'Love' in "A Course in Miracles": An Inquiry into its Views on the Theory and Practice of Love

An illuminating examination of A Course in Miracles... This book offers a clear and penetrating explanation of the profound teachings claimed to have been given by Jesus to psychologist Helen Schucman as A Course In Miracles. It gives coherent and insightful clarifications of its crucially important topics, particularly its four meanings of 'love' as: absolute Love as the creative 'energy' present in God and all perfect minds, and the nature of what Love creates to produce a 'Universe of Love'; illusory love, as the distorted form of love that rules the lives of most people, based; primarily on the attachment to ego, which results in the experience of suffering, both physical and psychological, particularly as a part of special relationships; imperfect love, as the first stage of realizing genuine love, particularly the nature and role of miracles as a way of bringing complete inner and outer healing through total forgive-ness or letting go; perfect love, as the highest stage of love's realization possible for human beings, which centers on the experience of the holy instant and the maturing of special relationships into holy relationships. Especially illuminating is how the Course's teachings on absolute Love resolve one of traditional Christianity's (and Judaism's and Islam's) most serious logical problems: that although God is infinite and all-powerful Love, He created a universe in which evil, pain and suffering exist. The Course sees this as a serious misconception, based primarily on the inclination of ego-dominated minds to construct religious doctrines that preserve their ego-centeredness. It thus proposes a radically different view. The author brings a lifetime of experience to A Course in Miracles, using philosophical methods to examine and clarify its teachings, scrutinizing them to determine whether they are consistent and coherent, comparing them with other spiritual teachings. Whether you are new to A Course in Miracles or you have already integrated it into your spiritual path, this book is a uniquely valuable adjunct to understanding its teachings on love.