Product Description

From the Preface: Over the many years we have been teaching "A Course in Miracles", it has become apparent that its radical message has often been a source of much confusion, misunderstanding, and distortion. It is our aimto help clarify Course principles -- through this question-and-answer format -- in order to facilitate greater understanding and application of its thought system. The 72 questions are arranged by topics including Jesus, the metaphysics, application, form, language, and the curriculum of "A Course in Miracles."

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #321739 in Books
• Published on: 1995-03
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 142 pages

About the Author
Gloria Wapnick has a Masters degree in History from Hunter College. From 1963-65, she lived in Tehran, Iran, where she taught English to Iranian students at the Iran-American Institute, and Social Studies at the American High School. Returning to the States in 1965, she taught Social Studies in the New York City Junior High and High Schools until 1984, and was Dean of Students for the last four years. Gloria has been working with "A Course in Miracles" since 1977, and had run her own group for several years. She is Vice-President and co-founder with her husband Kenneth of the Foundation for "A Course in Miracles" in Roscoe, New York. Gloria has also co-authored two books on the Course with Kenneth.

Kenneth Wapnick has a Ph.D. in clinical psychology and has been working with "A Course in Miracles" since 1973, when he joined Helen Schucman, scribe of the Course, and William Thetford at the Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center in New York. In addition, he worked closely with Helen preparing the final manuscript of the Course. Since that time he has lectured widely on "A Course in Miracles", as well as conducted a practice in psychotherapy. He has written many books on the Course and he has also produced numerous tape sets explaining and discussing the principles of the Course. He is President and co-founder with his wife Gloria of the Foundation for "A Course in Miracles" in Roscoe, New York, which is the copyright holder of the Course, as well as being its teaching center. Together they have travelled nationally and internationally giving workshops on the Course.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
24) If all this is a dream or an illusion, or a script which is already written, what difference does it make what I do with my life?

While on one level A Course in Miracles does teach that this world is an illusion and that in truth our experiences here are hallucinations, on another level Jesus assures us that "it is almost impossible to deny its [the body's] existence in this world. Those who do so are engaging in a particularly unworthy from of denial" (text, p. 20; T-2.IV.3:10-11). Since it was our wrong minds that wrote the script of our many "lifetimes" in this delusional hologram of hatred, it would follow that the ego's purpose would be to reinforce belief in the seeming reality of our experience here, which reflects our belief in the reality of our separation from God. And nothing serves this purpose better than the defense of denial, which makes the thoughts of guilt and fear so unacceptably real that they need to be repressed and never looked at again. This ensures that the thought of separation remains real within the split mind, "safe and protected" from the Holy Spirit.

A Course in Miracles presents us with a choice between two ways of living in this dream world, which is the only true choice remaining to us within the dream. As we implied earlier, the Course teaches that we have a split mind which is really tri-partite in structure: 1) a wrong mind that holds the ego thought system in place, and even though it appears that we have choices within the wrong mind, Jesus unequivocally states that to believe that there is a choice in the thought system of the ego is delusional and self-deceptive; 2) a right mind which is the home of the Holy Spirit, and holds a correction for each misthought or miscreation of the ego thought system; and 3) the part of the mind that chooses between the ego and the Holy Spirit, which we refer to as the decision maker. Therefore, our only true choice and freedom within the illusory dream of separation is to choose our right minds, allowing our wrong minds to be undone. We shall return to this important point in a later question.

Consequently, A Course in Miracles instructs us that the only purpose the world holds is for us to choose the forgiveness script. The Holy Spirit offers us a correction for the ego's nightmare dreams of guilt and attack, wherein the world becomes a classroom in which we can learn the lessons of forgiveness. In this way, the guilt we made that ultimately brought about the making of the body and the world is undone. Simply indulging the ego's fantasies under the justification that "It doesn't matter anyway" would make these desires real (otherwise why indulge them?), and root one still further in the ego's dream of guilt. Such self-indulgence could include acting out repressed desires such as murder, theft, deception, anger, sexual exploitation, etc., or on the other hand, giving way to thoughts of meaninglessness, depression, and even suicide. And thus the above question -- "What difference does it make what I do with my life?" -- can be understood from a totally different perspective. This is a perspective that gives great meaning to our lives, for it states: "I have a choice to make: which dream do I choose to follow; to which dream will I be loyal?"

