From Contender Ministries this is an excellent response to “A Course in Miracles”. The impact will be great from this book because of Oprah Winfrey’s endorsement. Oprah Winfrey has been an advocate of the New Age Movement which is influencing many women.
We need to have answers for those who are following the “broad path”to destruction.
A BIBLICAL RESPONSE TO A COURSE IN MIRACLES
The Course in Miracles often speaks of Jesus Christ, God, the atonement, sin, and other Christian terms. However, when examined closely, it becomes very clear that the meanings given to these Christian terms are far more consistent with the New Age movement than Christianity or the Bible.
CREATION
Throughout the Course, the world is explained as simply an illusion created by the ego of man. The Bible however, teaches that the ego of man had nothing to do with the creation of the world.
Genesis 1:1 “In the Beginning God created the heaven and the earth”.
John 1:3 “All things were made by Him(Jesus); and without him was not anything made that was made.”
Paul writes in Col 1:16, “For by Him(Jesus), were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth.”
There was a creation for sure, but it was not done by man’s ego. All things were created by God alone.
REVELATION AND “ALL PATHS LEAD TO GOD”
On the topic of revelation, we should first realize that A Course in Miracles consistently contradicts Jesus own words, so it cannot come from the Jesus of the Bible. A Course in Miracles teaches that revelations are completely subjective and do not have to be consistent with another persons revelation or the revelation in the Bible.
A Course in Miracles vol.1, p.5 – “Revelation is intensely personal and cannot be meaningfully translated”
On The Course itself the text states “The Course is but one version of the universal curriculum. There are many others…They all lead to God in the end”
I Thessalonians 5:20-21 tells us “Do not treat prophecies with contempt. Test everything. Hold on to the good”. According to the Bible, not all prophecy is necessarily from God and we should test these claims against the Word of God so that we might separate truth from fiction. Jesus also commended the church at Ephesus because “you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false” (Rev. 2:2). If all revelations were equally valid and were all from God, it would make no sense to commend the church for recognizing false apostles. The Bible makes it clear that not all people who claim to speak for God are to be trusted. The Bible also tells us how to recognize these false teachers. If A Course in Miracles were truly from Jesus it would agree with the Bible. Isaiah 8:20 “To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, they have no light of dawn”.
All paths are not truth, and all teachings or beliefs are not to be trusted, especially if they teach that Jesus Christ is not the only one by whom we must be saved.
Luke 13:24 “Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to”
John 10:8-9 “All who ever came before me were thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved.”
THE INERRANT WORD OF GOD
A Course in Miracles makes the claim that the Bible is not without error. Apparently all revelation should be accepted as truth according to the Course, except the Bible. In the Bible’s case, The Course takes the liberty of presenting needed corrections in the scriptures where it suits them.
A Course in Miracles, vol 1 page 28-29
“The statement ‘For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life’ needs only one slight correction to be meaningful in this context; ‘He gave IT TO His only begotten Son’”.
In order to support their beliefs that Christ was not offered as a living sacrifice to cover our sins (sins they don’t believe exist), they change this verse to mean that God gave Jesus the world instead of God offering His Son to the world as a sacrifice. Since the Course defines the “Son” as each of us, the consequence of this revision is that instead of the world being given Jesus Christ, the world is given to us. They twist this verse further by believing that the “Him” in the verse means ourselves since we are the son’s of God. Instead of, as the Bible teaches, believing that belief in Christ saves us, the Course teaches that belief in oneself saves us.
Volume One page 87 also states that “the Apostles often misunderstood the crucifixion…and out of their own fear they spoke of the ‘wrath of God’ as His retaliatory weapon…These are some of the examples of upside-down thinking in the New Testament…If the Apostles had not felt guilty, they never could have quoted me as saying ‘I come not to bring peace but a sword’. This is clearly the opposite of everything I taught.”
2 Timothy 3:16 says ,”All scripture is God-breathed”, and 1 Thessalonians 2:13 says that preaching of the Bible should be received “not as the word of men, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is at work in you who believe” Jesus also said of the Old Testament scriptures that they are “the word of God” (Mk 7:13) that “cannot be broken” (John 10:35). The Course in Miracles refutes the inerrancy of the Bible largely because it does not support their teachings on so many things.
THE DOCTRINE OF GOD
A Course in Miracles teaches the idea of monism (or the belief that all is one), pantheism (the belief that God is in everything), and panentheism (the belief that all are a part of God).
A Course in Miracles, Vol. 2, p.92
“In my own mind, behind all my insane thoughts of separation…is the knowledge that all is one forever. I have not lost the knowledge of who I am because I have forgotten it. It has been kept for me in the Mind of God, Who has not left His thoughts. And I, who am among them, am one with them and one with Him.”
A Course in Miracles, vol. 2, p. 45
“God is in everything I see”
Vol. 1, Page 92
“God is still everywhere and in everything forever. And we are a part of Him”.
Vol. 1, p. 165
“Whenever you question your value, say: ‘God Himself is incomplete without me’”.
Vol. 1, p. 136
“The recognition of God is the recognition of yourself. There is no separation of God and His creation”.
The Bible is clear that God is distinct from His creation. John 4:24 tells us that God is spirit, but we are flesh. Psalms 50:21 tells us that God us unlike man ethically, “You thought I was altogether like you. But I will rebuke you”. God is righteous and holy (Lev. 11:44, 19:2; Isa 6:3) and He distinguishes sin from righteousness.
Isaiah 5:20 “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put karkness for light and light for darkness who put better for sweet and sweet for bitter.”
Romans 1 also makes it clear that God is distinct from His creation. He is the Creator and divine in nature while the creation is not.
Romans 1:20-24
“For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities – His eternal power and divine nature – have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse. For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles. Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator – who is forever praised.”
It is also wrong to think that sin has not created a separation between God and mankind. Isaiah 59:1-2 says “Surely the arm of the Lord is not too short to save. Nor his ear too dull to hear. But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear.” This is why Christ was sent as a mediator and a ransom to set us free from the sins we have committed so that we can receive our promised inheritance (Hebrews 9:15).
THE NATURE AND DEITY OF JESUS CHRIST
A Course in Miracles teaches that Jesus and those who accept Him are equal.
A Course in Miracles, vol. 1, p. 5
“Equals should not be in awe of one another because awe implies inequality. It is therefore and inappropriate reaction to me. An elder brother is entitled to respect for his greater experience, and obedience for his greater wisdom…There is nothing about me that you cannot attain”.
Vol. 1, p. 70-71
“My mind will always be like yours, because we were created as equals. It was only my decision that gave me all power in heaven and earth. My only gift to you is to help you make the same decision”.
The Bible does not teach that we are equal with Christ; it teaches that Jesus is both God and man. As God, Jesus does not possess sinful desires, susceptibility to temptation, or mortality, which are all attributes of sinful man. Because Jesus is also God, He is not equal to us as we are not deity. In John 8:23 Jesus said, “You are of this world; I am not of this world.”
