Lend Me Your Minds - A Course In Miracles Original Edition

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Special Extended Issue
To accommodate all the related
articles and emails we have
extended our regular 12 page
publication to 16 pages for this
important issue.
June 2011
NNNNNNNN
Volume 25, Issue 4
Miracles Are Our Function
Lend Me Your Minds
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by Rev. Tony Ponticello
riends, Romans, countrymen, lend
about a side theme in the article which was Doug Thompson’s criticism,
at times quite harsh, against just about all the printed editions of A Course
me your ears ...” (Julius Caesar 2.3)
In
Miracles with the exception of his own, the ACIM Urtext Manuscripts,
Ah. A perfect iambic pentameter
although this is only strongly implied and never said directly. The bigline.** Of course, William Shakespeare wrote
gest target for Mr. Thompson’s criticism was the ACIM Original Edition
it. “Friends, teachers, Course students, lend
published by the Course In Miracles Society (CIMS).
me your minds.” Notwithstanding William
Okay, let’s examine a premise, did Doug Thompson harshly criticize
the Original Edition? He called it “utterly incompetent,” a “travesty,” and
Shakespeare and the Beatles (“Lend me your ears
a “catastrophe.” He also directly implied that the publishers, “didn’t really
and I’ll sing you a song and I’ll try not to sing
understand the material they were modifying.” Later in the article Mr.
out of key.” – A Little Help from My Friends)
Thompson implies that the Original Edition is “unbelievably bad and
I am asking all of you A Course In Miracles
amateurish and incumbent.” He also says that the Original Edition is
students to lend me your minds. Will you
“totally falsely advertised.” Yes. I would call all of this harsh
read along? Will you follow my thoughts?
criticism. However, is that a problem? It’s only a problem
if we see it as such. Why is harsh criticism a problem?
Will you understand and integrate them?
Several challenged me, Rev. Tony Ponticello, because
Interesting questions, especially if you
I
am
the editor of Miracles Monthly and in charge of
read the article in Miracles Monthly
what appears in it. I was asked, “Why did you publish
Volume 25, Issue 1 “Books Are
this article?” Why? Because it was a thought provokNever Going to Save the World.”
ing, wonderful article, well written by a noteworthy
(March 2011)
and important person in the A Course In Miracles
“F
The author of the article, Doug
Thompson, makes a very cogent argument that a vast majority of people
don’t read much, and even when
they do, they don’t have the
training and the mental acuity to follow and understand
what they are reading. How
many of you will actually read
this entire article? And of those who do, how many will
understand what I am trying to communicate? Perhaps
you will consider this a challenge worth accepting.
The Doug Thompson article elicited a large amount
of comments, and many of them were negative. The
negative comments were never about Mr. Thompson’s
main premises: most people don’t read, and of those
who do only a very few understand much of what they
read. If this is true, as Mr. Thompson firmly believes
it is, then the healing accomplishments of A Course In
Miracles will come through our actions and relationships
rather than people’s engagement with the written words
in the Course book. The negative comments were all
community. This person, Mr. Thompson, wasn’t
shy about expressing his opinion. To that I say,
“Bravo!” I’m rather tired of us all trying to
be so “spiritually sweet.” I find our greater
Course community’s tendency towards affectations of “spiritual correctness” usually
phony and, personally, rather disgusting.
Let’s give Mr. Thompson his due. He put
it right out there.
Now, just because this article appeared in Miracles Monthly does not
mean I, Rev. Tony Ponticello the editor of Miracles Monthly, in any way,
shape, or form agreed with Mr. Thompson about his opinion of the A Course
In Miracles Original Edition. It also does not mean that the Community
Miracles Center endorsed Mr. Thompson’s opinions of the Original
Edition. Every issue of Miracles Monthly has a very important statement
on page two. “The views and opinions expressed in this publication are
those of the authors. They do no necessarily represent an ‘official’ position
of the Community Miracles Center.” And – as Mr. Thompson eloquently
pointed out – few people read and only a small percentage of those who do
read understand what they have read. Apparently not that many have read
our “Editorial Credits” statement on page two (even though it’s bordered by
continued on page 3
2
MIRACLES
June 2011
MONTHLY
+++++++ Email To The Editor
Rev. Tony & the CMC,
I’d like to make some comments about
Doug Thompson’s article “Books Are
Never Going to Save the World” that appeared in the March 2011 issue of Miracles
Monthly. Doug had sent me an advance
copy of an early draft of the article, and as
with the initial draft that he sent to me,
I thought there were some excellent and
very thought-provoking ideas. The idea
that we are significantly less literate than
we were before radio hadn’t really occurred
to me. And certainly in the long run our
love expressed in relationship with others
has to be a key factor in everything.
But I think there are three major
points that I would add. First is the extreme importance of having competent
intermediaries – people who have learned
the material well and can express it in
words to others so they can understand it.
Second is that our educational system in
the U.S.A. is unsatisfactory and we need
to work to make it better. Yes the decline
in literacy is partly due to radio, TV, computers, and cell phones, but it
is also partly due to the educational system. Third and most important
to me is this: I believe that all serious A Course In Miracles students must
actually read the Course for themselves and understand it for themselves.
And if they start off from a position where they aren’t comfortable reading
and aren’t adept at reading, then the solution is not that they let someone
else explain it to them, but that they improve their reading skills.
One thing I always tell people when discussing the Bible or A Course
In Miracles goes like this: “My opinion is [explanation of opinion]. ‘So
and so’ has a different opinion that goes like this [explanation of opinion].
Now here’s why I think I’m right and ‘so and so’ is wrong. And it’s good
for you [my listener] to hear and consider both points of view. But there
is no way that you can ever know which one of us, if either, is giving you
the accurate representation of ACIM [or the Bible] unless you read it for
yourself. So you have to look at hearing the opinions of all would-be
teachers, including myself, as nothing but some of your early steps, and
you have to always keep in mind that actually reading the book, carefully,
cover to cover, multiple times, is the only way that you will ever know what
it says.” And along those lines I’ll mention that one of the things that I
appreciate about the Community Miracles Center is that your classes are
classes that actually read the book.
++++++ +
Back to Doug’s article. Basically
I thought it was a good article and
well-edited. However, I do have a very
significant problem with it. Doug has
been criticizing the A Course In Miracles
Original Edition for quite some time. I
first saw his criticisms in an appendix,
or in the front matter, of his the ACIM
Urtext Manuscripts. I told Tom Whitmore
at the time, and I still believe, that his
statements require a response, and that
the appropriate place for such a response
would be in front matter or appendices of
the next printing of the Original Edition.
The next time that I saw Doug’s criticisms
of the Original Edition was in the Miracles
Monthly article “Question, Response, and
Response” from June 2009. I didn’t see fit
to weigh in then because Tom was part
of that discussion.
