ACIM FAQ
Q: Why is it called a Course in Miracles?
A: From a purely historical perspective, those are the words conveyed to Helen Schucman, the chosen scribe of the work, by a voice in her mind that indirectly referred to himself as Jesus. The Voice was simply describing the nature of the material that Helen was going to be receiving and compiling over the course of many years with the help of her co-worker/scribe Bill Thetford.
On a more practical level, the title accurately describes the final work, which is comprised of a series of lessons, one for each day of the year, called the Workbook For Students; a Text section comprised of 31 chapters of supporting material that spans over 600 pages; a Manual for Teachers that addresses such questions as Who Are God's Teachers?, How Is Peace Possible in This World?, and What is The Peace of God?; and finally a short section referred to as a Clarification of Terms, where topics such as the The Holy Spirit, Mind-Spirit, and Forgiveness are explored. Seen in its totality, A Course In Miracles is quite literally a multi-faceted Course of learning that is meant to be studied and practiced until mastered by the student, who then becomes a teacher to others through his or her loving expressions of miracle mindedness.
A: From a purely historical perspective, those are the words conveyed to Helen Schucman, the chosen scribe of the work, by a voice in her mind that indirectly referred to himself as Jesus. The Voice was simply describing the nature of the material that Helen was going to be receiving and compiling over the course of many years with the help of her co-worker/scribe Bill Thetford.
On a more practical level, the title accurately describes the final work, which is comprised of a series of lessons, one for each day of the year, called the Workbook For Students; a Text section comprised of 31 chapters of supporting material that spans over 600 pages; a Manual for Teachers that addresses such questions as Who Are God's Teachers?, How Is Peace Possible in This World?, and What is The Peace of God?; and finally a short section referred to as a Clarification of Terms, where topics such as the The Holy Spirit, Mind-Spirit, and Forgiveness are explored. Seen in its totality, A Course In Miracles is quite literally a multi-faceted Course of learning that is meant to be studied and practiced until mastered by the student, who then becomes a teacher to others through his or her loving expressions of miracle mindedness.
Q: What exactly is a Miracle?
A: We all have some idea about what a miracle is, be it a news story recounting the instantaneous healing of a terminal cancer patient, a passage we recall from the Bible whereby Jesus restores vision to a blind person, or a memory of watching the holiday classic Miracle on 34th Street. As is the case with many commonly used terms, the Course takes a much different approach to the meaning of a miracle. Simply put, a miracle is the natural expression of God's love as conveyed through one person—by means of the Holy Spirt—to another. It is the incalculable power of that love that heals both the giver and receiver, no matter their situation or condition. As the Course says, all expressions of love are maximal. The Course doesn't instruct on how to perform miracles for their own sake, but rather to experience the immeasurable value of God's love through the performance of miracles. It is the experience of being in the presence of love itself that really matters because it is this awareness that leads to atonement and the completion of God's plan for salvation. A plan that can't be completed without your willing participation. God needs miracles workers. God needs you.
Miracles occur between seemingly separate individuals at the level of mind, although the resulting effects can be experienced in the material world, as in the case of the healing of a physical aliment. However, it's important to note that while miraculous healings are the most commonly used example, especially as it pertains to the Bible, they are only one of an infinite number of possible examples of how miracle thinking can be applied in our lives. As stated previously, and emphasized in the Course, miracles in and of themselves don't matter, but rather a recognition of their Source and the experience of love it produces.
Through the 50 Principles of Miracles we learn that a miracle is "a way of loving your neighbor as yourself. You recognize your own and your neighbor's worth simultaneously," and that a miracle is "a teaching device for demonstrating that it is as blessed to give as to receive." Sadly, this is "the law of truth the world does not obey," and instead we find that it is more common to view others with a certain level of suspicion or even outright fear, especially if we perceive them as being "different" than us.
The Course seeks to teach us that we are all One in God's Love and that there's nothing but our self-imposed illusions and misperceptions that separate us from each other and the direct experience of God our creator.
