Jim R Posted January 18, 2007 Posted January 18, 2007 I am a big fan of " A Course in Miracles'. I know there is at least one other member out there who is also, maybe "Mystictrek"? I foresee the day when a new kind of "progressive Christianity" will be the "survivor" faith in our culture and " A Course in Miracles" will be referenced by many of these progressive survivors. " A Course in Miracles' will be an "extra-biblical" authority just as The Book of Mormon is to Mormons and the Talmud and Mishnah is to Jews. As I have studied Borg, and Spong, and Fox, I have came to realize that what 'A Course in Miracles" teaches is in their writings too. The Course is in the Bible, too. Actually before discovering "A Course in Miracles" I had pretty much given up on the Bible and what seemed to be its mixed message. It was only after becoming a student of ACIM (A Course in Miracles) that I was able once again to see the love and the truth in the Bible. Only after ACIM, was I able to understand Borg, and Fox, and Spong. I am not saying, by the way, that everyone needs to study ACIM. They do not. However some do.If you asked me to define my spirituality, I would say that exoterically I am a progressive, non-traditional Christian, who ascribes to a non-literalist metaphysical interpretation of the Bible, and esoterically and mystically I study a path defined by a work called "A Course in Miracles" . "A Course in Miracles" was written by Jesus and scribed by a woman named Helen Schucman.The book itself is published by A Foundation for Inner Peace. It has a lengthy text, a workbook, and a teacher's manual. The text is very biblical like in its writing though much more consisitent in content and theme. The workbook is 365 lessons, one a day, that brings the student into a new reality and a new consciousness, step by step, by undergoing a reversal in thought process.(I was a dull student and took a year and a half to do my lessons). ACIM is very psychological as well as spiritual in its content. In this, it is more like Eastern religion,especially Buddhism,than traditional Christianity.Although,some of the more disciplined Catholic orders, such as the Jesuits, have their spiritual "exercises" so the mind training isn't without precedent. The Teachers manual is for those who would teach the course, though I would recommend it as a good synopsis of the course. If your Jesus is dead and "up there" some where, very far removed, this would make no sense whatsoever. However, if your Jesus is very much alive and lives in you heart, and the mind and heart of others, then such a phenomena as " A Course in Miracles" could exist. If something is still missing in your spiritual study, try "A Course in Miracles'. If the Bible just isn't enough, or you need something else, try the course. If you are satisfied, and your spiritual hunger has been met, then good for you and you do not need the course. There are actually several schools of thought out there already,and I recomend "The Circle of Atonement" as a school to study the course. I put this under "Other Wisdom Traditions" and will not project my beleifs about ACIM into other forums , so I hope no one feels this is inappropriate for this site. 1 Quote
BrotherRog Posted January 22, 2007 Posted January 22, 2007 Jim, I'm not too keen on the Course on Miracles (I find it to be too gnostic, too new agey, and too self-focused) but here is a link to a thread started by Jeep a while back that you might wish to explore: A Course on Miracles http://tcpc.ipbhost.com/index.php?showtopic=49 And here's another related thread: http://tcpc.ipbhost.com/index.php?showtopic=46 Peace. Roger Quote
Jim R Posted January 23, 2007 Author Posted January 23, 2007 Thank you Brother Rog, I looked up Jeep's posts and explored some of the links you supplied. Before I settled into the course I spent hours and hours exploring criticisms of ACIM. I entered into the course not beleiving or at least doubting that Jesus had dictated ACIM. It was only after some time in ACIM that I understood that truly its author is Jesus. Like Marcus Borg I think too much emphasis in traditional Christianity is put on believing and not enough on experiencing and knowing. Some don't believe that ACIM is divine in its origins they just practice its spiritual psychology and find it a good guide to life. If ACIM is not for you, then so be it, it is not for you. Many feel a spiritual hunger though that the Bible doesn't always meet. They need another point of reference to approach sprirituality. Those are the people that may need ACIM. The Bible became much more relevant for me AFTER a couple of years in ACIM. Quote
