A Course in Miracles - wikipedia A Course in Miracles This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page. ( Learn how and when to remove these template messages ) This article relies too much on references to primary sources. Please improve this by adding secondary or tertiary sources. ( July 2014 ) This article may need to be rewritten entirely to comply with Wikipedia 's quality standards. You can help. The discussion page may contain suggestions. ( September 2014 ) A Course in Miracles A Course in Miracles, Combined Volume, Third Edition as published by the Foundation for Inner Peace. Editor Helen Schucman, Bill Thetford, Ken Wapnick Author There is no author attributed to ACIM, although it was `` scribed '' by Helen Schucman Country United States Language English Subject Transformation Genre Spirituality Published 1976 ( New York : Viking : The Foundation for Inner Peace ) 2007 ( The Foundation for Inner Peace, 3rd ed. ) Media type Softcover, hardcover, paperback MME, and Kindle, Sony and Mobipocket ebooks Pages 1333 ISBN 978 - 1 - 883360 - 24 - 5 OCLC 190860865 Part of a series of articles on New Thought Beliefs Affirmative prayer Creative visualization Divinity Higher consciousness Glossary of New Thought terms History of New Thought Huna Law of Attraction Metaphysics New Thought beliefs New Thought literature Omnipresence Positive thinking Prosperity theology Movement Denominations Divine Science Jewish Science Religious Science Seicho - no - Ie Unity Churches Affiliated New Thought Network Agape International Spiritual Center Centers for Spiritual Living Church of the Truth International New Thought Alliance Universal Foundation for Better Living Schools Emerson Theological Institute Unity Village, Missouri Other groups Affiliated New Thought Network Association for Global New Thought Home of Truth International Divine Science Association International New Thought Alliance League for the Larger Life New Civilization Church The Infinite Way People List of New Thought writers Historical William Walker Atkinson Nona L. Brooks H. Emilie Cady Dale Carnegie Robert Collier Malinda Cramer Julius Dresser Horatio Dresser Henry Drummond Mary Baker Eddy Warren Felt Evans Charles Fillmore Myrtle Fillmore Perry Joseph Green Charles F. Haanel Frank Channing Haddock Napoleon Hill Emmet Fox Ernest Holmes Fenwicke Holmes Emma Curtis Hopkins Christian D. Larson Phineas Parkhurst Quimby Elizabeth Towne Ralph Waldo Trine Three Initiates Thomas Troward Wallace Wattles Lilian Whiting Ella Wheeler Wilcox Modern Michael Beckwith Kate Atkinson Boehme Rhonda Byrne Terry Cole - Whittaker Wayne Dyer Matthew Fox James Dillet Freeman Thaddeus Golas Joel S. Goldsmith Stuart Grayson Louise Hay Esther and Jerry Hicks Jean Houston Byron Katie A.K. Mozumdar Caroline Myss Earl Nightingale Catherine Ponder Della Reese Florence Scovel Shinn Samuel Smiles Masaharu Taniguchi Eckhart Tolle Iyanla Vanzant Neale Donald Walsch Stuart Wilde Gary Zukav Related ideas Christian Science Efficacy of prayer Freedom of religion in the United States Idealism Mind -- body problem Placebo effect Subjective idealism Categories New Thought Beliefs Churches Literature Schools Other groups Religion portal A Course in Miracles ( also referred to as ACIM or the Course ) is a 1333 page book containing a self - study curriculum which claims to assist its readers in achieving spiritual transformation. The underlying premise of the work is the teaching that the greatest `` miracle '' that one may achieve in one 's life, is the act of simply gaining a full `` awareness of love 's presence '' in one 's own life. The book was written by Helen Schucman who claimed that it had been dictated to her via `` inner dictation '' which came to her from Jesus. Portions of the book were transcribed and edited by William Thetford. The book contains a curriculum to bring about what it calls a `` spiritual transformation ''. The book consists of three sections entitled `` Text '', `` Workbook '' and `` Manual for Teachers ''. Written from 1965 to 1972, some distribution occurred via photocopies before a hardcover edition was published in 1976 by the Foundation for Inner Peace. The copyright and trademarks, which had been held by two foundations, were revoked in 2004 after lengthy litigation because the earliest versions had been circulated without a copyright notice. Throughout the 1980s annual sales of the book steadily increased each year ; however