FAQ

 Q. What is A Course in Miracles?

Here is Kenneth Wapnick's description of A Course in Miracles, taken from Forgiveness and Jesus:

"The Course is a set of three books, channeled from Jesus, written down over a seven year period beginning in the mid-1960's. It consists of a text, which sets forth the concepts on which the Course's thought system is based. These ideas provide the theoretical framework for the workbook, a series of three hundred and sixty five lessons which are the practical application of the Course's principles. The manual for teachers, written in question and answer form, addresses some of the more likely questions a student might ask."

The Circle of Atonement Web page contains a more complete description of the material:

"A Course in Miracles is a set of three books, sold only as a set. The volumes may be separate but are usually bound into a single book. The Course was first published in 1976. The three volumes are titled Text, Workbook for Students, and Manual for Teachers.

"The Course as a whole sets forth a curriculum for mind-training. It emphasizes application rather than theory. Its Preface states, "Although Christian in statement, the Course deals with universal spiritual themes." It presents a carefully planned spiritual training program, intended to help us remember our true Identity as God's perfect creation, through the means of forgiveness practiced in our daily relationships. Some have called it a course in spiritual psychology, since the Course makes free use of many psychological concepts and terms such as denial, projection and dissociation.

"Volume I: Text (669 pages). The Text is largely theoretical, and presents the thought system on which the Course is based. It is meant to be read in the order given, as it presents a reasoned argument for the thoughts it sets forth.

"Volume II: Workbook for Students (488 pages). The Workbook includes 365 lessons, one for each day of the year, which are meant to be done no more than one per day, although you may want to spend more than just one day on some of the lessons. It provides the practical basis of the Course. The theoretical material of the Text is essential to make the Workbook lessons meaningful; but without the practice of the Workbook lessons, it is not possible to achieve the goals the Course sets forth.

"Volume III: Manual For Teachers (92 pages). This is the smallest volume. The Manual provides answers to several questions likely to arise to students of the Course. It also clarifies and defines some of the terms used in the Course. Its purpose is to provide help to those who, having completed the Text and the Workbook, wish to fulfill their function as teachers of God by sharing the Course's thought system of love with others.

"Not an Exclusive Path. The Course makes no claim to uniqueness; it refers to itself as one form of the universal course, and states, "There are many thousands of other forms, all with the same outcome" (Manual, 1.4:2). It does imply, however, that its serious students will concentrate on the Course, rather than mixing it with other paths.

"A Course in Mind Training. The Course calls itself a course in mind training. It is indeed that. One of its primary emphases is training you to think in an entirely different way. It teaches that we make our experience, even our world, by our thoughts, and that by changing our way of thinking we can change the world.

"As the Course states in the Introduction to the Text, The course does not aim at teaching the meaning of love, for that is beyond what can be taught. It does aim, however, at removing the blocks to the awareness of love's presence, which is your natural inheritance. "

 From The Circle of Atonement:

"The Course is one example of what has been called channelled material. Helen Schucman, who wrote down the Course, did not claim to be the author herself. She heard what she called a kind of inner dictation, and she felt impelled to write it down, even though at times she disagreed with it and resisted the process. The voice speaking through Helen Schucman clearly identifies himself as Jesus, and says he is speaking again to correct some misconceptions we have had about what he taught and what he did on earth. The Course itself states, however, that it is not necessary to accept Jesus as your teacher: 'It is possible to read his words and benefit from them without accepting him into your life' (Manual, Clarification of Terms, 5.6:6)."

As is suggested in the quotation above from the Circle of Atonement, A Course in Miracles itself contains numerous references and suggestions that the "voice" which spoke to Helen was indeed the voice of Jesus. One student has identified 193 references in the Course which are suggestive that the author is indeed Jesus. The most compelling of these references appears below.

Bill Thetford produced two carbon copies as he typed the original transcript, known as the "urtext". One of these he gave to an unnamed colleague at Columbia University. After the urtext was complete, Helen retyped it two times, removing material that was personal to her and Bill and inserting chapter and section breaks and titles. The result of the second retyping, completed in 1972, is sometimes referred to as the Hugh Lynn Cayce manuscript. Bill and Helen considered the work to be complete, and twelve copies copies were made of the manuscript, which contained all three books.

In the months following the completion of A Course in Miracles in 1972, at least four people were given unrestricted copies, including Cal Thatcher, who was a close friend of Helen, and a Catholic priest named Father Michael, who was a student of Bill at Columbia, and Hugh Lynn Cayce, son of psychic Edgar Cayce. Kenneth Wapnick also received one of these early transcripts of the material. Judith Skutch was not to receive her copy until 1975, after Kenneth Wapnick had completed his revisions to the text.

