Notes on Language Usage in A Renewed Course in Miracles
- All first-person singular statements that aren’t intended to be from the reader’s point of view are statements from the Course’s author, Jesus, about himself or from his perspective.
- An essential aspect of the teaching of the Course is the distinction between the temporal physical universe and the eternal spiritual Universe. To aid in this distinction, a capitalized noun that isn’t a “proper” noun, such as Love, Peace, Joy, Grace, etc., indicates that the noun being referred to is an attribute or creative result of the Divine (the Eternal). The same noun not capitalized indicates a temporal or human expression of the attribute or result. Because the Course describes the Eternal extensively, the use of these capitalized nouns that aren’t proper nouns is also extensive. One exception to this specialized language usage is homonyms that both refer to the Eternal, such as “spirit” / “Spirit” and “creation” / “Creation,” in which case one form of the term isn’t capitalized to distinguish it from the other, after an initial clarification is provided about the difference in meaning between the two homonyms. Another exception is terms, such as “awakening,” that indicate creative results of the Divine, but the use of which is so extensive throughout the Course that their capitalization might become a distraction while not adding any clarity of meaning. Some nouns that are attributes or creative results of the Divine and also used extensively throughout the Course, such as Holy Spirit, Atonement, Divine Essence, etc., are capitalized because they are proper nouns / names.
- Regarding the use of punctuation in A Renewed Course in Miracle, it may be recalled that a comma’s main functions in the English language are to separate sentence parts (words, phrases, clauses) for clarity; to structure complex sentences, helping to avoid misinterpretation by grouping related ideas and setting off extra information; and to indicate slight pauses for readability, signaling smaller breaks than periods in order to guide the reader’s understanding and flow. Because of the Course’s extensive use of complex sentences reflecting profound yet very nuanced packets of meaning, the less common stylistic function of the comma indicating slight (one-second) pauses for readability, understanding and flow are used regularly in the Renewed Course and may require becoming accustomed to by the reader from the more common technical uses of the comma.
Explanation of Important Terminology Used in A Renewed Course in Miracles
The Creator / the Divine: The Source of Creation – the Creator – is also known as “the Divine” in A Renewed Course in Miracles (ARCIM), just as the terms “Father” and “God” are used synonymously for this Source in the original A Course in Miracles (ACIM). The term “the Divine” is used throughout ARCIM rather than the term “God” because of the centuries of history associated with the latter term; the images that it often evokes of an old, bearded man in the clouds; the vague nature of the term (e.g., God vs. god vs. goddess vs. deity vs. Lord) and its different connotations in different times and cultures; and because of the fact that, due to centuries of associations, the masculine pronouns “He,” “Him,” and “His” are demanded in reference to the term. The terms “Creator” and “the Divine” used in ARCIM are free of such accumulated associations in the English language.
The Perfect Creation / the Divine Family / the Children of the Divine: Depending on the context, the perfect, eternal Creation of the Creator is also known in ARCIM as the “Divine Family” rather than the “Sonship” of ACIM, or the “Children of the Divine” rather than the “Sons of God” of ACIM. The terms “Children of the Divine” and “Divine Children” are used frequently in ARCIM for all beings, including human beings, who were created by the Creator and are therefore perfect and eternal, i.e., eternally perfect. Using the plural term “Children” (of the Divine) most of the time instead of the singular “Child” avoids the awkwardness of using the related third person singular gender-neutral pronoun “it” (or “It”) for “Child” instead of the third person singular pronouns “he” or “she” normally used for “child.” The use of the sole third person plural gender-neutral pronoun “they” used in reference to “Children” bypasses needing to use “it” for “Child” extensively. The pronouns “they,” “them,” “their” and “theirs” are not capitalized when referencing the Children of the Divine in ARCIM because such capitalization wouldn’t add clarity of meaning and could be visually distracting because of how often the terms appear.
Divine Essence / the (true) Self / Awakening: The Essence or Being of the perfect, eternal Creation, and therefore also of the Divine Family, is known as “Divine Essence” in ARCIM, and occasionally as “Divine Innocence” or “Innocence,” rather than “Christ” as used in ACIM. This Divine Essence is identified by the Course as our true, eternal divine Self or Identity. “Divine Essence’s Strength is yours because It is the Self that the Divine created as Its only Creation.”
“Divine Essence” is used in ARCIM in place of the ACIM term “Christ” because the term “Christ” for many readers around the world automatically denotes that the teaching is Christian, just as the use of a name or divine title for the Essence or Being of the Divine Creation from another spiritual tradition, such as “Vishnu” from the Hindu tradition, would automatically denote to the reader that the teaching was from that tradition. Because the Course is not from any “tradition,” but is a new, if timeless, universal teaching of awakening, a universal term for the Essence or Being of the perfect Creation is used in ARCIM so that all those interested in this unique approach to awakening may find access to it.
It would indeed be misleading to equate the thought system of the Course with that of traditional “Pauline” Christianity (Christian belief based primarily on the perspective and teachings associated with Paul of Tarsus). The foundation of the worldview or belief of Pauline Christianity is based on several core ideas, including that:
- The Creator placed a tree (the “tree of the knowledge of good and evil”) in paradise, the fruit of which Its Children were not permitted to eat at penalty of spiritual death.