In summary then, we see that on the metaphysical level, everything we do -- not to mention our personal identity -- is an illusion. However, on the level of the dream, where we most certainly believe we are, our lives make a tremendous difference; not so much in terms of what we do, but with whom we do it. Only by choosing Jesus or the Holy Spirit as our teacher, guide, and friend can we undo the cause of our remaining asleep and dreaming dreams which are rooted in the belief in the reality of the separation from our Source, and from each other. We cannot change the script, which is already written and has indeed been undone. But we can change from the ego's script to the Holy Spirit's. Helping us to accomplish this is the purpose of A Course in Miracles. 52) Is the Jesus of A Course in Miracles the same Jesus written about in the Bible, and the same person who walked the earth in Palestine two thousand years ago?

Yes, it is definitely the same Jesus who appeared in the world two thousand years ago, with the same message of truth -- in content obviously, not form. However, it is extremely hard to believe that the Jesus of A Course in Miracles is the same figure written about in the Bible, just as it would be difficult to accept that the biblical Jesus resembles the truly historical one. This is not the place to delve into issues of scripture scholarship and how the gospels were written, but suffice it to state for our purposes here that the figure found in the four gospels, as well as the teachings recorded in the other books of the New Testament, are often diametrically opposed to what we find in the Course. Rather than attempt a procrustean fit of a round peg in a square hole, it seems much safer and intellectually honest for students of A Course in Miracles to accept that the biblical Jesus represents the collective projections of the various authors of the gospels and epistles, while the voice and person of Jesus in A Course in Miracles represents the ego-free being who lived and taught two thousand years ago. In conclusion, the Jesus of the Bible and the Course are mutually exclusive figures, with only the common name linking them together.

For a more thorough discussion of these differences, the reader is referred to A Course in Miracles and Christianity: A Dialogue. 67) A Course in Miracles is a universal teaching, why did it come in such sectarian (i.e., Christian) terms? Doesn't that limit its worldwide applicability?

While the basic message of A Course in Miracles is universal -- "God's Son is guiltless, and in his innocence is his salvation" (manual, p. 3; M-1.3:5) -- its form certainly is not, nor is it meant to be. We have already quoted Jesus' words to the effect that this is a "special curriculum," which clearly reflects that it has a special audience: the Western world that has grown up under the strong influence of Christianity and 20th-century psychology, an influence that has not been very Christian nor spiritual. This is why the Course's language is so Western, and, more specifically, Christian and psychodynamic in statement. As the specific spiritual path we call A Course in Miracles, the Course is simply not meant to have worldwide applicability. Other cultures and religious traditions have, and will continue to have their own spiritual paths, just as we in the Western world now have the Course, among many others. As we have repeatedly pointed out in this book, the universal joining with all people is the content of the universal course, but the specific ways in which people learn this lesson constitutes the forms of the "special curriculum," of which A Course in Miracles is simply one example. Forms, almost by definition, are not the same and cannot blend together. Therefore they cannot be universal, or for all people. This is why Jesus teaches in the introduction to the clarification of terms, to repeat and extend this important statement: 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 (manual, p. 73; C-in.2:5-6). This "universal experience," it goes without saying, is love, and A Course in Miracles is but one form of regaining it.

Customer Reviews

Indispensable for Course students
"A Course In Miracles" is founded on the definition of God as a formless, timeless, presence of abstract love that ultimately doesn't even know that we exist as individuals. Further, the Course says the entire physical world is an illusion that never happened. Can you fully understand or grasp this? Can I? No. And the Course says it's better not to try, and it refers to such attempts as "senseless musings." Rather, the Course is aimed at our experience here in this world that, though ultimately illusory, is the classroom in which we learn the lessons of forgiveness.