In the recent article Doug fires a pretty
huge blast at the Original Edition while
at the same time claiming the status of
scholar and academician and implying
that there isn’t a significant community
of scholars of A Course In Miracles. I think that it is
continued on page 6
EDITORIAL CREDITS
Editor: Rev. Tony Ponticello
The original 1975 copyright of A Course In Miracles
is now null and void. The original ACIM is therefore
in the public domain and can be used freely. Certain
other small sections included in the book we call
A Course In Miracles were added to subsequent
editions and are covered by different copyrights by
the Foundation for A Course In Miracles in Temecula,
CA 1992, 1996. For information about what is
covered and what is not, contact us, Community
Miracles Center and the copyright holder.
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
The views and opinions expressed in this publication
are those of the authors. They do not necessarily
represent an “official” position of the Community
Miracles Center.
Miracles Monthly
Volume 25, Issue 4 — June 2011
Published monthly by the Community Miracles Center
2269 Market, S.F., CA 94114
(415)621-2556 / [email protected]
Board of Directors • Rev. Tony Ponticello • Rev. Vincent Fuqua
• Rev. Dusa Althea Rammessirsingh • Rev. Adrienne Bermingham
• Rev. Peter Graham
• Rev. Marci Benson
• Rev. Tedosio Samora
• Rev. Rita Weikal
• Bart Bacon
• Charles Mawson
• Rev. Rudy Colombini
Vol. 25 No. 4
MIRACLES
2010 Income & Expenses
Jan. thru Dec. - Full Year
Income
Donations
Supporting Members
56,845.07
Other Donations
4,223.31
Donations
Total $61,068.38
Books and Products
E-Mail Orders
9,086.91
Mail & FAX Order
3,498.74
Wholesale Sales
1,232.64
Bookstore in S.F.
780.78
Books and Products
Total $14,599.07
Classes and Events
2011 Conference
71,010.99
Classes, ACIM
2,886.50
Events
320.00
Classes and Events
Total $74,217.49
Other Income
Center Rental
11,070.00
Shipping Income
2,525.26
Subscriptions MM
1,060.00
Advertising
1,152.00
Misc. Income
129.71
Other Income
Total $15,936.97
Income Grand Total$165,821.91
Expenses
Teacher/Minister Comp.
Rev. Tony Ponticello
13,486.00
Employees
14,340.98
Vincent Fuqua
245.00
Payroll Taxes
3,467.81
Benefits / Insurance 10,671.00
Teacher/Min. Comp.
Total $42,210.79
Fixed Expenses
Rent Paid
24,150.00
Utilities
5,543.02
Credit Trans. Fees
6,268.60
Insurance
1,600.00
Licenses and Fees
1,778.40
Depreciation
1,381.49
On-Line
1,102.98
Fixed Expenses
Total $41,824.46
General Expenses
Printer/Copier Lease
6,095.09
Conference 2011
56,987.59
Purchases - Books
6,075.31
Supplies & Services
5,556.05
Postage
3,508.61
Royalties
578.13
Promotional Expense
258.00
Car Expenses
2,401.67
Expense - Misc.
249.85
General Expenses
Total $81,710.30
Expenses Grand Total$165,745.55
Income Remaining
$76.36
3
MONTHLY
. . . continued from page 1
Lend Me Your Minds
a bright red box and appears in every issue!), and of those who have read it
even fewer understood that it meant. Mr. Thompson’s opinions were his
own and didn’t necessarily reflect mine (the editor) nor did they represent
any official position of the Community Miracles Center.
Miracles Monthly has always been a publication that published a vast
diversity a views, sometimes very strong views. You never know what you
might read in Miracles Monthly. (Yea!) We have tried to take the high,
balanced road in every controversy in the A Course In Miracles movement.
Those who have read our publication will know this from how we extensively covered the copyright controversy and the controversy over Gary
Renard’s books, The Disappearance of the Universe and Your Immortal
Reality. Also, we have always favored thought provoking, interesting articles
that did present strong challenging views. We have never been an advocate
of banal, boring, “spiritually correct” pieces that appeal to the absolutely
lowest common denominator of A Course In Miracles students (... snooze).
Why did we publish “Books Are Never Going To Save The World?” It’s
just the kind of article we’ve always published!
I, Rev. Tony Ponticello, teach A Course In Miracles classes through the
Community Miracles Center. I use the Original Edition in all the classes
that I teach. I lecture frequently about ACIM. I always quote from the
Original Edition when I lecture. I write about ACIM. I always quote from
the Original Edition when I write about ACIM. This means that I think that
the Original Edition currently is the best ACIM edition readily available to
ACIM students. This should be obvious. (Isn’t it obvious?) Do I think the
Original Edition is perfect? “No.” I think it’s the best practical alternative
we currently have. Taking even this position has been a risk. Many, many
more people still use the Foundation for Inner Peace edition. I would have
a greater possible student base if I used the FIP edition, no question. I
know teachers who still use the FIP version even though they believe the
Original Edition to be better for just this reason of having a larger base of
perspective students. However, I don’t use the FIP edition. That edition
is not acceptable to me anymore. There is, in my opinion, a better, readily
available book. That book is the Original Edition. Did you all read that?
Did you understand it? Maybe you should read this paragraph again.
Doug Thompson has produced, with the help of Miracles In Action Press,
a very, very impressive edition of A Course In Miracles. It’s named ACIM
Urtext Manuscripts. When I say “impressive” I mean it. I am positively
impressed, almost incredulously so. (I said “almost.” Don’t skip that word.)
It is a scholarly work that shows an incredible amount of time and effort
spent. It demonstrates an amazing high standard. I am so glad it exits in
the world. I am happy students can buy it and study it. The Community
Miracles Center sells it. It sells well. Only someone like Doug Thompson
could have produced this. It surely is/was his special function, a role for
him alone. Before people criticize Doug Thompson and his opinions they
should really take a good long look at ACIM Urtext Manuscripts. Every
time I do one word comes to my mind, “Wow!”
However I will most likely never teach from it. “Why?” Several
reasons.
1) The Urtext itself is the mostly unedited typing by William Thetford
from Helen Schucman’s reading of her Shorthand Notes. If you read the
Urtext, it seems obvious (it seems obvious to me) that this was a first, quick,
rough draft. It was never meant to be published. It was a wonderful effort
on the part of Ms. Schucman and Mr. Thetford to get the material down
on paper. I am making a “wonderful effort” (it just turned midnight) to
get this article typed into my computer. I am typing relatively fast. (At
continued on page 4
4
MIRACLES
. . . continued from page 3
Lend Me Your Minds
least for me. I never was a very good typist). I know I will have to reread
what I am typing now many, many times more to get it “right.” (And of
course you all know by “right” I mean exactly what Holy Spirit wants me to
write!) I do not believe the Urtext was ever meant to be the book that the
vast majority of A Course In Miracles students would read and study. It’s
rough. Bill was typing as fast as he could. There is substantial personal
material in it that has very little relevance to others besides Ms. Schucman
and Mr. Thetford. They only had a little time each morning. They had
professional, income earning work they had to do.
2) The A Course In Miracles Urtext Manuscripts is published in a very
odd format that does not lend itself to accustomed, average, reading and
study habits. An 8.5 inch by 11 inch book is not the norm and not what
people like to hold in their hands and carry around. Sorry. It’s just not.
