A Course in Miracles

For those interested in following Oprah and Marianne Williamson to what they think is the path to enlightenment, let this article be a forewarning to you all. A Course in Miracles, located at acim.org, is nothing more than satanic mind control and brainwashing. Don't believe me? Then read on, please. Read and prove me wrong.

A Course in Miracles was "written" by Dr. Helen Schucman. She was an associate professor who began hearing voices one day and decided it must be Jesus. She wrote the words to the Course in Miracles through, what she describes as, "rapid inner dictation." She then met the woman responsible for the Foundation for Inner Peace, originally called the Foundation for Para-Sensory Investigation, Inc. They met and studied the course together. Helen gave the copyrights to the FIP woman who then published the course on the website. Marianne Williamson did the course and her book is basically her commentary on the course itself.

There are over 300 lessons in the Course in Miracles on the website. While I absolutely refuse to take the course, I did do a brief overview of what is being taught and believe me - that was enough to understand what exactly is being taught here. About 30 of the over 300 lessons are review and therefore I felt no need to really look into them. But, for many of the lessons, especially at the beginning, you need but only read the title of that particular lesson to get an idea of what is going on.

The first part of the lesson deals solely with convincing the student that you live in a dream world and everything is meaningless. This idea is accompanied with chants for the student to do. The basic sum up is that your own thoughts and perceptions create the world around you and therefore it is meaningless. There is even talk about how looking into the past and feeling attacked is meaningless. The clincher of this first part of the lesson is the "exercise" in which the student is asked to repeat the following: "I am looking at a meaningless world. A meaningless world engenders fear because I think I am in competition with God."

This idea of competition with God is the first blatantly obvious satanic teaching. We are to be under God, not equal with nor in competition with Him. How else do you think Satan ended up where he did? He wanted to be God. More proof arises in the New Testament when Satan tried to challenge God who was Jesus Christ.

The second part of the lesson deals with healing and anger. There is no actual healing being taught, only the denial of what is real. You can't change the past simply by deciding to see things differently, which is what is being asked of the students in this course. There is nothing here except the idea of escape from wrongs we have done and wrongs that have been done to us. In fact, it is even implied that when we express fear it is seen as an attack on ourselves.

The second part of the lesson is focused on teaching the student what they should see, but with less subtle statements. Lesson 30: "God is in everything I see because God is in my mind." This statement is a prequel to later lessons that deal with the student believing they are God. What could be more obviously demonic than teaching that God is just in your mind? This is an extremely satanic statement and very demonic belief. God exists whether you like it or not and living in denial of Him and His existence will only hurt you, not help you.

Lesson 32: "I have invented the world I see." No one has invented this world. God created it and we enable the lives we live by the choices we make. Choice is the key word here. We have choices to make everyday. They shape our lives and affect the lives of other people, but in no way shape the world at large, much less invent it.

Lesson 34: "I could see peace instead of this." You could if there was actual peace in the world. But, we all know there isn't and there won't be until the devil is locked up. God is in control of when that will happen and the Bible states there are certain things that have to and will happen before peace comes to earth. The statement of the lesson is a form of denial. When you deny seeing reality you are insane and/or somewhat crazy, therefore needing some serious therapy. Seeing peace will not make anything change. You choosing to follow Christ and do what is right are the only way you'll see change. But, it won't be worldwide ... only visible in your life. As long as the devil is influencing people, there will be evil in the world and no peace.

Lesson 35: "My mind is part of God's. I am very holy." What makes anyone believe that their mind is part of God's? He is all knowing and omnipresent. You are not and never will be. Therefore how can you share a mind with God much less even be part of it in anyway? Answer: you can't. You are not very holy. You strive for holiness through accepting and following Jesus Christ as your Savior, but you yourself are a sinner. If your jaw is on the floor with offense, pick it up and look yourself in the mirror and ask yourself if you've never done anything wrong? Everyone makes mistakes and purposefully do things that they know are not right. Self determination of being part of God's mind won't change that.

Lesson 37: "My holiness blesses the world." Since we've already determined you are not holy then how are you going to bless the world? You being here can bless the world if you choose to follow God's plan for your life. There is no other way for you to achieve being a blessing. Even if you follow God's plan and end up being a blessing for someone, technically it was God in your life that was the blessing and not yourself.

Lesson 38: "There is nothing my holiness cannot do." Even if you were holy you are only human and have limitations. And even if you had no limitations God is in control. God has a plan and you are fulfilling that plan whether you have Him in your life or not. The only difference is what will happen at the end of your life - heaven or hell.

The previous lesson statements here should be any believer's, and common thinkers, first clue as to how wrong these lessons are. Talk about your daily dose of pride. But, this is why so many desperate people who don't want a set of rules (namely God's rules) to live by are turning to this teaching. They are being built up and taught that nothing can hurt them because it is all in their mind. Because they are taught that they are God, they are then free to make up any excuse for all the strange and unexplained occurrences in their life. This part of the lesson completes the creating of a fantasy land for these students where the world revolves around them - literally.

So now that the student is taught what to see and think, the writer of a Course in Miracles now feels it is time for the student to gain a new identity - one that the writer creates for them. It is a very dangerous path to follow from here on out and we will encounter a point of no return - literally.

