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{{Short description|1976 book by Helen Schucman}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2020}}

{{Infobox book {{Infobox book
| name = A Course in Miracles | name = ''A Course in Miracles''
| image = ACIM3COVER.jpg
| title_orig =
| caption = ''A Course in Miracles'', Combined Volume, Third Edition as published by the<br /> Foundation for Inner Peace
| translator =
| author = There is no author attributed to ''ACIM'', although it was "scribed" by Helen Schucman
| image = ]
| editor = ], ], Kenneth Wapnick
| caption = ''A Course in Miracles'', Combined Volume, Third Edition as published by<br /> Foundation for Inner Peace.
| author = Helen Schucman | illustrator =
| illustrator = | cover_artist =
| country = United States
| cover_artist =
| subject = ]
| country =
| publisher = 1976 (New York: Viking: The Foundation for Inner Peace) <br /> 2007 (The Foundation for Inner Peace, 3rd ed.)
| language = English
| series = | media_type = Print (hardback and paperback)
| subject = | pages = 1333
| isbn = 978-1-883360-24-5
| genre = ] life
| publisher = New York: Viking: The Foundation for Inner Peace | oclc = 190860865
| preceded_by =
| pub_date = orig. 1976; 2nd ed., newly rev. 1996
| followed_by =
| english_pub_date =
| media_type = Softcover, Hardcover, Paperback MME, and Kindle, Sony & Mobipocket ebooks
| pages =
| isbn = 978-1-883360-24-5 Soft cover
| oclc= 190860865
| preceded_by =
| followed_by =
}} }}
{{Paranormal}}
{{New Age beliefs sidebar}}
{{NewThought}} {{NewThought}}
'''''A Course in Miracles''''' (also known as "the Course" and/or ACIM) is a three-part book that leads the reader to a reconnection with God but without religion. The book includes a Text, a 365-day Workbook and a Manual for Teachers. The Text introduces a new, revolutionary thought system that leads to a peaceful state of mind and transcendence of the ego. Peace is achieved through a new understanding of the meaning of the world and through the collective practice of stillness (meditation), forgiveness, gratitude, asking for what is wanted and communion with the divinity that dwells within.


'''''A Course in Miracles''''' (also referred to as '''''ACIM''''') is a 1976 book by ]. The underlying premise is that the greatest "]" is the act of simply gaining a full "awareness of love's presence" in a person's life.<ref>''A Course in Miracles''. Foundation for Inner Peace. , p. 1. Retrieved December 29, 2017.</ref> Schucman said that the book had been dictated to her, word for word, via a process of "inner dictation" from ] ].<ref name="scribes">{{cite web|title=ACIM: About the Scribes|url=http://www.acim.org/Scribing/about_scribes.html|website=acim.org|publisher=Foundation for Inner Peace|access-date=December 29, 2017}}</ref><ref name="ACIMPrefaceHowItCame">{{cite book|author=Foundation for Inner Peace|title=A Course in Miracles: Combined Volume|date=1992|publisher=The Foundation|location=Glen Ellen, Calif.|isbn=0-9606388-9-X|pages=vii–viii|edition=2nd|url=https://www.acim.org/AboutACIM/how.html|access-date=December 29, 2017}}</ref> The book is considered to have borrowed from ] movement writings.<ref name="Newport" /><ref name="Carroll" />
The introduction to the Course contains the following Truth:


''ACIM'' has three sections: "Text", "Workbook for Students", and "Manual for Teachers". Written from 1965 to 1972, some distribution occurred via photocopies before the Foundation for Inner Peace published a hardcover edition in 1976.<ref name="Miller2011">{{cite book|last1=Miller|first1=D. Patrick|title=Understanding A Course in Miracles: The History, Message, and Legacy of a Spiritual Path for Today|date=November 23, 2011|publisher=]|location=]|isbn=9780307807793|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1ugFYKozgIgC|access-date=December 29, 2017}}</ref> The copyright and trademarks, which had been held by two foundations, were revoked in 2004<ref name="Miller2011"/> after lengthy litigation because the earliest versions had been circulated without a copyright notice.<ref name="Beverley2009">{{cite book |last=Beverley |first=James |title=Nelson's Illustrated Guide to Religions: A Comprehensive Introduction to the Religions of the World |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ul0kFIxtMfkC&pg=PT397|access-date=December 29, 2017|date=May 19, 2009|publisher=]|isbn=9781418577469|pages=397–}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|title=Recipient's Common Interest in Subject of Work Does Not Limit Publication|journal=]|year=2003|volume=67|issue=1645|pages=16–17|publisher=]}}</ref>
"Nothing real can be threatened.


Throughout the 1980s, annual sales of the book steadily increased each year; the largest growth in sales occurred in 1992 after ] discussed the book on '']'',<ref name="Miller2011"/> with more than two million volumes sold.<ref name="Miller2011"/> The book has been called everything from "New Age psychobabble"<ref name="BoaBowman1997">{{cite book |last1=Boa |first1=Kenneth |last2=Bowman |first2=Robert M. |title=An Unchanging Faith in a Changing World: Understanding and Responding to Critical Issues that Christians Face Today|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hJuUtcoUOysC|access-date=September 28, 2014|year=1997|publisher=Oliver Nelson|isbn=9780785273523}}</ref> to "a Satanic seduction"<ref name="Miller2011"/> to "The New Age Bible".<ref>{{Cite web |first=Suzette|last=van IJssel|url=http://www.bemidjistate.edu/academics/publications/social_work_journal/issue09/articles/2_Immanent.htm |title=The Imminent Heaven: Spiritual Post-Metaphysics and Ethics in a Postmodern Era |access-date=September 28, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160621164247/http://www.bemidjistate.edu/academics/publications/social_work_journal/issue09/articles/2_Immanent.htm |archive-date=June 21, 2016 |url-status=dead }}</ref> According to ], the psychiatrist and author ] was among the most effective promoters of ''ACIM''. Jampolsky's first book, ''Love is Letting Go of Fear'', based on the principles of ''ACIM'', was published in 1979 and, after being endorsed on ]'s show, sold over three million copies by 1990.<ref>Hammer (2021: p. 450)</ref>
Nothing unreal exists.