CIMS first published the material in the Original Edition as the Jesus’
Course In Miracles (JCIM). That was also in 8.5 inch by 11 inch format.
It was very difficult to hold in your hands and even harder to read. The
line on the page was so long the eyes had trouble following it and my eyes
would frequently loose line focus in the middle of the page. As mind opening as JCIM was to the A Course In Miracles students who first saw it in
2000, this format would never be the format large numbers of A Course
In Miracles students would gravitate to. CIMS learned that, and when
they published again they put the book in a standard 6.25 inch by 9.25
inch format. Good move! Miracles In Action Press, it doesn’t matter how
wonderful your content is, this 8.5 inch by 11 inch format is primarily
going to appeal to the scholar, not the average ACIM student.
3) The type size is very small (tiny) in the Urtext Manuscripts making it
very hard to read. It’s much smaller than what you are reading in Miracles
Monthly right now. The thoughts in A Course In Miracles are difficult enough
for students to handle. If they have to strain to read the words themselves
there’s no energy left to strain the mind to grasp the thoughts.
If Doug Thompson and Doug Monkton, Mr. Thompson’s partner in
Miracles In Action Press, want a real shot at making A Course In Miracles
Urtext Manuscripts a viable, realistic alternative for “average” ACIM students they are going to have to put the book in a standard format. As it is,
it looks like a scholarly, academic, reference book. With all of it’s footnotes
and appendices it reads like a scholarly, academic, reference book. Doug
Thompson describes himself as a scholarly academician. Let’s remember the
famous “duck test.” “If it looks like a duck, swims like a duck, and quacks
like a duck, then it’s probably is a duck.” If it looks like an academic, reference book, reads like and academic, reference book, and was written and
complied by an academic, reference scholar then it’s probably and academic,
scholarly, reference version of ACIM. It’s not a book that average students
and teachers are going to use. I’m not going to use no matter how often I
open it up and think, “Wow.”
Healing Bodywork
26 years of full time
professional experience.
% (415)739-0938
Dusa Althea
Rammessirsingh B.A., C.M.T.
[email protected]
June 2011
MONTHLY
Doug Thompson writes that there are about 7000
errors in the Original Edition. Are there? It depends on
how one defines “errors.” If you define them how Doug
Thompson defines them then “Yes,” there are most likely
about 7,000 errors. Doug Thompson defines “errors” as
anything that deviates in any way from the way it was
typed in the Hugh Lynn Cayce (HLC) edition which the
Text of the Original Edition is based on. The HLC was
the earlier version found in the Association of Research
and Enlightenment library. This was the version Ken
Wapnick and Helen Schucman later edited to produce
the first standard A Course In Miracles books published
by the Foundation for Inner Peace in 1976. However, a
vast majority of the alleged “errors” are comma changes,
the change from all capitals as the means of emphasis to
italics, and an actual disturbing amount of capitalization/italics word emphasis changes. There are also many
changes in the first letter capitalization of words, but Bill
and Helen’s rough draft, the Urtext, was inconsistent
about these and the HLC was only a little better. The
commas in the HLC are not standard and in no way
reflect current rules of style. Plus comma usage was not
consistent even throughout the HLC.
I think CIMS made a wise decision to change the
commas and align the Original Edition with a current,
professional standard of style (the *Chicago Manual of
Style*). If they had not, the Original Edition would read
as poorly edited, unsophisticated, and unprofessional. Yes,
these decisions make it different from the HLC version
from which the Text of the Original Edition is largely
derived, yet I would not call these “errors.” I feel that
these were the right decisions to make and I am happy
CIMS went in this direction instead of thinking that
the right thing to do was keep it exactly the same as the
HLC. And ... there still are quite a few true errors in the
first printing of the Original Edition. There are more
errors than I feel comfortable with. Doug Thompson is
basically right, the Original Edition probably could have
been better edited, proof read, and corrected. And ... a
lot of people say that about my writing too!
Of course I’m not writing the words of Jesus that I hear
in my mind. (Or maybe I am. It is a voice in my mind after
all.) Who can say they know what was truly happening
in Ms. Schucman’s mind and ears. It’s all conjecture and
strongly held convictions. People want to be right about
how they conceptualize the “dictation” process and they
fight hard to defend their interpretation of it. I say we will
never know. What we know is that there is a book with
profound and complex ideas. Let’s spend our time trying
to figure of what the book says and then implementing
these ideas into our minds. That will keep us very busy.
Trying to define the process that went on with Helen
Schucman is a problem set up as incapable of solution.
“Ideational preoccupations with problems set up to be
incapable of solution are also favorite ego devices for
impeding the strong-willed from making real learning
progress.” (Tx.Or.Ed.4.77) I forgive CIMS for not proof
reading the first printing closely enough and not being
perfect editors because I want to forgive myself. There is
continued on page 7
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. . . continued from page 2
Emails to the Editor
essential that someone address his accusations for the benefit of readers of
the Original Edition. If we just let his statement of “over 7000 errors” pass
without challenge, then many students will be discouraged, depressed, and
confused. I have the source document that Doug used to come up with his
number of errors. I suspect that you also have it. In “Question, Response,
and Response” Doug tells us where to see it. Quoting from QRAR:
“For the comparison of the Original Edition with the actual Hugh
Lynn Cayce manuscript showing all 7,971 differences: <http://www.
miraclesinactionpress.com/Doug Thompsonhomp74/2007/REVIEW/
OE-T_v_source.pdf>”
When you look at the “seven thousand new errors,” what you see is that
the overwhelming majority of them are changes in punctuation, changes in
capitalization, and changing the format for emphasis from all capitals (the
only thing possible on a 1960s typewriter) to italics. So that means that
actual errors are very few, and Course In Miracles Society (CIMS), with help
from our group at the Community Miracles Center’s On Line Discussion
Group, is working on correcting remaining errors. And I suspect that CIMS
has already studied Doug’s source document for substantial errors and corrected the ones that they considered were, in fact, errors. I understand the
arguments in favor of not changing Helen’s and Bill’s punctuation marks,
and I understand the arguments in favor of changing them. I understand
that there are merits to each point of view, but in the final analysis I think
that CIMS made the only possible choice in changing the punctuation.
That doesn’t mean that all of the changes were right, just that the decision
to make changes was right. So what you are left with is that the number
of errors that actually remain may easily be, instead of “seven thousand,”
a number that you could count without using all of your fingers and toes.
And even those are in the process of being corrected. The real bottom line
is that CIMS has undertaken to convert manuscripts that were typewritten in the 1960s and 1970s to a book that is published some four decades
later. In the process they made some clerical errors, and they also made
deliberate decisions to make specific changes, including changes in format
and punctuation, and the actual number of those deliberate changes was
in the thousands. To identify and count the clerical errors makes sense to
me. But it doesn’t make sense to me to count up the deliberate changes,
and then add them to the count of clerical errors, and lump all of them
together into one large category and deride the entire effort by calling that
The Community Miracles
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June 2011
category “errors.” If you do it by accident, then yes, it’s
an error. If you do it on purpose, then calling it an error,
in the current context, is misleading.
