What is “The Course in Miracles?”

A Course in Miracles is a mind-awareness text that was spirit dictated to a now deceased Jewish psychologist, Helen Schucman.  The Course teaches spiritual self-betterment through practical exercises to enhance the subject’s perception of reality.

One must realize that the Course divides reality in two:  the real and the illusion.  The real is the realm of God.  This would be a monistic view that there is an undivided oneness of Being where there is no separation.  On the other hand, the illusory is the realm, which is experienced everyday.  The world seems real, but this is only because man is closely identified with his separatistic ego and physical body.

The chief disciple and promoter of the Course is Marianne Williamson.  She is the “guru of the moment in Hollywood.”  Williamson is available for lectures on everything from intimacy and relationships to money and careers.  Though her talks frequently mention Jesus and the Holy Spirit, the Course is not Christian.

In a quiet way, the Course claims to be Christian.  The opening pages imply that Jesus Christ is the author.  Williamson’s book, A Return to Love, calls for a return to love of God, but how is this possible if God is an impersonal oneness, that man is absorbed into?  Furthermore, she writes, “the most important revelation, the crux of the Course, is that in reality it [separation from God] never actually happened at all….”1

Not only does the Course deny sin, the reality of death and the devil, but also it attacks the crucifixion and resurrection of the Lord.  Though A Course in Miracles may claim to have all of life’s answers, there is nothing new under the sun (Eccl. 1:9).  Its followers have embraced the devil’s lie and denied the efficacy of Christ’s atonement.  The Course, as such, has no answers to life.

Over time, Williamson has syncrenytized Christianity, Buddhism, pop psychology, and the 12 steps of A.A. into her lectures.2  Since reality is one, then it must be logical to assume that all religions are one, and lead to the same destination.  While both the workbook3 and the text4 for the Course state, “The Final Judgement on the world contains no condemnation,” Jesus said clearly, “As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of the world” (Mt. 13:40).  Like it or not, the Son of man will purge the world of the wicked and in righteousness will He reign.

1 Marianne Williamson, A Return to Love (San Francisco:  HarperCollins Publishers, 1992), p. 20.

2 Susan Schindehette and Robin Micheli, People, 9 March 1992, p. 39.

3 Manual for Teachers.  A Course in Miracles (Tiburon, CA:  Foundation for Inner Peace, 1975), p. 445.

4 Text.  A Course in Miracles (Tiburon, CA:  Foundation for Inner Peace, 1975), p. 30.