John 1:1-3 tells us that Jesus was God the Son, the eternal Word who created the universe. He took on mortal, human nature and came “in human likeness” (Philippians 2:7). At Christ’s resurrection Jesus retained His human nature and His divine nature as God, and His physical body was changed from mortal to immortal (1 Co. 15). While Jesus is God the Son who took on human form, we as human beings have only one nature, a human nature.
A Course in Miracles also teaches that Jesus should not be understood as a sacrificial lamb for our sins.
A Course in Miracles vol. 1, p. 33
“I have been correctly referred to as ‘the lamb of God who taketh away the sins of the world,’ but those who represent the lamb as blood-stained do not understand the meaning of the symbol. Correctly understood, it is a very simple symbol that speaks of my innocence…Innocence is incapable of sacrificing anything, because the innocent mind has everything and strives only to protect its wholeness”.
The Course denies I Peter 2:24 which reads, “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been set free.” The Course denies even the need for Christ’s sacrifice because they teach that people are already sinless and perfect beings. You have to wonder what planet these people have been living on. Examples of just such sin can be seen all around us. The Bible is very clear that we are reconciled to God through the death of his Son (Romans 5:10).
The Course distorts the Bible even further, however, by claiming that Jesus Christ wasn’t the Son of God, but rather we are the Son’s of God referred to in these scriptures.
A Course in Miracles, Vol. 1, p.2
“The Sonship is the sum of all that God created”.
Vol. 1, p.14
“In the creation, God extended Himself to His creations and imbued them with the same loving will to create. You…have also been created perfect. There is no emptiness in you.”
Vol. 2, pp. 353-354
“You are the holy Son of God Himself. And with this holy thought you learn as well that you have freed the world…All power is given you in Earth and Heaven. There is nothing that you cannot do.”
The Course requires the student to affirm, “Your Son…is but what I really am in truth. He is the Son You love above all things. He is my Self as You created me. It is not Christ that can be crucified.”
The Bible states clearly that Jesus is God’s only begotten Son (John 1:18; 3:16; 1 John 4:9) The term “only begotten Son” is never used to refer to believers in the New Testament, but only to Jesus. Jesus Christ is the only Son of God. However, the word sons (plural) and “children of God” are applied to Jesus’ followers several times in Romans, 1 John and elsewhere. Christians are not “sons of God” by nature but we become sons of God (Romans 8:15).
Galatians 4:4-7
“But when the tie had fully come, God sent his Son born of a woman, born under law, to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons. Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba”, Father. So you are no longer a slave but a son; and since you are a son, God has made you also an heir.”
Unlike Jesus, who is eternally the Son of God (Ps 2:7; Heb 1:2,4) we obtain a derivative relationship through faith: “You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus” (Gal 3:26).
Further discounting the sacrifice made my our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, A Course in Miracles teaches that Jesus is but a man who found Christ in other people and is no more the Christ than anyone else.
A Course in Miracles vol. 3, p. 83
“The name of Jesus is the name of one who was a man but saw the face of Christ in all his brothers and remembered God. So he became identified with Christ, a man no longer, but at one with God. The man was an illusion, for he seemed to be a separate being, walking by himself, within a body that appeared to hold his self from Self, as all illusions do.”
“Jesus remains a Savior because he was the false without accepting it as true. And Christ needed his form that He might appear to men and save them from their own illusions”.
Jesus, of course, never taught this. When Peter said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Mt 16:16), Jesus did not reply, “Yes, and so are you”. When the woman at the well said, “I know that Messiah is coming,” Jesus replied “I who speak to you am he”. He didn’t say, “We are each the Christ”. Furthermore, the word Christ cannot refer to all people everywhere. The Old Testament was very clear about who the Christ, or the Messiah, would be, where he would be born, when he would be born, and who he would descend from. (Mic 5:2; Dan 9:24-27; Mt 22:42)
The Course also teaches that the resurrection of Jesus should not be understood as a literal, physical return from the dead. According to the Course, the body does not exist and death does not exist. Thus, Jesus could not have been raised from the dead in any real sense.
A Course in Miracles, vol. 1, p. 87
“…the resurrection is the symbol of sharing because the reawakening of every Son of God is necessary to enable the Sonship to know its wholeness”
Vol. 3, p. 65
“The resurrection is a reawakening or rebirth: a change of mind about the meaning of the world.”
Vol. 1, p. 396
“A slain Christ has no meaning. But a risen Christ becomes the symbol of the Son of God’s forgiveness on himself; the sign he looks upon himself as healed and whole.”
The reality that Christ “died for our sins” and subsequently was raised on the third day is the heart of the gospel.
1 Co 15:3-6
“For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance; that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures and that he appeared to Peter and then to the twelve. After that he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time,”
The physical nature of Jesus’ resurrection was part of the apostolic message. On the Day of Pentecost, Peter said that the messianic psalms of King David “spoke of the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to the grave, nor did his body see decay” (Acts 2:31)
When Christ appeared to “doubting Thomas” and the other apostles to show His pierced hands, feet, and side, it is clear that He was showing His physical body and that this was not a visionary experience.
Luke 24:38-39 “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in you mind? Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you see I have.”
THE DOCTRINE OF SIN
A Course in Miracles teaches that sin does not exist, and each person is perfectly guiltless and innocent. In other words no one is sinful in any way.
A Course in Miracles Vol. 1, p. 88
“No one is punished for sins, and the Sons of God are not sinners”
Vol. 1, p. 423
“The Holy Spirit will never teach you that you are sinful”
Vol. 1, p. 377
“When you are tempted to believe that sin is real, remember this: If sin is real, both God and you are not”
The Bible teaches that sin affects all people.
Ecc 7:20
“For there is not a just man on earth who does good and does not sin”
The Bible also addresses those who, like followers of the Course in Miracles, deny the reality of sin:
1 John 1:8 “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us”
It doesn’t get any plainer than that. Nowhere in the Bible are we told that sin is merely an illusion. We will all be held accountable to God (Romans 3:19).
In order to explain the obvious sin that surrounds each and every one of us in this world on a daily basis, the Course teaches that sin appears to exist, but this is a false illusion or an insane thought caused by the ego.
A Course in Miracles, Vol. 2, p. 409
“Sin is insanity. It is the means by which the mind is driven mad, and seeks to let illusions take the place of truth…And yet what sin perceives is but a childish game. The Son of God may play he has become a body, prey to evil and to guilt, with but a little life that ends in death. But all the while his Father shines on him…There is no sin”
Vol. 2, p. 327
“The betrayal of the Son of God lies only in illusions, and all his ‘sins’ are but his own imagining. His reality is forever sinless. He need not be forgiven but awakened. In his dreams he has betrayed himself, his brothers and his God. Yet what is done in dreams has not been really done”
The Bible does not teach that sin is an error to be corrected, or an illusion that does not exist. Rather, sin is a wrongful act and condition of mankind that requires repentance, remission, and forgiveness.
