A Course In Miracles by Helen Schucman is a classic book on the laws of attraction and spirituality that has been modified slightly for modern times. It contains almost 500 pages of practical advice based on the teachings of Paul and Helen Webber. The premise of the book is that all "real" miracles are the result of a single act of faith or will. According to these principles, each individual has the power at will to influence his own surroundings. This power is not to be used irrationally but responsibly - that is, with a heart of love and divine purpose. A Course In Miracles does not focus as much on the mechanics of will as it does the psychology of attraction.
This may seem like A course in miracles and a quick study of the laws of the universe and of consciousness in general. But the way the author presents this material leaves much to be desired. Helen Schucman seems to offer us a shallow understanding of personal spirituality, focusing instead on personal gain through the process of will. She seems to discount or ignore the possibility of receiving revelation from the Holy Spirit in our lives and prefers to rely on the promise of an all knowing, all seeing God who will forgive all our offenses. Though she repeatedly promises us that we will find enlightenment and healing, we are never told what that enlightenment and healing mean for our lives. There is no discussion of the possibility of receiving spiritual gifts and talents through the process of will.
What A Course In Miracles leaves us is a pessimistic outlook on the possibility of a greater sense of self and the ability to see objectively about the world in general, and on our own lives in particular. Though she quotes Dostoyevsky and writes of the "metaphysical mood of immortality" and compares her book to his, we are presented with no philosophy of immortality beyond the reduction of matter into energy. No account is taken of the potential of the human species as a whole and the possibility of the resurrection is ignored. The truth of Schucman's claims about the universal nature of God are simply overshadowed by her dismissal of the possibility of a personal relationship with God as irrelevant to the purpose of the believer's life.
Instead of answering the question of why does the Christian feel the need to teach A Course In Miracles, Helen Schucman presents her book as a workbook or guide to help people develop their personal relationship with God and to work toward a more "bible centered" life with biblical truth as the only source of knowledge. It is a book that claims to teach a "new understanding" of how to live but offers no new insights into how one could gain the inner peace that comes from walking with God. In other words, A Course In Miracles has nothing to do with walking with God. It is a book that purports to provide a "new understanding" while actually providing old-fashioned Biblical teachings in a non-biblical fashion.
It is this non-biblical style that gives A Course In Miracles its peculiar "mystical" quality. Instead of relying on the idea that God can speak to men in mysterious ways through the Holy Spirit to teach them what God wants for them, this workbook focuses upon the idea of the individual person needing to "revelation" in order to receive personal revelation from the Holy Spirit. This personal revelation is designed to help each person to work out his or her own problems by teaching ideas about motivation, accountability, and self-examination. In this way, the workbook lessons from A Course In Miracles does not promote the concept of walking with the Lord but it does promote an individual need to search out personal enlightenment instead of merely depending on the promises of God.
It is this eclectic approach that makes A Course In Miracles a unique text and a valuable tool for people seeking to understand the workings of the unseen. While this text does contain traditional Bible verses as well as worksheets teaching those who are interested in being "revelation sensitive" and those who want to apply Bible study concepts to their lives, A Course In Miracles goes beyond traditional Bible studies and focuses upon applying new understandings of Bible verses and the workings of God to the daily lives of those who are looking for greater motivation, accountability, and self-examination. Those who seek the path to eternal life will find this workbook invaluable in their search. It is not necessary to be a born again Christian to use this valuable curriculum; anyone can profit from this valuable workbook lessons.
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