what happened to the author of a course in miracles

by Toby Cummerata 9 min read

While this suit is about copyright infringement, Endeavor is seeking to make the central issue the authorship of A Course in Miracles. It claims that since Jesus of Nazareth authored the Course, it is not copyrightable. Penguin has come back with a startling response: Helen Schucman

Helen Schucman

Helen Cohn Schucman was an American clinical psychologist and research psychologist. She was a professor of medical psychology at Columbia University in New York from 1958 until her retirement in 1976. Schucman is best known for having "scribed" with the help of colleague William Thetford the book A Course in Miracles, the contents of which she claimed had been given to her by an inner voi…

, not Jesus, is the author of the Course.

Full Answer

Who is the author of a course in Miracles?

A Course in Miracles, Combined Volume, Third ... Editor Helen Schucman, Bill Thetford, Kenneth W ... Author There is no author attributed to ACIM, a ... Country United States Subject Transformation 6 more rows ...

Where did a course in miracles come from?

A Course in Miracles was written as a collaborative venture between Schucman and William ("Bill") Thetford. In 1958, Schucman began her professional career at Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center in New York City as Thetford's research associate.

Is there an annotated edition of a course in Miracles?

In August, 2017, the Circle of Atonement published "A Course in Miracles: Complete and Annotated Edition", which contains the original material that Helen Schucman wrote up to 1972, and prior to it being edited by Schucman, Thetford, and Wapnick into the Foundation for Inner Peace edition.

Is “a course in Miracles” from a discarnate?

^ a b Hammer, Olav (2021) . Claiming Knowledge: Strategies of Epistemology from Theosophy to the New Age. Numen Book Series. Brill. p. 153. ISBN 978-90-04-49399-5. Retrieved January 21, 2022. A Course in Miracles is said to have been channeled from a discarnate entity perceived as Jesus but never explicitly named as such in the ensuing text.

Who is the author of the Course in Miracles?

A Course in MiraclesA Course in Miracles, Combined Volume, Third Edition as published by the Foundation for Inner Peace.EditorHelen Schucman, Bill Thetford, Kenneth WapnickAuthorThere is no author attributed to ACIM, although it was "scribed" by Helen SchucmanCountryUnited StatesSubjectSpiritual transformation5 more rows

Who is the narrator of A Course in Miracles?

narrator Martin WeberThe narrator Martin Weber, [maz], is a longtime friend and member of CIMS Europe, a musician, and, of course, a student of A Course in Miracles. Maz sits with the material in meditation before he begins his recording and then adds music that he has composed for a perfect accompaniment.

What happened to Helen Schucman?

Death. In 1980 Schucman was diagnosed with advanced pancreatic cancer. After a prolonged illness, she died of related complications at age 71 in 1981.

Who was the original publisher of A Course in Miracles?

Course in Miracles SocietyProduct DetailsISBN-13:9780976420057Publisher:Course in Miracles SocietyPublication date:05/28/2009Pages:663Sales rank:39,5621 more row

Did Eckhart Tolle study A Course in Miracles?

In this teaching Eckhart explores A Course in Miracles, a widely popular book of universal spiritual teachings. Don't lose your mind in the concepts of reality, it's time to become the moment. In this teaching Eckhart explores A Course in Miracles, a widely popular book of universal spiritual teachings.

Is A Course in Miracles based on the Bible?

The modern spiritual teaching and path, A Course in Miracles, contains hundreds of reference to the Bible, and both the New Testament and the Course claim to present Jesus' teachings. There is an obvious and important relationship between the Course and the Bible, and how the two relate is a natural question.

WHEN WAS A Course in Miracles first published?

1976A Course in Miracles / Originally published

What does ACIM stand for?

ACIM. Associate Member of the Chartered Institute of Marketing.

Who wrote the most commonly asked questions about ACIM?

No one debates this one. Ken and Gloria Wapnick express the obvious fact in their book, The Most Commonly Asked Questions About ACIM:

Where did the words of the course come from?

The words of the Course claim that they in some sense come from the individual known as Jesus of Nazareth.

How actively and specifically can spirit help us in this world?