the largest growth in sales occurred in 1992 after Marianne Williamson discussed the book on The Oprah Winfrey Show, with more than 2.5 million volumes sold. The book has been called everything from `` New Age psychobabble '' to `` a Satanic seduction '' to `` The New Age Bible ''. Contents 1 Origins 2 Contents 3 Foundation for Inner Peace editions 4 Reception 5 Associated works 6 See also 7 References 8 Further reading 9 External links Origins A Course in Miracles was written as a collaborative venture between Schucman and Thetford. In 1965 Schucman began her professional career at a medical center as Thetford 's research associate. When their weekly office meetings became more contentious, Thetford concluded that `` ( t ) here must be another way ''. Schucman believed that this interaction acted as a stimulus, triggering a series of inner experiences that were understood by her as visions, dreams, and heightened imagery, along with an `` inner voice '' which she identified as Jesus. She said that on October 21, 1965, she believed that the `` inner voice '' told her : `` This is a Course in Miracles, please take notes. '' Schucman said that the writing made her very uncomfortable, though it never seriously occurred to her to stop. The next day, she explained the events of her `` note taking '' to Thetford. To her surprise, Thetford encouraged her to continue the process. He also offered to assist her in typing out her notes as she read them to him. The transcription the next day repeated itself regularly for many years to come. In 1972, the dictation of the first three sections was completed but the dictation of the last two sections of the material lasted until November 1977. Kenneth Wapnick helped edit the book and founded the Foundation for A Course in Miracles Fr. Benedict Groeschel, a Roman Catholic priest who had studied under Thetford and worked with Schucman, arranged an introduction of Kenneth Wapnick to Schucman and Thetford in November 1972. Groeschel was given a copy of the ACIM manuscript in 1973 and testified that he was instructed by Schucman not to distribute the manuscript ; however, with Schucman 's permission, he made it available to Wapnick. Wapnick then reviewed the draft and discussed, with Schucman and Thetford, further revisions that he felt were needed in order to place the book in its final copyrighted and published form. Thetford then made a few further editorial decisions and stipulations about the `` Principles of Miracles '' section, and soon afterwards opted to withdraw from being directly involved with any further major edits to the material. Wapnick and Schucman continued to edit the manuscript by deleting personal material apparently directed only to Schucman and Thetford, creating chapter and section headings, and correcting various inconsistencies in paragraph structure, punctuation, and capitalization. This editing process was completed by approximately February 1975. Wapnick subsequently became a teacher of ACIM, a co-founder and president of the Foundation for A Course in Miracles ( FACIM ), and a director and executive committee member of the Foundation for Inner Peace ( FIP ). Contents The content of A Course in Miracles is presented in the three sections : `` Textbook '', `` Workbook '', and `` Manual for Teachers '' : The `` Textbook '' presents a thought system about truth and illusion on two levels : It states that everything involving time, space, and perception is illusory. It presents a nondualism which states that God is the only truth and reality : perfect, unchanging, unchangeable, extending only love, though not in time and space, which can not really be comprehended from a dualistic perspective. The theory further states that all life as we perceive it is actually one life ( because God has only one son, sometimes called the collective sonship ), dreaming of separation and fragmentation. It claims that eternity is outside time and space and that this dream never occurred in reality and is `` already over '', though not the ( illusory ) perception. When addressing the question of how such an illusory dream could arise from a perfect and unchanging God, the Course states that to ask that question is to presume that the time - space dream is real, which it states is not. A Course in Miracles states that to think we exist as individuals is the fundamental error. However, since we experience ourselves in time and space, reading these