According to Miller,"Even before the Course was published as a book, thousands of people gained access to its message through photocopies, a modern complement to the 'word of mouth' by which ancient traditions were first disseminated."

In Journey Without Distance, Robert Skutch relates how, after receiving the manuscript from Helen Schucman, Judith Skutch provided the 1,500 page document to Jim Bolen, who made a photo copy. Despite the awkwardness of this method, Robert Skutch reports that "Jim's copy started to be reproduced. And those copies were then copied. And before long there were over a hundred people in the San Francisco area in possession of A Course in Miracles." Jerry Jampolsky apparently received one of these copies, as he states in Out of Darkness Into the Light.

Q.  Is the Course copyrighted?

The earliest distribution or "publication" of the Course transcript was evidently the several copies passed out by Bill Thetford and Helen Schucman in 1972. Later, after the original 1972 Hugh Lynn Cayce manuscript had undergone revision by Kenneth Wapnick, Judith Skutch received her copy from Bill's own hand, who said simply, "here you are; fifteen hundred pages. A Course in Miracles." when she asked whether the "confidentiality" of their meeting meant that she was not to show the Course to any of her friends, Bill replied, "No. We're sure the Course is not meant to be kept hidden. It's just that we don't want our names connected with it." Helen, who was also present at the time, added that it would be "Awkward" trying to explain to colleagues how it had come about. Ten days later, Judith was on a plane for San Francisco to begin the redistribution of the transcript through Jim Bolen and others as described above.

These copies were distributed in May-June 1975. Importantly, these copies were distributed freely, without restriction and without any copyright notice. It was not until the Criswell edition was later published, in October 1975, that the copyright notice was belatedly added. Under the copyright law as it existed in 1975, if publication occurred by such distribution of copies without the statutory "copyright" notice, the right to secure copyright was irretrievably lost and the material entered the public domain. See Circular 96, reproduced in part below. In White v. Kimmel, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals found that a channeled work had gotten into the public domain (and could not later be copyrighted) under a factual situation strikingly similar to the early days of the Course. Nevertheless, FIP and FACIM have consistently maintained that the copyright was legally obtained, and they continue to assert the right to police and control the Course community's use of the materials.

Q.  What is the policy of the copyright owners as to use of Course references and quotations?

Reportedly, FIP originally maintained a somewhat laissez-faire attitude toward unauthorized publication of Course excerpts and use of the name of the book in other publications or in association with other endeavors. More recently, however, as interest in the material has grown, FIP tightened its policy, and its official stance, announced in seven paragraphs on the FIP web site, is that "where use of A Course in Miracles material is more than 500 words and up to the maximum use of five percent (5%) of an author's manuscript or work allowed, prior to granting use permission the Foundation must first review a manuscript copy of the unpublished work" and a royalty agreement must be reached. The old FIP policy appears on a subsequent page.

The copyright (and evidently the responsibility for policing the Course community's use of the materials) was transferred in 1999 by FIP to FACIM. FACIM, of course, is Kenneth Wapnick's teaching arm, which also maintains a web presence at www.facim.org.

FACIM has tightened the pre-approval requirements, eliminating the prior policy that permitted "discretionary use" of no more than 300 words of A Course in Miracles material in book-length works or review articles. FACIM's new policy.

"For every tree is known by his own fruit. * * * For of thorns men do not gather figs, nor of a bramble bush gather they grapes. A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good * * *: for of the abundance of his heart his mouth speaketh." -Luke, 7:44-45

 Q. Why is there so much controversy around the copyright for A Course in Miracles?

Recently, Foundation For a Course in Miracles ("FACIM") refused permission to Robert Perry to publish a new book that he has written which contains Course quotations and references. Robert Perry is a highly respected ACIM teacher and author who, together with Allen Watson, provides the Circle of Atonement web facility. A copy of the letter which Robert received appears below.

Rev. Tony Ponticello, another dedicated and highly respected author and Course teacher who operates the Community Miracles Center web resource , also received a complaint from FACIM about his unapproved use of Course material and references, which is likewise reproduced below. In addition, a number of active Course writers and students have complained from time to time that they have received demands from Foundation For Inner Peace ("FIP") that they cease such activities as posting daily lessons or printing calligraphic works (such as appear on these pages) that contain brief quotations from A Course in Miracles.

Val Scott, a long-time Course student who frequently writes on Course-related subjects, recently received a letter from an anonymous "ACIM Correspondent" which states that it sought to "clarify" FACIM policy regarding use of its trademark and copyright. Ostensibly, the letter was sent to many students and teachers of the Course "who maintain Web sites or Internet discussion groups related to the Course." Reportedly over 200 such anonymous letters went out in the name of FACIM. A copy of the letter to Val Scott is included elsewhere on this page. In an open letter published in May 1997, Val had written Ken Wapnick and Judith Skutch urging restraint in Course copyright/trademark matters. On Independence Day 1999, Val again wrote to the Wapnicks in a letter entitled "Forgiveness is Always ...'A Better Way'," urging a speedy resolution to this needless controversy.