==Origins==
Herein lies the peace of God."<ref name="CourseSummary">{{cite book |isbn= 0-9606388-8-1 |title=A Course In Miracles |publisher=Foundation for Inner Peace |year=1996 |page=1, Text |author= Foundation for Inner Peace.}}</ref>
''A Course in Miracles'' was written as a collaborative venture between Schucman and William ("Bill") Thetford. In 1958, Schucman began her professional career at ] in New York City as Thetford's research associate.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://acim.org/Scribing/about_scribes.html|title=Helen Schucman's Career}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://acim.biz/a-course-in-miracles-book-acim/|title=A Course in Miracles Book ACIM Lessons Online and Text|work=ACIM Portal|access-date=December 25, 2017}}</ref> In 1965, at a time when their weekly office meetings had become so contentious that they both dreaded them, Thetford suggested to Schucman that "here must be another way".<ref name="Collaboration">{{cite book | title=Helen Schucman: Autobiography, in "Origins of A Course in Miracles" 3:27–28 |publisher=Foundation for Inner Peace Archives, Tiburon, CA)}}</ref> 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" that she identified as Jesus (although the ''ACIM'' text itself never explicitly claims that the voice she hears speaking is that of Jesus).<ref name="Hammer 2021 p. 153"/><ref name="Clarke2004"/> She said that on October 21, 1965, an "inner voice" told her: "This is a Course in Miracles, please take notes."


Schucman said the writing made her very uncomfortable, though it never seriously occurred to her to stop.<ref>Skutch, Robert. ''Journey Without Distance: The Story Behind A Course in Miracles''. ], Berkeley, CA, 1984, p. 58.</ref> 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 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.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.miraclestudies.net/Scribe.html|title=The Scribe: Helen Schucman and A Course in Miracles©|website=www.miraclestudies.net}}</ref>
] channeled the book and transcribed it with the help of . Schucman heard an "inner voice" which she believed to be ].<ref name="scribes">{{cite web| title = About the Scribes| publisher = Foundation for Inner Peace| date = | url = http://www.acim.org/Scribing/about_scribes.html| accessdate = 2007-04-29}}</ref><ref name="ACIMPrefaceHowItCame">{{cite book |isbn= 0-9606388-9-X |title=A Course In Miracles |publisher=Foundation for Inner Peace |year=1992 |pages=vii–viii |author= Foundation for Inner Peace.}}</ref> The 1992 edition, the most recent copyrighted one, is published by the Foundation for Inner Peace (FIP), the organization chosen by Schucman for this purpose. It consists of preface, text, workbook for students, manual for teachers (including clarification of terms), and two supplements. Kenneth Wapnick and Foundation for A Course in Miracles (FACIM) were awarded the copyright to this edition after the original copyright was overturned. This edited version earned copyright status since it derives from the original manuscript as edited by Wapnick. FIP reports that two million volumes of ACIM have been published and disseminated worldwide since it first became available for sale in 1976. Additionally, the book has been translated into nineteen different languages with eight new translations underway as of 2008.<ref name="volumes-published">{{cite web | url = http://www.acim.org/welcome.html/ |title=ACIM Volumes Published |publisher=Foundation for Inner Peace |accessdate=2009-09-28}}</ref><ref name="translation-editions">{{cite web | url = http://www.acim.org/Translations/index.html#history |title=ACIM Translation Program |publisher=Foundation for Inner Peace |accessdate=2009-01-01| archiveurl= http://web.archive.org/web/20081217111531/http://www.acim.org/Translations/index.html| archivedate= 17 December 2008 <!--DASHBot-->| deadurl= no}}</ref>


]
==Background==


For copyright purposes, US courts determined that the author of the text was Schucman, not Jesus.<ref name="Joseph pp. 94–125"/> Kenneth Wapnick believed that Schucman did not channel Jesus, but was describing her "own mental experience of divine 'love{{'"}}.<ref name="Joseph pp. 94–125"/>
===Overview of origins===
''A Course in Miracles'' was originally written in a collaborative venture by Schucman and Thetford. In the beginning, the voice (which Schucman claimed to have identified itself earlier to her as Jesus) described them as scribes.<ref name="scribes"/> At the time, 1965, Thetford was director of the psychology department of Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center in New York City while at the same time holding a faculty appointment as Professor of Medical Psychology at the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. Schucman began her professional career at the Medical Center as Thetford's research associate, later also to become a tenured professor of psychology at Columbia University. They had become consultants to an interdisciplinary research project at the Cornell University Medical Center, Thetford's former employer. The weekly meetings had become contentious, and they had described that they hated going, feeling both uncomfortable and angry. Tired of the competitiveness and negativity, on an afternoon in June 1965, Thetford delivered a speech to Schucman indicating that he felt they had been using the wrong approach. "There must be another way" he concluded. Schucman felt that this speech had seemed to act as a stimulus that triggered off a long series of inner experiences that could be categorized as visions, dreams, heightened imagery, and an "inner voice" that finally on October 21, 1965 urged her: "This is a Course in Miracles, please take notes". She claims the voice identified itself as that of Jesus. Schucman said that the writing made her very uncomfortable, though it never seriously occurred to her to stop. Schucman explained what was happening to Thetford, who encouraged her to continue this process and helped her in typing out what she read to him from her notes the night before. The whole process took about seven years.

