As you may be aware, the Forgiveness First Initiative (FFI) conference, facilitated by the Worldwide Forgiveness Alliance (WFA - see www.forgivenessday.org ), scheduled to take place in Kamloops, BC, Canada on June 13-16 of this year, is primarily about consciously and deliberately choosing "forgiveness first" as a whole new way of life for human beings everywhere; specifically, human beings who are both willing and happy to make "the release of all grievances one's top priority."

In ACIM terms, that means nothing less than consciously choosing "God's plan for salvation" - forgiveness within the illusion of time and space - ahead of anything else within the illusion (the only illusion within the illusion, let us recall, that actually "works").

In short, the fundamental message of A Course in Miracles, as well as, we suggest, the compelling reason why such a document was brought into the world by Jesus at this particular time in human evolution.

The FFI intends that this message remain the primary purpose and focus of our teaching, learning, serving and healing event at our June 13-16 gathering in Kamloops, as well as much of what will precede the Kamloops event over the Internet, and most especially over our about-to-be-created "ACIM Discussion Forum" prior to the conference taking place.

Therefore, for the purposes of God's plan within the dream, it is, in our minds, of the utmost importance that we do whatever is possible to free ourselves of the prevailing encumbrances of the ACIM's long-standing copyright dispute. Because, not only does that bitter and very confusing dispute draw our ACIM community away from its primary purpose - supporting God's plan as the "only" plan that actually "works" in the world - it perpetuates ongoing separation between and among us in our own community, and, we submit, illustrates anything but an attractive and "practical" demonstration model of how forgiveness "works" in the world.

It also serves to undermine the Course's very teachings on the subject of forgiveness.

In short, if supposedly committed ACIM students and teachers can't "get their act together" as demonstration models of how forgiveness works in the world, who can?

Therefore, we would like to suggest, the time has now arrived to give the copyright issue our honest and undivided attention based on a whole new approach to it with a view to resolving this dispute in accordance with fundamental ACIM joining and healing principles.

Given especially, we submit, now that it is extremely unlikely that Judge Sweet in New York will be going ahead with the earlier announced trial date for the resolution of the copyright dispute between FACIM/FIP and Endeavor Church/Academy for May 6th, based on what his office told Val Scott over the phone last week about an overlapping of that date with an important criminal court case that Judge Sweet is currently presiding over which in all likelihood will go beyond the May 6th date; that the judge himself has made it abundantly clear to the litigants on several occasions that he doesn't want this dispute to be "settled" in his court; and also that he has chosen to circulate to the litigants FFI's proposal of April 8th asking for a postponement of any jury trial date until after the FFI's June 13-16 Choosing Forgiveness First gathering in Kamloops has had an opportunity to deal with this issue outside of a courtroom atmosphere, and among peers, and most especially in accordance with basic ACIM alignment and healing principles.

All this quite independent of Endeavor Academy's "smoking gun" revelations against Judy Skutch Whitson, who is being openly portrayed as "a liar and a perjurer" over the Internet, which, on the surface, at least, looks like the entire FIP/FACIM case could be unceremoniously thrown out of court entirely, and, at the same time, publicly humiliate Judy Skutch Whitson, the publisher of the Course and the president of the Foundation for Inner Peace, not to mention also Ken and Gloria Wapnick as well, in a particularly cruel and brutal way. All of which, of course, would also undermine further the Course's credibility and reputation in the world as a whole.

Which, we submit, no-one in his or her right mind would want to witness.

So here is what we would like to propose, with, if you would allow, two "middle-of-the-road institutions like the MDC and the CMC" playing a key and active role on behalf of the ACIM community as a whole.

What we would like to initiate, with or without the formal support of any existing ACIM organizations, is a worldwide discussion around the idea that perhaps it is now time for Ken and Gloria Wapnick to voluntarily and unconditionally relinquish their claim to the ACIM copyright entirely, and simply allow A Course in Miracles to find its own way in the world in much the same way as have the Bible and other spirit-inspired documents. And the process we are suggesting is a very simple, direct, and loving one: On a high priority basis, ask all ACIM students and teachers everywhere to take this matter directly to Jesus and/or the Holy Spirit - and then gently, openly, and lovingly share, in a whole variety of formal and informal ways, what may or may not come through them from Spirit (a process that would most certainly include the Wapnicks and the Skutch-Whitsons, of course; but not as any kind of "special interest" or as "authority figures" among us).

In short, an open, forgiving, and loving sharing of whatever comes forth after consultation with Jesus, the author of the Course, and/or the Holy Spirit TODAY, however that might play out for us right now, utilizing forgiveness principles as we have come to know them through our various exposures to ACIM or other spirit-based teachings over the years.

Meaning, a spiritual, as opposed to a worldly, exercise - for solely joining and healing purposes. Or miraculous purposes. And shared accordingly in a whole variety of undetermined ways.

More specifically, actually doing what our spiritual paths attempt to teach us to do. And nothing short of that.

We would like to stress again that what we are advocating here is a purely voluntary process - one that does not require any specific outcome immediately - one that even includes the possibility that the Wapnicks and Skutch-Whitsons might even remain unmoved - at least for a time - and, as a result, the copyright fight may transform itself into a "freedom of religion and worship" challenge under the terms of the First Amendment to the United States Constitution, backed by financial resources which the Wapnicks and the Skutch-Whitsons would have cause to pause about - as did, for instance, the Board of Directors of the Urantia Foundation, "when push came to shove," and most particularly at the financial level, resulting in the total loss to their long-standing copyright.

The exact same thing could, of course, easily happen within our ACIM community - if it came down to a legal or political solution of some kind.

However, we would not like to see this matter resolved on worldly terms at all; only on the basis of honest and true spiritual values. Meaning, putting healing values ahead of all else in our minds and our hearts - all as guided by God's plan for salvation.

So what we are asking of you at this moment is to seriously consider this approach: actively and systematically asking all members of the ACIM community to go within and find out whether or not their guidance tells them if it is now time to voluntarily and unconditionally relinquish the so-called Course copyright for the good of the world - and communicate accordingly in whatever ways that they may find themselves inspired to, from private conversations to discussion forums over the Internet - knowing that nothing less than miracles will result.

We look forward to your response.

In self-forgiveness and truth,


Val Scott and Noel McInnis
Founders and Co-Chairpersons
Forgiveness First Initiative