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'''''A Course in Miracles''''' (also referred to as '''ACIM''' or '''the Course''') was originally published in 1976 by the Foundation for Inner Peace (FIP) as three volumes that ], Ph.D., an Associate Professor of Medical Psychology at Columbia University’s College of Physicians and Surgeons, had received through “a kind of rapid inner dictation”<ref>{{Cite book|title=A Course in Miracles, Combined Volume (Third Edition), Volume I, Preface to the Text|publisher=Foundation for Inner Peace|year=2007|isbn=978-1-883360-24-5|location=Mill Valley, CA 94942|pages=viii|language=English}}</ref> from an inner voice that identified itself to her as Jesus.<ref>{{Cite web|date=|title=The Scribing of ACIM|url=https://acim.org/about-acim/acim-scribing/|url-status=live|access-date=January 12, 2022|website=Foundation for Inner Peace}}</ref>  The volumes include: (1) a ''Text'' that presents the thought system of the ''Course;'' (2) a ''Workbook for Students,'' with daily lessons to help you to train your mind; and (3) a ''Manual for Teachers'' that answers ''Course'' related questions and includes a “Clarification of Terms.”  Two supplements to the ''Course'' were received in the same manner: “Psychotherapy: Purpose, Process, and Practice,” and “The Song of Prayer.”  Several years later, these materials were combined into a single volume by FIP, the only authorized publisher of the ''Course.''<ref>{{Cite web|title=Homepage|url=https://acim.org/|url-status=live|access-date=January 12, 2022|website=Foundation for Inner Peace}}</ref>
'''''A Course in Miracles''''' (also referred to as '''ACIM''' or '''the Course''') 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 one's own life.<ref>''A Course in Miracles''. Foundation for Inner Peace. , Page 1. Retrieved December 29, 2017.</ref> Schucman claimed that the book had been dictated to her, word for word, via "inner ]" from Christ.<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 various ] movement literature.<ref name="Newport" /><ref name="Carroll" />


In the Introduction to the “Clarification of Terms,” Jesus states that a “universal theology is impossible,” because of differing beliefs, “but a universal experience is not only possible but necessary.  It is this experience toward which the course is directed.”  What is the experience that everyone is seeking?  Inner peace and wholeness.  How do you find it?  Not through wealth, fame, power, and external love, because none of those will satisfy for long.  You need something greater that the world cannot provide. “Forgiveness,” according to Jesus, “is the key to happiness,”<ref>{{Cite book|title=A Course in Miracles, Combined Volume (Third Edition), Volume II, Workbook for Students, Part I, Lesson 121|publisher=Foundation for Inner Peace|year=2007|isbn=978-1-883360-24-5|location=Mill Valley, CA 94942|pages=214|language=English}}</ref> because it frees you from the past and enables you to love.  You forgive yourself by forgiving others,<ref>{{Cite book|title=A Course in Miracles, Combined Volume (Third Edition), Volume II, Workbook for Students, Part I, Lesson 46.|publisher=Foundation for Inner Peace|year=2007|isbn=978-1-883360-24-5|location=Mill Valley, CA 94942|pages=73|language=English}}</ref> because we share one spiritual Self<ref>{{Cite book|title=A Course in Miracles, Combined Volume (Third Edition), Volume II, Workbook for Students, Part I, Lesson 95.|publisher=Foundation for Inner Peace|year=2007|isbn=978-1-883360-24-5|location=Mill Valley, CA 94942|pages=166|language=English}}</ref> and you experience what you give.<ref>{{Cite book|title=A Course in Miracles, Combined Volume (Third Edition), Volume II, Workbook for Students, Part I, Lesson 187.|publisher=Foundation for Inner Peace|year=2007|isbn=978-1-883360-24-5|location=Mill Valley, CA 94942|pages=354}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|title=A Course in Miracles, Combined Volume (Third Edition), Volume I, Text, Chapter 9, Section II, Paragraph 11.|publisher=Foundation for Inner Peace|year=2007|isbn=978-1-883360-24-5|location=Mill Valley, CA 94942|pages=165-166|language=English}}</ref>  For all of this to work, you must forgive completely,<ref>{{Cite book|title=A Course in Miracles, Combined Volume (Third Edition), Volume I, Text, Chapter 1, Section VI, Paragraph 1.|publisher=Foundation for Inner peace|year=2007|isbn=978-1-883360-24-5|location=Mill Valley, CA 94942|pages=13-14|language=English}}</ref> and no one can do it by himself.  You need the Holy Spirit’s help to forgive anyone completely.<ref>{{Cite book|title=A Course in Miracles, Combined Volume (Third Edition); Supplements: The Song of Prayer, Chapter 2, "Forgiveness," Section III, "Forgiveness for Salvation."|publisher=Foundation for Inner Peace|year=2007|isbn=978-1-883360-24-5|location=Mill Valley, CA 94942|pages=13-15|language=English}}</ref>  How do you ask for and receive His help?  By wanting peace above all else and listening for Guidance.  To hear and recognize His Answers, you need to train your mind.  Jesus offers you the needed training in his ''Course.''
The Course consists of three sections: the "Text", "Workbook for Students", and "Manual for Teachers". Written from 1965 to 1972, some distribution occurred via ] before a hardcover edition was published in 1976 by the Foundation for Inner Peace.<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>


