A Course In Miracles: Truth or Cult? A Student Responds...
70Can You Really Ever Know "Truth?"
The following quote comes from a recent news release announcing:
"A Course In Miracles is an effect of supra-consciousness, that is, with Jesus Christ as its true Causation. The acceptance or admission that A Course In Miracles originated from an absolutely unearthly source, while it appears simple, is the single most difficult barrier to enlightenment the immature consciousness faces. No matter how overwhelmingly predominate the evidence, both in method of origination and in content that this is indeed so, the assertion is finally inevitably an act of faith [Bold added by this post author]. You must remember that human conceptual consciousness is explicitly formulated in a self-perpetuating structure of thought that denies singularity. Nothing could be more devastating to the dualistic mind construct, that is limited perceptual reality, than the realization that A Course in Miracles is indeed not of this world but actually Truth speaking to falsity. In other words God-man speaking to man."
I studied the Course for a number of years and I will admit, there's a lot of good stuff in it. But is it Truth with a capital 'T'? As the bold portion proclaims, ultimately it is an act of faith. And therein lies the challenge. Every religion or religious movement will tell its followers that it requires an act of supreme faith in order to "get" what the movement is saying or teaching. Now for the blasphemy. Everything in the Course--EVERYTHING--has come directly from the human mind. Remember this: Any so-called Truth being presented by one of us humans must of necessity filter through our brain and our mind. It will always be colored by our experience and our perspective. It will be affected by our culture and our beliefs. There's no way around that. It cannot come to you in pure form.
So, to take something on faith requires giving up rational thought. Sometimes that's all we have to determine the validity of a teaching, be it religious, philosophical, or even scientific. Let the Course teach you what you want. Just be willing to keep an open mind. As with any teaching, take what resonates with you and discard the rest. Keep your mind intact by being its owner. Don't let outsiders control you. And they will try. You don't have to take that on faith.
The Old Philosopher said, "Those who think they know, know nothing; those who know they know nothing, really know." And that's the truth.
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We really don't know. That's the Catch-22. When someone says they know, they are deluding themselves. But, that's what has led to all the chaos within religion. They all know the Truth; hence, we must put an end to your Truth because it is not the same as our Truth. Heretic!
A Course In Miracles is just one more point of view. The difference is, the author isn't out to destroy those who don't agree with him.
Thanks for the comments.
Interesting read. Here's one that is along those lines: http://hubpages.com/hub/spiritualpath
Very well put.
Many thanks.
It is true that a course in miracles is considered blasphamy to the catholic faith. But do know that it's only trying to help you get where you need to go
The Church would say that ACIM is a demon posing as a being of light. But that's what religious people almost always say about spiritual paths that don't agree with their own. The Protestants believe that most of the Catholic practices are blasphemous. Go figure.
alex, if it were the truth then why in it's own canon does it say to keep the clergy and parishoners in the dark "AT ALL costs"? I find that amuzing to say the least. I also wrote a hub about blind faith from one of the Twilight Zone Episodes they had on their marathon at New Years. I named it "To Serve", (http://hubpages.com/hub/To-Serve) You ought to read it and see what God you are following without knowing. I wonder what it was that the Catholic Church is keeping from the rest at all costs. What is so good or so bad with what it is they are keeping from them?
Here is a very simplified explanation as to why the Church keeps believers in the dark. First, the Church knows that the Bible is contradictory. It claims those contradictions are meant to keep the Truth from the ignorant and that only the priests and bishops have access to it. Therefore, the Church must be the final authority, the highest authority. Not the Bible. It's too confusing for the average peasant to understand. If the common people got wind of the idiocy of the Bible, they might rebel and protest. Hmmm... Protest? Protestant? Got it! And that's what happened. Once people got the Bible in the common language, rebellion began to happen. And the Church has been in a war with the rebels ever since. Blame Martin Luther or whomever you choose. But that's the reason the Church kept the folks in darkness. They knew the Bible was a mishmash of nonsense. In order the maintain power, they had to maintain authority. Once the people read the Book, all hell would and did break loose. And it will never be reined in on again.
"First, the Church knows that the Bible is contradictory. It claims those contradictions are meant to keep the Truth from the ignorant and that only the priests and bishops have access to it. Therefore, the Church must be the final authority, the highest authority. Not the Bible."
And that is why the Reformation happened. The Bible is not contradictory in the first place. And the Protestants and Reformers do not believe it is idiocy or a mishmash of nonsense either.