A: We all have some idea about what a miracle is, be it a news story recounting the instantaneous healing of a terminal cancer patient, a passage we recall from the Bible whereby Jesus restores vision to a blind person, or a memory of watching the holiday classic Miracle on 34th Street. As is the case with many commonly used terms, the Course takes a much different approach to the meaning of a miracle. Simply put, a miracle is the natural expression of God's love as conveyed through one person—by means of the Holy Spirt—to another. It is the incalculable power of that love that heals both the giver and receiver, no matter their situation or condition. As the Course says, all expressions of love are maximal. The Course doesn't instruct on how to perform miracles for their own sake, but rather to experience the immeasurable value of God's love through the performance of miracles. It is the experience of being in the presence of love itself that really matters because it is this awareness that leads to atonement and the completion of God's plan for salvation. A plan that can't be completed without your willing participation. God needs miracles workers. God needs you.
Miracles occur between seemingly separate individuals at the level of mind, although the resulting effects can be experienced in the material world, as in the case of the healing of a physical aliment. However, it's important to note that while miraculous healings are the most commonly used example, especially as it pertains to the Bible, they are only one of an infinite number of possible examples of how miracle thinking can be applied in our lives. As stated previously, and emphasized in the Course, miracles in and of themselves don't matter, but rather a recognition of their Source and the experience of love it produces.
Through the 50 Principles of Miracles we learn that a miracle is "a way of loving your neighbor as yourself. You recognize your own and your neighbor's worth simultaneously," and that a miracle is "a teaching device for demonstrating that it is as blessed to give as to receive." Sadly, this is "the law of truth the world does not obey," and instead we find that it is more common to view others with a certain level of suspicion or even outright fear, especially if we perceive them as being "different" than us.
The Course seeks to teach us that we are all One in God's Love and that there's nothing but our self-imposed illusions and misperceptions that separate us from each other and the direct experience of God our creator.
Q: What is forgiveness?
"Forgiveness is the home of miracles," according to the Course. "Forgiveness recognizes what you thought your brother did to you has not occurred. It does not pardon sins and make them real. It sees there was no sin. And in that view are all your sins forgiven. What is sin, except a false idea about God's Son? Forgiveness merely sees its falsity, and therefore lets it go. What then is free to take its place is now the Will of God," W-P2, What is Forgiveness? When we practice forgiveness, or the undoing of false beliefs about others that we encounter either physically or at a distance, we allow miracle-mindedness to work through us in cooperation with the Holy Spirit.
"Forgiveness is the home of miracles," according to the Course. "Forgiveness recognizes what you thought your brother did to you has not occurred. It does not pardon sins and make them real. It sees there was no sin. And in that view are all your sins forgiven. What is sin, except a false idea about God's Son? Forgiveness merely sees its falsity, and therefore lets it go. What then is free to take its place is now the Will of God," W-P2, What is Forgiveness? When we practice forgiveness, or the undoing of false beliefs about others that we encounter either physically or at a distance, we allow miracle-mindedness to work through us in cooperation with the Holy Spirit.
Q: What's the Course position on sin?
According to A Course in Miracles, the ego—that voice of separation and fear in our minds—has one "most holy concept" that it guards above all others: the belief that sin is real and true. It's the very foundation upon which the ego's entire thought system rests.
The ego doesn't see sin as a mistake or an error in judgment, but rather as your desire to actually change your fundamental nature from innocent to guilty. This creates what the Course calls a "grand illusion"—the belief that you have somehow managed to "usurp the power of God" and corrupt the very essence of what He created. The ego whispers that you have "succeeded in losing your innocence and making yourself what God created not."
In the ego's upside-down world, innocence becomes the enemy, leading acts of empathy to be label as distorted moral judgment and framing it as a tool for manipulation rather than a virtue. The acceptance of yourself as sinful is perceived as holiness. The ego has convinced us that admitting our sinfulness is the closest we can come to spiritual maturity.
According to A Course in Miracles, the ego—that voice of separation and fear in our minds—has one "most holy concept" that it guards above all others: the belief that sin is real and true. It's the very foundation upon which the ego's entire thought system rests.
The ego doesn't see sin as a mistake or an error in judgment, but rather as your desire to actually change your fundamental nature from innocent to guilty. This creates what the Course calls a "grand illusion"—the belief that you have somehow managed to "usurp the power of God" and corrupt the very essence of what He created. The ego whispers that you have "succeeded in losing your innocence and making yourself what God created not."
In the ego's upside-down world, innocence becomes the enemy, leading acts of empathy to be label as distorted moral judgment and framing it as a tool for manipulation rather than a virtue. The acceptance of yourself as sinful is perceived as holiness. The ego has convinced us that admitting our sinfulness is the closest we can come to spiritual maturity.
Q: What role does Jesus play in ACIM?