Love – Bart Bacon – Kailua, HI
CMC,
When I opened my copy of the March 2011 edition
of Miracles Monthly and saw Doug Thompson’s latest
rant about what he perceives as inaccuracies in the A
Course In Miracles Original Edition, my mind went
back to June 2009, when Miracles Monthly published
my response to an earlier diatribe by Thompson on the
same subject. There really is no point in rehashing that
commentary. It is on the <www.miracles-course.org>
web site for any who wish to reread it. It suffices to say
that, in his quest for perfect adherence to the Hugh Lynn
Cayce (HLC) manuscript in each jot and tittle, Thompson
exalts form over substance.
Our goal in the year 2000 when we published the
Jesus’ Course In Miracles (JCIM) was to print a replica
of the HLC manuscript “warts and all,” that is to say,
with all misspellings, typographic errors and grammatical
errors intact, as nearly as could be done using the poor
quality, xerographic copy of the manuscript that was
then available. Recall that the Urtext manuscript did
not surface until some years later, so we did not have
the earlier manuscript to consult in order to fill in the
missing pieces of the sometimes illegible photocopy that
we were working from.
Ken Wapnick includes an entire chapter (Chapter
12) in Absence from Felicity to a discussion of the process he went through with Helen in editing the HLC
manuscript of the Course, the process that resulted in the
familiar Foundation for Inner Peace edition of A Course
In Miracles. He writes about Helen’s idiosyncratic use of
commas and her equally individualized use of capitalization in the HLC manuscript. Some of his observations
are relevant here:
• The paragraphing, punctuation, and capitalization,
which rarely had any bearing on the teaching itself, nonetheless became a major focus of our work, one obvious
reason being the distraction value they held for Helen.
(Absence From Felicity / Ken Wapnick p.351)
• More than one reader has commented on the Course’s
use of semicolons, which often were used in place of the
more proper colon. This too was Helen’s preference.
(Absence p.351)
• And as we began to go through the text, I discovered that Helen had two comma philosophies: excessive
and minimal. I cannot recall (denial sometimes serves
a merciful purpose) how often – when Helen would
suddenly decide on a comma-philosophy change well
on into the editing – I would have to go back to the
beginning of the manuscript to change the commas.
(Absence p.351)
• In the end, we arrived at a decision to over-comma,
in the hope that this would be of more help to a reader
already having to struggle with the difficulty of the Course’s
concepts, not to mention its often complicated sentence
continued on page 7
Vol. 25 No. 4
MIRACLES
. . . continued from page 6
MONTHLY
7
. . . continued from page 4
Emails to the Editor
Lend Me Your Minds
structure. I am not sure to this day how consistent we
were. (Absence p.351-352)
• Finally, there was the capitalization. One can see
an “evolution” in Helen’s style as one traces the Course
from its original dictation in the notebooks, through
Bill’s first typing and Helen’s subsequent retypings. The
process culminated in Helen’s feeling that every word even
remotely (a slight, but only slight, exaggeration on my
part) associated with God should be capitalized, including
pronouns and relative pronouns. (Absence p.352)
• In the “Hugh Lynn Version,” the one we were
editing, Helen’s capitalization was quite inconsistent.
(Absence p.352)
It is Dr. Wapnick’s conclusion that he draws after
relating Helen’s oddities as an editor that is most instructive. He writes:
• All in all, this part of the editing was a most valuable exercise in practicing the important principle from
a wonderful document linked to the Miracles In Action Press web site where
one can look at all the “errors” and changes in the Original Edition from
the HLC highlighted in different color codes. Go look yourself and make
your own judgment about the “errors.” <http://www.miraclesinactionpress.
com/dthomp74/2007/REVIEW/OE-T_v_source.pdf> Remember that this
is a comparison of the first printing of the Original Edition. Many of the
true errors were corrected in the second printing.
CIMS is constantly working to correct the remaining true errors. The
second printings (the black books with the pearls on the cover) are much
better books on many levels and I strongly encourage students who want
to read the Original Edition to get those books. I am currently, personally
involved with this continuing process of error identification and correction. I am impressed with the care, effort, and dedication that CIMS is
giving to making subsequent printings of the Original Edition even more
correct with fewer and fewer errors. I am also very impressed about the
transparency with which CIMS is doing this. The Community Miracles
Center has partnered (as in joined) with CIMS in this project. The CMC’s
A Course In Miracles web site contains an On-Line Discussion Group. One
of the discussion subgroups is dedicated to these correction suggestions
and evaluations. The correction “team” finds possible errors, posts them,
and makes suggestions. Other members of the team weigh in with their
opinions and all opinions are considered before a final decision is made.
The fact that it is a team who makes these decisions is important. Who
edited the FIP book over the years? Was it a team? Even more important
is that this process is open to the world to observe and possibly comment
on. Go to <http://www.miracles-course.org/cgi-bin/discus/discus.cgi> and
look for yourselves. Check out posts on the five different categories in the
“ACIM Original Edition Corrections Discussion.” Compare this process
with the process by which the previous, well accepted ACIM book was
edited and changed through the course of it’s history. In my mind, there’s
no comparison.
Doug Thompson ends with the statement, “The ‘ACIM Community’
is a shambles of chaos and confusion with large measures of deliberate
deception and fraud and false advertising – and significant numbers of
people laughing all the way to the bank.” I think Mr. Thompson is being
too cynical here and possibly speaking from a predisposition that financial
abundance and making money is not “spiritual.” I am not so negative about
the A Course In Miracles community. I find the community thoroughly
robust, healthy, and diverse. I see a majority of teachers and organizations
wanting to work together to reach more and more students with profound
thoughts and demonstrations of healing. I see lots of healthy joining in
the ACIM community. That’s why the big conferences that we do succeed. I surround myself with a different peer group than Mr. Thompson
does. Mr. Thompson appears to have done most of his scholarly work on
A Course In Miracles alone, not joining with others in the work. Perhaps
Mr. Thompson might consider reaching out and joining a larger ACIM
culture. He might find his own purview of ACIM students and teachers
severely shaken and forever altered. That could be his choice, however he
doesn’t really seem like a team player.