mystictrek Posted January 23, 2007 Posted January 23, 2007 See my latest post on the The Scandal of Partcularity string where I claim that ACIM makes it possible for Christianity to become more aligned with Mysticism or the Perennial Philosophy. Quote
acimluke Posted July 22, 2009 Posted July 22, 2009 Hi - just wanted to post some of my favourite ACiM sites. >> http://acim-search.miraclevision.com/std-second-edition-and-supps/index.html - an online A Course in Miracles >> >> http://12stepmiracle.com/Today-s-Lesson.html - a site that gives the lesson of the day - part of a site devised for people who read A Course in Miracles (ACiM) and go to 12 Step groups. >> >> http://pathwaysoflight.org/lessons/index.html - for a commentary on the lesson of the day. >> >> http://miraclesoneradio.org - an internet ACiM radio station - nice mix of gentle music with some ACiM music and meditations. >> >> http://www.onemindfdn.org/acimgather.htm - an ACiM talk radio station. >> >> http://youtube.com/coursequickies - short videos of international students who read A Course in Miracles. >> >> http://courseinmiraclesforum.com/acimbible.html - a site that compares quotes from the New Testament and A Course in Miracles. >> >> http://courseinmiracles.com - helpful site where one can lookup or locate quotes in ACiM. >> >> http://themiracletimes.com - another daily ACiM lesson site - click on the number of the lesson and it takes you to another page where you can download audios of the daily lesson or their daily section from ACiM. All the best with learning forgiveness, Luke. >> Quote
soma Posted July 26, 2009 Posted July 26, 2009 Thank you for the sites. I like A Course in Miracles. Quote
Marsha Posted November 6, 2010 Posted November 6, 2010 (edited) This is interesting. A friend of mine gave me "Course in Miracles" a couple of years ago. She thought I "needed" it. I read the first chapter and went "Huh?"...and put it away. Reading all of this has encouraged me to pick it up again and have a second look. Maybe it will make more sense to me, now. Thanks for the links (and the discussion--even though I see it's a fairly old one). Edited November 6, 2010 by Marsha Quote
JosephM Posted November 6, 2010 Posted November 6, 2010 Marsha, I had the same initial experience some years ago with ACIM. I seemed to always be looking for something to disagree with so i also shrugged it off. Now when i read it, i find in it and other manuscripts things i can agree with and let that which i can't receive just pass. There seems to me much to be gleamed by looking for the positive in ACIM and for that matter in all inspired writings and rather than disagreeing with that which appears in error to allow it to pass pre-adventure i might remain open to those things. I have found when i was ready some of those things i once perceived as error were only because of misperceptions i held on to. My granddaughter wanted to send some happy faces in my message and type her name,.,,,, so i will suffer her for now.... rachel Joseph Quote
Marsha Posted November 7, 2010 Posted November 7, 2010 (edited) Haha! I like Rachel's smilies! Picked up The Course in Miracles last night and started reading it again. I remember now, why I was turned off to it. It talks about personal revelation, which, at the time, I was rejecting. If it wasn't in the Bible, it was wrong (was my thinking, when I first started reading it). Amazingly, what I read last night fits in with a lot my former LDS beliefs. I am thinking...all of the things I have studied over the years...Buddhism, Hinduism, Taoism, Mormonism, Evangelicalism and now Progressive Christianity, is at some point going to come all together into this big pool of knowledge and experience that, in many ways, will be similar. I, now, want to see the similarities, instead of the differences. (I should say I am now OPEN to seeing the similarities, rather than worrying over the differences) Edited November 7, 2010 by Marsha Quote
Colleen Posted April 15, 2011 Posted April 15, 2011 I picked up the book about a month and a half ago. I read most of the introductory section and was a bit overwhelmed with the long list at the beginning. It just went on and on and didn't flow in a very interesting way. Does it get better? Quote
kayatl Posted April 16, 2011 Posted April 16, 2011 I laughed when I saw the reference to Perennial Philosophy. My Spiritual Book Group just bailed out on the book because we found it so dull and impossible to read. We just spent almost 6 months on"The Evolution of God" by Robert Wright so maybe we needed something lighter. We meet weekly which is a lot for a reading group but our discussions are wonderful because we are a bunch of very savy and smart women who love to read. Perennial Philosophy had fabulous reviews so I will give it another try. Kay Quote