In 1976, ''A Course in Miracles'' was published and distributed as a three-volume set—which had evolved from the original notes—and comprised three books: Text, Workbook for Students, and Manual for Teachers.

During the first 19 years of its circulation, ''A Course in Miracles'' was published, printed and distributed directly by the students of the work. In 1995, the printing and distribution of the work was licensed to ] for five years.

=== Editors ===
]
When Schucman experienced some personal difficulties and hesitance after hearing the voice, Bill Thetford, her work supervisor and friend, contacted Hugh Lynn Cayce (son of the celebrity psychic ]) at his ] in ] to seek his advice and counsel. Shucman later met with Cayce before she began to record the Course.

Kenneth Wapnick was a clinical psychologist who directed a school for disturbed children and served as chief psychologist at ] from 1967 through 1972. In 1972, Wapnick left his ] faith and converted to ] so he could become a monk.<ref name="Introduction to Forgiveness and Jesus">{{cite web | url = http://www.miraclestudies.net/Forgive_Jesus4.html |title=Introduction to Forgiveness and Jesus |publisher= Ken Wapnick Web Site |accessdate=2011-02-21}}</ref>

Fr. ] was a priest with a doctorate in psychology and a member of the ] who studied under Thetford and worked with Schucman. Groeschel arranged an introduction of Wapnick to Schucman and Thetford in November 1972. Groeschel was given a copy of the ACIM manuscript in 1973, and testified that he was instructed by Schucman not to distribute the manuscript; however, with Schucman's permission, he made it available to Wapnick.<ref name="US District Court">{{cite web|last=Sweet|first=Robert W.|title=Opinion of Judge ROBERT W. SWEET, PENGUIN BOOKS U.S.A., INC., FOUNDATION FOR "A COURSE IN MIRACLES, INC.", and FOUNDATION FOR INNER PEACE, INC., Plaintiffs|url=http://www.leagle.com/xmlResult.aspx?xmldoc=2003832288FSupp2d544_1780.xml&docbase=CSLWAR2-1986-2006|work=Patent dispute, 96 Civ. 4126 (RWS) October 2003|publisher=U.S. District Court Southern District of New York|accessdate=12 August 2011| quote=Father Benedict Groeschel ("Groeschel") is a former priest, then a member of a Franciscan order, who had a doctorate in psychology, had studied under Thetford, had worked with Schucman at Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center Psychiatric Institute, and had an established interest in the relationship between mysticism or spirituality and psychology. He was given a copy of the Work in 1973. Groeschel testified that he was instructed by Schucman not to distribute the manuscript but with Schucman's permission, he made it available to Dr. Kenneth Wapnick "Wapnick"). It was apparent to Groeschel that Schucman and Thetford did not desire that the manuscript be widely disseminated. He complied with their instructions not to give the manuscript to anyone else.
}}</ref>

Wapnick reviewed the draft and discussed with Schucman further revisions that were needed to place the book in final form. Over the next thirteen months, Wapnick and Schucman edited the manuscript by deleting personal material intended only for Schucman and Thetford, creating chapter and section headings, and correcting various inconsistencies in paragraph structure, punctuation, and capitalization.<ref name="The Story of A Course In Miracles">{{cite web | url = http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dpJ6BO8xeDA |title= The Story of A Course In Miracles = Documentary where Bill Thetford, Helen Schucman, and Ken Wapnick talk about A Course In Miracles |accessdate=2011-02-21}}</ref> This editing process was completed by approximately February 1975. Wapnick subsequently became a teacher of ''the Course'', co-founder and president of the Foundation for A Course in Miracles (FACIM), and a director and executive committee member of the Foundation for Inner Peace (FIP).

=== Multiple ACIM Editions ===

=== Distribution ===
]
The Foundation for Inner Peace (or FIP) was originally called the Foundation for Para-Sensory Investigations, Inc. (FPI)., and was founded on October 21, 1971 by Robert Skutch and Judith Skutch Whitson. Robert Skutch and Judith Skutch Whitson were married at the time of its inception, and have since become directors. Robert Skutch was a businessman and writer, who for many years had been a writer of television plays and advertising copy. Judith Skutch Whitson was a teacher and lecturer at ] on the science of the study of ] and ]. On May 29, 1975, Douglas Dean, a physicist engineer, introduced Schucman, Thetford, and Wapnick to Judith Skutch Whitson. Soon thereafter, they introduced her to the Course and the four of them met regularly to study, discuss, and share their common enthusiasm for it. At some point in 1975, Schucman appears to have authorized Skutch Whitson and Ken Wapnick to initiate the process of copyrighting ACIM and to assume responsibility themselves for the resulting copyright.

