Any experience with "A Course in Miracles"?

[KarenAnne]

Hello
I would be interested to hear from anyone with PERSONAL EXPERIENCE with A Course in Miracles. I am not looking for those who have an opinion on what may or may not be generally known about it. I only want to hear from people who have actually used it.
KarenAnne

 

[Cathoholic]

KarenAnne. I don’t have any personal experience with this but frequent Catholic Answers Live speaker Sharon Lee Giganti has some personal insights and valuable principles that can be applied in this instance.

QUOTE (with minor type correction mine):

A Warning About A Course in Miracles

By: Sharon Lee Giganti, 2008©

A Course in Miracles is the name of a book that was written by a channeled spirit, who claimed to be Jesus. Described as “spiritual psychotherapy”, it’s been widely promoted by Oprah, and as of January 2008, she now has Marianne Williamson, the Course’s leading spokesperson, teaching this “Course” on her world-wide XM radio show.

This is unfortunate, because many of the Church’s most trusted Catholic leaders-such as Fr. Mitch Pacwa and Fr. Benedict Groeschel -(Who has been quoted as saying, “A Course in Miracles has served to undermine authentic Christianity, more than just about any other work I can recall.”) – have warned the faithful for years, to stay away from this false teaching for the following reasons:

The teachings of A Course in Miracles contradict Holy Scripture, Tradition, and Authentic Catholic Teaching; claiming that: Jesus was NOT God, the devil does not exist, and there’s no such thing as evil, or sin especially original sin, as the Course teaches that man’s fall from Grace in the Garden of Eden never happened— (preface, pg. xiii) and that Holy Scripture cannot be trusted, as Christ’s apostles misinterpreted his message and taught in error. (text pgs. 94 & 95) These false tenets alone clearly show that the channeled spirit who wrote them, while claiming to be Jesus, is in fact, a counterfeit Christ .

The teachings of A Course in Miracles have FAILED many, if not all, of the standard “tests of discernment” the Church has used for centuries, to distinguish a true and Godly spirit from a false one.

EVEN FOR THE NON-CHRISTIAN, THE VERY REAL DANGER of studying “A Course in Miracles” can clearly be seen in what the Course asks you to believe: Claiming that physical life on Earth is really just a “nightmare” the collective human race is having while in a state of psychic sleep, (text pg. 18 and throughout) the Course teaches that . . . .​

The whole article can be read here.

Here is a Cathlic Answers Live Radio show with her so you can get an example of her expertise in this general area.

catholic.com/radio/shows/the-new-age-deception-4999

Hope this helps.

God bless.

Cathoholic

 

[randomuser]

Hello
I would be interested to hear from anyone with PERSONAL EXPERIENCE with A Course in Miracles. I am not looking for those who have an opinion on what may or may not be generally known about it. I only want to hear from people who have actually used it.
KarenAnne

I do have personal experience with ACIM (as it’s commonly known) and can tell you that among its fans there has been a “split” (for lack of a better word) between old-school ACIM, the ACIM that doesn’t believe it (the material) is subject to copyright law, and the new-school, Oprah-era ACIM (the ACIM era popularized by Marianne Williamson.) I know a lot of ACIM fans who don’t like Marianne Williamson – at all. The older books were three separate individual books, though most newer copies combine the text, “Workbook For Students,” “Manual For Teachers,” and “Clarification of Terms,” in a one book with tissue paper-thin pages – and, yes, the pages really are that thin. You don’t want a highlighter anywhere near it.

My introduction to ACIM came in the form of an ACIM off-shoot “Attitudinal Healing,” which takes its name from a book by Gerald Jampolsky. I know for a fact that John Denver was a huge fan of A.H., if not ACIM, because he (John Denver) wrote the introduction to some of Gerald Jampolsky’s books. However, while Attitudinal Healing is entirely separate from ACIM, it does utilize some of ACIM’s principles.

Most ACIM/A.H. meetings are typically held in Unity Churches, or Science of Mind churches If there’s a Unity or Science of Mind church in your neighborhood, in all likelihood there’s an ACIM or/and A.H. meeting there.