Hebrews 9:22
“Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness”
Hebrews 9:26
“now he [Jesus Christ] has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself.
The remedy for sin is not “waking up” as the Course teaches. Repentance and confession is the only remedy. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).
“He who conceals his sins does not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy” (Pr 28:13)
THE DOCTRINE OF SALVATION
A Course in Miracles teaches that man’s original state is perfection. Salvation in the Course comes by undoing the misbelief that we are separated from God and are sinful beings. We simply arrive at a state of awareness that we are perfect.
A Course in Miracles Vol 1, p. 9
“The purpose of the Atonement is to restore everything to you; or rather, to restore it to your awareness.”
A Course in Miracles Vol. 1, p. 6
“I am in charge of the process of Atonement, which I undertook to begin. When you offer a miracle to any of my brothers, you do it to yourself and me. The reason you come before me is that I do not need miracles for my own Atonement, but I stand at the end in case you fail temporarily. My part in the Atonement is the canceling out of all errors that you could not otherwise correct. When you have been restored to the recognition of your original state, you naturally become part of the Atonement yourself”
In the New Testament, atonement, propitiation, and reconciliation are intertwined with the substitutionary death of Jesus Christ. In Christ we now receive “atonement” (Romans 5:11). Through the blood of Jesus we obtain “propitiation” (Romans 3:25). It is Jesus who is the atoning sacrifice for our sins (1 John 2:2; 4:10). Atonement does not open our eyes to our own perfection, but instead covers our sins before God. Only through the acceptance of the sacrifice Christ mad on the cross can we be saved.
It makes sense that the Course would completely ignore the sacrifice Christ made for our sins, since it teaches that God did not allow His Son to die on the cross for our salvation.
A Course in Miracles, vol. 1, p. 32
“If the crucifixion is seen from an upside-down point of view, it does appear as if God permitted and even encouraged one of His Sons to suffer because he was good…Yet the real Christian should pause and ask, ‘How could this be?’ Is it likely that God Himself would be capable of the kind of thinking which His Own words have clearly stated is unworthy of His Son?”
A Course in Miracles, vol. 1, p. 32
“Persecution frequently results in an attempt to justify the terrible misperception that God Himself persecuted His Own Son on behalf of salvation. The very words are meaningless…In milder forms a parent says, ‘This hurts me more than it hurts you’, and feels exonerated in beating a child. Can you believe our Father really thinks this way? It is so essential that all such thinking be dispelled that we must be sure that nothing of this kind remains in your mind. I was not ‘punished’ because you were bad. The wholly benign lesson the Atonement teaches is lost if it is tainted with this kind of distortion in any form”
It is clear in the New Testament that Jesus Christ died on the cross for the sins of mankind.
1 Peter 3:18 “For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit”.
The Old Testament also teaches that it was the will of God the Father to sacrifice Jesus Christ for us.
Isaiah 53:5 “But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.”
The Course follows the thinking of Peter before the resurrection – a line of thinking he was clearly rebuked for.
Matthew 16:21-23
When Jesus told the disciples that He must go to Jerusalem and be killed, Peter said this must not happen. Jesus replied, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men”.
The Course contends that the reason for Christ’s crucifixion was to induce people to love one another.
A Course in Miracles, vol. 1, p.87
“The message of the crucifixion is perfectly clear: ‘Teach only love, for that is what you are’. If you interpret the crucifixion in any other way, you are using it as a weapon for assault rather than as the call for peace for which it was intended”.
The Bible addresses just such thinking this way:
1 Corinthians 1:18; 15:3-4
“For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God…For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.”
Continuing their teaching that there is no sin, the Course teaches that there is no Hell or eternal punishment.
A Course in Miracles, vol. 1, p. 281
“The Holy Spirit teaches thus: There is no hell. Hell is only what the ego has made of the present”
Scripture, however, teaches us that there will be eternal punishment for the wicked and the unrepentant.
Matthew 13:41-42
“The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. They will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of theath”.
Revelation 20:15
“If anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire”.
On the subject of Christ’s return, the Course teaches that the Second Coming and final judgment are not meant to punish sinners, but to heal the mind, rectify mistakes, and dispel the illusions we have believed in.
A Course in Miracles vol. 1, pp. 29-30
“Judgment is not an attribute of God…The Last Judgment is generally thought of as a procedure undertaken by God. Actually, it will be undertaken by my brothers with my help. It is a final healing rather than a meting out of punishment, however much you may think that punishment is deserved.”
Vol. 2, p. 439
“Christ’s Second Coming, which is sure as God, is merely the correction of mistakes, and the return of sanity.”
Vol. 2, p. 445
“The Final Judgment on the world contains no condemnation. For it sees the world as totally forgiven, without sin and wholly purposeless.”
Judgment is a basic attribute of God.
Isaiah 30:18
“The Lord is a God of judgment”
Psalms 9:7-8 “He has established his throne for judgment. He will judge the world in righteousness; he will govern the peoples with justice.”
The Second Coming of Christ will be as literal and physical as His first coming was. “This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven” (Acts 1:11). This is not simply the arrival of a spirit or a thought in our minds. When Christ returns He will bring God’s punishment on the wicked.
II Thessalonians 1:7-9
“…the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels. He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of his power.”
Jesus referred to this coming as the “day of Judgment”. (Mt 10:15; 11:22-24; 12:36)
These and many other scriptures show that the Course’s teaching that there is no sin, no judgment, and no Hell are completely unbiblical and must be rejected.
Here is a link to another article that is relevant
https://kimolsen.wordpress.com/2007/08/12/women-of-theosophy-a-course-in-miracles/
170 comments
January 27, 2008 at 2:51 am
Mike
JB,
If you read, “The Metaphysics of Separation and Forgiveness” by Kenneth Wapnick, Ph.D. you will find out where evil comes from. Of course, this is just a suggestion.
January 27, 2008 at 3:30 am
Kim
Looked it over….at the very end the truth comes out glaring.
“What is sin, except a false idea about God’s Son?”
The Course teaches that a new “Jesus” has told Helen Schucman that there is no sin and there is no hell and that Jesus is not the Son of God.
Same old stuff in a different package. The Bible warns of the Doctrine of Demons, and this is just one them.
Mike…You asked…..
How much do you desire peace instead of endless strife and misery and pain?
Those who walk with the Lord have peace, and are not miserable and know how to deal with strife by putting all our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. We have no fear…our future was determined at the cross, where Jesus conquered Satan through his resurrection.
We have what you are desperate for…..so why would we settle for less?
January 27, 2008 at 4:05 am
Mike
Kim,
I have never been so peaceful in my entire life.