“A miracle,” according to Jesus, “is a correction introduced into false thinking by me.  It acts as a catalyst, breaking up erroneous perception and reorganizing it properly. This places you under the Atonement principle, where perception is healed.”<ref>{{Cite book|title=A Course in Miracles, Combined Volume (Third Edition), Volume I, Text; Chapter 1, Section I, Principle 37.|publisher=Foundation for Inner Peace|year=2007|isbn=978-1-883360-24-5|location=Mill Valley, CA 94942|pages=5|language=English}}</ref>  A miracle is a change of mind, a shift in your understanding, that allows you to forgive and heal.  It is given freely to anyone who wants it.  But you must let go of ego judgements to make room for love within your mind.
Throughout the 1980s, annual sales of the book steadily increased each year; however, 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 |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 Olav Hammer, the psychiatrist and bestselling author ] has been among the most effective promoters of the Course. His first book, ''Love is Letting go of Fear'', which is based on the principles of the Course, was published in 1979 and, after being endorsed on ]'s show, went on to sell over three million copies by 1990.<ref>Hammer, O, 2004, "Claiming Knowledge : Strategies of Epistemology from Theosophy to the New Age", ''Studies in the History of Religions 90'', Brill, Leiden, Boston p. 451.</ref>


“Miracles occur naturally as expressions of love.  The real miracle is the love that inspires them.  In this sense everything that comes from love is a miracle.”<ref>{{Cite book|title=A Course in Miracles, Combined Volume (Third Edition), Volume I, Text, Chapter 1, Section I, Principle 3.|publisher=Foundation for Inner Peace|year=2007|isbn=978-1-883360-24-5|location=Mill Valley, CA 94942|pages=3|language=English}}</ref>  Looking and thinking with the Holy Spirit, Who speaks for God,<ref>{{Cite book|title=A Course in Miracles, Combined Volume (Third Edition), Volume I, Text, Chapter 5, Section II, "The Voice for God."|publisher=Foundation for Inner Peace|year=2007|isbn=978-1-883360-24-5|location=Mill Valley, CA 94942|pages=75-78|language=English}}</ref> or Perfect Love,<ref>{{Cite book|title=A Course in Miracles, Combined Volume (Third Edition), Volume I, Text, Chapter 29, Section, I, Paragraph 8.|publisher=Foundation for Inner Peace|year=2007|isbn=978-1-883360-24-5|location=Mill Valley, CA 94942|pages=608|language=English}}</ref> frees you from the anger, guilt, and pain that ego judgments have produced.  God does not find fault, punish, or recommend attack, because none of that is loving.  Rather, He shows you that everyone around you is calling out for love.<ref>{{Cite book|title=A Course in Miracles, Combined Volume (Third Edition), Volume I, Text, Chapter 14, Section X, Paragraph 7.|publisher=Foundation for Inner Peace|year=2007|isbn=978-1-883360-24-5|location=Mill Valley, CA 94942|pages=294|language=English}}</ref>  Accepting this as true undoes the ego and its judgements, so that you care and want to give.  Then, if you are also willing, God will show you what your brother needs from you to heal.  Extending that with God to him as a gift of kindness heals the relationship and fills your heart with joy.  Teaching you how to do this is one of the ''Course’s'' goals.
==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 ] in New York City as Thetford's research associate.<ref></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" which she identified as Jesus. 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.<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 transcription the next day repeated itself regularly for many years. In 1972, the dictation of the three main sections of the Course was completed, with some additional minor dictation coming after that point.<ref></ref>


