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A Course in Miracles

November 29, 2023

A Course in Miracles (also referred to as ACIM or the Course) is a 1976 book by Helen Schucman. The underlying premise is that the greatest "miracle" is the act of simply gaining a full "awareness of love's presence" in a person's life.[1] Schucman said that the book had been dictated to her, word for word, via a process of "inner dictation" from Jesus Christ.[2][3] The book is considered to have borrowed from New Age movement writings.[4][5]

A Course in Miracles
A Course in Miracles, Combined Volume, Third Edition as published by the
Foundation for Inner Peace.
EditorHelen Schucman, Bill Thetford, Kenneth Wapnick
AuthorThere is no author attributed to ACIM, although it was "scribed" by Helen Schucman
CountryUnited States
SubjectSpiritual transformation
Publisher1976 (New York: Viking: The Foundation for Inner Peace)
2007 (The Foundation for Inner Peace, 3rd ed.)
Media typePrint (hardback and paperback)
Pages1333
ISBN978-1-883360-24-5
OCLC190860865

ACIM consists of three sections: "Text", "Workbook for Students", and "Manual for Teachers". Written from 1965 to 1972, some distribution occurred via photocopies before a hardcover edition was published in 1976 by the Foundation for Inner Peace.[6] The copyright and trademarks, which had been held by two foundations, were revoked in 2004[6] after lengthy litigation because the earliest versions had been circulated without a copyright notice.[7][8]

Throughout the 1980s, annual sales of the book steadily increased each year; however, the largest growth in sales occurred in 1992 after Marianne Williamson discussed the book on The Oprah Winfrey Show,[6] with more than two million volumes sold.[6] The book has been called everything from "New Age psychobabble"[9] to "a Satanic seduction"[6] to "The New Age Bible".[10] According to Olav Hammer, the psychiatrist and author Gerald G. Jampolsky was among the most effective promoters of ACIM. Jampolsky's first book, Love is Letting Go of Fear, which is based on the principles of ACIM, was published in 1979 and, after being endorsed on Johnny Carson's show, went on to sell over three million copies by 1990.[11]

Origins edit

A Course in Miracles was written as a collaborative venture between Schucman and William ("Bill") Thetford. In 1958, Schucman began her professional career at Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center in New York City as Thetford's research associate.[12][13] In 1965, at a time when their weekly office meetings had become so contentious that they both dreaded them, Thetford suggested to Schucman that "[t]here must be another way".[14] Schucman believed that this interaction acted as a stimulus, triggering a series of inner experiences that were understood by her as visions, dreams, and heightened imagery, along with an "inner voice" which she identified as Jesus (although the ACIM text itself never explicitly claims that the voice she hears speaking is the voice of Jesus).[15][16] She said that on October 21, 1965, an "inner voice" told her: "This is a Course in Miracles, please take notes." Schucman said that the writing made her very uncomfortable, though it never seriously occurred to her to stop.[17] The next day, she explained the events of her "note-taking" to Thetford. To her surprise, Thetford encouraged her to continue the process. He also offered to assist her in typing out her notes as she read them to him. The process continued the next day and repeated itself regularly for many years. In 1972, the writing of the three main sections of ACIM was completed, with some additional minor writing coming after that point.[18]

 
Kenneth Wapnick helped edit the book and founded the Foundation for A Course in Miracles

For copyright purposes, US courts determined that the author of the text was Schucman, not Jesus.[19] Kenneth Wapnick believed that Schucman did not channel Jesus, but was describing her "own mental experience of divine 'love'".[19]

Reception edit

Since it went on sale in 1976, the text has been translated into 27 languages.[20] The book is distributed globally, spawning a range of organized groups.[21]