One huge caveat that CAF/Sharon Lee Giganti’s warning doesn’t address: Nearly everyone (probably close to 95%) I know who has been involved with A.H./ACIM is rich – as in, so rich they drive Jaguars and Bentleys and routinely drop thousands of dollars in “retreats” and seminars around the world. This is not an exaggeration. You won’t find any students of ACIM who are working minimum wage at Starbucks.

Hope that helps.

 

[Marie5890]

Yes, I do.

For me, it was a waste of money.

A Christ centered life, authentically lived out, has been far more fruitful.

 

[KarenAnne]

I do have personal experience with ACIM (as it’s commonly known) and can tell you that among its fans there has been a “split” (for lack of a better word) between old-school ACIM, the ACIM that doesn’t believe it (the material) is subject to copyright law, and the new-school, Oprah-era ACIM (the ACIM era popularized by Marianne Williamson.) I know a lot of ACIM fans who don’t like Marianne Williamson – at all. The older books were three separate individual books, though most newer copies combine the text, “Workbook For Students,” “Manual For Teachers,” and “Clarification of Terms,” in a one book with tissue paper-thin pages – and, yes, the pages really are that thin. You don’t want a highlighter anywhere near it.

My introduction to ACIM came in the form of an ACIM off-shoot “Attitudinal Healing,” which takes its name from a book by Gerald Jampolsky. I know for a fact that John Denver was a huge fan of A.H., if not ACIM, because he (John Denver) wrote the introduction to some of Gerald Jampolsky’s books. However, while Attitudinal Healing is entirely separate from ACIM, it does utilize some of ACIM’s principles.

Most ACIM/A.H. meetings are typically held in Unity Churches, or Science of Mind churches If there’s a Unity or Science of Mind church in your neighborhood, in all likelihood there’s an ACIM or/and A.H. meeting there.

One huge caveat that CAF/Sharon Lee Giganti’s warning doesn’t address: Nearly everyone (probably close to 95%) I know who has been involved with A.H./ACIM is rich – as in, so rich they drive Jaguars and Bentleys and routinely drop thousands of dollars in “retreats” and seminars around the world. This is not an exaggeration. You won’t find any students of ACIM who are working minimum wage at Starbucks.

Hope that helps.

Thanks for the reply! This is something I am slightly familiar with and I actually met Dr. Jampolsky when I lived in Marin and was training for counseling: really a very likeable man Where do you get the stats for who will or will not be involved in ACIM? This info is not even close to what I knew when it first came out: EVERYBODY was involved where I lived… Did you find any help with the Attitudinal Healing?

 

[KarenAnne]

Yes, I do.

For me, it was a waste of money.

A Christ centered life, authentically lived out, has been far more fruitful.

Thanks for your reply and I am so glad you found something that helped

 

[KarenAnne]

KarenAnne. I don’t have any personal experience with this but frequent Catholic Answers Live speaker Sharon Lee Giganti has some personal insights and valuable principles that can be applied in this instance.

QUOTE (with minor type correction mine):

A Warning About A Course in Miracles

By: Sharon Lee Giganti, 2008©

A Course in Miracles is the name of a book that was written by a channeled spirit, who claimed to be Jesus. Described as “spiritual psychotherapy”, it’s been widely promoted by Oprah, and as of January 2008, she now has Marianne Williamson, the Course’s leading spokesperson, teaching this “Course” on her world-wide XM radio show.

This is unfortunate, because many of the Church’s most trusted Catholic leaders-such as Fr. Mitch Pacwa and Fr. Benedict Groeschel -(Who has been quoted as saying, “A Course in Miracles has served to undermine authentic Christianity, more than just about any other work I can recall.”) – have warned the faithful for years, to stay away from this false teaching for the following reasons:

The teachings of A Course in Miracles contradict Holy Scripture, Tradition, and Authentic Catholic Teaching; claiming that: Jesus was NOT God, the devil does not exist, and there’s no such thing as evil, or sin especially original sin, as the Course teaches that man’s fall from Grace in the Garden of Eden never happened— (preface, pg. xiii) and that Holy Scripture cannot be trusted, as Christ’s apostles misinterpreted his message and taught in error. (text pgs. 94 & 95) These false tenets alone clearly show that the channeled spirit who wrote them, while claiming to be Jesus, is in fact, a counterfeit Christ .