The people that wrote the Bible did what any good salesperson would do, they destroyed the competition. In more ways than just their teachings (book burning). Christianity has a horrendous past. If religious conservatives in the USA have their way, we could face the same horrendous past in the future.
There are many truths. Maybe, your mind can only accept the Bible as the truth.
Like I said before: “I will reject any teaching (it does not matter what the source is) that says that our Heavenly Father is anything but Love.”
January 27, 2008 at 4:19 am
Kim
Mike,
Do you have a spirit guide when you meditate?
I am curious….
January 27, 2008 at 4:23 am
jb
Mike,
Is it real? If it isn’t I don’t want to bother. If it is real then that means something is real and that other things are real including us. If this is the case there must be truth somewhere. If love is God and God love, then that must be truth, but who’s truth? There can only be one truth period, you know this. There cannot be 2 truths. To say all any or some worlviews are correct then that is more than 1 truth, which would be false. I am not sure why you would think we are fearful and miserable. I am not and look forward to every day. It sounds to me like you are still searching and I wish you the best. I have found peace and security beyond doubt.
I have been through Scientology courses and spent 10s of thousands of dollars on it (yuck, I should have used all that money for fire kindling and a weeney/marshmallow roast). When reading your comments, it sounds exactly like what they taught, only from another angle. Check your sources, L. R. Hubbard was an OTO mason along with Joseph Smith, Charles T. Russell- all of them have cult back grounds in new age witchcraft mystical stuff. I am very analytical and that is how I came to know the reality of God and Christ my Saviour.
None, and I mean none of what you’ve typed is new, none. These things have been passed down for centuries, and you possibly know this. I suggest you do the research and go back as far as you can and you’ll know that it has been repackaged with omissions that might discourage thinking individuals and to appeal to those who follow their emotions.
Mike, I don’t know you but I do love you. Good luck in your search.
January 27, 2008 at 4:54 am
Parricia
Hi to all of you…… you all have a wonderful command of the English language and you are all well able to express your point of view…. Well done!
January 27, 2008 at 5:20 am
Mike
Kim,
When I meditate, I thanks the Father, the Holy Spirit, and Jesus. After that, I try to quiet my mind for about 5 minutes then I stop. I do not ask for anything, the Father knows all my perceived needs.
No, I do not have an spirit guide.
January 27, 2008 at 6:09 am
Kim
Only five minutes? How far are you into the course?
Lesson 153
“Five minutes become the least..ten would be better, fifteen better still….we will find that half an hour is too short. Each hour adds to our increasing peace.”
I am glad to hear you do not have a guide. This is common in deep eastern meditation. Especially if there is visualization. Like a door or curtain that opens..this exposes a “helper or guide” These guides often help the person go deeper into meditation because fear is experienced when one feels themselves dropping into unknown territory.
The trinity you speak of has nothing to do with the Bible. Jesus is the Son of God in the Bible.
You are worshiping an occult trinity.
January 27, 2008 at 7:17 am
ACIM Student
Kim,
You have an obsession with the word occult. I do not want to be the bearer of bad news, but the God of the Bible is an occult God.
Do you even know what the word occult means?
It means, hidden from view
January 27, 2008 at 7:37 am
Kim
Yes occult means hidden from view in it broadest sense, but i think we both know that is not what we are talking about here. A key hidden under my doormat is not occult.
I am talking about secret knowledge that is communicated only to the initiated.
God’s word is open to all. The Gospel can be understood by small children.
January 27, 2008 at 8:35 pm
jb
ACIM,
If god is in everything and is everything, I wonder how he/it talks to you. Is it the chair? A rock?
January 27, 2008 at 9:54 pm
Mike
Kim,
We know who and how wrote ACIM. We do not know for certain who and how wrote the Bible. I know Christians love to say and believe in the Divine inspiration of the Bible. It sounds good, so they repeat that phrase a lot. What happens when a person repeats a lie countless times? The person itself, comes to believe hers/his own lie.
How can you be so sure that it wasn’t an occult spirit that dictated a great part of the Bible to most of the authors. How about the spirit of human greed, power, and control of the masses? How about the pagan emperor Constantine the Great? He was no saint! People in power destroyed a lot very important documents, just because they did not agree with them. We do not know if what they kept was more important than what they destroyed. There was a lot of human intervention in the handling of the Bible, well intended or not.
There is a dirty word, compromise, that I hear a lot in the US Congress nowadays. That is what people tend to do with anything that goes against their vested interest. When you have compromise you no longer have the truth.
ACIM is open to all, of course it requires a certain level of understanding just like the Bible. ACIM does not have horror stories like the ones found in the Bible. Which I don’t think are suitable for children.
If the Bible is the inerrant word of God, why there are so many Christian denominations (almost 40,000 and counting) that do not agree with each other. I would expect the inerrant word of God to be cohesive not divisive. Especially, if the purpose is for us to avoid eternal punishment.
January 28, 2008 at 2:29 am
Mike
Kim, et, al.,
Why Christianity is the worlds most popular religion?
Because Christianity instills there religious beliefs in the mind with fear and guilt. These negative emotions of fear and guilt are used as weapons against people by the clerics of “revealed” religion. And these weapons are used most often against children! Think of that!! Religious beliefs are usually instilled first in the minds of children. Imagine the consequences of having superstitious fears and guilt burden the mind of an innocent child! Have you ever wondered why this continues to be tolerated?
Perhaps someday, teaching a child that he/she is born in sin with an evil nature, and needs Jesus dying on the cross for redemption, will be seen for what it is–mental abuse– by society at large.
January 28, 2008 at 2:47 am
Mike
Kim, et. al.,
Have you seem the documentary “Jesus Camp”?
Here is a review about it:
link deleted…..
January 28, 2008 at 3:43 am
Parricia
Hi, I am a roman catholic and I do not believe that children are now being taught that they have an evil nature, at least none of my children have received that message from their religious instruction in school. When I was growing up my self there was a fair bit of fire and brim stone, hell and damnation around, but children today are not being taught in that manner and thank God for that.
I apologise for butting in on the conversation so ignore me if I am an intrusion…..
Do you all believe that there is a creator of heaven and earth and that this supreme being is God…. surely no one today believes that God choose to come to earth in bethleham and that he compleaty ignored the far eastern side of the world… Is it not possible that he has manifested himself on earth there too and into the traditions of that culture..??
January 28, 2008 at 4:13 am
Mike
Parricia,
The discussion here is about: A Biblical Response To “A Course in Miracles”.
Do you know what is a “A Course in Miracles”?
January 28, 2008 at 8:35 am
Kim
Mike,
I know about the Jesus Camp debaucle. This was horrendous. There are cults out their callings themselves Christian. We viewed and discussed this at a Discernment-Ministries seminar last year in February in Florida.
