Jesus and the Authorship of “A Course in Miracles”
The controversy on the source of the Course
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Perhaps one of the most controversial topics about A Course in Miracles has to do with its authorship. Many of you may have noticed that an author is not identified on many versions of the Course. I do not believe this is by chance.
The Course was scribed between 1965-1972 by Dr. Helen Schucman, a professor of medical psychology at Columbia University. Throughout this period of time, Helen said that she heard an inner voice which led her to engage in the process of automatic writing, or the writing of text without consciously being aware of what was being written. Those writings would eventually be gathered, edited, and published as A Course in Miracles.
Helen recognized the voice she heard as that of Jesus. Most of the Course is written in first person, and there are clear passages which refer to the life of Jesus.
For many, attributing Jesus as the author of the Course may cause a sense of discomfort, disbelief, and perhaps outright rejection.
Certainly, this origin story for the Course extends beyond scope of the mundane and the everyday, “normal” experiences that most of us have. We consider (and perhaps rightly so) such a phenomena as reported by Helen with great suspicion. To be sure, the world is full of charlatans and those aim to convince that they possess special powers or an ability to foresee the future (often available to others at a financial cost).
Yet, when reflecting upon the Course and whether or not Jesus himself was the actual author, there are two points worth keeping in mind.
First is the matter of what the Course itself is actually emphasizing. Whether it was Jesus or Helen who authored the Course does not change, amend, or diminish the message, the meaning, and the kind of experience that the Course aims to promote. The Course is not about finding a guru, joining a particular religion, subscribing to a specific dogma, or becoming part of a new age movement.
Throughout the Course the repeated emphasis is upon the self, and a focus on the self and one’s thinking (and developing an awareness of how one thinks) in order to experience greater peace and harmony. It is about learning to be less reactive to external circumstances and situations and learning to be more intentional in the thoughts that we think.
Attention to the question of whether Jesus did or did not author the Course should not serve as a distraction from what the Course itself aims at: the dismantling of a loveless (or ego-centered) thought system for a love-centered thought system.
There is no emphasis on having to believe Jesus authored the Course or even in the metaphysics and ideas contained therein. The emphasis is on our thoughts, on grounding our thoughts in love, and on aligning our actions with our thoughts.
In the introduction to the workbook, it says:
Some of the ideas the workbook presents you will find hard to believe, and others may seem to be quite startling. This does not matter. You are merely asked to apply the ideas as you are directed to do. You are not asked to judge them at all. You are asked only to use them. It is their use that will give them meaning to you, and will show you that they are true.
Remember only this; you need not believe the ideas, you need not accept them, and you need not even welcome them. Some of them you may actively resist. None of this will matter, or decrease their efficacy. But do not allow yourself to make exceptions in applying the ideas the workbook contains, and whatever your reactions to the ideas may be, use them. Nothing more than that is required.
We are not called to blindly believe in anything. We are called to turn to our experiences and draw from our experiences as evidence for what we believe.
Second, the metaphysics of the Course emphasizes the difference between content and form. The content of the Course (i.e., its message) is one that has been communicated in many different ways in different cultures at various points in time. These core truths (i.e., the content) are the same regardless of how (i.e, the form) they are expressed. As such, the Course is one form among many.
It may be that, for Helen, the figure of Jesus and His voice was the form in which she was able to recognize the truths she heard. We can only understand (content) in a language (form) that we speak.
In the text, the first principle of miracles states,
There is no order of difficulty in miracles. One is not “harder” or “bigger” than another. They are all the same. All expressions of love are maximal.
The miracle of the authorship of A Course in Miracles is no different than the miracles all of us experience in our lives. The miracle of Helen hearing the voice of Jesus is not bigger, harder, or more blessed/sacred then the miracles we ourselves experience when we listen to our conscience, when God or the divine speaks or calls to us through our experiences, our loved ones, or even our challenges.
The birth of a baby is a miracle. The forgiveness of an old grievance is a miracle. The finding of peace in a difficult moment is a miracle. The healing of sickness is a miracle. The making of a new friend is a miracle. The giving of love to work one is tasked to do is a miracle. The acceptance of the present moment, however it may be, is a miracle.
The forms of these miracles are different. The content is always the same: love.
A commitment to believing that the historical Jesus communicated the Course to Helen is not a prerequisite to practicing the workbook or applying the ideas of the Course in one’s life. Similarly, a commitment to the idea that Helen heard an aspect of her unconscious and that she identified this aspect as Jesus is also not a prerequisite to being a student of the Course.
Ultimately, we can no more prove one perspective than the other. Peace can be found believing one, or the other, or neither, because the Course is not about proving anything. The Course is about experiencing love, light, and joy.
For those interested in the origins of the Course, there are a number of great resources available to explore this topic.
The Story of A Course in Miracles: The Forgotten Song is a film that documents the beginning of the Course.
Another great resource is the book, Absence from Felicity: The Story of Helen Schucman and the Scribing of A Course in Miracles by Kenneth Wapnick.
The version of the Course published by the Circle of Atonement contains a great deal of information about the Course and the process by which it came about.
The Foundation for Inner Peace also articles on the Course and its beginning.
What are your reflections on the topic of the Course’s authorship? Feel free to share your comments below! Make sure to share this post to your social media and subscribe to the newsletter.
Have a great week everyone.
Constant prayer and thankfulness
Not only does Jesus present his teaching through us through our writings but he works through us in our actions. Some are authors through words. Some through music. Some through actions. So yes He could be the author!!!!