Wapnick said that "if the Bible were considered literally true, then (from a Biblical literalist's viewpoint) the Course would have to be viewed as demonically inspired".[22] He also declared "I often taught in the context of the Bible, even though it is obvious to serious students of A Course in Miracles that it and the Bible are fundamentally incompatible."[19] "Course-teachers Robert Perry, Greg Mackie, and Allen Watson" disagreed about that.[19] Though a friend of Schucman, Thetford, and Wapnick, Catholic priest Benedict Groeschel criticized ACIM and related organizations. Finding some elements of ACIM to be "severe and potentially dangerous distortions of Christian theology", he wrote that it is "a good example of a false revelation"[23] and that it has "become a spiritual menace to many".[24] The evangelical editor Elliot Miller says that Christian terminology employed in ACIM is "thoroughly redefined" to resemble New Age teachings. Other Christian critics say that ACIM is "intensely anti-biblical" and incompatible with Christianity, blurring the distinction between creator and created and forcefully supporting the occult and New Age worldview.[4]

Olav Hammer locates A Course in Miracles in the tradition of channeled works from those of Madam Blavatsky through to the works of Rudolf Steiner[15] and notes the close parallels between Christian Science and the teachings of the Course.[25] Hammer called it "gnosticizing beliefs".[26] In "'Knowledge is Truth': A Course in Miracles as Neo-Gnostic Scripture" in Gnosis: Journal of Gnostic Studies, Simon J. Joseph outlines the relationship between the Course and Gnostic thinking.[19] Daren Kemp also considers ACIM to be neo-Gnostic and agrees with Hammer that it is a channeled text.[16] The course has been viewed as a way which "integrates a psychological world view with a universal spiritual perspective" and linked to transpersonal psychology.[27]

Joseph declared:

Consequently, new manuscript discoveries, lost gospels, and new “scriptural” revelations represent an effective way of subverting the traditional picture of early Christian origins and destabilizing traditional Christian authority by redefining the cultural boundaries of Christianity in contemporary culture. [...] Since the Course’s redefinition of terms is so offensive to its critics, [...] the Gospel narrative that the Course subverts and redefines is the suffering, death, and crucifixion of Jesus.[19]

— Simon J. Joseph

The Skeptic's Dictionary describes ACIM as "a minor industry" that is overly commercialized and characterizes it as "Christianity improved". Robert T. Carroll wrote that the teachings are not original but are culled from "various sources, east, and west". He adds that it has gained increased popularity as New Age spirituality writer Marianne Williamson promoted a variant.[5]

Associated works edit

Two works have been described as extensions of A Course in Miracles, Gary Renard's 2003 The Disappearance of the Universe and Marianne Williamson's A Return to Love published in 1992.[6][28][29][30] The Disappearance of the Universe, published in 2003 by Fearless Books, was republished by Hay House in 2004.[31] Publishers Weekly reported that Renard's examination of A Course in Miracles influenced his book.[32]