Based on such an impossible-to-grasp theory, it goes without saying that this Course is not always easy to understand. This is not a Course for everyone ("There are many paths, and they all lead to God in the end"). But for those who believe it is the path for them, this book will make the path understandable. This book is all in question and answer format, with no additional commentary by the authors. The book does close, however, with a mission statement for the Foundation for A Course In Miracles, founded by the two authors of this book, as well as a catalogue of products from the Foundation.

Seventy-two questions are answered, and they are divided into five chapters:

CHAPTER 1: "The Nature of Heaven" - In this chapter the abstract philosophy of the Course is addressed, such as Course theory that God did not create and in fact does not even know about the physical world. Is this the same God of the Bible? Why are masculine terms exclusively used in the Course? These questions, ten in all, are answered in this chapter.

CHAPTER 2: "The Nature of the Separation" - In this chapter, in 12 questions and answers, the theory of the separation is addressed. The "separation" is the Course theory that all the problems in the world are really only one problem: the separation from God. What's more, the separation never occurred in reality. Well then why am I suffering in a world of pain? If God didn't create the world, who did? What is the Course's view of time? What does the Course mean when it says there is no death? These questions, among others, are answered.

CHAPTER 3: "Application and Practice of 'A Course In Miracles'" - In 24 questions and answers, we go beyond the abstract theory of the Course and focus on our physical lives in this world. Though this world, as taught in A Course In Miracles, is ultimately illusory, it is by living in this world that we learn the lessons we are meant to learn. Does the Course have a code of ethics and morality? Are babies born innocent? Can you be a student of the Course and still serve on a jury, be a doctor, lawyer, etc.? If this is all a dream, does that mean the abuse I suffered as a child should be denied or ignored? If this world and the body are illusory, does that mean it is wrong to enjoy them? These and other questions are answered.

CHAPTER 4: "Jesus" - Six of the most commonly asked questions about Jesus� role in the Course are answered here. Is this the same Jesus as the Jesus of the Bible? Where in the Course does it say that Jesus is the author? Why does Jesus say in the Course that I should forgive him? You'll find the answers here.

CHAPTER 5: "The Curriculum of 'A Course In Miracles'" - Here the way in which the Course should be studied is addressed. Should a student start with the Text, the Workbook, or the Manual for Teachers? What should one say to a friend or family member about the Course? Should children study the Course? Should I practice the Course in seclusion without worldly distractions? Should students of the Course only go to therapists familiar with the Course? Seventeen questions in all are answered in this chapter.

This book certainly is not intended for cover-to-cover reading. I consider this more of a reference book, perfect for occasional "check ups" on Course comprehension. Often, I use this book just for meditations. And, I must admit, some of the answers, particularly the more abstract ones dealing with the illusory nature of the world and time, as well as the concept of their being no right or wrong, can be quite overwhelming - even after five years of studying the Course.

This isn't an easy Course, and it wasn't intended to be. But this book makes it a little more understandable. Of course, when the ego finally lets go the student will finally see how simple it really is (...still waiting for that to happen).

A Most Helpful Book for students of "A Course in Miracles"
Ken and Gloria Wapnick are the most experienced, authentic and helpful explicators of "A Course in Miracles" one can find. Ken was intimately associated with Helen Schucman, the woman who channeled and scribed the Course. His book about Helen, "Absence from Felicity," is an important work for serious Course students. The book I am reviewing here provides helpful answers to 72 of the most commonly asked questions about ACIM which Ken and Gloria have encountered over the many years of their operating the Foundation for "A Course in Miracles" and in their teaching about the Course. The theology and psychology of the Course are profound. It's thought system is unique in the Western world and raises many questions which readers can find addressed in this useful little book

Answers all the toughest questions related to ACIM...
...though maybe not to your ego's satisfaction. These are the questions asked by every Course student at some time or another. It's a tad dry for cover-to-cover reading, but it's a truly excellent reference! Strongly recommended for any serious ACIM student.