] ]


==Reception== ==Reception==
Gerald G. Jampolsky, MD, child psychiatrist, bestselling author, and founder of the Center for Attitudinal Healing, introduced the public to some ''Course'' principles in his 1979 book, ''Love is Letting go of Fear.''  He and his wife, Diane V. Cirincione, Ph.D., went on to write several additional books about love, forgiveness, and mental health in light of the ''Course.''  During the 1980s, annual sales of the ''Course'' steadily increased, with the largest growth occurring in 1992 after ] spoke about it on ].<ref>{{Cite book|last=Miller|first=D. Patrick|title=Understanding A Course in Miracles: The History, Message, and Legacy of a Spiritual Path for Today.|publisher=Celestial Arts|year=November 23, 2011|isbn=9780307807793|location=Berkeley, CA|language=English}}</ref>
Since it went on sale in 1976, the text 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> The book is distributed globally, spawning 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>


Currently, the FIP version of the ''Course'' has been translated into 27 languages and several million copies are in print.<ref>{{Cite web|date=January 12, 2022|title=Homepage|url=https://acim.org/|url-status=live|access-date=January 12, 2022|website=Foundation for Inner Peace}}</ref>  It can also be read, studied, and researched online.  Several unauthorized versions have been published as well — based on stolen copies of the manuscript before the editing was complete.  Because of its popularity, informal study groups have popped up all around the world and can be located through websites like the Miracle Distribution Center.<ref>{{Cite web|date=January 12, 2022|title=Search For ACIM Study Groups|url=https://www.miraclecenter.org/services/study-groups.php|url-status=live|archive-date=January 12, 2022|website=Miracle Distribution Center}}</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> 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 the ] 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>


Some authors have mistakenly viewed the ''Course'' as a channeled work,<ref>{{Cite book|last=Hammer|first=Olav|title=Electronic book: Claiming knowledge : strategies of epistemology from theosophy to the New Age|publisher=Brill|year=2004|location=Leiden ; Boston|language=English}}</ref> which it is not, since Dr. Helen Schucman was fully conscious while transcribing it.<ref>{{Cite web|date=January 14, 2022|title=The Scribing of ACIM|url=https://acim.org/about-acim/acim-scribing/|url-status=live|access-date=January 14, 2022|website=Foundation for Inner Peace}}</ref>  Others view it as mystical literature as described in ]' ] and ]'s ].  Simon J. Joseph<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Joseph|first=Simon J.|date=March 22, 2017|title=‘Knowledge is Truth:’ A Course in Miracles as Neo-Gnostic Scripture|journal=Gnosis: Journal of Gnostic Studies|volume=Volume 1, Issue 2}}</ref> and Daren Kemp<ref>{{Cite book|last=Kemp|first=Daren|title=Encyclopedia of New Religious Movements;|publisher=Routledge|year=2004|isbn=978-1-134-49970-0|location=London and New York|pages=1-2}}</ref> consider it to be a Neo-Gnostic Scripture.  Another author has linked it to ], since it “integrates a psychological world view with a universal spiritual perspective.”<ref>{{Cite book|last=Osgood|first=David Aldrich|title=Doctoral Dissertation: "Miracles with counselors : a clinical training application of A course in miracles, and the principles of attitudinal healing."|publisher=ScholarWorks@UMass Amherst|year=1991|location=Massachusetts, USA|pages=43|language=English}}</ref>
Olav Hammer locates ''A Course in Miracles'' in the tradition of channeled works from those of ] through to the works of ] and notes the close parallels between ] and the teachings of the Course.<ref>Hammer, O, "Claiming Knowledge : Strategies of Epistemology from Theosophy to the New Age", ''Studies in the History of Religions 90'', Brill, Leiden, Boston, 2004.</ref> Alternatively, it can be seen more broadly as part of the tradition of mystical literature described in ]' '']'' and ]'s '']''. 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>Joseph, Simon J. "