References edit

  1. ^ A Course in Miracles. Foundation for Inner Peace. Introduction, p. 1. Retrieved December 29, 2017.
  2. ^ "ACIM: About the Scribes". acim.org. Foundation for Inner Peace. Retrieved December 29, 2017.
  3. ^ Foundation for Inner Peace (1992). A Course in Miracles: Combined Volume (2nd ed.). Glen Ellen, Calif.: The Foundation. pp. vii–viii. ISBN 0-9606388-9-X. Retrieved December 29, 2017.
  4. ^ a b Newport, John P. (1998). The New Age movement and the biblical worldview: conflict and dialogue. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing. p. 176. ISBN 978-0-8028-4430-9. a course in miracles christian criticism.
  5. ^ a b Carroll, Robert Todd (2003). The skeptic's dictionary: a collection of strange beliefs, amusing deceptions, and dangerous delusions. John Wiley and Sons. ISBN 978-0-471-27242-7.
  6. ^ a b c d e f Miller, D. Patrick (November 23, 2011). Understanding A Course in Miracles: The History, Message, and Legacy of a Spiritual Path for Today. Berkeley, CA: Celestial Arts. ISBN 9780307807793. Retrieved December 29, 2017.
  7. ^ Beverley, James (May 19, 2009). Nelson's Illustrated Guide to Religions: A Comprehensive Introduction to the Religions of the World. Thomas Nelson Inc. pp. 397–. ISBN 9781418577469. Retrieved December 29, 2017.
  8. ^ "Recipient's Common Interest in Subject of Work Does Not Limit Publication". Patent, Trademark & Copyright Journal. Bureau of National Affairs (BNA). 67 (1645): 16–17. 2003.
  9. ^ Boa, Kenneth; Bowman, Robert M. (1997). An Unchanging Faith in a Changing World: Understanding and Responding to Critical Issues that Christians Face Today. Oliver Nelson. ISBN 9780785273523. Retrieved September 28, 2014.
  10. ^ van IJssel, Suzette. . Archived from the original on June 21, 2016. Retrieved September 28, 2014.
  11. ^ Hammer (2021: p. 450)
  12. ^ "Helen Schucman's Career".
  13. ^ "A Course in Miracles Book ACIM Lessons Online and Text". ACIM Portal. Retrieved December 25, 2017.
  14. ^ Helen Schucman: Autobiography, in "Origins of A Course in Miracles" 3:27–28. Foundation for Inner Peace Archives, Tiburon, CA).
  15. ^ a b Hammer, Olav (2021) [2004]. Claiming Knowledge: Strategies of Epistemology from Theosophy to the New Age. Numen Book Series. Brill. p. 153. ISBN 978-90-04-49399-5. Retrieved January 21, 2022. A Course in Miracles is said to have been channeled from a discarnate entity perceived as Jesus but never explicitly named as such in the ensuing text.
  16. ^ a b Kemp, Daren (March 2004). "A COURSE IN MIRACLES". In Clarke, Peter (ed.). Encyclopedia of New Religious Movements. Routledge. p. 1. ISBN 978-1-134-49970-0.
  17. ^ Skutch, Robert. Journey Without Distance: The Story Behind A Course in Miracles. Ten Speed Press, Berkeley, CA, 1984, p. 58.
  18. ^ "The Scribe: Helen Schucman and A Course in Miracles©". www.miraclestudies.net.
  19. ^ a b c d e f Joseph, Simon J. (March 22, 2017). "'Knowledge is Truth': A Course in Miracles as Neo-Gnostic Scripture". GNOSIS. Brill. 2 (1): 94–125. doi:10.1163/2451859x-12340028. ISSN 2451-8581.
  20. ^ "ACIM Translations". Foundation for Inner Peace. Retrieved August 10, 2021.
  21. ^ Bradby, Ruth (2010). "A course in miracles in Ireland". In Cosgrove, Olivia; Cox, Laurence; Kuhling, Carmen; Mulholland, Peter (eds.). Ireland's New Religious Movements. Ireland's New Religious Movements. Cambridge Scholars Publishing. pp. 147–162. ISBN 978-1-4438-2615-0. Retrieved January 21, 2022.
  22. ^ Dean C. Halverson, "Seeing Yourself as Sinless", SCP Journal 7, no. 1 (1987): 23.
  23. ^ Groeschel, Benedict J., A Still Small Voice (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 1993) p. 80
  24. ^ Groeschel, Benedict J., A Still Small Voice (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 1993) p. 82.
  25. ^ Hammer (2021: 444)
  26. ^ Hammer (2021: 55)
  27. ^ Miracles with Counselors, David Aldrich Osgood, University of Massachusetts Amherst (1991), Transpersonal Psychology and A Course in Miracles P.43 https://scholarworks.umass.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=5794&context=dissertations_1
  28. ^ Butler-Bowdon, Tom.50 Spiritual Classics: Timeless Wisdom From 50 Great Books of Inner Discovery, Enlightenment and Purpose. Nicholas Brealey Publishing, 2010. p. 223.
  29. ^ Butler-Bowdon, Tom. The Literature of Possibility. Nicholas Brealey Publishing, 2013. p. 223.
  30. ^ Coburn, Lorri. Breaking Free: How Forgiveness and A Course in Miracles Can Set You Free. Balboa Press, 2011. p. 193.
  31. ^ Wilson, Brandy (July 29, 2006). . The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Archived from the original on December 1, 2018. Retrieved August 8, 2017.
  32. ^ Garrett, Lynn (March 7, 2005). . Publishers Weekly. Archived from the original on August 9, 2017. Retrieved August 8, 2017.