If Jesus can author the exact words of the Course, this implies that spirit can reach all the way down to our level, helping us very actively, specifically and personally. If Jesus cannot author a book in this way, then the opposite is implied: Spirit will not translate itself down to our level and so we will have to do what Helen supposedly did. We will have to hike ourselves up to its level and make contact with it. And then we ourselves will have to translate its abstract light into specific forms that suit our needs. This may in fact be the case, but to me this is a cold and comfortless picture. It amounts to nothing less than the idea that we have been left alone and have to get back home on our own.

Why does the course carry less weight?

The reason is simple: We as a race do not trust Helen Schucman as much as we trust Jesus Christ. You may think it should not matter to us where the Course came from, that it should carry weight based strictly on the merit of its words. Yet even so I suspect that if you truly imagine that its specific words came from Jesus, you will find yourself feeling differently about the Course. In evaluating words and ideas, we humans always consider the source.

What happens when Jesus awakens?

Many believe that if Jesus has truly awakened, then he no longer exists as an entity that can act within time and space. When his body and his ego vanished, the individual character we knew as Jesus disappeared as well. Now “he” is merely a seamless part of the transcendental whole, a whole which is void of any trace of personal identity, including that of Jesus.

How does Jesus' relationship with us affect the course?

Now, this relationship can occur whether or not Jesus wrote the Course. Yet how much the Course itself can facilitate this relationship is affected by how directly and specifically we think he wrote it. If he wrote its words, then by simply reading those words we are contacting him, we are touching him. If he didn’t write its words then we are that much more removed from him, and will have to find some other way to bridge the gap between us and him.

Is the course in Miracles copyrighted?

A legal suit has been filed by Penguin, the new publishers of the Course, against Endeavor Academy in Wisconsin. While this suit is about copyright infringement, Endeavor is seeking to make the central issue the authorship of A Course in Miracles. It claims that since Jesus of Nazareth authored the Course, it is not copyrightable.

Who wrote a course in Miracles?

The seminal event which led to the scribing and eventual publication of A Course in Miracles took place on a June afternoon in 1965 when Dr. William Thetford made his now famous and impassioned statement to Dr. Helen Schucman: “ There must be another way! ” Bill was specifically addressing the ongoing conflicts that he and Helen experienced between themselves, as well as with other colleagues and professional associates, at the prestigious Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center in New York City where Bill was Director of the Psychology Department while at the same time holding a faculty appointment as Professor of Medical Psychology at the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. Helen began her professional career at the Medical Center as Bill’s research associate, later also to become a tenured Professor of Psychology at Columbia University.

When did the course in Miracles start?

We begin by presenting the sequence in which A Course in Miracles evolved into its present form, originating with Dr. Helen Schucman’s shorthand notes begun in 1965. Helen took down her internal dictation in notebooks, and regularly dictated these to her colleague and collaborator, Dr. William Thetford, who typed out her words. This original typing of the three books came to be called the “urtext,” a word denoting an original manuscript. 6

Why was the Urtext edited?

Wapnick in the material quoted above. Thus, the urtext lends itself to misinterpretation and misunderstanding. Further, because of the wide-ranging discussion of ancillary topics, there was a lack of focus upon the central message. Jesus directed the editing in order to make the published material as faithful as possible to his intent. Even so, he was limited to words for communication. There are inherent difficulties in communicating his message of non-separation with word symbols, since they themselves are the symbolical tools of the separated ego mind, designed to communicate in terms of separation or metaphysical dualism. A profoundly important statement in the Manual for Teachers is directed to this point:

Why did Bill read back to Helen after each session?

After each of these typing sessions, Bill read back to Helen what he typed to ensure that no mistakes were made. Thus, the urtext can be considered to have been carefully checked, and to be an accurate copy of Helen’s original notes. Helen later retyped the manuscript of the Text twice and the Workbook and Manual once, and none of these retypings was ever proofread.

What were the questions asked in the course of Thetford?

Thetford: Oh, there were questions like, “Is there anything that we should be doing that would increase our ability to meditate better?” There was also some commentary on psychological theories that got introduced as an intellectual digression at the beginning, which had nothing to do with the Course itself.