Christians everywhere are up in arms, including myself, about the following lesson title: "My holiness is my salvation." Whoa! Hold your horses! You can not in anyway save yourself from hell. You can not in anyway decide if you will get into heaven. The Bible is very, very clear about that. The only way to be with God forever in heaven is through His Son Jesus Christ. God became a man who went through horrible pain and an even worse death in order to become the ultimate sacrifice for your sins. A question is raised in this lesson that may sound logical at first, but if you really examine it, makes no sense at all: "a savior must be saved: How else can he teach salvation?" From the human perspective that makes sense. But, we're not talking about a human, we're talking about God. All knowing and all powerful. He is the very embodiment of salvation through Jesus Christ. He doesn't need to be taught about salvation - He IS salvation. He is teaching us about salvation and the teaching is that Jesus Christ's blood sacrifice can save us from hell if we believe and accept Him as our Lord and Savior. Period. This idea of being God begs the question: Is there a touch of Mormonism here?

Throughout the rest of the lessons there are very subtle Christian ideas that are extremely twisted into the deception that is drawing many believers to supplement the Bible's teaching with a Course in Miracles. The first is found in lesson 41: "God goes with me wherever I go." Lesson 42: "God is my strength. Vision is His gift." Lesson 43: God is my source. I can not see apart from Him." These are all very subtle twists of the Bible's teaching. These deceptions are many and I will mention more later. However there are blatantly false representations of Jesus Christ and God's Word interjected between these subtle deceptions.

Lesson 45 states "God is the Mind with which I think." There is a very big difference between this teaching and the teaching of what the Holy Spirit actually is and how God works through His Holy Spirit. We don't think with God's mind. If we did there would be peace on earth because we wouldn't be tempted by the devil.

Lesson 50 teaches students to believe they are the light of the world. Other lessons following include statements such as: "Love created me like itself" and "My salvation comes from me." A special type of deception is present at this point and found in lesson 71: "Only God's plan for salvation will work." If you couple this idea with the fact that the student has been taught to believe that their salvation comes from them, then here they are taught that only their idea of salvation will work. This is the first step in teaching the student to believe they are in fact God.

Following lessons include how students can now will things to come into being because God's will is shared with them and creation is the will of both themselves and God together. For those Christians who aren't very educated in the Bible and perhaps new to Christianity this could very easily been seen as the truth, especially if they haven't accepted Christ into their heart yet.

The ego in the student is developed even more so that they can further believe they are God. Lesson 75: "The light has come." The statement seems harmless, but the chants are definitely demonic in nature: "The light has come. I have forgiven the world." This is as far from the truth as you can get in the most subtle way you can do it. Only God can literally forgive the world and it can not be done through the student, but only through Jesus Christ. We can forgive each other ... yes. But the world's judgment is accomplished by One who is all knowing - God. Of course the student believes they are God at this point in time, therefore they believe they know how and who to judge.

Further deception exists here and seems like simple Bible teaching. Lesson 76: "I am under no laws but God's." Lesson 94: "I am as God created me." However, Lesson 101 directs students to chant: There is no sin; it has no consequence. This section is basic reinforcement of previous lessons. Along with Lesson 76, there is discussion about how medicine and nutrition laws are insanity and madness. The chant in 96 is "I am His Son eternally." From here out you have to ask how you are His Son. The capitol "S" in the word son denotes some sort of divinity. Lesson 125 takes all the lessons learned so far and catapults the student into deep satanic ritualistic meditation. It reads: In quiet I receive God's Word today."

The next section, started off by lesson 125, is a repeat of everything that the student has learned, but in a different sense. There is now a focus on connecting with the god you are and the one you are connected to. Several ideas become frightening to those who understand the true Word of God - the Holy Bible. The first idea presented in 133 is "I will not value what is valueless." The reason this is frightening has to do with the fact that at this point in the lesson the student believes he/she is god and therefore can determine what is of value. They are already convinced they live in a meaningless world and therefore what has meaning will most likely have value. What is meaningful? Only what the "god" decides is meaningful.

135 states that "If I defend myself I am attacked." How does this translate to war and enemies? According to this lesson they don't exist unless we perceive them as such and the only way to perceive them is to be defensive. This is so dangerous because the student here is pretty much a zombie who may give up their child to avoid being "attacked" through acting in a defensive manner. This whole theory is further pushed onto the student in 153: "In my defenselessness my safety lies." I'll let the people who have been terrorized by others determine just how unsafe you are when you are defenseless. This applies not only to physical safety, but also to mental, emotional and spiritual safety as well.

From here through lesson 200 there is nothing other than extreme satanic ideas focusing in on listening to oneself, which is sinful and therefore listens to the devil without the help of Christ through the Holy Spirit. There are lessons that teach students to do exactly what Satan did that got him in trouble in the first place. 185: "I want the peace of God." Satan wanted those things and did everything he could to get it. Rebellion against God is so wrong and will not save you in anyway.

After reviewing this Course In Miracles, I've come up with my own proverbial saying: Foolish is the man who listens to voices in his head without confirming through prayer who is speaking to him. Foolish is the man who makes assumptions of spirits instead of testing them and passes on all things learned before doing so.