You're right. The reformers believed in Sola Scriptura: Only the Bible. What they didn't realize was, the Protestant Bibles were based on a rather poor Greek rendition called the Textus Receptus. To this day, scholars of every stripe know that the TR is full of changes, errors, misspellings, deliberate and accidental. No one knows what the original autographs actually say. Why? Because we don't have them. Even if what the Gospels and Paul's Letters contained were the very Word of God Himself, it wouldn't matter. We do not have them.
Any scholar, Protestant or Catholic (if they are honest and forthright) will admit that the Bibles as we know them today are quite different from anything that might have been original.
One last thing: Anything that passes through the mind and the hand of a human is, by definition, flawed. Ultimate Truth cannot be passed from human to human. That is, if Ultimate Truth even exists. And if it does, there isn't a person alive who knows what it is.
I wanted to add to these comments.
"As with any teaching, take what resonates with you and discard the rest."
Comment: I agree with this statement. However I would add that what resonates with you changes over time. As with any living teaching, what's written reflects your own depth. As your understanding becomes deeper, so does what resonates with you.
"Keep your mind intact by being its owner."
Comment:I agree with this. The mind is a tool that is to be used and set down when done. I would also add that "ownership" of the mind, can be quite difficult. I would say see if you can find the "off switch". See if you can stop the incessant stream of babble that is constantly running. Once you can turn on and off the stream of thinking at will, you have become the owner of your mind rather than the mind owning you.
"Don't let outsiders control you. And they will try. You don't have to take that on faith."
Comment: Agreed. I would add that only you control you anyway. When you decided to adopt another persons point of view, even then, though it's not your original thought, you are controlling you. You change your mind, you decide what you will accept and not accept. Ultimately, you always control you, it is an illusion and a denial of the mind that makes you believe that you don't.
Well put. I would add this comment:
Turning off the "incessant stream of babble" is easier said than done. In fact, according to certain teachers and teachings, it can take many life times (if you happen to believe in multiple lives). Therefore, trying to turn off the noise can be a bit impractical. Rather, I would suggest a simpler route. Accept the noise and continue the journey. Sometimes, there is music within the noise. Often, there is a diamond in the dunghill. The noise serves as much of a purpose as anything else. It's only noise if you call it that, don't you think?
I long ago ceased trying to eliminate anything "noisy" in my spiritual walk. I have learned (and this applies only to me) that each circumstance and experience has produced its own unique gifts. I would not be who and where I am today without them.
It's important to remember that the light is always shining, even if we occasionally find ourselves in the shadows. In fact, it's the shadows that give light its meaning and it's depth, its contrast and perspective.
Illusion? Perhaps. A necessary one, to be sure.
Many blessings!
Hi RichardSpeak,
About the point where you said "Everything in the Course--EVERYTHING--has come directly from the human mind." and that "it cannot come to you in the pure form"....I wonder if you knew that Helen took down the entire text of A Course In Miracles on "dictation". She did not write down a single word out of her own "mind". There are a lot of materials out there to support what I just claimed.
Also, for whatever it's worth, I found "The Disappearance of The Universe" by Gary Renard an excellent guide book for understanding A Course In Miracles. I've now found ACIM very simple to understand. In fact, it's only repeating some very basic believes throughout the whole book.
many blessings xoxo
I understand your devotion. It's no different from those who believe the Bible was dictated directly. None the less, nothing can be pure in human language, even if dictated word for word. Language is faulty. It's always open to interpretation and error. And a thousand years from now, the Course will seem antiquated and will be argued for and against by descendants we will never know.
Bless you. I know that you have received much from the Course.
ACIM It's not for everyone. Where ever you are spiritually if you are seeking peace of mind the right way will appear for you. Meditate on your desire and it will manifest itself. Just ASK. I personally have benefitted more from the Course than anything else written down. I have been able to change my mind about my self and my life. That gives me a way to grow and evolve to the peaceful person I want to be. It's not easy and it's not explainable to some but if you seek you will find what is right for you. We are all in this together. Nothing real can be threatened. Nothing unreal exists.
I believe it's important to remember that we do not create a simple individual reality, but a collective one. Otherwise, we could not hold this picture of the universe together in a cohesive way. Having said that, within our collective reality are many individual experiences. Those experiences help to give flavor to the overall structure of the universe. Everything that is happening plays a role, including the stresses and anxieties of the various creatures, here and throughout the cosmos. The good, the evil (just words, by the way) are all necessary to the well being of All That Is. Or it would not be possible in this universe.
The universe is perfect. How can I say that? Because we have no other universe with which to compare it. It's like a diamond. There is a standard of diamonds that sets the bar for all diamonds. It's because there is a diamond that is as close to perfect as possible, hence, the standard.