pages, the course presents its thought system on a second level : The time - space level, or `` perceptory '' level, which is referred to as `` the dream ''. A Course in Miracles states that this level was `` made '' by the `` sleeping Son '' as an attack on God. Furthermore, the `` Son '' is regarded as not just Jesus, but as all collective life. In this time - space dream, perception is continuously fueled by what it originated from : separation, judgment, and attack. This results in what the Course calls the `` sin - guilt - fear '' cycle : we sinned by rejecting God and making a universe of time - space ( the Big Bang ) ; this results in guilt over our rejection of our Creator, and subsequent fear of God 's wrath. The `` sin - guilt - fear '' is described as too horrendous to face, and therefore subsequently projected out, so that to Homo sapiens it seems that evil is everywhere except in himself. The world becomes a threatening place, in which we are born only to fear, fight, and die. The thought that keeps this process going is referred to as `` ego '', or `` the wrong mind ''. A Course in Miracles concludes that happiness can not be found in earthly time - space life, and urges the reader not to commit suicide but rather to make a fundamental mind shift from `` condemnation - out - of - fear '' ( mindlessness ) to `` forgiveness - out - of - love '' ( mindfulness ), since our `` right mind '' is outside time - space and can not be harmed by worldly attacks. According to the course, seeing `` the Face of Christ '' in all living things is the way to `` accept the Atonement '' and ultimately awaken from the dream and return to the eternity of God. Ultimately, this means the end of individuality and of the ego. In this respect, there are parallels with the Indian concept of karma and the Bhagavad Gita scriptures, which Helen Schucman reports that she was not familiar with, although William Thetford was. The `` Workbook '' presents 365 lessons, one for each day of the year, which claim to recondition the student 's mind from `` condemnation - out - of - fear '' to `` forgiveness - out - of - love ''. A Course in Miracles defines `` miracle '' as the conscious choice to make that mind shift, including its `` non-observable effects on the minds of others ''. The workbook lessons attempt to train the reader to see oneness in all living things for a steadily increasing time of the day. The lessons aim at convincing by experience. The core message of the workbook is that, to forgive oneself completely, a person must ( a ) forgive all living things, and ( b ) do this by instruction of the Holy Spirit ( i.e., the `` Voice for God, '' `` right mind, '' `` Inner Teacher, '' or `` intuition '' ). At the end, after one year, the workbook states that it is `` a beginning, not an end ''. The `` Manual for Teachers '' is a collection of questions and answers. It aims at motivating the reader to become a `` teacher of God '' : a human being living in time and space, but at the same time seeing oneness in everything, having let go of all individual and separate interests, and being fully guided by the `` voice '' of the Holy Spirit. In the third edition, the two pamphlets `` Psychotherapy '' and `` The Song of Prayer '' were added. They elaborate on the parallels with current psychotherapy and on the meaning of prayer, respectively. Foundation for Inner Peace editions A limited 300 edition release of the first three sections of the book was published by Foundation for Inner Peace. In June 1976 FIP published the first three sections of ACIM were published in a set of three hardcover volumes in a 5,000 copy run, along with the publication of the supplemental booklet Psychology : Purpose, Process, Practice. In 1985, FIP began publishing a single volume containing all three of the first books in single soft - cover volume. In 1992, FIP published its second edition, a hardcover edition. This revision incorporated some minor changes within the first three sections including some editorial content additions and the addition of a verse - numbering system, as well as addition of the `` Clarification of Terms '' section. At this time, FIP also released the publication of the supplemental Song of Prayer booklet. Reception Since it first went on sale in 1976, the FIP lists sales of more than 2.5 million copies of A Course in Miracles have been sold worldwide. The text has been translated into 25 languages. The