ACIM Bible - A Course in Miracles

ACIM teaches that forgiveness is the key to healing the seeming separation from God and other people. It also teaches that apparent slights and seeming injuries are really psychological projections of fear inside the mind.

However, ACIM is less clear on reincarnation than the Bible. acim This means that the course should be considered with caution by those who want to practice it.

It is a scriptural work on a par with the Bible

A Course in Miracles (ACIM) is a spiritual book that claims to be authored by Jesus Christ. The initial penning of the book was done by Helen Schucman, who used a process she called “inner dictation.” This technique is similar to hypnotic regression or trance. ACIM has become a popular book on spiritual principles, with a large following worldwide. It has also drawn attention from Christian apologetics groups and countercult organizations because it interprets some traditional Christian concepts in ways that are radically different from how most mainstream denominations do so.

The ACIM teachings assert that God is all-inclusive, limitless, loving, and quintessentially real. The Son, or Christ, is a manifestation of God’s love and the aggregate of all of God’s creation. The Father and the Son share a single purpose, which is eternally creative. The seeming contradiction of timelessness and endless creativity is explained as the expression of God’s limitless love. The Holy Spirit is a central figure in the ACIM cosmology, acting as an innate link or connection between the separated and individualized minds of human beings.

ACIM also has a strong egalitarian bias that is in contrast to some of the more hierarchical aspects of traditional Christianity. For example, the Course teaches that Jesus forgave Judas’s involvement in his crucifixion. This is in direct opposition to the Bible’s claim that Judas betrayed Jesus.

In addition, ACIM is based on the idea that the material world is an illusion and that healing or resurrection can be achieved through improved thought processes. It also emphasizes that the universe is a reflection of God’s Love, and that forgiveness is an essential component to overcoming the illusion.

Although ACIM is not associated with a specific church or organization, there are numerous groups that study the Course and that meet either in person or online. These include Miracles One Foundation, founded by Revs. Paul and Deborah Phelps. Its focus is to help ACIM students connect with the Holy Spirit and live a Spirit-led life. It offers workshops, retreats and other resources to support the non-dual practice of the Course.

It does not accept sin or death as real

The ACIM bible does not accept sin or death as real, and it does not believe that Jesus was crucified. The book was written by Helen Schucman, who claims that the entire text was a "miracle" that was dictated to her, word for word, through inner dictation from Jesus. It was first published in 1976, and has since been translated into 27 languages. Although ACIM uses Christian terminology, its metaphysics is more aligned with Eastern mysticism than traditional Western religion. It is sometimes referred to as the Christian Vedanta.

It is a system of spiritual practice that teaches that the only way to achieve enlightenment is to be fully aware of the presence of love in one's own life. Its goal is to teach that a loving consciousness can be achieved by anyone, regardless of race, gender, or religious affiliation. Its followers believe that this is the only path to eternal happiness and peace.

However, ACIM does not address a number of important issues. For instance, its teachings do not adequately address the issue of reincarnation. In addition, its idealistic metaphysics often sound dualistic or at best, a form of qualified non-dualism (visishtadvaita) to conventionally-minded people.

Another criticism of ACIM is its tendency to focus so heavily on the ego. This can lead to a lack of humor and a pompous tone, especially in the Course's Text section. Many other great sacred texts, such as Yoga Vasishtha, Ribhu Gita, the chandrikas of Utpaladeva and Jnanadeva, the work of Meister Eckhart, the chants of Rumi, and the Zen masters Bistami and Sanai, have a palpable lightness and sweetness that is often missing from ACIM.

In addition to the 650-page Text section, ACIM also contains a Workbook for Students section that offers 365 practical self-study lessons. The Workbook includes meditations, prayers and other mental exercises. These lessons are meant to help you internalize the teachings of the Text section. ACIM also contains passages that suggest that reincarnation is a reality, but it never unequivocally states this as fact.