'Knowledge is Truth
Some fundamentalist Christian groups and churches have objected to Jesus’s teachings in the ''Course'' because they disagree with closely held doctrines.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Groeschel|first=Benedict J.|title=A Still Small Voice|publisher=Ignatius Press|year=1993|location=San Francisco, CA|pages=80|language=English}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=Newport|first=John P.|title=The New Age movement and the biblical worldview: conflict and dialogue|publisher=Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing|year=1998|isbn=978-0-8028-4430-9|pages=176|language=English}}</ref>  He teaches, for instance, that mistakes are not sins that call for punishment in hell.  Rather, according to Jesus, we need to learn from our mistakes and correct them with the Holy Spirit’s help.<ref>{{Cite book|title=A Course in Miracles, Combined Volume (Third Edition), Volume I, Text, Chapter 19, Section III, Paragraph 4.|publisher=Foundation for Inner Peace|year=2007|isbn=978-1-883360-24-5|location=Mill Valley, CA 94942|pages=404|language=English}}</ref>  God in the ''Course'' and Jesus’s teachings in the ''Bible'' is a wholly loving father, as exemplified in his Parable of the Prodigal Son.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Luke 15:11-31 in the Christian Bible|language=English}}</ref>
: A Course in Miracles as Neo-Gnostic Scripture" in ''Gnosis: Journal of Gnostic Studies'', Volume 1, Issue 2, March 22, 2017.</ref> Daren Kemp also considers ''ACIM'' to be neo-Gnostic.<ref name="Clarke2004">{{cite book|editor-first=Peter|editor-last=Clarke|first=Daren|last=Kemp|title=Encyclopedia of New Religious Movements|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 which "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>
'']'' describes ''ACIM'' as "a minor industry" that is overly commercialized and characterizes it as "Christianity improved". ] 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 ] 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== ==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 '']'', 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 ], 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://www.webcitation.org/6sYaIfRwH?url=http://infoweb.newsbank.com/resources/doc/nb/news/1132C530A58FA578?p=WORLDNEWS |archive-date=August 8, 2017 |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://www.webcitation.org/6sYZWQS0P?url=https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/print/20050307/28564-disappearance-appears-big-time.html |archive-date=August 8, 2017 |url-status=dead }}</ref> 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">{{cite book|last1=Miller|first1=D. Patrick|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1ugFYKozgIgC|title=Understanding A Course in Miracles: The History, Message, and Legacy of a Spiritual Path for Today|date=November 23, 2011|publisher=]|isbn=9780307807793|location=]|access-date=December 29, 2017}}</ref><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 ], 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://www.webcitation.org/6sYaIfRwH?url=http://infoweb.newsbank.com/resources/doc/nb/news/1132C530A58FA578?p=WORLDNEWS |archive-date=August 8, 2017 |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://www.webcitation.org/6sYZWQS0P?url=https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/print/20050307/28564-disappearance-appears-big-time.html |archive-date=August 8, 2017 |url-status=dead }}</ref>


== See also == == See also ==
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== References == == References ==
<sup>1</sup> ''A Course in Miracles, Combined Volume, Third edition (2007),'' Foundation for Inner Peace, “Preface” to the ''Text,'' “How It Came.”
{{Reflist|30em}}

<sup>2</sup> ''Ibid. '' See also: <nowiki>https://acim.org/about-acim/acim-scribing/</nowiki> — (extracted on 1/12/2022).