This militia type behavior is known as domininionism. There are those who believe that Christians have to take control of the earth before Jesus Christ can return for the second coming. These people are actually decieved. They believe that a Christ-Consciousness must occur before the return. The Bible predicts that the anti-Christ will take over the earth. So in truth they are actually preparing the world for the AC and not Jesus Christ. I would be one of those that this militia, if ever formed, would kill.
In the link you provided i must say that i agree with most of it. Those at the Jesus Camp spoke in tongues and we know that those who worship demons can also speak in tongues. These children therefore had to be imparted with a demon spirit.
I don’t agree with the part about Paul that “he’d rake in lots of dough.” People are falling away from the Bible just like it predicts. I believe Paul would be largely ingored because people don’t want to hear about their sin anymore. That is why they like mega-churches like Joel Osteen or Willow Creek because their teachings are milk-toast.
The part about prayer i believe to mostly true. The Pharisees or the hypocrites like to be seen praying in public. They prayed five times a day and when 3:00 pm came around, history says they would like to be on a street corner at the time so all could witness their “holiness”. We pray together in church but when i want to really want to talk to the Lord in earnest it is done in private.
There are a few other thing i disagree with but all the evangelists mentioned are indeed problematic and/or apostate. Those who truly follow the Bible are few.
Mike, you are in the majority. Bible-believing Christians are in the minority.
We know about what is happening now because it is in the Bible.
January 28, 2008 at 7:20 pm
Mike
Kim, et. al.,
I am going to be judgmental just to prove a point.
When you make statements like: “Mike, you are in the majority.”
You are doing what the Bible in Matthew 7:1-2 says not do.
Matthew 7:1-2 (New Century Version)
Be Careful About Judging Others
1 “Don’t judge others, or you will be judged. 2 You will be judged in the same way that you judge others, and the amount you give to others will be given to you.
The preceding Biblical statement agrees with ACIM, when it says:
“He who would not forgive must judge, for he must justify his failure to forgive.”
ACIM says that when we judge others we are actually judging ourselves, God has nothing to do with it.
Of course, the whole point of this blog is to judge ACIM and its students.
January 28, 2008 at 7:28 pm
Mike
Kim, et. al.,
I find the following statement very appropiate for our discussion here.
“Every religion on the planet, and there are so many more than you are even aware of, has the potential of absolute thriving. But when you think that you must prove that you have the only one that is right—and you use your condemnation to push against the others—your condemnation separates you from your own Connection that, before your condemnation, you were finding in your own religion.”
Excerpted from a workshop in Boston, MA on Saturday, October 2nd, 2004 Abraham-Hicks publications
January 28, 2008 at 8:43 pm
Kim
Only God can judge you. I am not a judge. But i can express my views based on the Bible.
The entire passage of judging others is Matthew 7:1-6
You quoted 1-3. 4-5 talks about the plank in our own eye. We are first to look ourselves to see if we have the same sin in our own lives before we look at someone else.
I believe we are sinners, I believe that Jesus Christ is the only Son of God, I believe there is a hell. Biblically i can look at what you are studying and decide if ACIM is biblical. It is not.
Jude tells us that we are to “Contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints”
ONCE it was entrusted. There are no valid “corrections”.
Mike, i care about you…that i why i continue to talk with you.
January 28, 2008 at 10:32 pm
ACIM Student
Kim, et. al.,
ACIM is not biblical because is not suppose to be. ACIM and the Bible are mutually exclusive teachings on their own right. Why? Because we are now capable of understanding more complex ideas and due to our freedom of speech we have being given ACIM. Of course, not everyone will be ready for it.
January 28, 2008 at 10:39 pm
Kim
What do you mean “Of course, not everyone will be ready for it?”
January 28, 2008 at 10:47 pm
ACIM Student
Kim, et. al.,
If Jesus or should I say Yeshua, is the only Son of God,
where do we come from?
I want no part of the unloving god of the bible.
January 28, 2008 at 10:53 pm
ACIM Student
Kim, et. al.,
To a Hindu, Hinduism is it. To a Christian, Christianism is it. But for some of us that like to question everything, ACIM is it.
January 29, 2008 at 12:03 am
Kim
I’ll ask again…..
What do you mean “Of course, not everyone will be ready for it?”
January 29, 2008 at 1:55 am
ACIM Student
Kim, et. al.,
You wrote: “What do you mean “Of course, not everyone will be ready for it?””
Here is your answer:
Probably, because you accepted the Bible at face value. Your current belief do not let you accept anything besides the Bible, and that’s fine. The Holy Spirit will work with you where you think you are. Using the symbols you already accept. e.g. a catholic could have a holy encounter with what he/she perceives as virgin Mary. For a Hindu or a Budhist the Holy Spirit will use symbols they already accept.
That’s why the Course says: “A universal theology is impossible, but a universal experience is not only possible but necessary.”
January 29, 2008 at 4:40 am
Kim
I want to know what “it” is? Is “it” the universal experience?
January 29, 2008 at 7:46 am
Mike
Kim, et. al.,
Not everyone will be ready for it (ACIM teachings).
The universal experience Jesus refers to is that all people would experience in some way that God loves them and has never condemned them. Earlier in the manual, he expressed it this way: “God’s Son is guiltless, and in his innocence is his salvation” (M.1.3:5) . Because of all the cultural, linguistic, and other differences among the people and nations in the world, it is unlikely that there could ever be a theological expression of this that would be accepted by everyone; but that does not matter in the end, Jesus is saying. All that matters is that we experience in whatever way we can, our innocence in God’s sight, and that this innocence extends to everyone, without exception. This does not have to be experienced as a vision or a voice; it could simply be an awareness or a feeling. But Jesus teaches us that we should not try to force ourselves to have this experience. He teaches us, rather, to recognize our commitment to the exact opposite — our concealed investment in seeing ourselves and/or others as sinful, which is the basis of our guilt, fear, and anger. This investment — coming from our identification with the ego — is the interference to our awareness of our eternal innocence; and therefore the focus of the Course’s teachings and exercises is on forgiveness. For students who have accepted A Course in Miracles as their path, the practice of forgiveness is what will bring about the universal experience of love. Everyone will eventually arrive at the same place, but the means and paths may all differ.
January 29, 2008 at 8:23 am
Mary
Mike,
I was thinking of you driving home from work. You know we aren’t all that different I hope you understand.
I struggles for 3 years with the reality of hell. I tried and tried to ignore it, tried to lose myself in worldly persuits. I tried running away but at the end of the day I realized I had gone nowhere. And the question continued to burn in my conscience-“where would I go when I die?”
I didn’t want to believe God could allow something like that. But, when I finally stopped running from God and gave in and asked the Lord to show me who He was and how to go to Heaven, He little by little began to give my understanding of His word and His way of salvation. So I once was offended at Him for creating a place called hell. Then I realized I was the one who offended Him. His gospel is indeed “good news”.
I know, I know, you are going to go on again about ACIM and what it teaches. He is all about love, Mike. You are looking at it all the wrong way.