Jesus is presented as the voice of A Course in Miracles, as channeled to Helen Schucman, who at the time was a clinical psychologist and professor of medical psychology at Columbia University in New York City. It’s interesting to note that Schucman was, prior to hearing an inner voice that indirectly identified itself as Jesus, a self-proclaimed "militant” atheist. Over the course of the seven years it took to receive and transcribe the contents of ACIM, the inner voice made numerous first-person references to acts performed by Jesus and cited multiple Biblical passages that were recorded or interpreted incorrectly.
Jesus is presented as the voice of A Course in Miracles, as channeled to Helen Schucman, who at the time was a clinical psychologist and professor of medical psychology at Columbia University in New York City. It’s interesting to note that Schucman was, prior to hearing an inner voice that indirectly identified itself as Jesus, a self-proclaimed "militant” atheist. Over the course of the seven years it took to receive and transcribe the contents of ACIM, the inner voice made numerous first-person references to acts performed by Jesus and cited multiple Biblical passages that were recorded or interpreted incorrectly.
Q: Is ACIM a religion or a cult?
A Course in Miracle is the name of a book (see Why is it called a Course In Miracles? above for more details). Coursianity is presented as a religion that looks to ACIM as its most sacred text. But Coursianity—unlike traditional Western religions—promotes a theology of the Mind, which you can’t join with your body or wallet but can consciously embrace, practice and share if you’re willing to be open minded about the stories you were encouraged to accept as gospel when growing up.
A Course in Miracle is the name of a book (see Why is it called a Course In Miracles? above for more details). Coursianity is presented as a religion that looks to ACIM as its most sacred text. But Coursianity—unlike traditional Western religions—promotes a theology of the Mind, which you can’t join with your body or wallet but can consciously embrace, practice and share if you’re willing to be open minded about the stories you were encouraged to accept as gospel when growing up.
Q: Is ACIM a Christian text?
A Course in Miracles uses what could be considered Christian language in terms of words like God, Jesus, Christ, Holy Spirt, crucifixion, salvation, atonement, etc. However, it offers such a radically different picture of the meaning of those terms and our relationship to them, that it can’t be considered to be a Christian denomination or any part of the larger Christian landscape.
A Course in Miracles uses what could be considered Christian language in terms of words like God, Jesus, Christ, Holy Spirt, crucifixion, salvation, atonement, etc. However, it offers such a radically different picture of the meaning of those terms and our relationship to them, that it can’t be considered to be a Christian denomination or any part of the larger Christian landscape.
Q: Why isn't ACIM more well known?
ACIM has been translated into a dozen or more languages and sold more than a million copies worldwide, but it is still relatively unknown to the general public. This may be due to the fact that its teachings run counter to mainstream culture's accepted ideas about such weighty topics as identity, sin, forgiveness and even death. It also faces the challenge of reinterpreting 2000 years of deeply-ingrained and institutionalized religious teachings regarding Jesus and meaning of His core messages.
ACIM has been translated into a dozen or more languages and sold more than a million copies worldwide, but it is still relatively unknown to the general public. This may be due to the fact that its teachings run counter to mainstream culture's accepted ideas about such weighty topics as identity, sin, forgiveness and even death. It also faces the challenge of reinterpreting 2000 years of deeply-ingrained and institutionalized religious teachings regarding Jesus and meaning of His core messages.
Q: Why is our existence outside of Heaven called a game?
The Course states that "Salvation can be thought of as a game that happy children play. It was designed by One Who loves His children, and Who would replace their fearful toys with joyous games, which teach them that the game of fear is gone. His game instructs in happiness because there is no loser. Everyone who plays must win, and in his winning is the gain to everyone ensured. The game of fear is gladly laid aside, when children come to see the benefits salvation brings.”
This divine game leads us to release our judgments and grievances, allowing us to see the world differently - not as a prison of suffering, but as a gentle classroom where we learn that love is our true nature.
The Course states that "Salvation can be thought of as a game that happy children play. It was designed by One Who loves His children, and Who would replace their fearful toys with joyous games, which teach them that the game of fear is gone. His game instructs in happiness because there is no loser. Everyone who plays must win, and in his winning is the gain to everyone ensured. The game of fear is gladly laid aside, when children come to see the benefits salvation brings.”
This divine game leads us to release our judgments and grievances, allowing us to see the world differently - not as a prison of suffering, but as a gentle classroom where we learn that love is our true nature.