A COURSE IN MIRACLES
by Edward R Hryczyk
The text of the book "A Course in Miracles" is the product of seven
years of trance spirit channeling of a Mrs. Helen Schucman. The
spirit that channeled a "new gospel" to Mrs. Schucman claimed to be
Jesus Christ. The "spirit" made contact with her to correct errors
in Sacred Scripture, and the teachings of the Church. The "spirit"
that channeled through Mrs. Schucman wrote that Sacred Scripture was
in error in teaching us that sin separates us from God, and that
Jesus Christ did not die on the cross for our sins. The book "A
Course in Miracles" contains a Text (the dictation's of Mrs.
Schucman), a Student Workbook, and an Instructors Manual (1).
Mrs. Schucman, a Columbia University professor and psychologist, was
an acquaintance of Fr. Benedict J. Groeschel, C.F.R. (seen on EWTN).
Fr. Groeschel gave a eulogy at her funeral. Fr. Groeschel wrote (2),
"This woman who had written so eloquently that suffering really did
not exist spent the last two years of her life in the blackest
psychotic depression I have ever witnessed." Fr. Groeschel is a holy,
practical, wise, no nonsense priest, and psychologist. During an
October 1994 lecture on "Discernment" given at Holy Cross Church,
Rumson, N.J., Fr. Groeschel stated that he believed that Helen
Shucman's experience with the channeled "spirit" was possibly a true
diabolic manifestation. Fr. Groeschel's experience as a psychologist
and priest included being called upon by his Bishop to investigate
reported diabolic manifesta- tions in his New York City diocese. In
the lecture Fr. Groeschel de- scribed one experience - called as an
exorcist - where he witnessed objects unexplainably being thrown
about a room. At the end of a lengthy discussion he attributed that
particular experience to paranormal manifestations - but not diabolic
in nature (3).
Fr. Groeschel is not easily inclined to attribute any experience to
the diabolic. The possible diabolic origin in the spirit channeling
of Helen Schucman was one exception given by Fr. Groeschel. Fr.
Groeschel's suspicions find support in Sacred Scripture. Helen
Schucman's "chan- neled spirit" denies that our Lord Jesus Christ
came to the earth in the flesh. An abstract of "the Course" can be
written based solely on two lines of the "spirit" channeled writings.
Chapter 8, Section VII, para- graph 7, page 152 states:
"The Bible says, "The Word (or thought) was made flesh." Strictly
speaking this is impossible, since it seems to involve the
translation of one order or reality into another."
Contrast the "spirits" channeled words to the inspired words of St.
John (1 John 4:1-3):
" Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see
whether they are of God; for many false prophets have gone out into
the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit which
confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, and
every spirit which does not confess Jesus is not of God. This is the
spirit of anti- christ, of which you heard that it was coming, and
now it is in the world already."
To further stress the assertion to a "student" of "the Course" that
Jesus Christ was but an illusion the accompanying Manual For
Teachers, page 87, Clarification of Terms, Section 5, "Jesus-Christ",
paragraph 2 states: " 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 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 illusions do."
The "channeled spirit" was not from God.
On page 186 of the Text the "spirit" writes, "I do not bring God's
message with deception, and you will learn that you always receive as
much as you accept."
One does find truth in the writings of "the Course." The following
quote would be humorous if it were not for the sad ending of Mrs.
Schuc- man's life, and the influence "the Course" has had on
thousands of individuals. Chapter 9, Section IV, paragraph 8, of the
Text, page 170 states: "Anyone who elects a totally insane guide must
be totally insane himself." Chapter 25, Section VII, paragraph 8, of
the Text, page 533, again states: "It would be madness to entrust
salvation to the insane."
The writing style of "the Course" is very confusing - but at the same
time in some way intellectual and emotionally seductive. The
writings may start with a beautiful, seemingly inspired truth and
than will slowly drift to confusion - logically ending up with
conclu- sions that are contrary to Sacred Scripture and the teachings
of the Church.
The course is "Gnostic" in teaching and practice. The writings deny
the reality of physical creation (4). The course acknowledges the
need for a novice student to receive training in "the Course" by a
teacher that has already received some enlightenment by studying "the
Course." A separate teacher's guide forms part of "the Course." As
with all "New Age" teachings, seminars are provided - for a fee - to
help the individ- ual advance in spirituality.
Some of the beliefs, as written in "the Course" are:
a. REALITY: Reality is illusory.
(1.) From Manual, page 85, "The world you see is an illusion of a
world. God did not create it, for what He creates must be eternal as
Himself" (Manual, p85).
(2.) "And therefore all your sins have been forgiven because they
car- ried no effects at all. And so they were but dreams" (Manual,
p87).
(3.) "Forgiveness through the Holy Spirit lies in looking beyond
error from the beginning, and thus keeping it unreal for you" (Text,
p169).
b. CREATION/TRINITY: The writings teach that God and His creation are
one.
(1.) "There is no separation of God and His creation." (Text, p147)
(2.) "If you are part of one you must be part of the other, because
they are one. The Holy Trinity is holy because It is One. If you
exclude yourself from this union, you are perceiving the Holy Trinity
as sepa- rated" (Text, p146).