In mid-July 1975, Skutch Whitson met briefly with her doctoral adviser, ], who had a small printing company called Freeperson's Press. Criswell advised Skutch Whitson that she would be willing to assist in having the manuscript published and took responsibility for the manuscript pages, and in August 1975, they were taken to a Kopy Kat copy center in ], to be reproduced. In August 1975, Skutch Whitson organized a reception at 2000 Broadway, ], where Schucman and Thetford were introduced to a number of people. During this time period, a number of copies were distributed—hundreds according to Skutch Whitson and Skutch. The first edition of 100 copies of the Criswell edition was bound with a yellow cover and a copyright notice. Robert Skutch filed the copyright for ACIM for FIP on November 24, 1975, swearing to a date of first publication as October 6, 1975, in the form of the Freeperson Press edition. Zelda Suplee, director of the Erickson Educational Foundation,<ref name="Erickson">
{{cite web
|url=http://web.uvic.ca/~ahdevor/ReedErickson.pdf
|format=PDF
|accessdate=2006-07-04
|title=Reed Erickson (1912–1992): How One Transsexed Man Supported ONE.
|author=Devor, Aaron H., Ph.D.
|authorlink=Aaron Devor
|publisher=University of Victoria, BCA
}}
</ref> a friend of Skutch Whitson, was given a copy of the uncopyrighted manuscript by Skutch Whitson prior to the publication of the Criswell edition. In 1976, ], a wealthy transsexual philanthropist,<ref name="EEF">
{{cite web
|url=http://web.uvic.ca/~erick123/
|accessdate=2006-07-04
|title=Reed Erickson and The Erickson Educational Foundation
|author=Devor, Aaron H., Ph.D.
|authorlink=Aaron Devor
|publisher=University of Victoria, BCA
| archiveurl= http://web.archive.org/web/20060625054250/http://web.uvic.ca/%7Eerick123/| archivedate= 25 June 2006 <!--DASHBot-->| deadurl= no}}
</ref> received a copy of the manuscript, which he used as a basis for study by a group in Mexico. Erickson was the primary financial backer of the first hard-bound edition of the Course, donating $440,000 for this printing.<ref name="dcagj">{{cite web
|url=http://www.nysd.uscourts.gov/courtweb/Pdf/D02NYSC/03-08697.PDF
|author=U.S. District Court Southern District Of New York
|title=Opinion, Case: Civil 4126 (RWS) ruling (#03-08697) dismissing complaint and granting judgment |date=2003-10-24 |format=PDF |accessdate=2006-07-06| archiveurl= http://web.archive.org/web/20060703142921/http://www.nysd.uscourts.gov/courtweb/pdf/D02NYSC/03-08697.PDF| archivedate= 3 July 2006 <!--DASHBot-->| deadurl= no}}</ref> Later that year the FIP began to publish ''the Course'' in a set of three hardcover volumes. Five years later, in 1981, Schucman died of complications related to pancreatic cancer.

In 1983, control of the copyright was transferred to the FACIM as headed by Wapnick.

In 1985, the FIP began publishing the three volumes in a more manageable, single soft-cover volume, but without any editorial content changes.

In 1992, the FIP published a second hardcover edition, which contained some editorial content additions and minor changes. Amongst these changes were the addition of a verse-numbering system. It was Schucman's desire that a non-profit foundation publish the work.<ref name="MessageACIM">{{cite book |isbn= 0-933291-25-6 |title=The Message of A Course in Miracles: Volume Two: Few Choose to Listen |publisher=Foundation for A Course in Miracles |year=1997 |page=238 |author= Kenneth Wapnick, Ph.D.}}</ref>

In 1995, FIP entered a five-year printing and distribution agreement, which expired in December 2000, with ] for $2.5 million. Currently some copies of some of the earlier draft versions of the book (which may or may not be complete, unadulterated or legal) are available both online and through private publishers.

=== Copyright litigation ===
]Beginning in June, 1996, and ending in April, 2004, a copyright lawsuit initiated by Penguin Books and FIP was brought against the ] (also known as the 'Endeavor Academy') for their unlimited independent publication of substantial portions of ''A Course in Miracles.'' It was found that the contents of the FIP first edition, published from 1976 through 1992, are in the public domain. However, copyright in all of the changes introduced in the Second Edition remains intact, as does the copyright for the Text Preface, "Clarification of Terms" found at the end of the Manual for Teachers, and the two supplementary pamphlets, Psychotherapy and Song of Prayer, as well as Schucman's poetry, ''The Gifts of God''. The original unedited (]) manuscript of ''A Course in Miracles'', which has been widely published on the internet, was obtained under false pretenses.<ref>Jesseph, Ph.D, Joe R. , Retrieved 2009-10-22</ref> This material has been copyrighted separately as ''The Unpublished Writings of Helen Schucman''.<ref>Wapnick, Kenneth (1991). ''Absence From Felicity: The Story of Helen Schucman and Her Scribing of'' A Course in Miracles. Foundation for Inner Peace, p. 13, footnote 3. ISBN 0-933291-08-6 (pbk.)</ref>

=== '''Post-litigation editions''' ===
There are three major versions of ACIM. Further, more detailed information about variations in ACIM versions can be obtained at The Community Miracles Center website at this address: http://www.miracles-course.org/joomla/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=211:what-are-the-different-versions-of-acim&catid=93:questions-about-the-a-course-in-miracles-teaching&Itemid=41

1. ''The URTEXT Manuscript''
This the first typed and distributed version of ACIM which was created directly by Schucman and Thetford. The URTEXT did not become widely available to the public until 2009 until the invalidation of the original copyright. The URTEXT contains information that's personal and relevant only to Schucman and Thetford. It also has grammatical errors and writing inconsistencies.