The teachings of A Course in Miracles have FAILED many, if not all, of the standard “tests of discernment” the Church has used for centuries, to distinguish a true and Godly spirit from a false one.

EVEN FOR THE NON-CHRISTIAN, THE VERY REAL DANGER of studying “A Course in Miracles” can clearly be seen in what the Course asks you to believe: Claiming that physical life on Earth is really just a “nightmare” the collective human race is having while in a state of psychic sleep, (text pg. 18 and throughout) the Course teaches that . . . .​

The whole article can be read here.

Here is a Cathlic Answers Live Radio show with her so you can get an example of her expertise in this general area.

catholic.com/radio/shows/the-new-age-deception-4999

Hope this helps.

God bless.

Cathoholic

Thanks for the reply. I know that there is a lot of information and opinions “out there” of ACIM all of which are easily found on the internet. I was really more interested in what people here may have experienced, as sometimes this leads to further discussion

 

[Techno2000]

Hello
I would be interested to hear from anyone with PERSONAL EXPERIENCE with A Course in Miracles. I am not looking for those who have an opinion on what may or may not be generally known about it. I only want to hear from people who have actually used it.
KarenAnne

Before my conversion while in my twenties I got about half way through this book
and realized it wasn’t really saying anything, just kept talked about us being " co-creators" it was just too vague for me.

 

[Abba]

I knew a famous intellectual in my state who got into A Course In Miracles, a friend of the family who I had not seen in decades. When I last saw him, he was a mess and was into A Course In Miracles. I offered him a rosary but he refused to accept it. He no longer cared about what was truth or not etc… Several months later, he murdered someone.

 

[StGerardMajella]

I would be interested to hear from anyone with PERSONAL EXPERIENCE with A Course in Miracles. I am not looking for those who have an opinion on what may or may not be generally known about it. I only want to hear from people who have actually used it.

I read the book 15-20 years ago, and it was creepy. It had a lot of non-sensical, New Age mumbo-jumbo, and struck me as cultish in tone and theme.

I read later that the author had written the book under influence from highly suspect sources. Other critics of the book have noted that the book contradicts many Biblical principles.

Personally, if you want miracles in your life, you are better advised to go to Mass every day and study Scripture. Don’t waste your time on this kind of nonsense.

 

[KarenAnne]

http://orig08.deviantart.net/8b17/f/2010/244/1/6/_run_for_your_life__by_yoshiman1118-d2xti9b.png

I knew a famous intellectual in my state who got into A Course In Miracles, a friend of the family who I had not seen in decades. When I last saw him, he was a mess and was into A Course In Miracles. I offered him a rosary but he refused to accept it. He no longer cared about what was truth or not etc… Several months later, he murdered someone.

that’s terrible! But I would venture to say that ACIM is not a common cause of murder…nor may it have been in this case. People from all walks, belief systems and financial status have committed murder There are disappointments in ALL belief systems that could cause someone to go “over the edge” I know many who would turn down n offer of a rosary…such behavior does not condemn anyone…

 

[Zooey]

I read the book 15-20 years ago, and it was creepy. It had a lot of non-sensical, New Age mumbo-jumbo, and struck me as cultish in tone and theme.

I read later that the author had written the book under influence from highly suspect sources. Other critics of the book have noted that the book contradicts many Biblical principles.

Personally, if you want miracles in your life, you are better advised to go to Mass every day and study Scripture. Don’t waste your time on this kind of nonsense.

This is very wise advice.
I attempted several times to read this material, & each time, I experienced a dark threatening presence in my life. I finally realized that this was spiritual attack, & I got rid of ACIM & everything related to it.
I have come to the realization that the sources of ACIM are demonic, & that this whole mess is not just a waste of time & money, it is also very, very dangerous for the soul, heart, & mind of those who become entrapped by it.

I cannot urge people enough to stay away from ACIM. It is a clever deception by the forces of evil.

 

[StGerardMajella]

that’s terrible! But I would venture to say that ACIM is not a common cause of murder…nor may it have been in this case. People from all walks, belief systems and financial status have committed murder There are disappointments in ALL belief systems that could cause someone to go “over the edge” I know many who would turn down n offer of a rosary…such behavior does not condemn anyone…

The risk with ACIM is that you are potentially opening yourself up to highly destructive demonic influences much in the same way that the occult, alcoholism, drug use, pornography, and other nefarious enticements do.