Mark Stone Posted January 21, 2022 Posted January 21, 2022 (edited) "What the world needs now is love". I find this discussion to be inexhaustible. I have read the course through and through. I too started skeptical. I have read the bible through and through. I think the OP is very right. I realize I am ressurrecting a 12 year old thread, and it is quite intentional. I have watched as mainstream christianity has argued against the course, and I am TRULY frightened by the lack of discernment. It doesn't even seem like they read any of the course. Its all the same rehashed regurgitated dogma, without actually ADDRESSING anything the course says within context. The Jesus I know from the course and bible and personal experience has always told me, Whenever you read something, or view something, pray and ask the holy spirit. Compare it to what you know to be true. God created us all with this ability this conscience, and now we are indwelled with the holy spirit... And yet modern christians seem so threatened by this book. Can't a person read it, pray to the God of the bible should they choose, the God of their understanding, and ask "Is this course a deception or the truth hidden in plain sight". If God wrote the scripture in the "Stars above, and in the hearts of men" why doesn't anyone trust in a person's ability to discern for themselves. Also Jesus said to always test the spirits. The way we would know the true ones is by their fruit. I have seen people study the bible and bear a lot of fruit. I have also seen people 'read' the bible and not bear fruit, or even tear down existing fruit with hatred and malice. I have not seen the same with the course. I have never seen someone truly study the course who did not become more like christ, more full of love, and all without 'blind' faith. The only other thing I see come from it is disinterest. It never empowers people to harm others, express prejudice, subjugate women, or burn witches in Jesus's name. Sure these things happened in the past and christianity has improved since the middle ages. Nonetheless, if I simply comparing the fruit of the spirit, how can people be so blind? I think Spong pretty much hits the nail on the head when he discusses the way in which human authors bend everything, including the "Word of God" to make sense to them. https://circleofa.org/library/course-miracles-commit-sins-scripture/ is a really good read. Godspeed to any children left out there who are willing to seek after LOVE above all other things. Corinithians 1:13 is just heartbreaking. All of the argument and division in the church, all of this sidetracking and confusion, they seemed to have missed the CORE of Christs law. Love your God, Love your neighbor, Love yourself, in that order. When I read these blatantly uneducated attacks against a course in miracles, all I can here is a very dissonant concert of clanging cymbals and gongs... Edited January 21, 2022 by Mark Stone Quote
romansh Posted January 21, 2022 Posted January 21, 2022 I've not read the book, but I know my wife periodically dips into the book, as a meditative resource. I asked her about it. She basically says she ignores/glosses over the 'Christiany' bits and examines the underlying message. She said if I could ignore the Christian stuff I might agree with some of the underlying messages. I asked for an example and the one she gave went something like, "Things have all the meaning that I give to them." Implying things have no meaning in of themselves. Of course there are tautological problems here, but that's OK. Seems a little Buddhist to me. As for "All you need is love" - I find I either have it or not ... and that is OK. As for praying and hoping for guidance from a Holy Spirit, each to to his own, I suppose. Quote
PaulS Posted January 22, 2022 Posted January 22, 2022 On 1/21/2022 at 9:07 AM, Mark Stone said: When I read these blatantly uneducated attacks against a course in miracles, all I can here is a very dissonant concert of clanging cymbals and gongs... Can't say I'm familiar with the book, but you've picqued my interest by raising this old thread. Might have a look. 17 hours ago, romansh said: I asked her about it. She basically says she ignores/glosses over the 'Christiany' bits and examines the underlying message. She said if I could ignore the Christian stuff I might agree with some of the underlying messages. Let us know if you ever have a look, Rom (if you would). Quote
romansh Posted January 22, 2022 Posted January 22, 2022 8 hours ago, PaulS said: Let us know if you ever have a look, Rom (if you would). It is not on my reading list, but I will interrogate the missus should I catch her dipping into the book. Quote
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