<sup>3</sup> The Foundation for Inner Peace, Homepage at <nowiki>https://acim.org/</nowiki> — (extracted on 1/12/2022).

<sup>4</sup> ''A Course in Miracles, Workbook for Students,'' Part I, Lesson 121.

<sup>5</sup> See ''A Course in Miracles, Workbook for Students,'' Part I, Lesson 46.

<sup>6</sup> ''A Course in Miracles, Workbook for Students,'' Part I, Lesson 95.

<sup>7</sup> ''A Course in Miracles, Workbook for Students,'' Part I, Lesson 187; and ''Text,'' Chapter 9, Section II, Paragraph 11.

<sup>8</sup> ''A Course in Miracles, Text,'' Chapter 1, Section VI, Paragraph 1.

<sup>9</sup> ''A Course in Miracles, The Song of Prayer,'' Chapter 2, “Forgiveness,” Section III, “Forgiveness-for-Salvation.”

<sup>1</sup>0 ''A Course in Miracles, Text,'' Chapter 1, Section I, Principle 37.

<sup>1</sup>1 ''A Course in Miracles, Text,'' Chapter 1, Section I, Principle 3.

<sup>1</sup>2 ''A Course in Miracles, Text,'' Chapter 5, Section II, “The Voice for God.”

<sup>1</sup>3 ''A Course in Miracles, Test,'' Chapter 29, Section I, Paragraph 8.

<sup>1</sup>4 ''A Course in Miracles, Text,'' Chapter 14, Section X, Paragraph 7.

<sup>1</sup>5 Miller, D. Patrick (November 23, 2011). Understanding A Course in Miracles: The History, Message, and Legacy of a Spiritual Path for Today. ]: ]. ] ]. Retrieved December 29, 2017.

<sup>1</sup>6 The Foundation for Inner Peace, Homepage at <nowiki>https://acim.org/</nowiki> — (extracted on 1/12/2022).

<sup>1</sup>7 See: <nowiki>https://www.miraclecenter.org/services/study-groups.php</nowiki> for a list of current study groups.

<sup>1</sup>8 Hammer, O, "Claiming Knowledge : Strategies of Epistemology from Theosophy to the New Age", ''Studies in the History of Religions 90'', Brill, Leiden, Boston, 2004.

<sup>1</sup>9 Joseph, Simon J. " ‘Knowledge is Truth:’ A Course in Miracles as Neo-Gnostic Scripture" in Gnosis: Journal of Gnostic Studies, Volume 1, Issue 2, March 22, 2017.

<sup>2</sup>0 Kemp, Daren (March 2004). Clarke, Peter (ed.). ''Encyclopedia of New Religious Movements''. Routledge. p. 1. ] ].

<sup>2</sup>1 Miracles with Counselors, David Aldrich Osgood, University of Massachusetts Amherst (1991), Transpersonal Psychology and A Course in Miracles P.43 <nowiki>https://scholarworks.umass.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=5794&context=dissertations_1</nowiki>

<sup>2</sup>2 Groeschel, Benedict J., ''A Still Small Voice'' (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 1993) p. 80.

<sup>2</sup>3 Newport, John P. (1998). ''The New Age movement and the biblical worldview: conflict and dialogue''. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing. p. 176. ] ]. “a course in miracles christian criticism.”

<sup>2</sup>4 ''A Course in Miracles, Text,'' Chapter 19, Section III, Paragraph 4.

<sup>2</sup>5 Luke 15:11-31 in the Christian ''Bible''.


==External links== ==External links==

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1976 book by American Helen Schucman

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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
SubjectTransformation
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
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A Course in Miracles (also referred to as ACIM or the Course) was originally published in 1976 by the Foundation for Inner Peace (FIP) as three volumes that Helen Schucman, Ph.D., an Associate Professor of Medical Psychology at Columbia University’s College of Physicians and Surgeons, had received through “a kind of rapid inner dictation” from an inner voice that identified itself to her as Jesus.  The volumes include: (1) a Text that presents the thought system of the Course; (2) a Workbook for Students, with daily lessons to help you to train your mind; and (3) a Manual for Teachers that answers Course related questions and includes a “Clarification of Terms.”  Two supplements to the Course were received in the same manner: “Psychotherapy: Purpose, Process, and Practice,” and “The Song of Prayer.”  Several years later, these materials were combined into a single volume by FIP, the only authorized publisher of the Course.