He is all about love.
But like the parable of the guests at the wedding who showed up without the proper wedding garments, all who try to enter heaven without the proper dress (the righteousness of Christ alone who has atoned for your sin) will be thrown out of heaven.
January 29, 2008 at 7:01 pm
ACIM Student
Kim,
In reality there is no hell. But all of us acting as one misused the awesome power of the mind and miscreated this world. There are many people in this world that live in mortal fear of going to hell, what they do not know is that they are already there. There is an old Hebrew mystical tradition that says hell is distance from God and Heaven is closeness to Him.
Everything we behold in the universe of perception has one of two purposes for you to choose from. One purpose will keep you a prisoner; the other will free you.
John 8:31-32
“31 Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, if ye continue in my word [but we digressed], then are ye my disciples indeed; 32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”
“All that is given you is for release; the sight, the vision and the inner Guide all lead you out of hell with those you love beside you, and the universe with them.” ACIM
“The world is not left by death but by truth, and truth can be known by all those for whom the Kingdom was created, and for whom it waits.” ACIM
January 29, 2008 at 7:52 pm
Kim
Mike,
How do you know that Helen Schuchman did not distort the words that her supposed “Jesus” gave her. And then how do know that her colleague Bill Thetford copied the words that were channeled to Helen correctly?
Hebrew mystical tradition is Kabbalism, which is gnostism. Same old stuff. Kabbalah Hebrew root QBL (meaning to receive and pass secret knowledge through oral transmission). You say i am obsessed with the word occult but you are the one who mentions and uses occult practices.
January 29, 2008 at 8:13 pm
ACIM Student
Kim,
I know, everything sounds awful to you except Christianism with its awesome message of eternal hell.
January 29, 2008 at 8:14 pm
ACIM Student
Kim,
A word on sin.
According to ACIM, what we call sin is actually an error. Error doesn’t require punishment, only correction.
“Just as a navigator or computer constantly corrects the course of a jet airliner along its route, the Holy Spirit is always correcting you, no matter what you appear to do or on what level of spiritual awareness you may appear to be. It may be possible to ignore Him, but it is never possible to lose Him. The jet airliner is always going off course, but through constant correction it arrives at its destination. So will you arrive at your destination. It’s a done deal; you couldn’t screw it up if you tried. The real question is, how long do you want to prolong your suffering?”
The preceding was an excerpt taken from:
The Disappearance of the Universe by Gary R. Renard.
To the Holy Spirit, the world is a classroom.
Error and Sin:
A Course in Miracles makes a distinction between error and sin as a way to release you from guilt. Error is correctible, and as such has no real effects. Sin is imperfection-made-real and cannot be undone. The Course uses the word “error” to describe our perception of separation from God because it is not real – it is only a perception so it can be undone. And it teaches that “sin” cannot happen at all because you cannot change God’s creation. This world and everything you do in it is an error in perception that has already been corrected by the Holy Spirit within you. You learn this as you make the Holy Spirit manifest in your life by extending holiness into all that you see. By seeing your holiness everywhere you realize you have not left God and release yourself from guilt.
January 29, 2008 at 8:20 pm
Kim
I’ll ask again…
How do you know that Helen Schuchman did not distort the words that her supposed “Jesus” gave her. And then how do know that her colleague Bill Thetford copied the words that were channeled to Helen correctly?
January 29, 2008 at 9:02 pm
ACIM Student
Kim,
Here are several reasons why the Apostles did not get Jesus message completely right.
“These are some of the examples of upside-down thinking in the New Testament, although its gospel is really only the message of love. If the Apostles had not felt guilty, they never could have quoted me as saying, “I come not to bring peace but a sword.” This is clearly the opposite of everything I taught. Nor could they have described my reactions to Judas as they did, if they had really understood me. I could not have said, “Betrayest thou the Son of man with a kiss?” unless I believed in betrayal. The whole message of the crucifixion was simply that I did not. The “punishment” I was said to have called forth upon Judas was a similar mistake. Judas was my brother and a Son of God, as much a part of the Sonship as myself. Was it likely that I would condemn him when I was ready to demonstrate that condemnation is impossible?
As you read the teachings of the Apostles, remember that I told them myself that there was much they would understand later, because they were not wholly ready to follow me at the time. I do not want you to allow any fear to enter into the thought system toward which I am guiding you. I do not call for martyrs but for teachers.” ACIM
January 29, 2008 at 9:05 pm
ACIM Student
Kim,
You know, that neither you or I can’t answer questions about the accuracy of ACIM or the Bible.
January 29, 2008 at 10:15 pm
ACIM Student
Kim,
If my perception of you is right, the reason you know so much about ACIM is not that you wanted to find out if there was a message for you in it. The only purpose you know so much about ACIM is for the ultimate goal of totally discrediting ACIM. Just because ACIM doesn’t fit your narrow view of salvation as presented in the Bible.
“All terms are potentially controversial, and those who seek controversy will find it. Yet those who seek clarification will find it as well. They must, however, be willing to overlook controversy, recognizing that it is a defense against truth in the form of a delaying maneuver. Theological considerations as such are necessarily controversial, since they depend on belief and can therefore be accepted or rejected. A universal theology is impossible, but a universal experience is not only possible but necessary. It is this experience toward which the course is directed. Here alone consistency becomes possible because here alone uncertainty ends.” ACIM
January 29, 2008 at 11:12 pm
Kim
You have been discrediting the Bible and I am merely meeting you on your own terms.
ACIM is the doctrine of demons. It has no message for me personally. Its message offers destruction of those who are willing to fall for messages that “tickle their ears.”
I have never pretended to believe otherwise.
The narrow way is indeed my way.
I think we have pretty much covered everything. You believe in no hell and no sin. The Bible is wrong and you have your own Bible that you like better, a gnostic Bible that offers an easy way out.
Jesus died for YOU that you may live eternally. My concern is your rejection of the truth, and following a false Jesus. One that you like better because it is easier to believe that you have no sin instead of repenting and turning away from sin.
Unless you have anything new to add personally, it may be time to close this thread.
January 30, 2008 at 5:53 am
Mike
Kim,
Forgive me, if I disturbed your peace. I will like to share: “An open and unbiased study of the Bible, including many key Greek and Hebrew words as well as Church history will reveal some surprising things.”
***link deleted***
January 30, 2008 at 9:26 am
Kim
One doesn’t have to go far into this article to find error.
Right off the bat Hell is described as:
(“Sheol,” the Old Testament word that is sometimes translated as Hell, only means “grave” by definition
Here is the Greek and the Hebrew definitions of hell.
