Vol. 7, No. 2, 1990

Articles on the New Age

In the Foundation's Statement of Purpose are the following words: "To foster spiritual development through the study and practice of A Course in Miracles, a set of three books channeled by Jesus...." Another booklet states, "Although Christian in statement, the �Courseo deals with universal themes. It emphasizes that it is but one version of the universal curriculum. There are many others, this one differing from them only in form. "They all lead to God in the end," (A Course In Miracles: how it came... what it is... what it says, 1977 ed. p. 5).

One of the stated purposes of the Foundation is "correcting the errors of Christianity..." (Introduction letter). These errors include the concept of Sin. "Sin is defined as `lack if Love.' Since love is all there is, sin in the sight of the Holy Spirit is a mistake to be corrected, rather than an evil to be punished," (A Course In Miracles, p. 8).

How is the erroneous concept of sin corrected? Kenneth Wapnick explains, "If we now attempt to follow the Holy Spirit's thinking, and we want to prove that this world is not real and that the sin of separation never happened, all that is needed it to prove that sin has no effect.

"Now, if the greatest effect of sin in this world is death, demonstrating that death is an illusion simultaneously dem¬onstrates that there is no sin.

"The gospels speak of Jesus as the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. The way that he took away the sins of the word was to show that they had no effect.

"However, this is not the way that the churches have understood it, or that it has been taught. So one important reason that the Course has come at this time, in this way, is to correct this error. What Jesus did was to live in this world -- the world of suffering, sin, and death -- and show that it had no effect on him," (A Talk Given On A Course in Miracles, May 9, 1981, p. 65).

In a newsletter of an organization which promotes the Course, is explained, "We have enclosed the hands in a black box to signify the world of illusions. When we are apart, we are trapped in the dark illusion of fear, attack, judgement, sickness and pain," (The Holy Encounter, Nov./Dec. 1989, p. 1; emphasis mine).

The result of all this overcoming illusion, is salvation, which also has taken a new definition. "The necessity of healing the mind of its belief attack is salvation; this is accomplished through forgiveness, the undoing of our belief in the reality of separation and guilt," (Introduction Letter). Put more succinctly, "Holding no one prisoner to guilt, we become free. Acknowledging Christ in all our brothers, we recognize His Presence in ourselves. Forgetting all our misperceptions, and with nothing from the past to hold us back, we can remember God," (A Course In Miracles, p. 10).

(This is a New Age group. See New Age Definition).