What was Helen and Bill's job?

Sometime earlier, Helen and Bill had become consultants to an interdisciplinary research project at the Cornell University Medical Center, Bill’s former employer. Their responsibilities included an hour-long meeting every week which grew to epitomize all that was wrong in their personal and professional lives. The meetings were characterized by the same back-biting if not savage competitiveness and anger they were accustomed to in their own Medical Center, not to mention in their own relationship. Helen and Bill hated going, feeling both uncomfortable and angry, yet believing that professionally they had no choice.

Why does Helen's water rust?

As the water runs for a while, the rust clears out and the water returns to its clear nature. The “rust” of interference, which would seem to result from a long period of not being used, was really due to Helen’s fear of the power of her mind, and more specifically, her fear of the love of Jesus…. Helen’s Notebooks.

Who is the author of A Course in Miracles?

The Making of 'A Course in Miracles'. A Catholic priest recounts the mysterious spiritual journey of 'A Course in Miracles' scribe Helen Schucman. Journalist Randall Sullivan met Father Benedict Groeschel, a Catholic priest and popular speaker, while Sullivan was investigating claims of miraculous occurences in America and abroad.

Who scribed the Miracle Detective?

In this excerpt, Father Groeschel discusses Helen Schucman, who "scribed" the bestselling spiritual work "A Course in Miracles.". Reprinted from The Miracle Detective: An Investigation of Holy Visions with permission of Grove/Atlantic.

Who wrote "which is not to say authored"?

He had been a graduate student in psychology at Columbia University during the late 1960s when one of his professors, a woman named Helen Schucman, had written-"which is not to say authored"-A Course in Miracles.

Who was the most sinister person I ever met?

Groeschel continued to try to "open the doors of the Church" to Schucman, but his influence was subverted by her husband. William Thetford, also a Columbia professor, was a mysterious character, and "probably the most sinister person I ever met," the priest recalled.

Who wrote A Course in Miracles?

A Course in Miracles (ACIM) was "scribed" by Schucman between 1965 and 1972 through a process of inner dictation. She experienced the process as one of a distinct and clear dictation from an inner voice, which earlier had identified itself to her as Jesus. Her scribing of A Course in Miracles began with these words: "This is a course in miracles. Please take notes."

How many volumes are in A Course in Miracles?

^ The 1st edition of A Course in Miracles was published in 1975 as a 4-volume set of books. Vol. 1 contains Chapters 1-14 of the "Text" section of the Course, Vol. 2 contains Chapters 15-30 of the "Text" section of the Course, Vol. 3 contains the "Workbook" section of the Course, and Vol. 4 contains the "Teacher's Manual" section of the Course. The Foundation for Parasensory Investigation - founded and run by Judith Skutch and her second husband Robert E. Skutch - was the publisher of the 1st edition of the Course, and also held the 1975 Copyright to the work. The Freeperson Press, a small privately owned printing/publishing company located at 325 Ninth Street in San Francisco, California, did the actual printing and binding of the 1st edition of the Course. The edition published by the Foundation for Inner Peace claims that the course "was published in three volumes in June 1976". The 1st edition of the Course consisted, in total, of 300 sets of the 4-volume Course. These 300 sets of the 4-volume Course were printed and bound - over a period of several months in 1975 - by the Freeperson Press. Eleanor Camp Criswell, owner/manager of the Freeperson Press, was in charge of the printing and binding of the 1st edition of the Course. Consequently, it has become customary to refer to the 1st edition of the Course either as the "Criswell edition" or the "Freeperson Press edition". Criswell only printed 100 sets of the 4-volume Course at a time - as they were needed for sale and distribution - so the 1st edition of the Course is actually three separate "printings" of the books. The "first printing" of the "1st edition," consisting of the first 100 4-volume sets of the Course printed by Criswell, were bound in yellow covers. The "second printing" of the "1st edition," consisting of the next 100 4-volume sets of the Course printed by Criswell, were bound in white covers. The "third printing" of the "1st edition," consisting of the final 100 4-volume sets of the Course printed by Criswell, were bound in blue covers. By February 1976, all 300 4-volume sets of the "Criswell edition" of the Course had been sold and/or distributed. Judith (born Judith M. Rothstein on April 12, 1931) married Robert Edward Skutch (born July 19, 1925) in 1966 (it was Judith's second marriage), but they divorced (on friendly terms) in 1980. Later in the 1980s, Judith Skutch married William Wallace "Whit" Whitson (December 3, 1926 - February 8, 2018) and became known as Judith Skutch Whitson. Eleanor Camp Criswell (born May 12, 1938) became known as Eleanor Criswell Hanna [Wikidata] after her marriage to philosopher Thomas Louis Hanna (Nov. 21, 1928 - July 29, 1990) on June 25, 1974. Thomas L. Hanna was the originator of Hanna Somatics, aka Hanna Somatic Education. In 1975 Thomas and Eleanor co-founded the Novato Institute for Somatic Research and Training, located at Novato, California.