I read Doug Thompson’s article over again in order to write this piece. I
found it thoroughly engaging, thought provoking, and challenging all over
again. Those of you who are stuck on his harsh criticisms and entrenched
positions might be doing just what he is talking about. You might be reading something and not understanding it. Mr. Thompson’s main point, that
he makes a very wonderful argument for, is that A Course In Miracles will
never heal the world through the written word, but through us living its
continued on page 11
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you, too, could count
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Call : (415) 621-2556
continued on page 14
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Vol. 25 No. 3
MIRACLES
9
MONTHLY
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10
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MIRACLES
MONTHLY
June 2011
A Course In Miracles – Fdt. for Inner Peace / Fdt. for ACIM
A Course In Miracles – Softcover... FIP 3rd edition – now contains Psychotherapy & Song of Prayer . $30.00 $24.95
A Course In Miracles – Paperback... FIP 3rd edition – 5’’ by 8’’ with Psychotherapy & Song of Prayer . $20.00 $17.95
The Story Of ACIM (I & II) – DVD Movie ... 2.25 hour documentary how ACIM came to be & interviews$43.00 $34.00
Psychotherapy: Purpose, Process & Practice ... channeled by the same “Voice” redefines psychotherapy $6.00 $5.25
Song Of Prayer ... channeled by the same “Voice” as the Course, this leads us through the prayer process $6.00 $5.25
A Course in Miracles – Original Edition – Course In Miracles Society (CIMS)
➥Original Edition Gift Boxed Set 2nd Printing ... distictive black cloth hardcover, slip cover, pocket size $65.00 $57.00
➥ACIM Original Edition 2nd Printing ... More durable hardcover with corrections. Complete 3 volumes. $35.00 $29.95
➥ACIM Text 2nd Printing Pocket Edition ... Durable with corrections. From the version found at the ARE $12.95 $11.45
ACIM Workbook/Manual 2nd Printing Pocket Edition ... Original, complete 2nd printing from UrText . $14.95 $12.95
A Course in Miracles – Urtext Manuscripts – Miracles In Action Press
ACIM Urtext Manuscripts Complete Seven Volume Combined Edition ... read the 60,000 missing words $47.00 $38.95
The Scholar’s Toolbox ... DVD a library of primary source documents including Helen’s original notes . $20.00 $17.95
ACIM Hugh Lynn Cayce Manuscript ... extensively corrected edition, footnotes by Doug Thompson . $27.00 $22.95
Rev. Tony Ponticello
After Enlightenment ... 16 of Rev. Tony’s humorous, thought provoking, enlightening articles NEW RELEASE$14.95
The Course Thought System (Set of Six) ... 6 assorted color plaques, summary of Course thought system $25.95 $21.95
The Course Thought System (Beige) ... laminated 8 1/2 by 11 plaque summary of Course thought system $4.95 $3.95
The Course Thought System (Rose) ... laminated 8 1/2 by 11 plaque summary of Course thought system. $4.95 $3.95
The Course Thought System (Blue) ... laminated 8 1/2 by 11 plaque summary of Course thought system. $4.95 $3.95
Jon Mundy
Awaken To Your Own Call, Exploring ACIM ... Jon’s overview of the Course: love & forgiveness
. $18.95 $15.95
Listening To Your Inner Guide ... Jon Mundy’s second book about how to hear the Holy Spirit’s Voice . $23.00 $16.95
The Ten Laws of Happiness ... Jon’s third, based on the Manual’s 10 characteristics of a Teacher of God. $13.99 $6.95
Missouri Mystic ... A biography of his spiritual quest, Course teaching, from Missouri to Manhattan . $19.99 $15.95
What is Mysticism? ... What is mysticism? Why is it compelling and why do we respond so deeply . $29.99 $22.95
➥Living ACIM – An Essential Guide to the Classic Text? ... an illumination of the central teachings.
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D. Patrick Miller
The Book Of Practical Faith ... a more practical way to deal with life than cynicism or toughness
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The Complete Story of the Course ... Subtitle: The History, People, and Controversies Behind ACIM . $15.95 $10.25
➥ Understanding ACIM ... the history, message, and legacy of a spiritual path, foreword by Iyanla Vanzant $15.95 $10.25
➥ The Way Of Forgiveness ... Subtitle: Letting Go, Easing Stress and Building Strength .
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. $12.95 $11.95
➥ Living With Miracles ... Subtitle: A Commn Sense Guide to ACIM. Guidance students who study ACIM $15.95 $11.45
Other Books
ACIM Study Guide ... Merry Lynn Noble, Ph.D., 52 week, one year companion to your study of ACIM . $35.00 $29.00
The Holy Spirit’s Interpretation Of The New Testament – Understanding Acceptance Regina D. Akers . $36.00 $22.95
The Lives Of Helen Schucman & William Thetford – Neal Vahle, well researched and interesting.
. $19.95 $16.95
➥ Letter To a Prisoner ... Joe Wolfe, Subtitle: From a career criminal to a seeker of truth. Mystical exper. 19.95 $16.95
Scott Kalechstein CDs & Books
The Eyes Of God ... Scott’s musical legacy matures. Soothing chants with chorus (CD) .
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. $20.00 $15.95
Midwives of the Light ... heartfelt songs of personal and planetary transformation (CD) .
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. $20.00 $15.95
Levitational Pull ... Scott’s latest takes his humorous side to new heights, wonderful (CD).
.
. $20.00 $15.95
Let There Be Light ... 2 CDs, the Mellow CD and the Upbeat CD, a compilation of early music (CD) . $40.00 $31.95
Love Songs ... 11 songs for the hearts awakening (CD) .
.
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.
.
.
.
. $20.00 $15.95
Maps For The New World ... Joy abounds! Whistle and sing while you work and awaken. 15 songs (CD) $20.00 $15.95
Something New ... Masterful collaboration, Scott’s vocals moving from: jazz, pop, samba and swing) . $20.00 $15.95
Putting The Pieces Together ... Fun, happy songs. Lyrics that playfully convey self-esteem for kids
. $20.00 $15.95
➥Teach Me How To Love ... Scott’s first book. Comes with a CD of 17 of his best songs. Funny & Inspired.$24.95 $19.95
Donna Marie Cary CDs
Wake-Up ... Donna’s first collection, powerful country sound with inspirational lyrics. Incudes title track $10.00 $8.95
Home Sweet Home ... Donna’s next collection, contains with more thought provoking and heartfelt lyrics $ 10.00 $8.95
Real Love ... a progression in Donna’s sound, richer arrangements expanding from the country sound . $15.00 $12.95
No Solid Ground ... Donna’s most mature sound, diverse songs designed to move, inspire and entertain. $15.00 $12.95
➥ Eye of a Hurricane ... Inspiration for walking the path of healing and awakening. First CD in 16 years . $20.00 $15.95
Vol. 25 No. 4
MIRACLES
. . . continued from page 7
Emails to the Editor
the Course of recognizing the distinction between form
and content; namely, that it is the purpose or meaning
that gives the form its importance, not the form in
itself. In this case, the content of love was expressed in
understanding that these minor manipulations of form
had no importance when placed next to the value of
joining with Helen. As the text itself says:
“Recognize what does not matter, and if your brothers ask you for something “outrageous,” do it because it
does not matter. Refuse, and your opposition establishes
that it does matter to you.” (T-12.III.4:1-2). (Absence
p.353)
Now, certainly Thompson has never expressed any
respect for Dr. Wapnick, but he would do well to listen
to a voice more temperate than his own just this one
time.
Doug has never shared his credentials with us, but
in his web site he makes the claim that he is a “trained
Biblical scholar” and elsewhere adds the accolades that
he enjoys the status of an “A Course in Miracles scholar”
Thorns or Lilies
Pat Coughlin-Mawson
Shall I give you thorns or lilies
What is my gift today
When my hands are empty
Not knowing what to say?