This is our only universe as far as we know. It is The Standard. So, perfection. No matter the appearance.
I'm glad the Course has served you so well. Blessings.
New follower to your blog.
Sometimes I want to be as articulate as you are when describing the course. I've studied for about 18 years. Since beginning I've not wanted to stop although I have wanted to put it down for a while. It's heaviness can get me weighed down and I feel like I am climbing a hill too high for my abilities. I do however return and am reassured that my intention is pure and that I will grow into more wisdom or understanding about my experience. You mention faith and that to me is the blood of it's teaching.
And this too:
The Course is clear. You are the Center. If you look at your own core, you will find whatever it is you seek. Nothing outside you has The Answer. Everything can be a guide, a pointer, but ultimately, you are It.
I like that.
Long Time no hear Richard. Yes Faith as is taught by the church is outside of oneself, while Faith that Jesus was teaching was that which comes from WITHIN oneself. Now most Westernized churches don't teach that because if they did there would be no need for churches. They wouldn't have the power and a need to control the people.
You hit the nail on the head, LG. Taking charge of one's own growth means letting go of superstition. That includes the Devil. And without the devil, there is no need for salvation; hence, no need for Christianity, which hangs on a belief in Satan more than a belief in Jesus. Odd, eh???
I have got to post what I said on FB! I really do get the grief with this idea or knowledge. I used to take it seriously and now I laugh at them because it is funy how they will come right at you and attack you without ever realizing the research put behind that statement. The first hing that they say is that I have not read the Bible and then the False teachings. What a ploy and it is a very good one because look at all the religiouns and they fight with one another...just like the song says One Tin Soldier Rides Away.
When you follow a religion of a book or a prophet or a particular deity, you HAVE to believe it is the only way. Otherwise, why bother, right? So, choosing to believe that the power is within oneself ends up as a slap in the face to anyone believing in an outside power. They tend to get angry; they tend to accuse; they tend to avoid you eventually. And the worst? They feel sorry for you because they know you're hell bound.
Here's the funniest part: Even if you call yourself a Christian, you might be hell bound if you don't believe exactly as they do.
Outcome? Virtually all Christians are bound for hell according to the other Christians. Just ask any Mormon, JW, Pentecostal, Baptist, or Catholic. They each have THE Truth and you are wrong...dead wrong!
Oh, we people!!
Who cares what the Catholic Church thinks. They do not tolerate anything that does not add to their coffers or their political influence. This is an institution that protects child molesting priests, child abusing nuns, discriminates against gays, and oppresses women. The Catholic Church has no moral credibility from which to criticize alternative beliefs.
You may have a point. But neither do any of the other Christian or Muslim sects and denominations. All have sinned and come short...
Hi
I come from a very different place to many here on how ACIM came to me and I hope that this is helpful to all who read or dont read ACIM.
I have never praticed Religion or Spirituality....My Bible reading consisted of a few pages which brought me to a conclusion that there were two Gods being spoken of.
I decided that If God were Loving He would show me
If He were not Loving...........I wanted no part of Him
I didnt know If there was a God.......But realised the only way to know would be to be shown. That was around 1996
Through life lessons I slowly grew to realise the importance of Love...........and had to learn what Love was not also.
In 2003 during an intense Expereince of Love I remembered Self .........My only words at the time for this were "We are all One and there is only Love" .....Everything Exists in thought............Nothing I had expereinced "here" was real.........It was nothing.
And in its place ............Everything..beyond words.
So a year later a freind of my mums recognised what i was trying to speak of............and gifted me ACIM.
In it is described the Expereince that I had (Have as its Eternal) perfectly..........not on one page but on just about all of them ........I call it source signiture.
If you read the Forgotten song, that is what I (I being ALL) Expereinced.......
Now you may think that as this was how I came to ACIM that I would tell you all to read ACIM ..........IT IS THE KEY ETC ETC
NO...............
Firstly i do recognise many of the lessons in ACIM as the changes of mind i had during my apparant life here.
Yes it is the clearest form of teaching I have seen
BUT..........
There are many forms of this course is absolutely true
My way was in fact through life, songs and films........it held all the lessons within it and i can point to many of these that helped me to make the change of mind.....
Also the Bible says exactly the same thing as ACIM...........BUT you have to go back to the original "root" meanings of the original words used as these were mistranslated and misintepreted. It is easy for me as I know what I look for.....
If you listen to the teachings of Church doctrine you are misled .........Investigate the Bible......look into those things that dont make sense and you will see a very different Bible to that which Religions have taught.
