In this episode Robin explores some of the differences between a course in miracles and conversations with god. She takes listener feedback about this topic and sets out to clarify things.
First, the God of A Course in Miracles is not a person. He is a spiritual essence with no body, form, or limitation. This is a totally different concept than the biblical notion of an impersonal, omniscient, and omnipotent 'God' who must respond to sin.
Is a course in miracles a cult?
A course in miracles has become a popular choice for people seeking alternative spiritual guidance. Its alleged authorship of Jesus himself, channeled through and edited by three clinical psychologists, has served to make the teachings challenging to many Christians, but also very appealing to seekers who are looking for a more enlightened approach to life.
The book-set includes a text; a workbook with 365 meditation exercises; and a teacher's manual. It is promulgated in a few thousand study circles throughout the world as a self-study program of spiritual psychotherapy.
As with most cults, it is important to be cautious about using a book-set like this for any purpose other than personal study. However, there does not appear to be any clear evidence of abuse or misuse within the text itself. ucdm
A Course in Miracles is a self-study course that attempts to address the fundamental problem of separation from God. It is a mystical experience that aims to change a person's perception of reality and their beliefs about the world.
There is no requirement to be a believer in the course, but the lessons do require an intellectual commitment to re-examine every value you hold about yourself and the world. The book teaches that we are not separate from God, but rather part of the divine; that all suffering is a result of our belief system; and that we can achieve peace and joy by changing our thinking about our situation in the world.
Is a course in miracles a religion?
In 1976, two psychologists at Columbia University wrote a book called A Course in Miracles. They said it was dictated to them, word for word, by an "inner voice" they identified as Jesus or the Holy Spirit.
They hoped it would teach people how to gain full awareness of love's presence in their lives and to remove the blocks that keep them from this state. It has become a best seller, influencing millions of people worldwide.
While many believe that A Course in Miracles is a self help book, the underlying philosophy of its writers is much more complex than this. It teaches that the physical world is an illusion, and that only the mind can create reality.
This philosophy, according to the authors, is a "spiritual but not religious" movement that has been growing in popularity over the last few decades. Some students join study groups, or even churches, inspired by the teachings of A Course in Miracles.
The Course's founders, Helen Schucman and William Thetford, also claimed to have been atheists until they received the message in a dream. A third psychologist, Ken Wapnick, worked with them to write the book.
However, Kenneth Wapnick states that he is not a Christian and does not endorse the teachings of A Course in Miracles. He gives three reasons for this: First, the Course rejects biblical Christianity and does not believe that Jesus died to pay for man's sin. Second, the Course teaches that the world did not create itself and is not the product of a God-directed plan.
Is a course in miracles a self help book?
The three-volume set of books A Course in Miracles (ACIM) was compiled by two Columbia University psychologists beginning in 1965. It is a book that combines a sophisticated spiritual thought system with a very sophisticated psychological understanding of the human mind.
The text is very elegantly written, and it's often compared with great literature. However, it is difficult to grasp unless one is prepared to devote time and energy to learning its principles and practices.
Its primary teaching is to undo the misconception that we are separate from God and return to our natural state of Boundless Love, Peace and Joy. This is achieved through a series of daily lessons in the Workbook.
While there are many self help and spiritual self help books on the market, ACIM is a unique and remarkable phenomenon. While it is a complex and often difficult book to understand, it has had a profound impact on the lives of millions of people worldwide.
The Message of A Course in Miracles is a paragraph-by-paragraph translation of the Course into plain, everyday language that brings its loving message to the surface so that you can attain a deeper understanding of it more quickly. This volume is an excellent choice for anyone who wants to learn more about this groundbreaking book. It is also a good choice for teachers and students of ACIM who wish to better understand the Course's main points.
Is a course in miracles a book of fiction?
For thousands of people, a course in miracles has delivered peace, healing, and inner growth. It is an acclaimed spiritual-thought system that captures the hearts and minds of many people and has become a worldwide bestseller, with millions of copies sold in more than 20 languages.
A course in miracles grew out of a process of inner dictation begun by two Columbia University psychologists who were both tired of a resentful and divisive way of life. They received the course as a gift from an “inner voice,” which they identified as Jesus. The three-volume set consists of a preface, text, workbook for students, manual for teachers, and two supplements.
It has enriched the concept of a miracle, packing it with sophisticated concepts such as guilt, forgiveness, true perception, the holy instant, and extending it into areas of depth psychology, mysticism, and spiritual development. It also focuses the miracle away from physical healing, saying that such healing is only by-product of the more essential healing of the mind and relationships.
In the world of popular culture, the image of a miraculous healing is one that tends to focus on physical health and performance feats such as raising the dead. The Course, on the other hand, explains that a miraculous healing involves giving the receiver a new self-perception, a perception of himself or herself that transcends the old beliefs and defenses that have been the foundation of the destructive pattern that is the target of the miracle.
Is a course in miracles a book of poetry?
A course in miracles is not a book of poetry.
A course in miracles is a mind training system that focuses on removing the belief in separation and form. It is based on the idea that we are all one and can change our beliefs, morals, behaviors, and even our physical appearance by altering how we perceive the world.
It is a logical system that uses symbols and syllogisms. Despite this, however, many people have mistaken it for a book of poetry.
The language used in the Text and Workbook is quite poetic, in a number of ways. Much of it is written in iambic pentameter, which is the form that Shakespeare used, and is also in blank verse (unrhymed poetry).
While Helen was certainly influenced by her readings of Edgar Cayce, she was not compelled to abide by his rules for writing.
In fact, in the early days of scribing the Course, when it was more like a conversation between Helen and God, there were plenty of scribal errors. Some of these were correctable by Helen, but there were a lot that were not.
During this period, there were also many lessons that had nothing to do with the teachings of the Course. These were mainly directed toward helping Helen and Bill with their relationship issues. It was also a time when Helen's ego was a bit more active, so she was prone to coloring her words in ways that were not pure.
Is a course in miracles a book of science?
One of the most popular self-study spiritual thought systems in existence is A Course in Miracles (ACIM). It is a three-volume curriculum, containing a Text, a Workbook for Students, and a Manual for Teachers. The teachings contained within it are based firmly on psychology and physics, not to mention spirituality.
The book was channeled by Helen Schucman, a psychologist at Columbia University’s medical school, who received it via an inner dictation she identified as coming from Jesus Christ. She published the book in 1976.
Traditionally, miracles are seen as the action of the Divine working through a human vehicle, a healer for example. This healer may be a gifted person, a saint, or perhaps someone with extraordinary powers and training in intensive spiritual disciplines.
Many people have heard of miraculous healings that occur in a non-religious context, such as skin cancer disappearing or a person with a chronic illness being healed without any effort on the part of the patient. This is what the Course calls a “miracle.”
But the Course goes beyond this to define a miracle as a transfer of true perception from the mind of the giver to the mind of the receiver, something that can only happen through the power of God’s Holy Spirit.
The Course does this by making the receiver a conscious witness to his own healing, allowing him to experience his own true perception and to see it as a reality, not as an illusion. When he allows this new self-perception to shine through his mind, it begins to affect his behavior and even his physical body.