- The Creator’s Children were tempted to eat the forbidden fruit of that tree by a powerful evil being and adversary to the Divine who lived in that very tree, in the very garden the Creator had created for Its Children and placed them to live in.
- “Original sin” resulted from the Divine’s Children succumbing to the temptation to eat of the forbidden fruit, and all human beings from that time forward were tainted by this “sin,” as this became their “sinful nature.”
- The Creator then forbade Its Children to eat the fruit of another tree (the “tree of life”) in paradise that they had been permitted to eat previously, lest they live forever like their Creator, and the Creator subsequently cast Its Children out of paradise as a result or punishment of their mistake of eating of the original forbidden fruit, and cursed them as they were sent into apparently endless exile.
- The Pauline Christian tradition believes that after eons of suffering resulting from the Creator’s curse on Its Children exiling them from paradise, the “crucifixion” was established by the Creator and carried out against Its only begotten Son to establish “salvation” for Its Children from their original sin.
- This salvation is believed to be accessible only through belief in Jesus as he’s presented in the Christian New Testament.
- And finally, eternal damnation in a lake of burning fire in hell is the fate of any person who doesn’t believe in and comply with these ideas.
Each of these ideas alone and all of them together as the foundation of a worldview are completely contrary to the thought system of the Course.
It is of course ironic that the one in whose name (Jesus) this traditional Pauline Christian belief system has been developed by well-intentioned people over many centuries is the author of the Course, a new thought system in contrast to the old one associated with Jesus’ name.
Even the traditional Christian term “salvation,” used throughout ACIM, is transformed in ARCIM to the term “awakening” to remove association with the key ideas from the old belief system of sin and hell, and to more accurately reflect the goal of our journey home to Reality and Eternity as presented in the Course. The root of the term “salvation” is “to save” (spiritually), which implies that there’s something malevolent and real that we must be saved from, rather than a dream that we must awaken from. “Salvation” also carries the meaning of “to salvage,” implying that something is recovered from whatever is left worth recouping after permanent damage has been done to it. This fits the idea of original sin, but in no sense reflects our journey of awakening, wherein what is eternally unmarred and perfect is remembered and reclaimed in Its Wholeness.
It is understood that many universal terms or names could be used for the Essence or Being of the perfect, eternal Creation in place of the name “Christ” (or “Vishnu,” “Narayana,” “the Logos,” etc.), such as Light, Life, Love, Holiness, Peace, Joy, Truth, Beauty, Goodness, Mercy, Innocence, Harmony, etc. However, the term “Divine Essence” as used for this Being or Essence of the perfect eternal Creation in ARCIM signifies that the eternal Perfection of Creation is the Totality and Extension of all of the Divine’s Attributes combined and extended into Its Children, who are all members of the Divine Family. This Essence will remain forever as the Divine created It, perfectly Pure, Innocent, and Sinless. Thus Innocence rather than sin is the foundation on which the Course’s thought system is based.
Holy Spirit / Spirit: The Force that the Divine created to help awaken all Its Children who fell asleep into a world of illusions is called “Holy Spirit” or simply “Spirit” in ARCIM, the same term used for this Force in ACIM (though in ARCIM the pronouns for Spirit are “It” and “Its” rather than “He,” “Him,” and “His” as used in ACIM). This term is unchanged in ARCIM because Spirit is a universal spiritual term used for this divine awakening Force or Presence. The Course also refers to this Force / Presence as the “Voice of the Divine” (“Voice for God” in ACIM), and as our Teacher of awakening lessons, our Guide to our true Home in Eternity, and the bringer of revelations to us as a Reminder of our true Being and of our Relationship with the Divine. In this capacity, the Holy Spirit is the Source of the Course, distinct from the Course’s author, Jesus, who brought the Course to humanity under the Direction and Guidance of Spirit.
Jesus: The name Jesus is also retained in ARCIM as it is used in ACIM, i.e., as the author of the Course. While various names, such as Yeshua and Isa, are used in various world cultures for this transcendent human being, the name he used in the writing of the Course was Jesus, and in honor of his gift of the Course to humanity this name is appropriately carried forward in ARCIM. While the name “Jesus” is obviously associated with all Christian traditions worldwide, in the Course Jesus presents a new universal perspective on his life in the past as well as his function within the world and humanity at this time.
It should be noted that Divine Essence (Christ in ACIM) in the Course is distinct from Jesus the human being. Divine Essence, being the Essence or Being of the perfect Creation, is Part of what has been called the “Divine Trinity” (i.e., The Creator, Its perfect Creation, and the eternal Oneness between the Two, or Spirit). Jesus as the author of the Course makes it clear that he is a human being, a Child of the Divine like the rest of us, not God or a god or part of the Divine Trinity. As a human being Jesus is equal to all human beings, while at the same time he is our elder brother and helper in the process of awakening, and in this capacity he is the author of the Course. Jesus has awakened to his Oneness with Divine Essence, and in this Oneness he shares Divine Essence’s Function of directing miracles where they are needed. Jesus has also awakened to his Oneness with the Creator and with Spirit, and he wants us to achieve this awakening as well so that the Divine Family of all Children of the Divine can know Its Oneness again. The Course is one of Jesus’ gifts to humanity to help us to achieve this awakening to Reality.