In the Introduction to the “Clarification of Terms,” Jesus states that a “universal theology is impossible,” because of differing beliefs, “but a universal experience is not only possible but necessary.  It is this experience toward which the course is directed.”  What is the experience that everyone is seeking?  Inner peace and wholeness.  How do you find it?  Not through wealth, fame, power, and external love, because none of those will satisfy for long.  You need something greater that the world cannot provide. “Forgiveness,” according to Jesus, “is the key to happiness,” because it frees you from the past and enables you to love.  You forgive yourself by forgiving others, because we share one spiritual Self and you experience what you give.  For all of this to work, you must forgive completely, and no one can do it by himself.  You need the Holy Spirit’s help to forgive anyone completely.  How do you ask for and receive His help?  By wanting peace above all else and listening for Guidance.  To hear and recognize His Answers, you need to train your mind.  Jesus offers you the needed training in his Course.

“A miracle,” according to Jesus, “is a correction introduced into false thinking by me.  It acts as a catalyst, breaking up erroneous perception and reorganizing it properly. This places you under the Atonement principle, where perception is healed.”  A miracle is a change of mind, a shift in your understanding, that allows you to forgive and heal.  It is given freely to anyone who wants it.  But you must let go of ego judgements to make room for love within your mind.

“Miracles occur naturally as expressions of love.  The real miracle is the love that inspires them.  In this sense everything that comes from love is a miracle.”  Looking and thinking with the Holy Spirit, Who speaks for God, or Perfect Love, frees you from the anger, guilt, and pain that ego judgments have produced.  God does not find fault, punish, or recommend attack, because none of that is loving.  Rather, He shows you that everyone around you is calling out for love.  Accepting this as true undoes the ego and its judgements, so that you care and want to give.  Then, if you are also willing, God will show you what your brother needs from you to heal.  Extending that with God to him as a gift of kindness heals the relationship and fills your heart with joy.  Teaching you how to do this is one of the Course’s goals.

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

Reception

Gerald G. Jampolsky, MD, child psychiatrist, bestselling author, and founder of the Center for Attitudinal Healing, introduced the public to some Course principles in his 1979 book, Love is Letting go of Fear.  He and his wife, Diane V. Cirincione, Ph.D., went on to write several additional books about love, forgiveness, and mental health in light of the Course.  During the 1980s, annual sales of the Course steadily increased, with the largest growth occurring in 1992 after Marianne Williamson spoke about it on The Oprah Winfrey Show.

Currently, the FIP version of the Course has been translated into 27 languages and several million copies are in print.  It can also be read, studied, and researched online.  Several unauthorized versions have been published as well — based on stolen copies of the manuscript before the editing was complete.  Because of its popularity, informal study groups have popped up all around the world and can be located through websites like the Miracle Distribution Center.

Some authors have mistakenly viewed the Course as a channeled work, which it is not, since Dr. Helen Schucman was fully conscious while transcribing it.  Others view it as mystical literature as described in William James' The Varieties of Religious Experience and Aldous Huxley's The Perennial Philosophy.  Simon J. Joseph and Daren Kemp consider it to be a Neo-Gnostic Scripture.  Another author has linked it to transpersonal psychology, since it “integrates a psychological world view with a universal spiritual perspective.”

Some fundamentalist Christian groups and churches have objected to Jesus’s teachings in the Course because they disagree with closely held doctrines.  He teaches, for instance, that mistakes are not sins that call for punishment in hell.  Rather, according to Jesus, we need to learn from our mistakes and correct them with the Holy Spirit’s help.  God in the Course and Jesus’s teachings in the Bible is a wholly loving father, as exemplified in his Parable of the Prodigal Son.

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.

See also

References

A Course in Miracles, Combined Volume, Third edition (2007), Foundation for Inner Peace, “Preface” to the Text, “How It Came.”