How can these varied feelings
Deep within my heart
Change with such direction
Knowing not their part
For what I think are flowers
May be thorns to you
When I forget to ask God first
What is mine to do
Then I can step aside a bit
And move into a place
Waiting for direction
Within a silent space
And in this blessed emptiness
He will set me free
So I can clearly make a choice
Which one shall it be
For what I offer to you
I offer to myself
And every word or judgement
I have also felt
For deep inside I’ve always known
There only is one choice
The softness of a lily
Given to One Voice!
11
MONTHLY
and an “academic.” The designations “scholar” and “academic” certainly
imply a degree of discipline and insight which is egregiously lacking in his
criticism of the Original Edition. The analysis document that Thompson
uses to support his outrageous claims was not prepared by Thompson
himself. Rather it was produced in February 2007 by Raphael Greene
operating under the “nom de plume” “Sonship Gift.” The analysis is a
simple machine document comparison, by which the computer compares
one document to another and highlights the differences between them. It is
posted on Thompson’s web site at http://www.miraclesinactionpress.com/
Doug Thompsonhomp74/2007/REVIEW/OE-T_v_source.pdf. Interested
persons are invited to view it there for themselves.
The machine analysis process is not evaluative. It does not reflect
whether a change is right or wrong. It merely highlights differences between
the two documents that it is comparing. Furthermore, the quality of the
comparison is wholly dependent upon the quality of the base document,
i.e., the document that is used to establish the standard of comparison. Is
the base document free from error?
It is to be noted that the Greene base document makes no such claim.
Rather, he states that the base document is a “near replica” of the HLC.
It is not a surprise that the Original Edition is not a replica of the HLC
manuscript. The differences between the Original Edition and the HLC
manuscript are not accidental. They are the result of specific editorial
judgments that were made in creating the Original Edition. There was
never an intent to create a replica of the HLC manuscript with the Original
Edition. Course in Miracles Society had already done that with JCIM. The
intent of the Original Edition, rather, was to remove the “warts” from the
JCIM and so create a book for use by students of A Course in Miracles for
general study purposes. The aim of the book is to reproduce as nearly as
possible the content of the transmission of A Course in Miracles from our
Brother, free of misspellings, errant punctuation, typographic errors and
other distractions from the book’s message of forgiveness and love.
Apart from Thompson’s misunderstanding of the editorial policy of
CIMS that produced the Original Edition, he makes no attempt to update
his “scholarly” analysis of the book. Greene’s computer comparison was
between Greene’s own “near replica” of the HLC manuscript and a reformatted replica of CIMS’ eBook rendition of the 2006 printing of the Original
Edition. The imperfections of the 2006 book have by and large been corrected, first in the 2009 “Pearl” book and additionally in the latest printings
of the Pocket Edition and the On-Line Edition. If Doug Thompson took a
moment to look at the current renditions, Thompson would find that his
criticisms of the Original Edition are hopelessly out of date. We hasten to
qualify the latter statement by adding that we understand that Thompson
will never concede the need in any version of A Course in Miracles to adopt
common practices for punctuation and capitalization.
Tom Whitmore, President CIMS – Omaha, NE
Hi Rev. Tony,
I tried to write a response to Doug’s criticism of the Original Edition
but it just won’t materialize. I think what Tom wrote is great. If I responded
I would be making Doug wrong and arguing and judging in response to
his “judging” and that’s a circle I don’t want to go in. People will believe
what they believe. Truth needs no defense.
I do know that Tom and everyone here at the Course In Miracles Society
(CIMS) has tried our very best to keep the material pure. Some of us in
CIMS agree with taking Helen’s commas out and some of us don’t and
that’s okay. We know that the issue is minor.
There is also the issue of CAPITALIZING or italicizing words that
Helen and Bill wanted to emphasize. What is probably most important is
that those words be emphasized in some way since that was the original
continued on page 12
12
MIRACLES
June 2011
MONTHLY
. . . continued from page 11
Emails to the Editor
intent and that’s what has been done.
There will always be egotistical wrangling such as this. The most important thing is to walk the Course. He asks that we be here so as to show that
we are not an ego and that’s a huge task. (lol) Trust is one of the attributes
of God’s Teachers and one of the Lessons is “I trust my brothers who are
one with me.” (Wk.Or.Ed.181) I am just praying for more trust: trust in
CIMS, trust in Doug, trust in our eventual journey Home.
Much Love To You Always – Reja-Joy Greene – Omaha, NE
Dear All of You,
I will start by kindly drawing your attention on the fact that the only
legal alternatives to the Foundation for A Course In Miracles’ (FACIM)
editions of the Course are those of:
i) The New Christian Church of Full Endeavor (NCCofFE) and
ii) Course In Miracles Society’s (CIMS) Original Edition
Each of these institutions fought courageously – with great drainage of
their scarce financial resources – against the cash loaded legal machinery of
Ken Wapnick & Co. Each one obtained the right to publish the Hugh Lynn
Cayce (HLC) (CIMS) and the 1975 editions of the Course (NCCofFE).
Those of you who followed the unending trial of Foundation for Inner
Peace (FIP) / FACIM vs. NCCofFE (1994-2004) will remember that in
November of 2003, Judge Sweet voided all the copyrights of FIP / FACIM.
But then, at the beginning of 2004, something never made public must
have happened (?) that made him recant most of his earlier decision, finally voiding the copyright on only the 1975 edition of the Course. And
NCCofFE, having run out of financial resources, did not appeal this second
flagrantly irregular judgment that left Ken Wapnick & Co. with most of
the important copyrights on the Course intact.**
Raphael Greene and Doug Thompson, both studious researchers of
the Course and each on his own (neither Tom nor I – from 2000 all the
way up to 2009 when Raphael Greene vanished – were able to convince
these two brilliant minds to work together instead of competing against each
other), started in 2000 to work on the existent differences between Ken
Wapnick’s 1976 Edition of the Course (1976 FIP / FACIM) and the HLC,
and then, when xeroxed copies of the incomplete Notes and of the Urtext
manuscripts were made anonymously public, they enlarged their analysis
and researches to include the progressive changes made from the original
Shorthand Notes, to the Urtext manuscripts, then to the HLC, and finally
to the FIP / FACIM.
In 2007, against all the well thought out recommendations given to
Doug Thompson by several persons seriously interested in the researches
and studies that were being performed on the newly discovered texts of
the Course (Tom and myself repeatedly pleaded unsuccessfully to him not to
publish), Doug Thompson, from his residency in Canada (which he believes
to be a legal sanctuary against any court action that FACIM could attempt
against him), authored the publication of the A Course In Miracles Urtext
Manuscripts, which were printed and distributed in the U.S. by Doug
Monkton’s publishing company Miracles In Action Press.
