A Course in Miracles – Is ACIM Christian?

A Course in Miracles is a self-study spiritual thought system. It combines Christian terminology with Eastern metaphysics and human potential psychology.

It is non-dualistic, which means that it does not view God and the world as two opposing entities. It also teaches that love’s forgiveness distinguishes truth from illusions.
What is a Course in Miracles?

A Course in Miracles is a spiritual text that was channeled through Helen Schucman, an atheistic psychologist. The Course uses Christian symbols, but is almost the opposite of Christianity in the way it is commonly practiced. It also gives a very different meaning to common Christian terms. As such, it is a psychological and spiritual path, not a religious one.

The main teaching of the Course is that God did not create the physical universe, including the body. It is this fundamental principle that sets ACIM apart from other spiritual and religious teachings. This, combined with its ecumenical approach and non-dualistic metaphysics, is what makes it unique among the world’s spiritual teachings.

It is also the Course’s teaching that love’s forgiveness distinguishes truth from illusions, and leads to remembering who we are. It is this remembering, along with the experience of perfect peace, love, freedom, and oneness — without suffering — that the Course and all major spiritual paths speak of.

Unfortunately, a lot of people misunderstand the purpose of the Course and the nature of its teachings. They mistakenly think that it is some kind of new age occultism. They also misunderstand the concept of forgiveness, which is central to the Course’s metaphysics and non-duality.

Another common mistake is to confuse the teaching of the Course with what Aldous Huxley called “the perennial philosophy,” shop acim which is a term that encompasses most of the major mystical traditions. This is a great misreading of the Course, which should not be lumped in with any other religious thought system.

The Course is based on the Bible, but it is not a religion. It does not have an institute, churches, or any formal establishment to rule it, dictate its teachings, or give verdicts. It is a completely non-hierarchical teaching, with no church leaders or teachers. Instead, it relies on a community of students who support each other in their learning.

Despite its non-hierarchical structure, the Course is very influential within the Christian community. Thousands of study groups exist both inside and outside of the traditional churches. In fact, many of the Churches of Christ and some Baptists and Methodists have approved the use of A Course in Miracles in their schools.
What is a Course in Miracles about?

The Course in Miracles is a spiritual thought system that teaches universal love and forgiveness. Its three books—the Text, the Workbook for Students, and the Manual for Teachers—are organized as a self-study curriculum, emphasizing experience over belief in a theology. Although it uses Christian terminology, the Course is ecumenical and clearly states that it is only one of many thousands of spiritual paths that lead to God.

According to its author, Helen Schucman, the book was received through a process of inner dictation by a voice she heard in her mind. The voice instructed her to write down what it said. She transcribed the messages from this voice into the three volumes of the Course.

The Text lays out the concepts that make up its thought system; the Workbook for Students is comprised of 365 daily lessons and emphasizes experiential learning over belief in a theology; and the Manual for Teachers provides answers to questions about the Course. While the Course uses Christian symbols, it evokes universal, non-dual spiritual themes and Eastern spirituality in particular. The Course makes clear that it is not a religion and that it does not have any special authority or hierarchy.

A major difference between the Course and biblical Christianity is its teaching that Jesus is equal to everyone else, rather than being ontologically different as God’s one Son or Christ. This view contradicts the Bible’s depiction of Jesus’ suffering and death for man’s sin.

A central theme of the Course is undoing guilt through forgiveness. This enables people to remember the truth about themselves, others, and reality. This truth is what the Course refers to as peace, freedom, love, and oneness. It is also what all major spiritual traditions speak of as the goal of life. Forgiveness leads to a realization of the truth and a release from fear and pain. For this reason, the Course speaks of miracles in terms of healing and forgiveness. It also speaks of them as signs from God that indicate the presence of love. It is in this awareness that true peace can be found, both at the individual and global level.
What is a Course in Miracles about Jesus?

A Course in Miracles (ACIM) is one of the most popular spiritual teachings on the planet. It has touched the lives of millions, though it is difficult to document exactly how many since the teaching has been adapted in so many ways by different individuals and groups. It has even been used by a number of Christian denominations in Sunday schools and special study groups. However, it is also widely practiced outside traditional churches.

Unlike Christianity, ACIM does not use Jesus as its central figure. Instead, it emphasizes that he is simply a symbol of God’s love for the world. The Bible is an important reference point for the teaching, but it does not make it mandatory. This makes it much more palatable to those who are not religious, or who have rejected traditional church as their form of worship.

It also uses Christian terminology, but its metaphysics is not necessarily that of the Bible or any other religion. It is closer to Eastern mysticism, and has been referred to as “the Christian Vedanta” by Bill Thetford. This is why the Course is not considered to be a Christian religion; it is a non-duality.

While the teachings of A Course in Miracles appeal to a large number of people, it is not without its critics. A few have called it a masterpiece of spiritual strategy, designed to turn the mind away from Christian faith and toward New Age occultism. Others have noted that the teachings of the Course tend to exacerbate personal pride and can lead to addiction psychologically. They are also a challenge to Christians, since they appear to deny the reality of suffering.

The most critical critique is that the teachings of A Course in Miracles do not provide a path to peace. The problem is that it does not teach a true understanding of forgiveness, and if forgiveness is taken out of its context in the Course, it becomes something quite different. As a result, many people who seek peace end up straying from their Christian faith in an attempt to find it. This has been a major source of conflict for many families, as it has led to a great deal of turmoil and confusion in their lives.
What is a Course in Miracles about the Church?

Many people assume that because the Course uses Christian terminology and refers to Jesus, it must be a form of Christianity. However, the truth is that ACIM is not a religion and it does not claim to be the only way to God. Instead, the Course states that it is a portion of a universal course and one of thousands of different forms of that course that can be used for personal transformation.

The goal of the Course is to help students recognize that they are not their bodies, and that they can choose a different way of seeing and thinking about themselves and others. It is a practical spirituality that teaches that love and forgiveness are the way to freedom from fear. The course consists of a workbook of 365 lessons, a text detailing its core philosophy, and a manual for teachers. It has become a modern spiritual classic and has been published in over three million copies.

In its teachings on prayer and healing, the Course draws from many spiritual traditions including Hinduism, Buddhism, Christian Science, and Taoism. It teaches that Jesus was the Christ for this age, but that each of us can achieve Christhood by right-thinking and accepting the forgiveness that is available to all. It also teaches that the world is an illusion, and that we need not be concerned with it.

Despite these differences, the Course has been widely adopted by Christians seeking alternative spiritual guidance. The influence of the Course on the growing numbers of people who describe themselves as “spiritual but not religious” has made it controversial in some Christian circles.

Some of the criticisms leveled against the Course are fair, but some are not. For example, it has been argued that the Course is not compatible with biblical Christianity because it does not teach that the physical world was created by God and that Christ is the only Son of God. However, Kenneth Wapnick, the editor of the Course’s manual for teachers, has pointed out that this view does the Course a great disservice by blurring differences for the sake of a spurious unity.