book is distributed globally, forming the basis of a range of organized groups. Wapnick said that `` if the Bible were considered literally true, then ( from a Biblical literalist 's viewpoint ) the Course would have to be viewed as demonically inspired ''. Though a friend of Schucman, Thetford, and Wapnik, Catholic priest Benedict Groeschel has criticized ACIM and the related organizations. Finding some elements of ACIM to be what he called `` severe and potentially dangerous distortions of Christian theology '', he wrote that it is `` a good example of a false revelation '' and that it has `` become a spiritual menace to many ''. The evangelical editor Elliot Miller says that Christian terminology employed in ACIM is `` thoroughly redefined '' to resemble New Age teachings. Other Christian critics say that ACIM is `` intensely anti-Biblical '' and incompatible with Christianity, blurring the distinction between creator and created and forcefully supporting the occult and New Age worldview. The skeptic Robert T. Carroll criticized ACIM as `` a minor industry '' that is overly commercialized and characterizes it as `` Christianity improved ''. Carroll said the teachings are not original and suggested they are culled from `` various sources, east and west ''. Associated works Two associated works have been noted as extensions of A Course in Miracles. Author Gary Renard 's The Disappearance of the Universe, first published in 2003, and Marianne Williamson 's A Return to Love, published in 1992. The Disappearance of the Universe, first published in 2003 by Fearless Books, was later republished by Hay House in 2004. Publishers Weekly noted how Renard 's significant examination of A Course in Miracles influenced his book. See also Books portal Copyright on religious works References Jump up ^ A Course in Miracles. Foundation for Inner Peace. Introduction, Page 1. Downloaded Sep. 15, 2017. Jump up ^ `` About the Scribes ''. Foundation for Inner Peace. Retrieved 2007 - 04 - 29. Jump up ^ Foundation for Inner Peace. ( 1992 ). A Course In Miracles. Foundation for Inner Peace. pp. vii -- viii. ISBN 0 - 9606388 - 9 - X. ^ Jump up to : Miller, D. Patrick ( 2011 - 11 - 23 ). Understanding a Course in Miracles : The History, Message, and Legacy of a Spiritual Path for Today. Random House LLC. ISBN 9780307807793. Retrieved 4 July 2014. Jump up ^ Beverley, James ( 2009 - 05 - 19 ). Nelson 's Illustrated Guide to Religions : A Comprehensive Introduction to the Religions of the World. Thomas Nelson Inc. pp. 397 --. ISBN 9781418577469. Retrieved 4 July 2014. Jump up ^ Bureau of National Affairs ( BNA ), `` Recipient 's Common Interest in Subject of Work Does Not Limit Publication '', Patent, Trademark & Copyright Journal Vol. 67, No. 1645 ( 2003 ), p. 16 - 17. ^ Jump up to : ACIM : An Introduction Foundation for Inner Peace. Downloaded Sep. 15, 2017. Jump up ^ Boa, Kenneth ; Bowman, Robert M. ( 1997 ). An Unchanging Faith in a Changing World : Understanding and Responding to Critical Issues that Christians Face Today. Oliver Nelson. ISBN 9780785273523. Retrieved 28 September 2014. Jump up ^ The Imminent Heaven : Spiritual Post-Metaphysics and Ethics in a Postmodern Era Jump up ^ Helen Schucman 's Career Jump up ^ Helen Schucman : Autobiography, in `` Origins of A Course in Miracles '' 3 : 27 - 28. Foundation for Inner Peace Archives, Tiburon, CA ( cited hereafter as FIPA ). Jump up ^ Skutch, Robert. Journey Without Distance : The Story Behind A Course in Miracles. Ten Speed Press, Berkeley, CA, 1984, p. 58. Jump up ^ Final Dictation of The Song of Prayer Jump up ^ `` The Story of A Course In Miracles = Documentary where Bill Thetford, Helen Schucman, and Ken Wapnick talk about A Course In Miracles ''. Retrieved 2011 - 02 - 21. Jump up ^ `` ACIM Translations ''. Foundation for Inner Peace. Retrieved 2009 - 09 - 28. Jump up ^ Bradby, Ruth, `` A course in miracles in Ireland ''. 147 - 162 in Olivia Cosgrove et al. ( eds ), Ireland 's new religious movements. Cambridge Scholars, 2011 Jump up ^ Dean C. Halverson, `` Seeing Yourself as Sinless '', SCP Journal 7, no. 1 ( 1987 ) : 23. Jump up ^ Groeschel, Benedict J., A Still Small Voice ( San Francisco : Ignatius Press, 1993 ) 80 Jump up ^ Groeschel, Benedict J., A Still Small Voice ( San Francisco : Ignatius Press, 1993 ) 82 Jump up ^ Newport, John P. ( 1998 ). The New Age movement and the biblical worldview : conflict and dialogue. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing. ISBN 978 - 0 - 8028 - 4430 - 9. Jump up ^ Carroll, Robert Todd ( 2003 ). The skeptic 's dictionary : a collection of strange beliefs, amusing deceptions, and dangerous delusions. John Wiley and Sons. ISBN 978 - 0 - 471 - 27242 - 7. Jump up ^ Butler - Bowdon, Tom. 50 Spiritual Classics : Timeless Wisdom From 50 Great Books of Inner Discovery, Enlightenment and Purpose. Nicholas Brealey Publishing, 2010. p. 223. Jump up ^ Butler - Bowdon, Tom. The Literature of Possibility. Nicholas Brealey Publishing, 2013. p. 223. Jump up ^ Coburn, Lorri. Breaking Free : How Forgiveness and A Course in Miracles Can Set You Free. Balboa Press, 2011. p. 193. Jump up ^ Wilson, Brandy ( 2006 - 07 - 29 ). `` Community of Faith : NEWS FROM HOUSES OF WORSHIP : ' Disappearance of Universe ' author to host workshop ''. The Atlanta Journal - Constitution. Archived from the original on 2017 - 08 - 08. Retrieved 2017 - 08 - 08. Jump up ^ Garrett, Lynn ( 2005 - 03 - 07 ). `` ' Disappearance ' Appears Big Time ''. Publishers Weekly. Archived from the original on 2017 - 08 - 08. Retrieved 2017 - 08 - 08. Further reading Absence from Felicity : The Story of Helen Schucman and Her Scribing of A Course in Miracles. By Wapnick, Kenneth ( 1999 ). ( 2d ed. ). New York : Foundation for A Course in Miracles. ISBN 0 - 933291 - 08 - 6. Discusses Helen Schucman and the pre-publication history of ACIM. Journey Without Distance : The Story Behind A Course in Miracles. By Skutch, Robert ( 1996 ). Mill Valley : Foundation for Inner Peace. ISBN 1 - 883360 - 02 - 1. Discusses the pre-publication history of ACIM. Never Forget To Laugh : Personal Recollections of Bill Thetford, Co-Scribe of A Course. By Howe, Carol ( 2009 ). Perfect Paperback. ISBN 978 - 1 - 889642 - 21 - 5. One Course, Two Visions, A Comparison of the Teachings of the Circle of Atonement and Ken Wapnick on A Course in Miracles. By Perry, Robert ( 2004 ). Circle of Atonement. ISBN 1 - 886602 - 22 - 0. One vision comes from Ken Wapnick and the Foundation for A Course in Miracles. The other comes from Robert Perry and his colleagues at the Circle of Atonement. A Return to Love : Reflections on the Principles of A Course in Miracles. By Williamson, Marianne ( 1996 ). New York : HarperCollins. ISBN 0 - 06 - 092748 - 8. Understanding A Course in Miracles : The History, Message, and Legacy of a Spiritual Path for Today. By Miller, D. Patrick ( 2008 ). Berkeley : Celestial Arts / Random House. ISBN 978 - 1 - 58761 - 312 - 8. A journalistic overview of the history, major principles, criticism, and cultural effects of ACIM. The Disappearance of the Universe : Straight Talk About Illusions, Past Lives, Religion, Sex, Politics, and the Miracles of Forgiveness. By Renard, Gary R. ( 2003 ). Fearless Books, ( 2004 ) Hay House. ISBN 978 - 1 - 40190 - 566 - 8. An explanation of A Course in Miracles. External links Quotations related to A Course in Miracles at Wikiquote A Course in Miracles at DMOZ A Course in Miracles Books A Course in Miracles A Return to Love Movement supporters Helen Schucman William Thetford Charles Buell Anderson Marianne Williamson Critics Benedict Groeschel Robert T. Carroll Related articles Endeavor Academy Hay House VIAF : 174241626 LCCN : n88282499 GND : 4325324 - 6 SELIBR : 359110 SUDOC : 050655043 BNF : cb13532060d ( data ) Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=A_Course_in_Miracles&oldid=801778686 '' Categories : 1976 books Channelled texts Christian mysticism Books about Christianity New Age books A Course in Miracles New Thought literature Unity Church Nondualism Theosophical texts Hidden categories : Articles lacking reliable references from July 2014 All articles lacking reliable references Wikipedia articles needing rewrite from September 2014 All articles needing rewrite All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from December 2014 Articles with DMOZ links Wikipedia articles with VIAF identifiers Wikipedia articles with LCCN identifiers Wikipedia articles with GND identifiers Wikipedia articles with SELIBR identifiers Wikipedia articles with BNF identifiers Talk Contents About Wikipedia Wikiquote Dansk Eesti Esperanto Français Italiano Magyar Nederlands 日本 語 Português Suomi Svenska 中文 Edit links This page was last edited on 21 September 2017, at 20 : 09. 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Question: where did a course in miracles come from
Answer: written by Helen Schucman