At this point, it seems so far so good, since FACIM has seemed to ignore
it. But the fact that so far FACIM has not taken legal actions to stop the
publication of the Urtext Manuscripts – which it never authorized – does
not mean that it has become legal. It is not, as far as the unfortunate and
questionable copyrights FACIM owns on most of the Course’s original
texts are concerned.
Therefore, the law abiding citizens among the U.S. students and teachers of the Course have only three legal publications of the Course between
which to choose: FACIM’s, NCCofFE or CIMS’ Original Edition.
Coming back to Doug Thompson, then, in trying to
make himself noticed as the researcher of the Course, and
also to obtain recognition for his the Urtext Manuscripts
(the sales of which were badly lagging), Doug Thompson –
under the pretense of defending the purity of the “Original
Texts” – started to attack Tom Whitmore personally and
also the CIMS’ publications: first JCIM, and later, the
Original Edition printing 1 and printing 2.
At this point it is well to remember that both Doug
Thompson and Raphael Greene were part of CIMS’ beginnings. They both abandoned CIMS basically because
Tom Whitmore would not give them the control of what
CIMS would publish. It was the classic fight between
researchers – who outdoing themselves – think to own
the absolute truth not only in their research but also in
other fields as, for instance, in managing an institution
for which generally they are totally unprepared.
The result of his obviously self-interested attacks has
been – fortunately, so far, on a minor scale – to discredit
the legal alternative publications of the Course and, therefore, to reinforce not only the FACIM’s editions of the
Course but also, Ken Wapnick’s own publications.
As an example, in the Spanish speaking community
of the Course, Ken Wapnick’s emissaries and disciples
have successfully discredited the attempts by independent
teachers (like myself) to make known not only CIMS’ and
NCCofFE’s publications of the Course (in English) but
also Doug Thompson’s the Urtext Manuscripts. Where
there are differences and seeming chaos, the students and
interested readers of the Course prefer the reliability of
FACIM’s and Ken Wapnick’s publications.
This was greatly reinforced by the relatively recent
publication of a soft cover edition of the Spanish Edition
of FACIM’s Course which having been printed by a
Colombian Publisher, has solidified in the public opinion
of the students, teachers, and readers of the Course in
Latin America, the status of Ken Wapnick as the teacher
of the Course and the only reliable guardian of the truly
authorized publication of the Course.
Coming back to Doug Thompson’s deeds and
seemingly misdeeds, it is clear in my mind that Ken
Wapnick & Co. has not attacked the authorship of the
Urtext Manuscripts by Doug Thompson, because by
his indiscriminate attacks against Tom Whitmore and
CIMS, Doug Thompson has been more effective in discrediting the legal alternative publications of the Course
than could have been done by a court action which, in
addition, would have been costly.
I have known Doug Thompson since early 2000,
when I commissioned him to go to Washington to try
to get a xeroxed copy of the copyrighted material of the
Course that was and is registered at the United States
Copyright Office.
I will not go into the details of all the tumultuous ups
and downs of my relationship with Doug Thompson over
the years in relation to the Course, during which I kept
giving him financial help in spite of the insulting answers
I did receive from him almost every time I would disagree
with his sometimes grandiose and deformed perspectives
continued on page 14
A
Course
In
Miracles
Sharon Sherrard
A Center For Inner
Peace
Marin County, CA
David Fishman &
Regina Dawn Akers
ACIM Gather
Hasting-On-Hudson, NY
April 26, 27, 28 - 2013
(Fri. afternoon to Sun. afternoon)
Rev. Tony Ponticello
ACIM International
Lake Delton, WI
MiraclesOne
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Mar. 1, 2011 to Aug. 31, 2011 - $399
Sep. 1, 2011 to Dec. 31, 2011 - $449
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Course In Miracles
Society – Omaha, NE
Rev. Myron Jones
& Rev. Larry Glenz
Rev. Shawn
Moninger
Pathways Of Light
Sanford, FL
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the gift of love and not the gift of fear.” (Tx.Or.Ed.20.2)
Donna Marie Cary
DavidPaul Doyle Mary Gerard Lenihan
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http://www.miracles-course.org/2013_conference.html
Earl Purdy
Cindy Lora-Renard Rev. Jerry Stefaniak
& Gary Renard
Tom Whitmore &
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Community Miracles
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San Francisco, CA
Joe Wolfe
Jon Mundy, Ph.D.
Miracles Magazine
Washingtonville, NY
Rev. Tony Senf
Unity Center of the
Heights
Unity Center for
Practical Spirituality Cleveland Heights, OH
Norwalk, CT
Conference price includes 4
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Rev. Jennifer Hadley David Hoffmeister
“This gathering of Miracle Workers
in Chicago will be a seminal
event in the A Course In Miracles
movement. It will be a huge game
changer. To be there will mean you
are a part of the future of the ACIM
movement.” — Rev. Tony Ponticello
When you enroll please choose
“Community Miracles Center” when
asked “Whose publicity inspired you
to enroll?”
14
MIRACLES
May 2011
MONTHLY
. . . continued from page 7
. . . continued from page 12
Lend Me Your Minds
Emails to the Editor
principles in relationship the best we can. Are we so blinded by our own
attachment to our sacred grievances that we focus only on a minor point
while missing the major thesis? Wasn’t this Doug Thompson’s primary
postulate after all – that we don’t understand and appreciate what we read?
Perhaps by having such a strong reaction against Mr. Thompson’s article
we are merely proving that the major point he was trying to make was
absolutely the truth. In this sense Mr. Thompson’s article couldn’t have
been any more successful.
I started this article by saying, “Friends, teachers, Course students, lend
me your minds.” So I ask you now – did you read this far? Did you keep your
minds open? Or did you shut your mind down the first time you read something from me that you didn’t agree with? If so, go read Doug Thompson’s
article again because that is exactly what he was talking about.
Doug – we’re ready for your next submission.
in relation to the work done, or projected to be done,
by others on the Course, including myself.
What are we to do at CIMS, given the legal obstacles we could face if we would publish an Original
Edition evolving towards the Urtext Manuscripts and
the Notes?
Personally I think that we could continue to do work
on this “evolving edition” based on the available original
texts, teach accordingly with the new findings and corrections, and wait for a legal opening to be able to publish
legally, from time to time, this “evolving” edition.
In the mean time, bear in mind that the more importance and audience we give to Doug Thompson’s
attacks and pontificating, the more we are helping to
affirm Ken Wapnick as the indisputable pontiff of the
Course. We also are disseminating a reasonable doubt
about the validity of the legal alternative publications of
the Course, starting with the Original Edition.
Finally, and perhaps you may think that this has
nothing to do with our subject, I have observed a
tendency of some serious teachers of God – now that
Unity is beginning to open its doors to the Course – to
train to become Unity Ministers or Registered Teachers
and then adding to their teaching of the Course some
courses on the Bible which, it is understandable, Unity
demands of them.
To my question to two of these teachers as to why
they had decided to study and pass the tests to become
either Ministers or Registered Teachers of the Unity
Church, they answered that they were looking for an
audience and a place where they could teach the Course
peacefully, away from the controversies that have plagued
the Course community.