Q. Are there really lawsuits among Course students/teachers?

Yes, there have been and there are. Reportedly, Marianne Williamson was threatened with a lawsuit by FIP, but settled out of court before suit was filed by agreeing to a royalty payment and making changes in her use of quotes. Then, on June 6, 1996 Penguin Books USA and FIP brought a copyright infringement suit against New Christian Church of Full Endeavor, Ltd. (Endeavor Academy), seeking a multi-million dollar award of damages. An action was subsequently brought by Endeavor Academy seeking cancellation of the trademark that ACIM had obtained for the designation "A Course in Miracles," the name of the book. FIP sought to have the matter dismissed or, in the alternative, suspended pending resolution of the suit in the Southern District of New York, which is hearing the copyright matter. Endeavor Academy's view of the suit appears elsewhere on this page, and the status of the copyright suit is discussed at the Academy's web site.

"You may have taught freedom, but you have not learned how to be free. I said earlier, "By their fruits ye shall know them, and they shall know themselves." (T-16.III. 2:1-2)

Q. Is the FIP/FACIM Copyright Valid?

-MATTHEW 7:15-20

There are two aspects to the copyright claimed for A Course in Miracles that lead toward the conclusion that the copyright claimed by FIP/FACIM is invalid. First, broad distribution of the Course manuscript prior to its "official" publication date of October 1975 is likely sufficient in itself to defeat copyright claims as to the content of that early manuscript, since under the law in effect in 1975, once a work entered the public domain by unrestricted publication, the right to copyright was irretrievably lost. The editorial enhancements added by FIP in the form of chapter and section headings and correction of minor errata (based on a comparison with Helen's handwritten notes of the manuscript) can likely be claimed by FIP/FACIM as within the claimed copyright, since these deviations from the original manuscript were added after the first official publication, but the main body of the document appears to be in the public domain.

There is an even more fundamental issue that FIP/FACIM must overcome in order to establish copyright to the main body of the Course. In Urantia Foundation v. Maaherra, the federal Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals considered a copyright infringement claim brought by the owner of the copyright for The Urantia Book against a student who had distributed a free computer version of the book on a disk. The Urantia Book, it was agreed, had been "authored" by non-human spiritual beings, in response to questions posed by a Contact Commission, which subsequently wrote down the teachings and published the book. The court noted that one may obtain copyright only "in original works of authorship" and said (quoting the U.S. Supreme Court) that for this purpose, "original" meant that "the work was independently created by the author... and that it possesses at least some minimal degree of creativity." Of importance in the case of FIP/FACIM's claim to copyright for the Course is the following statement by the court:

"We agree with [the defendant], however, that it is not creations of divine beings that the copyright laws were intended to protect, and that in this case some element of human creativity must have occurred in order for the Book to be copyrightable. At the very least, for a worldly entity to be guilty of copyright infringement, that entity must have copied something created by another worldly entity."

While it has been suggested by some close to the present lawsuit involving Endeavor Academy that Kenneth Wapnick has been equivocal in depositions on the authorship of the Course, he has not been equivocal in his writings, which uniformly take the position that Jesus is the author of the Course and that Helen's role was that of a simple scribe, taking down accurately the material just as it was given to her. (Compare the reference to KW's description of the Course, above with the denial of Jesus' authorship in the cancellation suit for an example of this apparent change of heart by Mr. Wapnick.) If it is true that Jesus is the author and Helen a mere scribe, then it is clear that under the Urantia decision reasoning, the FIP/FACIM copyright is invalid insofar as it purports to cover the original manuscript.

Q. What is the Copyright Fair Use Doctrine

In general, the long standing "fair use" doctrine tempers the protection of copyright by allowing an author to use a limited amount of copyrighted material under some circumstances. Congress provided in the 1978 Copyright Act that "the fair use of a copyrighted work . . . for such purposes as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching . . ., scholarship, or research, is not an infringement of copyright." There are no hard and fast rules for applying the "fair use" rule; rather, the doctrine is applied on a case by case basis according to four statutory criteria. The underlying issue in the case of FIP/FACIM objections to use by others of Course ideas, references and quotations in commercial works is the right to produce and control so-called "derivative works."

An accompanying article entitled "This Course is Perfectly Clear" written by Robert Perry and recently published (with FACIM approval) in On Course illustrates both Robert Perry's teaching method and an excellent example of "fair use" of material from A Course in Miracles.