A major critique of ACIM is its rejection of the concept of sin. In this view, sin is a belief in the idea that there is a separate self from God and that this separation is cause for suffering. ACIM teaches that the cause of all suffering is a mistaken belief in separation, and that the only solution to this problem is forgiveness.

It does not accept sacrifice as real

Although ACIM teaches that physical laws, sickness, tragedy and death are not real, many people who have a conventional-level perspective on life view these things as very real. This is especially true of those who are members of mainstream Christian denominations that believe in a personal god and eternal hell. Such apologists often see the teachings of ACIM as foolish or dangerous.

Moreover, ACIM has been criticized for teaching a form of magical thinking that focuses on healing and transformation by changing one’s thoughts. It is also seen as promoting a spirituality that is not fully grounded in nondualistic thought systems of the world’s great mystical traditions. For example, it often enlarges on or redefines concepts like forgiveness and atonement. These enlargements and definitions can cause some people to think of ACIM as a cult.

While the Course does not accept the crucifixion as an event in time and space, it does teach that human beings have a basic conflict, or “fundamental problem,” which is the belief in separation. This mistaken belief, or “problem,” is caused by an egoic desire for power and control over others. Ultimately, the egoic beliefs in separation will be corrected by learning the truth of love.

According to ACIM, the ego is a separate illusory self that believes that it is its own Creator and can create its own reality. This egoic state is the source of most of humanity’s problems. ACIM claims that these problems can be overcome through the healing of the ego and the realization that there is only one Self, or God, and that this Self is Love.

Despite these criticisms, ACIM has been embraced by a large number of people who consider themselves to be Christians and have a deep devotion to Jesus Christ. There are numerous study groups throughout the world who meet regularly to discuss and practice the teachings of ACIM. A number of these groups have gained prominence in the United States and are incorporated as nonprofit organizations. In addition, the Foundation for Inner Peace (FIP) was formed to help students understand and apply ACIM. However, the group’s leader Kenneth Wapnick began to restrict the use of the course in 1985, despite having purchased the copyright from Judith Skutch Whitson. This action led to some dissension among the FIP study groups, which previously had been allowed to use the material freely.

It does not accept the crucifixion of Jesus

While less controversial than many new religious movements, ACIM has generated controversy and questions from Christian apologists because of its re-interpretation or rejection of certain ideas. Specifically, ACIM teaches a very different view of forgiveness and atonement from the traditional interpretations taught in most mainline Christian denominations.

It also teaches that Jesus’ death was not a sacrifice for sin, but rather an example of defenselessness and selflessness in the face of attack. This is a very different take on the meaning of the crucifixion and goes against most of what has been believed about this event for two thousand years.

Moreover, the Course also rejects the idea that Jesus Christ was the Son of God in a more radical way. Instead, it teaches that we are all equally the Sons of God. This is a much more inclusive concept of the Godhead than is typically espoused in traditional Christianity, and it is one of the reasons why some Christian apologists have labeled the teachings of ACIM as heretical or even cult-like.

The Course’s understanding of the Holy Trinity differs greatly from that of most mainstream Christian denominations, as well. The ACIM version of the Trinity is an egoless, limitless, perfect, loving Creator who exists as a unified whole. It relies on the Holy Spirit as the innate and unbreakable link or connection between the seemingly separated minds of the unified Sonship of Christ.

Although a few Christian study groups and a few church communities exist that are based on the teachings of ACIM, the Course does not have any central organization or official monitoring body. This has led to a wide spectrum of interpretations by individual students, some of which appear counter-intuitive and even cult-like.

Despite the differences between ACIM and traditional Christian beliefs, most students of the Course accept that it is divinely inspired. They also acknowledge that it is not an exclusive system of belief, but is merely one of many paths to spiritual growth and fulfillment. Nevertheless, some groups within the ACIM community have developed teachings that appear to reject the Course’s ideals of perfect equality between all human beings. These groups have drawn criticism from both outside and inside the ACIM community.