External links edit

  • A Course in Miracles at Curlie
  • Editions in public domain:
    • Urtext Edition – Published by Miracles in Action Press
    • Sparkly Edition – Published by Diamond Clear Vision
  • Why A Course in Miracles Is Not Good For You, or Those You Love - An open letter from Matthew Remski, investigative journalist on spirituality & cult

November 29, 2023
course, miracles, also, referred, acim, course, 1976, book, helen, schucman, underlying, premise, that, greatest, miracle, simply, gaining, full, awareness, love, presence, person, life, schucman, said, that, book, been, dictated, word, word, process, inner, d. A Course in Miracles also referred to as ACIM or the Course is a 1976 book by Helen Schucman The underlying premise is that the greatest miracle is the act of simply gaining a full awareness of love s presence in a person s life 1 Schucman said that the book had been dictated to her word for word via a process of inner dictation from Jesus Christ 2 3 The book is considered to have borrowed from New Age movement writings 4 5 A Course in MiraclesA Course in Miracles Combined Volume Third Edition as published by the Foundation for Inner Peace EditorHelen Schucman Bill Thetford Kenneth WapnickAuthorThere is no author attributed to ACIM although it was scribed by Helen SchucmanCountryUnited StatesSubjectSpiritual transformationPublisher1976 New York Viking The Foundation for Inner Peace 2007 The Foundation for Inner Peace 3rd ed Media typePrint hardback and paperback Pages1333ISBN978 1 883360 24 5OCLC190860865ACIM consists of three sections Text Workbook for Students and Manual for Teachers Written from 1965 to 1972 some distribution occurred via photocopies before a hardcover edition was published in 1976 by the Foundation for Inner Peace 6 The copyright and trademarks which had been held by two foundations were revoked in 2004 6 after lengthy litigation because the earliest versions had been circulated without a copyright notice 7 8 Throughout the 1980s annual sales of the book steadily increased each year however the largest growth in sales occurred in 1992 after Marianne Williamson discussed the book on The Oprah Winfrey Show 6 with more than two million volumes sold 6 The book has been called everything from New Age psychobabble 9 to a Satanic seduction 6 to The New Age Bible 10 According to Olav Hammer the psychiatrist and author Gerald G Jampolsky was among the most effective promoters of ACIM Jampolsky s first book Love is Letting Go of Fear which is based on the principles of ACIM was published in 1979 and after being endorsed on Johnny Carson s show went on to sell over three million copies by 1990 11 Contents 1 Origins 2 Reception 3 Associated works 4 References 5 External linksOrigins editA Course in Miracles was written as a collaborative venture between Schucman and William Bill Thetford In 1958 Schucman began her professional career at Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center in New York City as Thetford s research associate 12 13 In 1965 at a time when their weekly office meetings had become so contentious that they both dreaded them Thetford suggested to Schucman that t here must be another way 14 Schucman believed that this interaction acted as a stimulus triggering a series of inner experiences that were understood by her as visions dreams and heightened imagery along with an inner voice which she identified as Jesus although the ACIM text itself never explicitly claims that the voice she hears speaking is the voice of Jesus 15 16 She said that on October 21 1965 an inner voice told her This is a Course in Miracles please take notes Schucman said that the writing made her very uncomfortable though it never seriously occurred to her to stop 17 The next day she explained the events of her note taking to Thetford To her surprise Thetford encouraged her to continue the process He also offered to assist her in typing out her notes as she read them to him The process continued the next day and repeated itself regularly for many years In 1972 the writing of the three main sections of ACIM was completed with some additional minor writing coming after that point 18 nbsp Kenneth Wapnick helped edit the book and founded the Foundation for A Course in