2. ''The Original Edition (a/k/a Jesus' Course In Miracles)/The Hugh Lynn Cayce Edition/Sparkly Edition''
These editions are derived from the first edited and retyped copy of the Course that Schucman and Thetford personally created and which they gave to Hugh Lynn Cayce for review. ''The Original Edition'' is widedly available and is published by the Course In Miracles Society (CIMS). Course In Miracles Society (CIMS): – http://jcim.net

3. ''The FIP/FACIM Edition''
This edition, which was edited by Ken Wapnick, is the most popular edition of the Course. It was originally published by the Foundation for Inner Peace (FIP) and later by the Foundation for A Course In Miracles (FACIM). Foundation For Inner Peace (FIP): – http://acim.org Foundation for A Course In Miracles (FACIM): – http://www.facim.org

=== Movie ===
In 2009, ''A Course in Miracles The Movie'' was released. The movie features Ken Wapnick along with several other students and teachers of ACIM.


==Reception== ==Reception==
Since it went on sale in 1976, the book has been translated into 27 languages.<ref name="translations">{{cite web | url = http://www.acim.org |title=ACIM Translations |publisher=Foundation for Inner Peace |access-date=August 10, 2021}}</ref> It is distributed globally, spawning a range of organized groups.<ref name="Cosgrove Cox Kuhling 2010 p. ">{{cite book | last=Bradby | first=Ruth | editor-last=Cosgrove |editor-first=Olivia |editor2-last=Cox |editor2-first=Laurence |editor3-last=Kuhling |editor3-first=Carmen | editor4-last=Mulholland | editor4-first=Peter | title=Ireland's New Religious Movements | publisher=Cambridge Scholars Publishing | year=2010 | isbn=978-1-4438-2615-0 | chapter=A course in miracles in Ireland | chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vY0nBwAAQBAJ | access-date=21 January 2022 | pages=147–162}}</ref>
Since it first became available for sale in 1976, over 2 million copies of A Course in Miracles have been sold worldwide and the text has been translated into sixteen different languages. ''A Course In Miracles'' (ACIM) is widely distributed globally, forming the basis of a range of organized groups.<ref>Bradby, Ruth, "A course in miracles in Ireland". 147 - 162 in Olivia Cosgrove et al. (eds), Ireland's new religious movements. Cambridge Scholars, 2011</ref> The teachings of A Course in Miracles have been supported by commentators and authors such as ].<ref name="Eckhart Tolle interview">
{{cite web | url = http://www.enlightennext.org/magazine/j18/tolle.asp
|title=Ripples on the Surface of Being |publisher=EnlightenNext magazine
|accessdate=2011-02-21}}
</ref>
However, due to ''ACIM's'' claims to "clarify" or even supersede<ref name = "acim-supersedes">
''A Course In Miracles'' (2007) Text: Chapter 6.Part I:Par. 15 , FIP Edition, ISBN 978-1-883360-25-2
</ref>
some of the teachings of orthodox Christianity, the book has been judged negatively by some Christians.


Although a friend of Schucman, Thetford, and Wapnik, ] has since criticized ''ACIM'' and the related organizations. Finding some elements of the ''Course'' to be what he called, "severe and potentially dangerous distortions of Christian theology", he wrote that the ''Course'' is “a good example of a false revelation”<ref>Groeschel, Benedict J., A Still Small Voice (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 1993) 80</ref> and that “it has . . . become a spiritual menace to many.<ref>Groeschel, Benedict J., A Still Small Voice (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 1993) 82</ref> 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".<ref>Dean C. Halverson, "Seeing Yourself as Sinless", ''SCP Journal'' 7, no. 1 (1987): 23.</ref> He also said, "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."<ref name="Joseph pp. 94–125"/> "''Course''-teachers Robert Perry, Greg Mackie, and Allen Watson" disagreed about that.<ref name="Joseph pp. 94–125"/> Though a friend of Schucman, Thetford, and Wapnick, Catholic priest ] 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"<ref>Groeschel, Benedict J., ''A Still Small Voice'' (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 1993) p. 80</ref> and that it has "become a spiritual menace to many".<ref>Groeschel, Benedict J., ''A Still Small Voice'' (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 1993) p. 82.</ref> The evangelical editor Elliot Miller says that Christian terminology employed in ''ACIM'' is "thoroughly redefined" to resemble ] 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 an occult and New Age worldview.<ref name="Newport">{{cite book|last=Newport|first= John P. |title=The New Age movement and the biblical worldview: conflict and dialogue |url=https://archive.org/details/newagemovementbi00newp|url-access=registration|page=|quote=a course in miracles christian criticism.|year=1998|publisher=Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing|isbn=978-0-8028-4430-9}}</ref>