When I further asked them how did they mix the
Course with the Bible, their answer was that they were
trying to find passages in the Bible that could be interpreted as reflecting some of the Course’s teachings. You
may remember, of course, that the late Chuck Anderson
(Editor’s note: called “Master Teacher” by many of his
students at NCCofFE) started in the early nineties that
modality of mixing the Course with the Bible in his courses
at Endeavor Academy (now the NCCofFE).
Yours in Christ – Armando Brons – Caracas,
Venezuela
**Iambic pentameter is a style and cadence of writing that predominated
in plays and sonnets especially during the period when Shakespeare’s plays
were written and performed ~1594 to 1634. Shakespeare wrote much of his
work in an iambic pentameter rhythm. This means two beats, the first soft,
the second stressed, and then this cadence is repeated five times, “ta Dum, ta
Dum, ta Dum, ta Dum, ta Dum.” I find it amusing that while many people
talk about *A Course In Miracles* being written in iambic pentameter very
few can tell you what iambic pentameter actually is. There’s another proof
of Mr. Thompson’s main point. Even correct iambic pentameter writing can
have individual line and passage variations. One line might be, “Dum ta, ta
Dum, ta Dum, ta Dum, ta Dum.” It might be “ta Dum, ta Dum, ta Dum, ta
Dum, ta Dum, Dum.” Because of these individual line and passage variations
it is impossible to know if something is truly 100% iambic pentameter or
not. Not everything written by Shakespeare is iambic pentameter. The same
is even more true about *A Course in Miracles*. Although there are long
passages in *ACIM* that are iambic pentameter there’s a lot of material in
*ACIM* that is not. In fact, I claim that a vast majority of *ACIM* is not
iambic pentameter at all. Mr. Thompson’s statement that “... *ACIM* as the
longest work in iambic pentameter poetry ever composed in any language” is
not a truly accurate statement in my opinion. Y
© copyright 2011, Rev. Tony Ponticello, San Francisco, CA.
No use without permission. All rights reserved.
Rev. Tony Ponticello
Community Miracles Center Minister / Counselor
A healing ministry based
on the teachings of
A Course In Miracles
Long distance phone or
web cam sessions
by prior arrangement.
(415)621-2556
1 to 1 sessions
$40 – $70 Sliding Scale
Credit Cards Accepted
**Editors Note: I, Rev. Tony, do not agree with Armando
that Ken Wapnick, FACIM / FIP retain “most of the important copyrights on the *Course*.” The primary, and,
by far, the most important copyright was declared null
and void. That was the one that copyrighted the entire
1976 first edition: *Text*, *Workbook*, and *Manual*.
There is no more important copyright than that. What this
leaves as still copyrighted is the *Clarification of Terms*,
the *Psychotherapy* and *The Song of Prayer* pamphlets,
the later small number of corrections put into the first
continued on page 15
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. . . continued from page 14
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they loose their enforceability. By not enforcing a copyright legal action
over the publishing of the *Urtext Manuscript* by Doug Thompson, Doug
Monkton, and Miracles In Action Press, FACIM /FIP might be consciously
letting go of all rights to bring up copyright law suits in the future. In short,
Mr. Wapnick might have already given the entirety of the *Course* materials back to the public domain. If so, Doug Thompson and Doug Monkton
might be the very individuals that *A Course In Miracles* students would
have to thank for the final release of all the material. Bold moves sometimes
produce significant effects. Y
edition which made it into the second edition, and the
Preface that appears in the front of all FIP books. The
Preface is not considered part of the channeled material by
most students so it is largely unimportant. It is extremely
unlikely that the corrections to the first edition could hold
up, in and of themselves, to any legal copyright challenge
© copyright 2011, Community Miracles Center, San Francisco, CA.
since an overwhelming amount of whatever *Course*
No use without permission. All rights reserved.
book was being published would be the
material officially released from copyright
These 77 people form the FINANCIAL backbone of the CMC – $3,746 / mo.
protection. As for the *Clarification of
Terms*, the *Psychotherapy* and *The •• Archangels ••
Sharon Randall
Christine Yoffe
Rev. Mo Benson
Rev. David Thornton
Rev. Alicia Albahae
Rev. Marci Benson
Song of Prayer* pamphlets, I believe they Rev. Tony Ponticello
Jane Peery
Dolores Pieper
Rev. Rudy Colombini
Liz Heller
still belong to FACIM at this time.
Georgann Fuller
Earl Purdy
Ilyas Iliya
John Nasstrom
There is a question about the *Urtext* Bart Bacon
Ginger Larson
Vivian Petrucci
Sharon Sherrard
Candace Rasmussen
Kim Wilson
Margaret Merrifield
because I believe there is a copyright on the Rev. Tedosio Samora
LINDA SNOW - new
Rev. Kriss Siler
SUSAN ENSEY -new
“unpublished works of Helen Schucman.” •• Guardian Angels••
GENE ROWE - new
Jerry Taber
This would include the *Urtext*. However, Rev. Dusa Althea Rammess. • Supporting Members •• Robert Lester
LAURALYNN NOBLEJAS
GREG MACIULSKI -new
Rose Mary Cheek
Joan Lorenz
remember the *Urtext* is mostly the words Rev. Deborah Blank
DANIEL TIPTON -new
Marilyn Grant
Rev. Peter Graham
Donna & Tom Burke
that have been released from copyright be- Rev. Geri Baskind
DIANNE SCHMUNK-new
Joan Goss
Kitty Rohrs
cause a majority is the *Text*, *Workbook*, Charles Mawson
ANN DREUX -new
William-Lee Harrigan
David Smith
PATRICIA MAWSON -ne
Richard Pope
Rev. Rita Weikal
and *Manual* that has been released. The Jordan Donovan
CHRISTINE MILLY - new
Antoinette Atanasoff
Rev. Joan Kral
*Urtext* does contain larger sections that •• Angels ••
ERICKA GUINAN - new
Rich LaSpesa
Kitty Vaughan
Rev. Judy Junghans
were not published in the first FIP edition Rev. Adrienne Bermingham Geoff Tischbein
Edwina Young
and the legal viability of a law suit success- Kirk McKusick/Eric Allman Mary Biancuzzo
Richie Nolan
Rev. Vincent Fuqua
Mary Tansey
fully being fought over only these words in Bertie Gilmore
Grace Nouel
Sal Dossani
Charles Hutchins
Paul Beavin
James Wordeman
relation to the whole book is not clear.
Jane Freeman
Arthur Ladds
One thing Armando doesn’t seem aware Luus van Leeuwen
of is that if copyrights are not defended
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“This gathering of Miracle Workers
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event in the A Course In Miracles
movement. It will be a huge game
changer. To be there will mean you
are a part of the future of the ACIM
movement.” — Rev. Tony Ponticello
Conference 2013 – Chicago, Illinois
A Gift of Lilies
April 26, 27, 28 - 2013
(Fri. afternoon to Sun. afternoon)
Conference price includes 4
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26 Presenters
3 Days
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Price continues to increase ...
“At the Door” price — $649