It is a book of Love.
Then there is Buddhism...........The Dharma has "source signiture"
The OT has Source signiture
Horus has Source Signiture
Bahai has Source Signiture
Hindu Upnishads has Source signiture
You see when the Bible says Jesus had great understanding of the Scriptures it means ALL scriptures ........ Jesus would speak as confidently about Buddhist teachings as he would about Mosaic etc etc because when taken back to the original meaning they all say the SAME thing :)
And if his audience was not Religious he would speak in parables............always teaching Love via forgivness
Always teaching to look only at the Truth in the other
Always teaching to look past the flesh to the Truth.....
Truth is, Jesus gave us a simple message which is enough
Love all as self
Judge not
And you will note that while he began His ministry preaching and debating..........He concluded it "Forgiving" and doing nothing else.....
As for my intense moment of Love which lifted me into the Awareness of CHRIST SELF AND THEN TO LOOK UPON AND BECOME ONE IN GOD.............It was Love, Love bourne through Forgivness seeing another as my Self.
A Course in Miracles says that if you cease judgement.... It is the end of the ego
That is correct
That was my way
For a little time
Tony
tonyamendola@hotmail.com
Hi , Thank you Tony for your insight and comments on Richard's Blog.
It was like reading my own experience in the path of awakening .
I always communicated , from a young age with a source , studied the Bible , and always argued with
Teachers or pastors , and remember well I wanted to separate the Bible in two and only keep the Teachings of
Jesus , mainly the Love messages. Since the last twenty years , if I asked for a answer , it is always given me by all sorts of
means, ( opening a book somewhere or someone telling me , even by songs, documentaries or movies ) All the teachings have Thruth within them
,sometimes I could read over them and grasp it not, till I was ready to understand or it was given again in another form. Sai Baba tought me a lot, to open my mind and respect all teachings and people and the ACIM helping me further to see and experience the One- or Is ness. Now the time for argueing is ended , to each their own believes on their paths, they will all lead to the same destination, I believe.
Thank you again for sharing your thoughts,
LOVE & LIGHT for All,
Willem
i just wanted to mention after reading all your thoughts which is quite interesting.
note 1 thing alot of you have sencerity for christ which is good, the second coming of him will not be like the first, he will be coming to cause peace,
will we all be able to accept the king, Jeovah has appointed.
God has many aspects, wisdom, power.. but he is love
Why will God set up a monarchy on earth instead of a democracy?
WHAT IS WONDERFUL ABOUT THE COURSE IS MIRACLES, IS THAT YOU CAN DIRECTLY HAVE SPIRITUAL EXPERIENCES, BY PRACTICING IT. I STUDIED THE COURSE IN MIRACLES WHEN I WAS IN MY 30'S I WAS SICK AND TIRED OF BEING SICK AND MISERABLE..I CHOSE TO STUDY IT AND PRACTICE IT FOR 1 YEAR. AT THE TIME WHEN I FIRST BEGAN STUDYING ITS PRINCIPLES. I READ SOMETHING THAT RESONATED WITH ME. IT WAS THE TEACHING THAT ANGER IS A CALL FOR LOVE. AT THAT TIME I HAD A DIFFICULT WORKING RELATIONSHIP WITH A WOMAN THAT I WORKED WITH. WE WERE BOTH CO HEAD TEACHERS IN A DAYCARE. SHE BEGAN YELLING AT ME AFTER RETURNING FROM HER MATERNITY LEAVE..IT MADE ME FEEL VERY UNCOMFORTABLE. ONE DAY I WAS DRIVING HOME, AND I BEGAN TO THINK ABOUT HER. I THOUGHT, YOU KNOW I THINK TO HEAL OUR RELATIONSHIP, I'LL GET HER SOME FLOWERS WITHOUT HER KNOWING ITS FROM ME!. AS SOON AS I HAD THAT THOUGHT, I WENT INTO A TOTAL STATE OF BLISS. I HAVE NEVER EXPERIENCED SUCH AN ENERGY OF LOVE. EVERY CELL OF MY BODY RESONATED WITH THIS ECSTATIC LOVE...IT WENT ON ALL NIGHT..IT WAS SO UNBELIEVABLE..AND FOR ME ITS THE MOST CONSISENT THOUGHT SYSTEM I HAVE EVER STUDIED. I ALSO RESOONATE WITH THE TEACHINGS OF YOGANANDA, AND BABAJI.
I'm glad you have found a way to express your spiritual self in a way that feels right for you. I send you blessings.