Olav Hammer locates ''A Course in Miracles'' in the tradition of channeled works from those of ] to ]'s<ref name="Hammer 2021 p. 153">{{cite book | last=Hammer | first=Olav | title=Claiming Knowledge: Strategies of Epistemology from Theosophy to the New Age | publisher=Brill | series=Numen Book Series | year=2021 | origyear=2004 | isbn=978-90-04-49399-5 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zpJOEAAAQBAJ&pg=PA153 | access-date=21 January 2022 | page=153 | quote=''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.}}</ref> and notes the close parallels between ] and the teachings of the Course.<ref>Hammer (2021: 444)</ref><!-- no source has been provided for this: Alternatively, it can be seen more broadly as part of the tradition of mystical literature described in ]' '']'' and ]'s '']''.--> Hammer called it "gnosticizing beliefs".<ref>Hammer (2021: 55)</ref> In "'Knowledge is Truth': A Course in Miracles as Neo-Gnostic Scripture" in ''Gnosis'': '']'', Simon J. Joseph outlines the relationship between the Course and ] thinking.<ref name="Joseph pp. 94–125">{{cite journal | last=Joseph | first=Simon J. | title='Knowledge is Truth': A Course in Miracles as Neo-Gnostic Scripture | journal=GNOSIS | publisher=Brill | volume=2 | issue=1 | date=22 March 2017 | issn=2451-8581 | doi=10.1163/2451859x-12340028 | pages=94–125}}</ref> Daren Kemp also considers ''ACIM'' neo-Gnostic and agrees with Hammer that it is a channeled text.<ref name="Clarke2004">{{cite book|editor-first=Peter|editor-last=Clarke|first=Daren|last=Kemp|chapter=A COURSE IN MIRACLES|title=Encyclopedia of New Religious Movements|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DouBAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA1|date=March 2004|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-1-134-49970-0|page=1}}</ref> The course has been viewed as a way that "integrates a psychological world view with a universal spiritual perspective" and linked to ].<ref name=ACIM>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</ref>
Other Christian authors, such as evangelical ], have similarly criticized ''A Course In Miracles'', saying it "contradicts basic tenets of Christianity, twisting its core teachings and deceiving people who are sincerely looking for God." Larson also criticizes ''ACIM'' popularizer ] personally, saying that her work on behalf of ''ACIM'' "denies essential qualities of faith such as guilt and forgiveness, and necessitates the Biblically forbidden practice of transpossession ]."<ref name="Larson">{{cite book|last=Larson|first=Bob |title=Larson's Book of World Religions and Alternative Spirituality|url=http://books.google.com/?id=vnAk9WefhfwC&pg=PA128&dq=larson+%22a+course+in+miracles%22+christian+critique#v=onepage&q&f=false|year=2004|publisher=Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.|isbn=978-0-8423-6417-1}}</ref>


Joseph declared: {{blockquote|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.<ref name="Joseph pp. 94–125"/>|Simon J. Joseph}}
Evangelical editor Elliot Miller says that Christian terminology employed in ACIM is "thoroughly redefined" to resemble ] teachings. Other Christian critics say ACIM is "intensely anti-Biblical", not in keeping with Christianity, "blurs the distinction between Creator and creation", and supports ] and New Age ideas.<ref name="Newport">{{cite book|last=Newport|first= John P. |title=The New Age movement and the biblical worldview: conflict and dialogue |url=http://books.google.com/?id=Rxss1cqHWYIC&pg=PA176&dq=%22a+course+in+miracles%22+christian+criticism#v=onepage&q&f=false|year=1998|publisher=Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing|isbn=978-0-8028-4430-9}}</ref>


Another dismissal of ACIM and claim for its subversiveness comes from some on the political left, who note that ], who encouraged and helped bring Schucman's work to press, was a ] operative and psychologist. In ], ] quotes a post asserting the CIA sought "to infiltrate and dilute the American left with New Age ideas and inwardly-focused, anti-rational religious movements".<ref>{{cite magazine|last1=Heti| first1=Sheila |title=The New Age Bible| magazine=Harper's Magazine|date=September 2024 |page=48 |url=https://harpers.org/archive/2024/09/the-new-age-bible-sheila-heti-a-course-in-miracles/
Theologian Anton van Harskamp notes that the metaphysics of ''A Course in Miracles'' is inconsistent with that of Christianity in that its “story of creation is totally different from the Christian one.” Accordingly to van Harskamp, in looking at "the suffering in the world, 'the Course' says that this world cannot be created by a God.” In the Christian conception “creation is good” “but at the same time it is impossible to say this about everything that exists.”<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bezinningscentrum.nl/teksten/anton_eng/mireng.htm |title=A modern Miracle: Critical comment on the Course in Miracles |publisher=Bezinningscentrum.nl |date= |accessdate=2011-03-18}}</ref> Significantly, even Course editor and promoter, psychologist Kenneth Wapnick, commented that “if the Bible were considered literally true, then the Course would have to be viewed as demonically inspired.”<ref>Dean C. Halverson, “Seeing Yourself as Sinless,” SCP Journal 7, no. 1 (l987): 23.</ref>
}}</ref>


Skeptic Robert T. Carroll criticizes ACIM as "a minor industry" that is overly commercialized and characterizes it as "Christianity improved", saying its teachings are not original and suggesting they are culled from "various sources, east and west".<ref name="Carroll">{{cite book|last=Carroll|first=Robert Todd |title=The skeptic's dictionary: a collection of strange beliefs, amusing deceptions, and dangerous delusions|url=http://books.google.com/?id=6FPqDFx40vYC&pg=PA84&dq=skeptic+%22a+course+in+miracles#v=onepage&q=skeptic%20%22a%20course%20in%20miracles&f=false|year=2003|publisher=John Wiley and Sons|isbn=978-0-471-27242-7}}</ref> '']'' describes ''ACIM'' as "a minor industry" that is overly commercialized and characterizes it as "Christianity improved". ] wrote that the teachings are not original but 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.<ref name="Carroll">{{cite book|last=Carroll|first=Robert Todd |title=The skeptic's dictionary: a collection of strange beliefs, amusing deceptions, and dangerous delusions|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6FPqDFx40vYC&q=skeptic+%22a+course+in+miracles&pg=PA84|year=2003|publisher=John Wiley and Sons|isbn=978-0-471-27242-7}}</ref>