MiraclesFor copyright purposes US courts determined that the author of the text was Schucman not Jesus 19 Kenneth Wapnick believed that Schucman did not channel Jesus but was describing her own mental experience of divine love 19 Reception editSince it went on sale in 1976 the text has been translated into 27 languages 20 The book is distributed globally spawning a range of organized groups 21 Wapnick said that if the Bible were considered literally true then from a Biblical literalist s viewpoint the Course would have to be viewed as demonically inspired 22 He also declared I often taught in the context of the Bible even though it is obvious to serious students of A Course in Miracles that it and the Bible are fundamentally incompatible 19 Course teachers Robert Perry Greg Mackie and Allen Watson disagreed about that 19 Though a friend of Schucman Thetford and Wapnick Catholic priest Benedict Groeschel criticized ACIM and related organizations Finding some elements of ACIM to be severe and potentially dangerous distortions of Christian theology he wrote that it is a good example of a false revelation 23 and that it has become a spiritual menace to many 24 The evangelical editor Elliot Miller says that Christian terminology employed in ACIM is thoroughly redefined to resemble New Age teachings Other Christian critics say that ACIM is intensely anti biblical and incompatible with Christianity blurring the distinction between creator and created and forcefully supporting the occult and New Age worldview 4 Olav Hammer locates A Course in Miracles in the tradition of channeled works from those of Madam Blavatsky through to the works of Rudolf Steiner 15 and notes the close parallels between Christian Science and the teachings of the Course 25 Hammer called it gnosticizing beliefs 26 In Knowledge is Truth A Course in Miracles as Neo Gnostic Scripture in Gnosis Journal of Gnostic Studies Simon J Joseph outlines the relationship between the Course and Gnostic thinking 19 Daren Kemp also considers ACIM to be neo Gnostic and agrees with Hammer that it is a channeled text 16 The course has been viewed as a way which integrates a psychological world view with a universal spiritual perspective and linked to transpersonal psychology 27 Joseph declared Consequently new manuscript discoveries lost gospels and new scriptural revelations represent an effective way of subverting the traditional picture of early Christian origins and destabilizing traditional Christian authority by redefining the cultural boundaries of Christianity in contemporary culture Since the Course s redefinition of terms is so offensive to its critics the Gospel narrative that the Course subverts and redefines is the suffering death and crucifixion of Jesus 19 Simon J Joseph The Skeptic s Dictionary describes ACIM as a minor industry that is overly commercialized and characterizes it as Christianity improved Robert T Carroll wrote that the teachings are not original but are culled from various sources east and west He adds that it has gained increased popularity as New Age spirituality writer Marianne Williamson promoted a variant 5 Associated works editTwo works have been described as extensions of A Course in Miracles Gary Renard s 2003 The Disappearance of the Universe and Marianne Williamson s A Return to Love published in 1992 6 28 29 30 The Disappearance of the Universe published in 2003 by Fearless Books was republished by Hay House in 2004 31 Publishers Weekly reported that Renard s examination of A Course in Miracles influenced his book 32 nbsp Books portalReferences edit A Course in Miracles Foundation for Inner Peace Introduction p 1 Retrieved December 29 2017 ACIM About the Scribes acim org Foundation for Inner Peace Retrieved December 29 2017 Foundation for Inner Peace 1992 A Course in Miracles Combined Volume 2nd ed Glen Ellen Calif The Foundation pp vii viii ISBN 0 9606388 9 X Retrieved December 29 2017 a b Newport John P 1998 The New Age movement and the biblical worldview conflict and dialogue Wm B Eerdmans Publishing p 176 ISBN 978 0 8028 4430 9 a course in miracles christian criticism a b Carroll Robert Todd 2003 The skeptic s dictionary a collection of strange beliefs amusing deceptions and dangerous delusions John Wiley and Sons