Ibid.  See also: https://acim.org/about-acim/acim-scribing/ — (extracted on 1/12/2022).

The Foundation for Inner Peace, Homepage at https://acim.org/ — (extracted on 1/12/2022).

A Course in Miracles, Workbook for Students, Part I, Lesson 121.

See A Course in Miracles, Workbook for Students, Part I, Lesson 46.

A Course in Miracles, Workbook for Students, Part I, Lesson 95.

A Course in Miracles, Workbook for Students, Part I, Lesson 187; and Text, Chapter 9, Section II, Paragraph 11.

A Course in Miracles, Text, Chapter 1, Section VI, Paragraph 1.

A Course in Miracles, The Song of Prayer, Chapter 2, “Forgiveness,” Section III, “Forgiveness-for-Salvation.”

0 A Course in Miracles, Text, Chapter 1, Section I, Principle 37.

1 A Course in Miracles, Text, Chapter 1, Section I, Principle 3.

2 A Course in Miracles, Text, Chapter 5, Section II, “The Voice for God.”

3 A Course in Miracles, Test, Chapter 29, Section I, Paragraph 8.

4 A Course in Miracles, Text, Chapter 14, Section X, Paragraph 7.

5 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.

6 The Foundation for Inner Peace, Homepage at https://acim.org/ — (extracted on 1/12/2022).

7 See: https://www.miraclecenter.org/services/study-groups.php for a list of current study groups.

8 Hammer, O, "Claiming Knowledge : Strategies of Epistemology from Theosophy to the New Age", Studies in the History of Religions 90, Brill, Leiden, Boston, 2004.

9 Joseph, Simon J. " ‘Knowledge is Truth:’ A Course in Miracles as Neo-Gnostic Scripture" in Gnosis: Journal of Gnostic Studies, Volume 1, Issue 2, March 22, 2017.

0 Kemp, Daren (March 2004). Clarke, Peter (ed.). Encyclopedia of New Religious Movements. Routledge. p. 1. ISBN 978-1-134-49970-0.

1 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

2 Groeschel, Benedict J., A Still Small Voice (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 1993) p. 80.

3 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.”