Who edited Helen Schucman?

Following the transcription and editing, Schucman began to reduce the level of her direct involvement in the ACIM related effort and was never as heavily involved with teaching or popularizing the material as were its editors, Bill Thetford and Kenneth Wapnick. Helen Schucman, painted by Brian Whelan.

Who wrote the absence from Felicity?

It was written by her longtime friend, Kenneth Wapnick.

Who was Helen Schucman's brother?

Schucman had a brother, Adolph Cohn, who was almost 12 years her senior. Though her parents were both half-Jewish, they were non-observant.

Who was the Baptist who influenced Schucman?

However, it was the family housekeeper, Idabel, a Baptist, who had the deepest religious influence on Schucman while she was growing up. In 1921, when she was 12, Schucman visited Lourdes, France, where she had a spiritual experience, and in 1922 she was baptized as a Baptist. Later in life, she considered herself an atheist.

Who wrote the book The Retarded Child from Birth to Five?

Schucman, Helen (June 1972). The Retarded Child from Birth to Five: A Multidisciplinary Program for the Child and Family. John Day Co. ISBN 978-0-381-98127-3. OCLC 303564.

Who wrote a course in Miracles?

This article from the 1990s remains of importance due to the continuing influence of the occult work, "A Course in Miracles,"by Helen Schuchman.

Who believed that Helen Shucman's experience with the channeled spirit was possibly a true diabolic?

During an October 1994 lecture on "Discernment" given at Holy Cross Church, Rumson, N.J., Fr. Groeschel stated that he believed that Helen Shucman's experience with the channeled "spirit" was possibly a true diabolic manifestation. Fr.

What does Helen Schucman's "chan- neled spirit" deny?

Groeschel's suspicions find support in Sacred Scripture. Helen Schucman's "chan- neled spirit" denies that our Lord Jesus Christ came to the earth in the flesh. An abstract of "the Course" can be written based solely on two lines of the "spirit" channeled writings.

Who gave a eulogy at the funeral of the 'The Blackest Psychotic Depression'?

Groeschel gave a eulogy at her funeral. Fr. Groeschel wrote (2), "This woman who had written so eloquently that suffering really did not exist spent the last two years of her life in the blackest psychotic depression I have ever witnessed.".

Do not believe in every spirit?

" Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are of God; for many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit which confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, and every spirit which does not confess Jesus is not of God. This is the spirit of anti- christ, of which you heard that it was coming, and now it is in the world already."

Is reading sacred scripture good for you?

Reading Sacred Scripture is nourishment for the soul, since the words have been inspired by the Holy Spirit. Taking the words of "the Course" into one's heart will lead to a slow spiritual death. It is a book to be avoided at all costs. Unfortunately celebrities such has John Denver have been taken in by the book and have spread its influence.

Is the course gnostic or agnostic?

The course is "Gnostic" in teaching and practice. The writings deny the reality of physical creation (4). The course acknowledges the need for a novice student to receive training in "the Course" by a teacher that has already received some enlightenment by studying "the Course." A separate teacher's guide forms part of "the Course." As with all "New Age" teachings, seminars are provided - for a fee - to help the individ- ual advance in spirituality.

A little background of how ACIM began

Dr. Helen Schucman the "Just Scribe" and Dr.

What is different about the Sparkly version?

