A Course in Miracles, Combined Volume: Text, Workbook for Students, Manual for Teachers, 2nd Edition Paperback – January 1, 1992

I purchased this book for a class by a Certified "Unity" instructor, because I had heard so much about it from friends and was curious. We meet once a week and spend one and a half hours reading the text aloud to each other, and pausing to discuss it. I have been reading books in the theological field for 30 years, and this one stands miles above the rest.For those of you who follow the Bible in order to learn about the teachings of Christ, you will find this book to be way beyond the Bible in giving you the understanding of how it really works, and what you should be doing with your time on earth.Christ didn't write the New Testament, or even the Gospels. His friends and supporters did, and often the writing was done long, long after the Resurrection, maybe decades later. So you get what people remembered he said, or what they thought he said. Also, it was written in Ancient Greek, and Hebrew, not even in his native language. And so it has been translated over the years, and the translations are only as good as the knowledge of the ancient languages. Problem is, there are words and concepts in the original writings, for which there is no comparable translation in Modern English. The translators have had to substitute a word or concept that is "similar". Just try to read some the earliest English translations of the Bible, predating the King James Version. It will be obvious that the English language itself has changes immensely over the centuries. So, it is obvious that some of the teachings ascribed to Christ have become subtly modified over the years, and some of them greatly altered.Also, much of his supposed quotations in the New Testament are parables, subject to layers of interpretation, and therefore confusion, especially by those who feel the strict need to read the Bible literally.The difference in this book is that Christ is the one who did the writing. How this was done is explained in the important Preface of the book. Here Christ has written directly in ModernEnglish, using the appropriate language to convey the crucial concepts. In this book, Christ does not use parables. If the Biblical ones are referred to, they are explained in Modern English so as to remove the confusion, and resulting erroneous thinking.There will be those who do not buy the concept that Christ has written this book for us to learn from. Your choice. All I know is that this book makes so much sense that I have stopped accepting the Bible as the superior written authority, and have little time now for those churches that are trying to teach their confusion and the misinterpretation as if it were "Gospel".This lessons and teachings in this book are dense and intense, and probably mind boggling. They are also Truth. It turns out that Truth is a lot different than we think it is. This is not a book for the dabbler or the faint of heart.

The media could not be loaded. This edition is in perfect shape. I love the hard back. Shipping was very fast. Item is as described.

A Course in Miracles has been my source of inspiration for twenty years. I owe my interest in it to a friend in SF who must have noticed that I needed a lot of help. I am very grateful for Bob's kindness. The words of this book have worked wonders for my heart. As far as I am concerned, the course is the definitive text on healing. i use the principles in my therapy practice and they work flawlessly. Some may not realize that the course has spawned many self-help books over the past 30 years, beginning with Jampolsky's "Love is letting go of fear" and including Williamson's "A return to love."This little book is my very best friend. Although I have a nice collection of great books from around the world, written throughout the ages, the course is my favorite and the only one i read on an ongoing basis. Perhaps it owns my heart because it was written with a soothing, lyrical rhythm. Perhaps I like it because it was written in English so that I could better understand and trust it (I have noticed that translators can unintentionally mistranslate). Perhaps it is because it is straightforward, demystifies, is poetic and lovingly supportive all at the same time.If there is only one concept you learn from this book, you will be light years ahead. "Is it love or is it fear?" This is the most important question to ask of all thought and feelings. Love or fear? That is the litmus test. If you feel fear, breathe into it and it will melt away; after all, the word "spirit" means breath and it is well known that spirit/love is the healer. If you feel love, enjoy it, treasure it.Some people think the course is overly complicated but the fact is that the course is very, very simple. Its message is clear. It repeats over and over concepts we need to internalize: "Love one another," "Judge not," "Forgive," "You are spirit," "Perfect love casts our all fear," and other simple facts that make all the difference in the quality of life. And it repeats its message until it is in our bones.The course supports our movement toward love. Its scope is universal. A Buddhist will hear Buddha's voice in it; a Christian will hear Christ, a Taoist will hear Lao Tsu, and I see someone heard Socrates. Sometimes people need to learn the language of the course, becasue it uses some words differently than conventional religions, but it is worth going beyond the terminology. Its value is too great to allow language to stand in the way.Read it with an open mind and heart and you will regain your trust and faith in 1) your own path, whatever that is, 2) in your own purity and 3) the goodness of life.I always suggest people begin with Chapter 18... it is so lovely.