==Associated works==
Despite the high level of criticism that ACIM has received from many Christian theologians and authors, progressive theologians, both Catholics and Protestants, have given ACIM high marks and "glowing endorsements".<ref name = "glowing-recommendations">{{cite web
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 '']'' published in 1992.<ref name="Miller2011"/><ref>].. ], 2010. p. 223.</ref><ref>]. . ], 2013. p. 223.</ref><ref>Coburn, Lorri. . ], 2011. p. 193.</ref> ''The Disappearance of the Universe'', published in 2003 by Fearless Books, was republished by ] in 2004.<ref>{{cite news |last=Wilson |first=Brandy |date=July 29, 2006 |title=Community of Faith: News from Houses of Worship: 'Disappearance of Universe' author to host workshop |url=http://infoweb.newsbank.com/resources/doc/nb/news/1132C530A58FA578?p=WORLDNEWS |newspaper=] |access-date=August 8, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181201143022/http://infoweb.newsbank.com/resources/doc/nb/news/1132C530A58FA578?p=WORLDNEWS |archive-date=December 1, 2018 |url-status=dead }}</ref> '']'' reported that Renard's examination of ''A Course in Miracles'' influenced his book.<ref>{{cite news |last=Garrett |first=Lynn |date=March 7, 2005 |title='Disappearance' Appears Big Time |url=https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/print/20050307/28564-disappearance-appears-big-time.html |newspaper=] |access-date=August 8, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170809091512/https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/print/20050307/28564-disappearance-appears-big-time.html |archive-date=August 9, 2017 |url-status=dead }}</ref>{{portal|Books}}
| year = 2011
| url = http://www.equip.org/articles/a-course-in-miracles
| title= ACIM: Christian Glossed Hinduism for the Masses.
| accessdate = 2011-04-04| archiveurl= http://web.archive.org/web/20110516081058/http://equip.org/articles/a-course-in-miracles| archivedate= 16 May 2011 <!--DASHBot-->| deadurl= no}} The Christian Research Institute describing the reaction of liberal and progressive theologians to ACIM.
</ref>
==Summary==
It's important to remember that A Course In Miracles (ACIM) is not a religion; rather, it's the path to God completely and totally without religion. The ACIM thought system and daily practices do not conform to traditional Christian theological beliefs and do not rely on churches, ministers, sacrifice, conventional prayer or Biblical authority. Therefore, controversy and lack of acceptance from Christian theologians, the Christian community and others is to be expected. The Course reminds readers that a universal theology is impossible, but a universal personal experience with God is not only possible but necessary. While many ACIM ministries, study groups and other organized groups have cropped up, none are necessary to learn and practice the Course or to become a Teacher of God. The answer to every question is found within, in silence.


== See also ==
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]

== Notes ==
{{Reflist|2}}


== References == == References ==
{{Reflist|30em}}
* Foundation for Inner Peace (1996). ''A Course in Miracles'' (2d ed., newly rev.). New York: Viking Penguin. ISBN 0-670-86975-9.
* Foundation for Inner Peace (1992). ''Psychotherapy: Purpose, Process and Practice'' (2d. ed.). Glen Ellen CA: Foundation for Inner Peace. ISBN 0-9606388-6-5.
* Foundation for Inner Peace (1992). ''The Song of Prayer: Prayer, Forgiveness, Healing'' (2d. ed.). Glen Ellen CA: Foundation for Inner Peace. ISBN 0-9606388-4-9.
* Miller, D. Patrick (2008). ''Understanding A Course in Miracles: The History, Message, and Legacy of a Spiritual Path for Today''. Berkeley: Celestial Arts/Random House. ISBN 978-1-58761-312-8. A journalistic overview of the history, major principles, criticism, and cultural effects of ACIM.
* Skutch, Robert (1996). ''Journey Without Distance: The Story Behind A Course in Miracles''. Mill Valley: Foundation for Inner Peace. ISBN 1-883360-02-1. Discusses the pre-publication history of ACIM.
* Vahle, Neal (2009). ''A Course in Miracles: The Lives of Helen Schucman and William Thetford''. San Francisco: Open View Press. ISBN 978-1-61623-788-2. This book shows how Schucman and Thetford were affected by the teaching in ACIM.
* Wapnick, Kenneth (1999). ''Absence from Felicity: The Story of Helen Schucman and Her Scribing of A Course in Miracles'' (2d ed.). New York: Foundation for A Course in Miracles. ISBN 0-933291-08-6. Discusses Helen Schucman and the pre-publication history of ACIM.
* {{cite book |last=Schucman |first=Helen|year=1989|title=The Gifts of God|location=Berkeley|publisher=Celestial Arts|isbn=0-89087-585-5}} (contains 114 poems that share the spiritual content of the Course as well as the prose poem "The Gifts of God," which summarizes the teachings of the Course)
* Williamson, Marianne (1996). ''A Return to Love: Reflections on the Principles of A Course in Miracles''. New York: HarperCollins. ISBN 0-06-092748-8. Widely-read adaptation of ACIM principles.
* {{cite web
|url=http://www.nysd.uscourts.gov/courtweb/Pdf/D02NYSC/03-08697.PDF
|author=U.S. District Court Southern District Of New York
|title=Opinion, Case: Civil 4126 (RWS) ruling (#03-08697) dismissing complaint and granting judgment|date=2003-10-24|format=PDF |accessdate=2006-07-06| archiveurl= http://web.archive.org/web/20060703142921/http://www.nysd.uscourts.gov/courtweb/pdf/D02NYSC/03-08697.PDF| archivedate= 3 July 2006 <!--DASHBot-->| deadurl= no}}
* {{cite web |url=http://www.nysd.uscourts.gov/courtweb/Pdf/D02NYSC/00-07413.PDF
|author=U.S. District Court Southern District Of New York|title=Opinion, Case: Civil 4126 (RWS) ruling (#00-07413) summary judgment denied|date=2000-07-21|format=PDF|accessdate=2006-07-06
| archiveurl= http://web.archive.org/web/20060703142902/http://www.nysd.uscourts.gov/courtweb/pdf/D02NYSC/00-07413.PDF| archivedate= 3 July 2006 <!--DASHBot-->| deadurl= no}}
* {{cite web|url=http://www.nysd.uscourts.gov/courtweb/pdf/D02NYSC/03-04125.PDF|author=U.S. District Court Southern District Of New York|title=Opinion, Case: Civil 4126 (RWS) ruling (#03-04125) motion to admit evidence|date=7 May 2003|format=PDF|accessdate=2006-07-06
}}