Here is a video documentary of the "story of A Course in Miracles". It shares how ACIM was first published through the Foundation for Inner Peace (FIP).

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Overview

Associated works

Two works have been described as extensions of A Course in Miracles, Gary Renard's 2003 The Disappearance of the Universe and Marianne Williamson's A Return to Love published in 1992. The Disappearance of the Universe, published in 2003 by Fearless Books, was republished by Hay House in 2004. Publishers Weekly reported that Renard's examination of A Course in Miracles influenced his book.

Origins

A Course in Miracles was written as a collaborative venture between Schucman and William ("Bill") Thetford. In 1958, Schucman began her professional career at Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center in New York City as Thetford's research associate. In 1965, at a time when their weekly office meetings had become so contentious that they both dreaded them, Thetford suggested to Schucman that "[t]here must be another way". Schucman believed that this interaction acted as …

Reception

Since it went on sale in 1976, the text has been translated into 27 languages. The book is distributed globally, spawning a range of organized groups.
Wapnick said that "if the Bible were considered literally true, then (from a Biblical literalist's viewpoint) the Course would have to be viewed as demonically inspired". He also declared "I often taught in the context of the Bible, even though it is obvious to serious students of A Course in Mi…

See also

• Copyright on religious works

External links

• A Course in Miracles at Curlie
• Editions in public domain:
• Why A Course in Miracles Is Not Good For You, or Those You Love - An open letter from Matthew Remski, investigative journalist on spirituality & cult

Introduction

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The seminal event which led to the scribing and eventual publication of A Course in Miracles took place on a June afternoon in 1965 when Dr. William Thetford made his now famous and impassioned statement to Dr. Helen Schucman: “There must be another way!” Bill was specifically addressing the ongoing conflicts that he an…
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The Early Days: from “A Better Way” to “Please Take Notes”

  • The events leading up to Bill’s impassioned speech and Helen’s willingness to join him in finding the “better way” are recorded in Dr. Kenneth Wapnick’s biographical and historical account: Absence from Felicity: The Story of Helen Schucman and Her Scribing of A Course in Miracles.1 This account is important for understanding the origin, nature and purpose of the Course, as wel…
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Editing Considerations

  • At first, Helen and Bill had no thought of editing the material for publication at all. Only later, when they realized the Course material was to be shared with the public did they become concerned about such editing. And then it was only in the material now found in the first four or five chapters of the now 31-chapter Text that judgments had to be made about what material to include and h…
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Concerning The Hugh Lynn Cayce (HLC) Version: More About Editing

  • We will return later to a discussion of the copyright for A Course in Miracles and the litigation around it, but suffice it to say at this point that in 1999 certain parties associated with the defendant in that litigation visited the A.R.E. for the express purpose of obtaining an illicit copy of the HLC text volume. They managed to sneak the original out of the library and copy it, and then …
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Limitations of Language

  • Now, to return to matters of editing, copyright and publication: first, the raw urtext was a private, personal document. The need for editing the early scribing (what is now roughly the first four or five chapters of the Text) arose both from its personal nature as well as from Helen’s considerable difficulty in those early months, as indicated by Dr. Wapnick in the material …
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Second Edition

  • Finally, before we leave the subject of editing, there is the second edition of the Courseto consider. That edition was published in 1992 and is distinguished by its addition of a notational system for ease of reference and citation. The Errata pamphlet for the second edition begins with a summary of what was involved in this editing. We will quote much of it below, but it would be s…
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Copyrighting and Publishing

  • At the end of Absence Chapter 12, which discusses the editing of the Coursefor publication, Dr. Wapnick concludes: In his book Journey Without Distance: the Story Behind A Course in Miracles,8 Robert Skutch describes this meeting. We will paraphrase his account here. Initially, Helen, Bill, Judy and Bob thought that their job was to find a publisher for the Course, but they so…
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Conclusion

  • This concludes our history of the editing and publication of A Course in Miracles. We hope that it has given interested students of the Course a helpful overview of this little bit of history with some explanations about the copyright and why the Course was published in the particular form that it takes, as well as why the urtext and HLC have not been officially published by us. It has been our…
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