ISBN 978 0 471 27242 7 a b c d e f Miller D Patrick November 23 2011 Understanding A Course in Miracles The History Message and Legacy of a Spiritual Path for Today Berkeley CA Celestial Arts ISBN 9780307807793 Retrieved December 29 2017 Beverley James May 19 2009 Nelson s Illustrated Guide to Religions A Comprehensive Introduction to the Religions of the World Thomas Nelson Inc pp 397 ISBN 9781418577469 Retrieved December 29 2017 Recipient s Common Interest in Subject of Work Does Not Limit Publication Patent Trademark amp Copyright Journal Bureau of National Affairs BNA 67 1645 16 17 2003 Boa Kenneth Bowman Robert M 1997 An Unchanging Faith in a Changing World Understanding and Responding to Critical Issues that Christians Face Today Oliver Nelson ISBN 9780785273523 Retrieved September 28 2014 van IJssel Suzette The Imminent Heaven Spiritual Post Metaphysics and Ethics in a Postmodern Era Archived from the original on June 21 2016 Retrieved September 28 2014 Hammer 2021 p 450 Helen Schucman s Career A Course in Miracles Book ACIM Lessons Online and Text ACIM Portal Retrieved December 25 2017 Helen Schucman Autobiography in Origins of A Course in Miracles 3 27 28 Foundation for Inner Peace Archives Tiburon CA a b Hammer Olav 2021 2004 Claiming Knowledge Strategies of Epistemology from Theosophy to the New Age Numen Book Series Brill p 153 ISBN 978 90 04 49399 5 Retrieved January 21 2022 A Course in Miracles is said to have been channeled from a discarnate entity perceived as Jesus but never explicitly named as such in the ensuing text a b Kemp Daren March 2004 A COURSE IN MIRACLES In Clarke Peter ed Encyclopedia of New Religious Movements Routledge p 1 ISBN 978 1 134 49970 0 Skutch Robert Journey Without Distance The Story Behind A Course in Miracles Ten Speed Press Berkeley CA 1984 p 58 The Scribe Helen Schucman and A Course in Miracles c www miraclestudies net a b c d e f Joseph Simon J March 22 2017 Knowledge is Truth A Course in Miracles as Neo Gnostic Scripture GNOSIS Brill 2 1 94 125 doi 10 1163 2451859x 12340028 ISSN 2451 8581 ACIM Translations Foundation for Inner Peace Retrieved August 10 2021 Bradby Ruth 2010 A course in miracles in Ireland In Cosgrove Olivia Cox Laurence Kuhling Carmen Mulholland Peter eds Ireland s New Religious Movements Ireland s New Religious Movements Cambridge Scholars Publishing pp 147 162 ISBN 978 1 4438 2615 0 Retrieved January 21 2022 Dean C Halverson Seeing Yourself as Sinless SCP Journal 7 no 1 1987 23 Groeschel Benedict J A Still Small Voice San Francisco Ignatius Press 1993 p 80 Groeschel Benedict J A Still Small Voice San Francisco Ignatius Press 1993 p 82 Hammer 2021 444 Hammer 2021 55 Miracles with Counselors David Aldrich Osgood University of Massachusetts Amherst 1991 Transpersonal Psychology and A Course in Miracles P 43 https scholarworks umass edu cgi viewcontent cgi article 5794 amp context dissertations 1 Butler Bowdon Tom 50 Spiritual Classics Timeless Wisdom From 50 Great Books of Inner Discovery Enlightenment and Purpose Nicholas Brealey Publishing 2010 p 223 Butler Bowdon Tom The Literature of Possibility Nicholas Brealey Publishing 2013 p 223 Coburn Lorri Breaking Free How Forgiveness and A Course in Miracles Can Set You Free Balboa Press 2011 p 193 Wilson Brandy July 29 2006 Community of Faith News from Houses of Worship Disappearance of Universe author to host workshop The Atlanta Journal Constitution Archived from the original on December 1 2018 Retrieved August 8 2017 Garrett Lynn March 7 2005 Disappearance Appears Big Time Publishers Weekly Archived from the original on August 9 2017 Retrieved August 8 2017 External links editA Course in Miracles at Wikipedia s sister projects nbsp Quotations from Wikiquote nbsp Texts from Wikisource A Course in Miracles at Curlie Editions in public domain Urtext Edition Published by Miracles in Action Press Sparkly Edition Published by Diamond Clear Vision Why A Course in Miracles Is Not Good For You or Those You Love An open letter from Matthew Remski investigative journalist on spirituality amp cult Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title A Course in Miracles amp oldid 1186692203, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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