==External links== ==External links==
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* For a more comprehensive aggregated list of related links to ACIM, visit: {{DMOZ|Society/Religion_and_Spirituality/Enlightenment/A_Course_in_Miracles/}}, a link aggregation project.
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* Editions in public domain:
** <!-- - Published by Course in Miracles Society-->
** – Published by Miracles in Action Press
** – Published by Diamond Clear Vision
* – An open letter from ], investigative journalist on spirituality and cult


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Latest revision as of 04:04, 10 November 2024

1976 book by Helen Schucman

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
SubjectSpiritual transformation
Publisher1976 (New York: Viking: The Foundation for Inner Peace)
2007 (The Foundation for Inner Peace, 3rd ed.)
Publication placeUnited States
Media typePrint (hardback and paperback)
Pages1333
ISBN978-1-883360-24-5
OCLC190860865
Part of a series on the
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A Course in Miracles (also referred to as ACIM) 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. Schucman said that the book had been dictated to her, word for word, via a process of "inner dictation" from Jesus Christ. The book is considered to have borrowed from New Age movement writings.

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

Throughout the 1980s, annual sales of the book steadily increased each year; the largest growth in sales occurred in 1992 after Marianne Williamson discussed the book on The Oprah Winfrey Show, with more than two million volumes sold. The book has been called everything from "New Age psychobabble" to "a Satanic seduction" to "The New Age Bible". 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, based on the principles of ACIM, was published in 1979 and, after being endorsed on Johnny Carson's show, sold over three million copies by 1990.

Origins

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. In 1965, at a time when their weekly office meetings had become so contentious that they both dreaded them, Thetford suggested to Schucman that "here must be another way". 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" that she identified as Jesus (although the ACIM text itself never explicitly claims that the voice she hears speaking is that of Jesus). She said that on October 21, 1965, an "inner voice" told her: "This is a Course in Miracles, please take notes."

Schucman said the writing made her very uncomfortable, though it never seriously occurred to her to stop. 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 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.

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. Kenneth Wapnick believed that Schucman did not channel Jesus, but was describing her "own mental experience of divine 'love'".

Reception

Since it went on sale in 1976, the book has been translated into 27 languages. It is distributed globally, spawning a range of organized groups.

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". He also said, "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." "Course-teachers Robert Perry, Greg Mackie, and Allen Watson" disagreed about that. 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" and that it has "become a spiritual menace to many". 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 an occult and New Age worldview.

Olav Hammer locates A Course in Miracles in the tradition of channeled works from those of Madam Blavatsky to Rudolf Steiner's and notes the close parallels between Christian Science and the teachings of the Course. Hammer called it "gnosticizing beliefs". 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. Daren Kemp also considers ACIM neo-Gnostic and agrees with Hammer that it is a channeled text. The course has been viewed as a way that "integrates a psychological world view with a universal spiritual perspective" and linked to transpersonal psychology.

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.

— Simon J. Joseph

Another dismissal of ACIM and claim for its subversiveness comes from some on the political left, who note that William Thetford, who encouraged and helped bring Schucman's work to press, was a CIA operative and psychologist. In Harper's Magazine, Sheila Heti quotes a post asserting the CIA sought "to infiltrate and dilute the American left with New Age ideas and inwardly-focused, anti-rational religious movements".

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 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.

Associated works

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. The Disappearance of the Universe, published in 2003 by Fearless Books, was republished by Hay House in 2004. Publishers Weekly reported that Renard's examination of A Course in Miracles influenced his book.

References

  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. ^ 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. ^ 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. ^ 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. 67 (1645). Bureau of National Affairs (BNA): 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. "The Imminent Heaven: Spiritual Post-Metaphysics and Ethics in a Postmodern Era". 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. ^ Hammer, Olav (2021) . 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. ^ 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. ^ Joseph, Simon J. (March 22, 2017). "'Knowledge is Truth': A Course in Miracles as Neo-Gnostic Scripture". GNOSIS. 2 (1). Brill: 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. 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. Heti, Sheila (September 2024). "The New Age Bible". Harper's Magazine. p. 48.
  29. Butler-Bowdon, Tom.50 Spiritual Classics: Timeless Wisdom From 50 Great Books of Inner Discovery, Enlightenment and Purpose. Nicholas Brealey Publishing, 2010. p. 223.
  30. Butler-Bowdon, Tom. The Literature of Possibility. Nicholas Brealey Publishing, 2013. p. 223.
  31. Coburn, Lorri. Breaking Free: How Forgiveness and A Course in Miracles Can Set You Free. Balboa Press, 2011. p. 193.
  32. 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.
  33. Garrett, Lynn (March 7, 2005). "'Disappearance' Appears Big Time". Publishers Weekly. Archived from the original on August 9, 2017. Retrieved August 8, 2017.

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