Hell-Hebrew
Lexicon Results for shĕ’owl (Strong’s H7585)
Authorized Version (KJV) Translation Count — Total: 65
1) sheol, underworld, grave, hell, pit
a) the underworld
b) Sheol – the OT designation for the abode of the dead
1) place of no return
2) without praise of God
3) wicked sent there for punishment
4) righteous not abandoned to it
5) of the place of exile (fig)
6) of extreme degradation in sin
Hell-Greek
Lexicon Results for geenna (Strong’s G1067)
Authorized Version (KJV) Translation Count — Total: 12
1) Hell is the place of the future punishment call “Gehenna” or “Gehenna of fire”. This was originally the valley of Hinnom, south of Jerusalem, where the filth and dead animals of the city were cast out and burned; a fit symbol of the wicked and their future destruction.
A fitting ending. For those who reject the truth and love their sin. It doesn’t have to be this way though. Call on the name of the Lord and He will open your eyes to the truth of all ages.
March 28, 2008 at 10:02 am
jeff
I came across this website. A couple of observations and I have ping-ponged from Christianity to ACIM to Christianity.
First, ACIM has more commonalities with Christianity than either side cares to admit. Psychologically, any time anything is challenged, it is defended. Both sides are looking for the divisiveness – however – ACIM looks more at the unification.
Fear, is very real. Psychologically, all religions have some basis of truth. We are dualistic (Hinduism). Unfulfilled desire causes most of our pain (Buddhism) and we cannot save ourselves (Christianity) and fear CAN seperate us from love (ACIM) – but – fear is also a protector.
I think what we need to realize is that everyone is trying to get to the same place – a connection with God. If that spiritual path were to evolve without all the condemnation from every religion banner holder, I think everyone would eventually come to Christ but we, as Christians (or Muslims or Jews or anyone else who does exactly the opposite of Christ) does more undoing of the message – and the reason is partially because of our inherent nature.
What I found in ACIM (and trust me I dissected it and rejected that which contradicted the Bible – mostly out of fear, but often out of conviction) – is in MANY WAYS ACIM actually teaches us how to accomplish what the bible wants us to do. And yes, I’m being on guard to Satan tickling my ears. I tried to seperate the truths from the untruths. If anything, it’s mental stimulation and further deepening my convictions.
But, here’s the bigger picture. I think those in ACIM are truly suffering. There is a lack of inner peace that is so deep that ACIM is so pleasing to the soul that it offers instant relief. It DOES inspire a loving feeling in you – mostly – towards yourself. Most people in ACIM come from really bad Christian experiences who feel that God ignored them, abused or neglected them because of the enormous amount of real suffering they have endured. A lot of Christians need to really truly dig deeper for understanding before bible-slamming. Jesus did not bible slam. As a matter of fact, when he preached and it wasn’t accepted, he simply left. He didn’t argue, he didn’t negate, he spoke.
If I were an alien and I came to earth and went to two places and observed – 1. A christian church and 2. A coures in miracles class – I would immediately be drawn to Christianity. There is something about the people in ACIM that give me the creeps – the look in there eyes, the self-worship and self-centeredness, there lack of production and success and usually lack of love. What is love? According to the bible, it’s spelled g-i-v-e. For God so loved the world that he GAVE……. First element of love is giving. Those in ACIM are focused on getting. Getting internally. You cannot find God through getting, but in giving.
I got off-track, but, let me just say this. Bible banging doesn’t win souls. Love wins souls. The spirit of God wins souls. Our human nature creates spiritual warfare.
The reality is we are part of God. ACIM focuses on this. The bible focuses on the seperation. God created man and man through sin seperates himself from God spiritually. Physically, we are God’s creation – so we have a relationship to him in that sense.
Love wants to give. Evil likes to take. All of us human beings have the potential in us to go either way.
How the bible is presented makes a huge impact on whether or not someone will accept Jesus. You cannot condemn a man for rejecting Jesus if your message or display of Jesus was “not of Jesus” just because you are saved. Then, you are paritally responsible for this man’s sinful choice, aren’t you.
Walk the walk and stop the talk. We all know when we watching a murder scene in a movie that it is a display of evil (or as ACIM says – ignorance and an error – which is also true – it is an error because no sane human being does that). We also know that when we see scenes from Extreme Home Makeover and moved to tears with love and joy for the giving of the human spirit it is love. Love is giving. We really need to stop the insanity (which ACIM promotes) and begin to realize that we are a white light that is made up of all the colors of the universe – even the dark ones. Fear is the opposite of love. Yet, fear can promote love. We are every experience from the dark to the light. A prism. Peace will come when we choose to follow Christ’s example, love promotes obedience because LOVE OF GOD means, GIVE TO GOD. Love is giving, love is sacrifice, love is many things.
Christians, and I am, need to understand that your fellow man in all religions is desiring to get to the same place – God. Let’s look for the unifying basis, discuss, not defend (defense brings offense) and share. When someone sees the spirit of Christ in someone else, it moves towards the light. If ACIM person is not coming towards you, it’s because your light is not shining brilliantly enough to attract him, but the other light is.
The true spiritual seeker, I believe, will end up at the cross because we all need a savior from the madness in our human nature. ACIM intellectuallizes the experience, it’s a road map to Christ. I do not believe that it’s the words of God, infact, because of it’s contradictions to the bible, it can actually get you away from the truth (that’s how Satan works). From a spiritual perspective, there are half-truths there. From a humanistic psychological perspective, there are full-truths there.
I found when in ACIM that I came up empty in the end. The bible says the only thing that pleases God is faith (in Jesus). Since returning to Chrisitianity and walking the straight and narrow, my life is magically and not so magically evolving back to healthy mind and spirit and I am seeing results.
ACIM is a drug. Like any drug it can become addictive. But it will leave you unsatisfied. As Christians, we need to try to understand these people are in pain, and when they are in peace, they truly are and if you will just realize forcing them to the Bible is going to reinforce their conviction and you are doing damage to them discovering the truth for themselves. True, some will be saved by your intervention (make sure you’re not trying to save them so that God will be pleased with you for your own ego). Jesus said to “love” them. And that love will bring them to Christ. Love is giving. Give them. If they reject, do what Jesus did, which is simply walk away.
Uneditied and unorchestrated feedback.
March 28, 2008 at 10:44 am
Lee
The Holy Spirit wins souls; man does not. The gospel is what the Apostles used to win souls with the Holy Spirit as their guide. If people reject the Truth, then they will not be saved.
March 28, 2008 at 10:55 am
Mary
wow Jeff,
” And you shall know the truth and the thruth shall set you free.”
How can you be set free if you are following that which isn’t true?
“we are a white light that is made up of all the colors of the universe ” oh my…
March 28, 2008 at 4:32 pm
Kim
There are many comments i disagree with you but i will only focus on a couple.
you said
“here’s the bigger picture. I think those in ACIM are truly suffering. There is a lack of inner peace that is so deep that ACIM is so pleasing to the soul that it offers instant relief. It DOES inspire a loving feeling in you – mostly – towards yourself.”
