transnational party founded in 1992 on "the principles of Transcendental Meditation",[1] the laws of nature, and their application to all levels of government.[2] At its peak, it was active in up to 74 countries; it continues in India and at the state level in the United States. The party defines "natural law" as the organizing intelligence which governs the natural universe.[1] The Natural Law Party advocates using the Transcendental Meditation technique and the TM-Sidhi program as tools to enliven natural law and reduce or eliminate problems in society.[1]

Prominent candidates included John Hagelin for U.S. president and Doug Henning as representative of Rosedale, Toronto, Canada.[3] George Harrison performed a benefit concert in support of the party in 1992.[4] Electoral success was achieved by the Ajeya Bharat Party in India, which elected a legislator to the state assembly, and the Croatian NLP, which elected a member of their regional assembly in 1993.[5] In 2002, in the USA, its organization was reported to rival that of other "established third parties",[2] but most party chapters have since disbanded.

  1. ^ a b c Cowan, Douglas E; Bromley, David G (2008), Cults and New Religions: A Brief History, Blackwell, p. 48
  2. ^ a b Nemeth, Stephen (2002), Encyclopedia of American Political Parties and Elections, p. 241
  3. ^ McKinnon, Matthew, "Inductee: Doug Henning", CBC News
  4. ^ Israelson, David (4 April 1992). "Politics brings former Beatle back on stage in Britain". Toronto Star. p. A.3.
  5. ^ "We have lift-off". The Times. 29 March 1993.