4 A Course in Miracles, Text, Chapter 19, Section III, Paragraph 4.

5 Luke 15:11-31 in the Christian Bible.

External links

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Related articles
  1. A Course in Miracles, Combined Volume (Third Edition), Volume I, Preface to the Text. Mill Valley, CA 94942: Foundation for Inner Peace. 2007. pp. viii. ISBN 978-1-883360-24-5.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location (link)
  2. "The Scribing of ACIM". Foundation for Inner Peace. Retrieved January 12, 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  3. "Homepage". Foundation for Inner Peace. Retrieved January 12, 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  4. A Course in Miracles, Combined Volume (Third Edition), Volume II, Workbook for Students, Part I, Lesson 121. Mill Valley, CA 94942: Foundation for Inner Peace. 2007. p. 214. ISBN 978-1-883360-24-5.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location (link)
  5. A Course in Miracles, Combined Volume (Third Edition), Volume II, Workbook for Students, Part I, Lesson 46. Mill Valley, CA 94942: Foundation for Inner Peace. 2007. p. 73. ISBN 978-1-883360-24-5.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location (link)
  6. A Course in Miracles, Combined Volume (Third Edition), Volume II, Workbook for Students, Part I, Lesson 95. Mill Valley, CA 94942: Foundation for Inner Peace. 2007. p. 166. ISBN 978-1-883360-24-5.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location (link)
  7. A Course in Miracles, Combined Volume (Third Edition), Volume II, Workbook for Students, Part I, Lesson 187. Mill Valley, CA 94942: Foundation for Inner Peace. 2007. p. 354. ISBN 978-1-883360-24-5.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location (link)
  8. A Course in Miracles, Combined Volume (Third Edition), Volume I, Text, Chapter 9, Section II, Paragraph 11. Mill Valley, CA 94942: Foundation for Inner Peace. 2007. pp. 165–166. ISBN 978-1-883360-24-5.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location (link)
  9. A Course in Miracles, Combined Volume (Third Edition), Volume I, Text, Chapter 1, Section VI, Paragraph 1. Mill Valley, CA 94942: Foundation for Inner peace. 2007. pp. 13–14. ISBN 978-1-883360-24-5.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location (link)
  10. A Course in Miracles, Combined Volume (Third Edition); Supplements: The Song of Prayer, Chapter 2, "Forgiveness," Section III, "Forgiveness for Salvation.". Mill Valley, CA 94942: Foundation for Inner Peace. 2007. pp. 13–15. ISBN 978-1-883360-24-5.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location (link)
  11. A Course in Miracles, Combined Volume (Third Edition), Volume I, Text; Chapter 1, Section I, Principle 37. Mill Valley, CA 94942: Foundation for Inner Peace. 2007. p. 5. ISBN 978-1-883360-24-5.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location (link)
  12. A Course in Miracles, Combined Volume (Third Edition), Volume I, Text, Chapter 1, Section I, Principle 3. Mill Valley, CA 94942: Foundation for Inner Peace. 2007. p. 3. ISBN 978-1-883360-24-5.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location (link)
  13. A Course in Miracles, Combined Volume (Third Edition), Volume I, Text, Chapter 5, Section II, "The Voice for God.". Mill Valley, CA 94942: Foundation for Inner Peace. 2007. pp. 75–78. ISBN 978-1-883360-24-5.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location (link)
  14. A Course in Miracles, Combined Volume (Third Edition), Volume I, Text, Chapter 29, Section, I, Paragraph 8. Mill Valley, CA 94942: Foundation for Inner Peace. 2007. p. 608. ISBN 978-1-883360-24-5.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location (link)
  15. A Course in Miracles, Combined Volume (Third Edition), Volume I, Text, Chapter 14, Section X, Paragraph 7. Mill Valley, CA 94942: Foundation for Inner Peace. 2007. p. 294. ISBN 978-1-883360-24-5.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location (link)
  16. 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.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: year (link)
  17. "Homepage". Foundation for Inner Peace. January 12, 2022. Retrieved January 12, 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  18. "Search For ACIM Study Groups". Miracle Distribution Center. January 12, 2022. {{cite web}}: |archive-date= requires |archive-url= (help)CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  19. Hammer, Olav (2004). Electronic book: Claiming knowledge : strategies of epistemology from theosophy to the New Age. Leiden ; Boston: Brill.
  20. "The Scribing of ACIM". Foundation for Inner Peace. January 14, 2022. Retrieved January 14, 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  21. Joseph, Simon J. (March 22, 2017). "'Knowledge is Truth:' A Course in Miracles as Neo-Gnostic Scripture". Gnosis: Journal of Gnostic Studies. Volume 1, Issue 2. {{cite journal}}: |volume= has extra text (help)
  22. Kemp, Daren (2004). Encyclopedia of New Religious Movements;. London and New York: Routledge. pp. 1–2. ISBN 978-1-134-49970-0.
  23. Osgood, David Aldrich (1991). Doctoral Dissertation: "Miracles with counselors : a clinical training application of A course in miracles, and the principles of attitudinal healing.". Massachusetts, USA: ScholarWorks@UMass Amherst. p. 43.
  24. Groeschel, Benedict J. (1993). A Still Small Voice. San Francisco, CA: Ignatius Press. p. 80.
  25. 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.
  26. A Course in Miracles, Combined Volume (Third Edition), Volume I, Text, Chapter 19, Section III, Paragraph 4. Mill Valley, CA 94942: Foundation for Inner Peace. 2007. p. 404. ISBN 978-1-883360-24-5.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location (link)
  27. Luke 15:11-31 in the Christian Bible.
  28. 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.
  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 August 8, 2017. Retrieved August 8, 2017.
  33. Garrett, Lynn (March 7, 2005). "'Disappearance' Appears Big Time". Publishers Weekly. Archived from the original on August 8, 2017. Retrieved August 8, 2017.
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