I've been studying the Course for over a year.It has helped me let go of a lot of anger and think more positively.My biggest problem with traditional christianity is that there are so many branches of it.How is one supposed to pick from being a Catholic,Protestant, Baptist, Seventh day Adventist etc?
The Course, it would appear, has been very helpful to a lot of people. I applaud that. Still, most denominations will claim the same advantages. I have friends who are among the various Christian groups you mention who are very satisfied with their spiritual walk. Ultimately, it comes down to choosing what one feels will be the best path, while doing the least harm and the most good. I am certain Jesus would go along with that. Thanks for the comments.
Hello. I have found myself 'dipping' back and forth with this course, not indulging. The course flat out states in its preamble it is not about the God in the Bible. Taken straight off their page, "the God of the Course is not the God of formal religion, and certainly not the God of the Bible. In truth, our Source is beyond all concepts and anthropomorphisms, and has nothing in common with the biblical God who has all the attributes of special love (a God who has a chosen people) and special hate (a God of punishment) that are associated with the ego thought system." But then consorts that these are the words of Jesus spoken through an atheist? This makes no sense whatsoever. Much discussion above concerning churches and religion. There is a way first off. And this is prime importance, "Do you know what you believe?!" SERIOUSLY. Or is one looking for something to believe in? I did some very serious soul searching, so this must be stated. God did come to me and spoke in a silent language which sound ' mysterious' but is not how it was. Mainly, wisdom imparted and much more comprehension to all matters, including that of my profession that otherwise was not known. I had no attributed any of this to "jesus", but will say to be honest this started out 'thinking as if" atheist, and using in-depth research came to believe very powerfully in and of and with God. How could God know me? The only conclusion, through Jesus like the course writes, although I do not know what "Jesus" the course is referring to. As far as churches go, I can approach the course the same way as with ACIM, take what works and throw out the rest. However, there is a church amongst many that do not cling to politicking , accusing, condemning, judging, or forced doctrine. It is between God and Jesus, just like ACIM...but that is where it ends. Point being,'how well does one know God (in a spiritual sense), or is one searching without knowing?". Knowing God did not take a year, nor did it take that long for miracles to occur in my life. It took 2 months without picking up a book. (Footnote: I will add, that 30 years ago I was placed in a situation to save two lives in the ocean, and it was an absolute miracle I was even there that day...with all cards normally against that possibility. Yes, the man and son would have died within one minute (according to the medics)..had I not been there and called two others over to help. Want to see a miracle? Save a living creature from near death or strive to...the rewards come. Meditation is what I see ACIM being, so whatever can work for somewhere..fine...caution.
Thanks for you well thought out comments. I support you in your continued relationship with the Source of All That It.
As with all knowledge ... eat the chicken, leave the bones.
Wellwateredgarden: Indeed.
My experience with ACIM has been a complete nightmare. I sought the help of a hypnotherapist online to address past childhood abuse. The man I ended up with was a "God Nazi," who referred to himself as "one of God's teachers" of ACIM and promised me he had something faster and better than hypnotherapy. He was verbally and emotionally abusive and a complete liar. He told me he had temporary special priveledge from God to do whatever it took to get everyone to see "the truth." He was responsible "for the salvation of the universe." Another line he often used was, "once I admitted I was a liar, I was no longer a liar." I still have nightmares about him coming after me. I have done a lot of research on ACIM since then, and found a site, forum.rickross.com to discover that ACIM is a cult. There is a training site in WI that churns out very abusive "teachers of God." I just finished reading, "Awake Among The Sleeping," a work of fiction based on the real life experience of one of the "teachers" from that program who "woke up" after his wife committed suicide from being brainwashed by these people. The author is Ian Blair Hamilton. You will never convince me that ACIM came from Jesus. Another author, Bruce Fraser Macdonald, claims it was authored by Simon Magus, a magician who lived the same time as Jesus. Cult brainwashing is on the rise as people become more and more spiritually desperate due to present day stressors. Read "Mind Programming" by Eldon Taylor. It's just amazing what humans will do in the name of "God."
Within many of the major religions there are true freaks who prey upon those who are seeking some kind of inner peace and direction. The watch word is 'Caution!' Fundamentalisms and cults arise where people see a possibility of grabbing power and control. Thinking for oneself is more essential than ever. I do my best to help in that regard.
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sequoiablessed 2 years ago
Truth is not something that is taught, it is remembered through a feeling of knowing. Some call it resonance, but ultimately we just know that we know and at the same time stay on the path to knowledge, because we really don't know. This is a very good Hub, thanks for sharing.