User talk:Janette Tingle

A Course In Miracles: New Age Christian Psychology Janette Tingle (talk) 18:52, 30 November 2014 (UTC)

A Course in Miracles was first published by The Foundation for Inner Peace in 1976. The scribe known as Helen Schucman, reported that she heard an "inner voice" and felt a Holy presence which identified himself as Jesus. Schucman stated that Christ's presence guided her dictation as this divine revelation was received between 1965 and 1972. The ongoing dictation and writings required considerable commitment, in addition to the daily assistance and encouragement from her close friend and colleague, William Thetford, who served as a scribe during these communications, and was also a witness to these remarkable events during that time period. []

A Course In Miracles is considered 'new age' because it is a contemporary divine revelation about a new reality. It also teaches extensively about how to create miracles in daily life. However, ACIM is not a new religion, since it is an eternal thought system without a formal religious structure. Yet, it serves the same purpose, and helps the individual to understand the deeper meaning of traditional Christianity in a whole new way. The 'course' values and respects the ancient teachings of the New Testament; yet, it gives an extended response to Christianity, and reveals a deeply insightful truth regarding biblical symbols, parables and religious concepts.

ACIM is a new approach to traditional Christian Psychology because it explains many Christian terms in a completely new way that transcends the strict and rigid, literal and formal interpretations of orthodox Christianity. ACIM reveals the deeper meaning of Christian elements, particularly in regard to their existential and psychological value. In addition, the course presents an beautiful and mysterious, complex philosophical truth that is simply profound. ACIM is an extensive spiritual ego-psychology that helps the individual to overcome fearful illusions and perceived deficiencies that are created by the defensive ego, which separates the unitive consciousness and blocks the mind from a deeper awareness of love and peace.

ACIM is truly an amazing book of Christian revelations that will be of enormous importance to the study of the Psychology of Religion, New Thought Christianity, Existential Philosophy, Christian Counseling, and the Politics of War and Peace. In particular, A Course In Miracles is based on the spiritual principle of human equality, which has a leveling effect that systematically breaks down the need for a formal religious hierarchy, and allows the student and teacher to learn and share on the same level as equal learners in the process - rather than being confounded by our human mis-perceptions, egotism, religious pride, judgment and condescending attitudes toward others. ACIM essentially does away with the need for a religious intermediary between the individual and God, since "religion is experience," and it is deeply personal and always shared. "We are all equal as learners..." learning the same lessons of humility in life; and "there are many teachers of God" in this world.

The Course reveals an amazing truth and a visionary philosophy that helps the individual to see the world (and religion) in a whole new way. The book demonstrates how to create peace miracles in our lives by systematically overlooking the errors created by our fear-based psychological perceptions and illusions, and reveals a new reality of brotherly love beyond the world of fear and sorrow. It is an in-depth, self-reflective Christian psychology that ultimately teaches us how to think and respond in a better way, even in the most difficult circumstances. It is a visionary and existential philosophy that demonstrates how to resolve psychological conflicts by thinking eternally in a state of forgiveness that alters the temporal order of events creating a miracle. By overlooking the limitations of the temporal world and accepting only the eternal, we learn to perceive a new reality. We learn to listen and wait until we can hear God's truth within the silence. His words resonate deeply within, allowing us to receive a profound answer to all the existential questions in life, which enables us to resolve complex problems much more easily. It is amazing how this one miraculous book of peace somehow gives an answer to all of the 'big' questions about life, and helps us to resolve the interpersonal struggles, mental conflicts and sufferings that make up our human predicament.

ACIM is a comprehensive exposition that provides an extensive sequence of teachings that can be studied daily throughout the year. ACIM gives us a beautiful and thoroughly unified thought system that helps us to effectively overcome the illusion of fear, and the errors of judgmental thinking about ourselves and others. It teaches us the miracle of releasing everyone from our judgments through awareness of our love and oneness. It also teaches that forgiveness is the only way to end the war that we have made on ourselves. By purifying our thoughts, we learn to remove the negative psychological effects of fear, guilt, anger, and sorrow that have kept us in perpetual mental conflict throughout our lives. "For those who side with peace..." we will live forever in a state of grace. By accepting only the eternal reality and refusing to attack others, we choose to see only love and oneness instead of fear, criticism and separation. "Fear is an illusion, only love is real. Nothing else matters."

The ultimate purpose of Christ's resurrection was to tell us that He is still with us, and His book reveals that He has never left us. The kingdom of heaven is found within our great brotherhood of love and oneness. Christ gives us this new teaching about the eternal realm and the kingdom of heaven within. He reveals the wonder of a new world of peace that will be a "full replacement" of the world of fear we have known. This revelation confirms that He is the same Christ we have always known, and this is his Second Coming of truth, the return of peace to the world. The power of these teachings cannot be underestimated, since we know that this book is truly a masterpiece that was given in love by our great brother; and He has the power to dictate as many divinely inspired books through anyone he chooses. A Course in Miracles is a new Christian Psychology for our times, and we know him by his words.

"These Words are sacred, for they are the words God gave in answer to the world you made. By them it disappears, and all things seen within its misty clouds and vaporous illusions vanish as these words are spoken." Christ Jesus