(3.) "Creation is your will because it is His" (Text, p196).
c. JESUS CHRIST'S ORIGIN: The writings state that Jesus Christ was
created (made not begotten).
"God would not have us be alone because He does not will to be alone.
That is why He created His Son, and gave him the power to create with
Him" (Text, p150).
d. SALVATION: We do not need a savior. Salvation is nothing more than
right mindedness. We are the source of our own salvation.
(1.) "Never forget that the Sonship is your salvation, for the
Sonship is your Self. As God's creation It is yours, and belonging
to you It is His. Your Self does not need salvation, but your mind
needs to learn what salvation is." (Text, p200).
(2.) "My holiness is my salvation." (Workbook, Lesson 58, p97)
(3.) "My salvation comes from me. It cannot come from anywhere else."
..."My salvation cannot come from any of these things. My salva-
tion comes from me and only me."....."My salvation comes from me.
Nothing outside of me can hold me back. Within me is the world's
salva- tion and my own." (Workbook, Lesson 70, p120)
(4.) "Whenever two Sons of God meet, they are given another chance at
salvation." (Text, P142)
(5.) "We cannot be separated. Whom God has joined cannot be
separated, and God has joined all His Sons with Himself." (Text,
p150)
(6.) "Yet all loss comes only from misunderstanding. Loss of any kind
is impossible." (Text, p152)
(7.) "He will teach you how to see yourself without condemnation, by
learning how to look on everything without it. Condemnation will
then not be real to you, and all your errors will be forgiven."
(Text, p168)
e. GOD: God is your identity, you will be like God.
(1.) " The recognition of God is the recognition of yourself. There
is no separation of God and his creation." (Text, p147)
(2.) "God's Name is holy, but no holier than yours. To call upon his
Name is but to call upon your own." (Workbook, p342)
(3.) "My decision cannot overcome yours, because yours is as powerful
as mine. If it were not so the Sons of God would be unequal." (Text,
p145)
(4.) "Our creations are as holy as we are, and we are the Sons of God
Himself, as holy as He is." (Text, p150)
(5.) "God Himself is incomplete without me." (Text, p177)
(6.) "God is not jealous of the gods you make, but you are."
(Text,p186)
f. SELF: We are sinless and are like God.
(1.) "My true Identity is so secure, so lofty, sinless, glorious, and
great, wholly beneficent and free from guilt, that Heaven looks to It
to give it light." (Workbook, Lesson 225, p403)
(2.) "You do not know yourself, because you do not know your Creator.
You do not know your creations because you do not know your brothers,
who created them with you.... He is the co-creator with God and you."
(Text, p137)
(3.) "Glory to God in the highest, and to you because He has so
willed it." (Text, p141)
(4.) "What God and His Sons create is eternal, and this only is their
joy." (Text, p148)
(5.) "God does not contradict Himself, and His Sons, who are like
Him, cannot contradict themselves or Him. Yet their thought is so
powerful that they can even imprison the mind of God's Son." (Text,
p149)
(6.) "God gave you the function to create in eternity." (Text, p168)
g. LAST JUDGMENT: Have no fear of God's Judgment
"Do not fear the Last Judgment, but welcome it and do not wait, for
the ego's time is "borrowed" from your eternity."..... "The Second
Coming is the awareness of reality, not its return." (Text, p170)
In dealing with individuals who teach and follow "the Course" one
must realize that they probably believe they are truly seeking God in
their studies of "the Course." Those trying to follow the teachings
would consciously reject all evil. Unfortunately, their beliefs are
"Gnostic" and they probably consider a Catholic's devotion to the
Faith , given to us by our Lord Jesus Christ, as unenlightened
medieval superstition to be rejected by all in this enlightened "new
age." The teaching's in "the Course" are particularly attractive to
individuals who have fallen away from the faith and find themselves
seeking some- thing to fill their spiritual void.
Reading Sacred Scripture is nourishment for the soul, since the words
have been inspired by the Holy Spirit. Taking the words of "the
Course" into one's heart will lead to a slow spiritual death. It is a
book to be avoided at all costs. Unfortunately celebrities such has
John Denver have been taken in by the book and have spread its
influence.
NOTES:
(1) The quotations are taken from "The Course in Miracles", published
by the Foundation for Inner Peace, P.O. Box 1104, Glen Ellen, CA
95442, second edition, second printing, August 1992.
(2) Page 79 of, "A Still, Small Voice, A Practical Guide On Reported
Revelations", by Fr. Benedict J. Groeschel, C.F.R., Ignatius Press
1993
(3) For an good discussion of the para normal see Fr. Groesch- el's
video series "Religious Experiences", distributed by the Daugh- ter's
of Saint Paul.
(4) The Spiritual Counterfeits Project, SPC Journal, Vol 7, No 1,
1987 analyzes the teaching found in "the Course" in an article by
Dean C. Halverson, "A Course in Miracles, Seeing Yourself as
Sinless." The SPC claims to be a non-denominational evangelical
Christian organization; the organization has demonstrated an
anti-Catholic bias in its recent publications.
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Further Reading:
Refutation of the New Age Movement
Holy Spirit Watch