Yes, i do believe that suffering people turn to whatever source alleviates their pain. Drugs or alcohol, are good examples. ACIM may inspire you to love yourself which is really part of the problem. We all love ourselves, don’t we?. Everyday we make decisions on what we want to eat, drink, wear, do, read, recreate, etc.
Most all eastern religions instruct you to go within, to look for the god or the good within. The problem is…
Rom 7:18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but [how] to perform that which is good I find not.
“If I were an alien and I came to earth and went to two places and observed – 1. A christian church and 2. A coures in miracles class – I would immediately be drawn to Christianity.”
This is good for you but the world rejects the gospel as offensive because one has to admit they are a sinner and would have to give up their sin and worldly way of life, and also admit they need a saviour and cannot save themselves.
“Christians, and I am, need to understand that your fellow man in all religions is desiring to get to the same place – God. Let’s look for the unifying basis, discuss, not defend (defense brings offense) and share.”
Christians need to tell the truth, that there is only one way to God the Father and that is through Jesus Christ. It is through the power of the Holy Spirit that we witness this to others, and only through the power of the Holy Spirit that they may hear the word and recognize their sin and need for salvation.
Jhn 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
“I found when in ACIM that I came up empty in the end. The bible says the only thing that pleases God is faith (in Jesus). Since returning to Chrisitianity and walking the straight and narrow, my life is magically and not so magically evolving back to healthy mind and spirit and I am seeing results.”
This is wonderful, and yes we need faith to please God, but it is not the only thing. Here is the verse.
Hbr 11:6 But without faith [it is] impossible to please [him]: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and [that] he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
We must also obey his commandments, (which we cannot keep) this is why we need for forgiveness, and love Him with all our heart, soul, and mind.
Mat 22:36 Master, which [is] the great commandment in the law?
Mat 22:37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
Mat 22:38 This is the first and great commandment.
July 24, 2008 at 5:07 am
Patriots and Liberty » Blog Archive » Oprah’s Different Gospel
[…] New Age books, but the ones from ACIM are bad enough on their own) or take a look at this detailed biblical response to the Course. But, if you’re pressed for time, these passages should be enough to tell you […]
December 17, 2008 at 11:31 pm
Anna E. Wooten
I have been a christian since I was 12, my father and other were so called chrisitians, when I was at church, they kept asking at the alstr call for me to come up I felt so guilty but I did not know what I did , the pastor said to me, Ana you are forgivien, you have not done anything wrong. My parents were Criminals, they used their bible knowlede to make me an innonent child to feel terrible because I wanted to tell people that my father was having sex with me. I tried to get help I was abused for tying to get help and that was in the 1950’s, I did not want to do it. I screamed and pleded for my father to stop it. I was raped and raped. My brother had a room built away from our house he never heard or sw what went on. He had no idea what was happening. My father was a white man he was a so called christian. He had a network of so called christians who raped little children, one of his friends was caught and that is the first time I heard the word pedofile, No one would listen to me. My mother told the school 6that I was mentally retarted and not to beliv me. And tio my neighbors that I made thngs up. The school did a test on me and found out I was very highly intelligent. My mother moved into a house she had my father make her. She abandoned us. She later told me at an age of 55 what they did to me and other children in my neighborhood. It was terrible. She also told her if she told he would kill us all. He raped her also. I told her to make it riht she said she was taking it to her grave. She died shortly after that. My father died 10 years before. Now I suffer from PTSD. And I never grew up. I recently found out. My brother who professes to be a christian says he is a sex addict. His children keep moving away from him, they do not want him around his grandchildren. When I found a christian man I thought was a chrisitian. He tottally abused me., physically and mentally. It has taken me a long time to forgive them. As a christian I found the Course in Mircles, that I could forgive my self and that I was foriven by jesus. I take from it what I need and leave the rest. It is a mirical to forgive myself for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. At least I do not have to be dramatic over it anymore. I dam forgiven, Jesus loves me. I have been on this hellish earth for along time. My angels have kept me from harm. I am glad I am becoming a minister. And as a recovered person from the nightmear, I can help other people not to experience what happened to me, that there are ways tolove one another with out fear. That God is Good. That love is the ansswer and the there does not have to be darknes, I am in the light and that is all that matters to me. I am never going to enter the darkness again. I am going to be transformed just as Jesus was and my Jesus will be there I will walk with angels to meet him. He is the best of my life. My God. Whom I praise every day and night and tell him how greatful that I found him to love me. Thank you .
December 19, 2008 at 10:14 am
Kim
Anna,
What a story you have told. You have been terribly abused. I am so glad that you have found God and that you realize that what happened is not your fault.
Many people call themselves Christians but they are not. It seems you have been deceived by such people. They have never given their lives to Jesus Christ. To become a Christian a person must accept Jesus as Lord of their lives. This means to understand that Jesus died on a cross and shed His blood so that we could be saved from our sin. Jesus lived a sinless life. He is the ONLY way to salvation. Only the lamb without fault can save us.
A Course in Miracles on page 113 in the workbook section, says “God appointed you as the world’s savior. This is why the Son of God looks to you for his salvation. He is saved by what you are.” {emphasis mine}.
What?
This is heresy. The Bible teaches just the opposite. We are sinful people. All books that teach we are divine come from eastern thought, or a view manufactured by eastern meditation. Almost all false doctrine today stems from the idea that we are divine or can be.
I suggest discarding ACIM and opening your Bible instead. Find a church that truly teaches from the Word of God only. Sola Scripture. When people seek truth outside of scripture they are mislead. ACIM was channeled by a woman who was not a Christian and the voice she listened to was not from God. Instead she was listening to the false angel of light. I Timothy 4:1 teaches that “some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons.”
Satan is a mixer. He mixes truth with what is false. No one would believe outright lies. So religious sounding words and phrases from the Bible are used to fool the people.
True followers of Christ are those who have repented of their sin, and turn away from it. The Holy Spirit then gives comfort, helps us understand the Word, and also convicts of our sin. We no longer desire to sin but instead desire to serve Jesus Christ only. Then we are to walk in faith. All the patriarchs of the Bible are commended for their great faith.
This is not easy….the life of a Christians involves, prayer, reading the Bible, fellowship with other believers. As we grow in faith, we learn, fall, stumble and get up again. As a fellow blogger might say….it is a process of getting there.
I am so glad you have found the truth that God is good. He is. God is also just, Holy, and does not condone sin. He is returning soon. And He is coming as a judge. So there is a journey in Christianity. The answers are found in God’s Word.
May God bless you.
December 19, 2008 at 1:40 pm
Getting There
Anna, I will have you in my prayers, that God will keep you under the shadow of His wings and that you may soar with Him like an eagle over the immense hurt and horrible experiences you have had.
Keep seeking, knocking, as you seek Him, He will guide you even more to Himself and keep you close!
In Christ, hold onto Him with all your might!
Bless you
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