The risk is real. Just as with gateway drugs like marijuana, a book like ACIM can be a stepping stone to even more damaging thought systems.

It’s best not to open Pandora’s box. Malachi Martin and Police Officer Ralph Sarchie have written extensively on the dangers of the New Age and occult.

 

[randomuser]

Thanks for the reply! This is something I am slightly familiar with and I actually met Dr. Jampolsky when I lived in Marin and was training for counseling: really a very likeable man Where do you get the stats for who will or will not be involved in ACIM? This info is not even close to what I knew when it first came out: EVERYBODY was involved where I lived… Did you find any help with the Attitudinal Healing?

You were very specific in asking for personal experience with ACIM/A.H., so no, I don’t have any statistics to corroborate my personal experience that everyone I know involved with ACIM/A.H. is very, very wealthy – retired doctors and attorneys, that sort of thing.

Poor people (like me) simply aren’t involved with ACIM/A.H. It’s that simple. Though the book (the combined text) is easily obtainable at $15-$20 at most and the ACIM meetings are nearly all free – many now organized through Meetup, if not “new age” churches – I often felt ‘left behind’ so many People With Money. And again, most public libraries have ACIM in circulation to read for free, just like Urantia Book and Eckhart Tolle can be found at the library for free. But if you don’t make $90-$10,000/yr – minimum – or are not retired (because I have always been the youngest one there), you will feel very out of place. If I hadn’t already been familiar with Attitudinal Healing, I don’t know I would have checked out ACIM.

Having been involved with ACIM/A.H. for quite a long time, I’m not quite sure I agree it’s on par with ouija boards and inciting people to murder and a “gateway” to more diabolical influences. That’s quite a stretch.

 

[KarenAnne]

I read the book 15-20 years ago, and it was creepy. It had a lot of non-sensical, New Age mumbo-jumbo, and struck me as cultish in tone and theme.

I read later that the author had written the book under influence from highly suspect sources. Other critics of the book have noted that the book contradicts many Biblical principles.

Personally, if you want miracles in your life, you are better advised to go to Mass every day and study Scripture. Don’t waste your time on this kind of nonsense.

Not wasting my time on it (as you say)…I really just wanted to hear about personal experiences because it was very popular where I lived many years ago

 

[KarenAnne]

You were very specific in asking for personal experience with ACIM/A.H., so no, I don’t have any statistics to corroborate my personal experience that everyone I know involved with ACIM/A.H. is very, very wealthy – retired doctors and attorneys, that sort of thing.

Poor people (like me) simply aren’t involved with ACIM/A.H. It’s that simple. Though the book (the combined text) is easily obtainable at $15-$20 at most and the ACIM meetings are nearly all free – many now organized through Meetup, if not “new age” churches – I often felt ‘left behind’ so many People With Money. And again, most public libraries have ACIM in circulation to read for free, just like Urantia Book and Eckhart Tolle can be found at the library for free. But if you don’t make $90-$10,000/yr – minimum – or are not retired (because I have always been the youngest one there), you will feel very out of place. If I hadn’t already been familiar with Attitudinal Healing, I don’t know I would have checked out ACIM.

Having been involved with ACIM/A.H. for quite a long time, I’m not quite sure I agree it’s on par with ouija boards and inciting people to murder and a “gateway” to more diabolical influences. That’s quite a stretch.

yeah…It’s just that where I grew up it was very very popular and it seemed that EVERYONE was doing it…didn’t seem to matter the income or the age…I guess it varies (or varied) greatly depending on many factors

 

[KarenAnne]

Just a bit of info for those who have replied: most seem to be warning me to stay away from it. I was not asking for personal experiences because I am getting involved in it: I really was just curious about personal experiences with it because I grew up around it and knew people it helped and people it didn’t help and I am interested in the experiences of other people

 

[Zooey]

The risk is real. Just as with gateway drugs like marijuana, a book like ACIM can be a stepping stone to even more damaging thought systems.

It’s best not to open Pandora’s box…

This.

Karen Anne, I am glad to hear that you are not involved personally. I was scared for you!!