In this 2nd article inside the series on the “miracle” and the “thoughts,” we’re going to hold our discussion of spiritual specialness as a person being selected via God to do His paintings with out spotting it is surely the ego. In A Course in Miracles (ACIM), many link being a Course teacher of God with being miracle-minded just as we see in many religions with selected non secular leaders which include a pastors, ministers and priests, etc. In the first article on spiritual specialness, we included a quote by Kenneth Wapnick that, “Love is quiet and need now not make assertions.” Being someone selected by means of God to do “god’s work” is an announcement of the ego; and it makes the mistake actual. It is a protection against God’s Love wherein we don’t understand that we’re really competing with God (and therefore anyone).
Mr. Wapnick additionally has a few splendid passages that get immediately to the factor in this rely. These are taken from his -ebook set on, “The Message Of A Course In Miracles” which is packed with what the Course does and does no longer say. These charges speak for themselves and do now not need reinterpretation:
Spiritual specialness refers to people performing out their egos’ specialness, however disguising it as spiritual dress. This frequently comes within the form of believing that they have received “unique” instructions, “special” favors, or “unique” commissions from “special” divine individuals along with Jesus david hoffmeister ebooks or the Holy Spirit, all of which serves to make those people spiritually unique from others and therefore extra “special” (Few Choose To Listen, p. 141).
What we’re calling “spiritual specialness” appears in the individuals of virtually all religious or religious movements. This commonly comes inside the form of believing that the group or members had been singled out with the aid of God or the Holy Spirit to perform a few holy characteristic with the intention to gain humanity and make contributions in the direction of the saving of the arena. However, such intrinsic specialness is clearly now not the case with the lessons of A Course in Miracles (Few Choose To Listen, p. 144).
Specialness is likewise seen in a variety of other forms beyond the labels just cited. For example, claiming who we “proportion the stage” with, i.E., different Course teachers is the identical limelight mistakes. We do all of this due to our significant repressed fear and guilt; and we do it in place of mastering and working towards the Course. This is a course on sameness and one that exemplifies kindness:
This incapability to absolutely practice A Course in Miracles’ type ideas of forgiveness that they study, and on occasion even train, has perhaps been the maximum severe failing amongst its students. This ebook’s sequel, “Few Choose to Listen,” discusses how college students regularly cover their idea device of specialness below the guise of non secular counseling or friendship. The absence of simple kindness is, sadly, unmistakable to all besides the Course student making the spiritual pronouncements (All Are Called, p. 306).
Finally to complete putting the stage (pun intended) for this short article, permit’s bring in what Wapnick addresses on conceitedness versus humility:
“Arrogance takes the shape of believing that one has “mastered” the Course with the aid of a easy reading or , with out surely recognizing what’s involved in its ongoing study and steady exercise. Humility, on the other hand, seeks handiest to examine, which comes from students’ recognition of ways depending on their egos they’ve clearly made themselves to be. They consequently grow to be thankful for the opportunity the Course gives them to permit pass – subsequently and surely – in their funding in strong point, self-significance, and specialness, the core of the problem that maintains the separation from God” (Few Choose To Listen, p. Eighty four, underline mine).
Humility is of the proper thoughts, which recognizes its dependence on God, while conceitedness is of the incorrect mind, which feels it’s far in opposition with Him (Glossary-index, p. 106).
Therefore, if we are to be honestly miracle-minded, then we have to be willing to explore exactly what the ego is and what its notion machine is able to doing. The Course emphatically states that nothing can continue to be hidden. We ought to be willing to get our palms dirty with the ego if we’re to research true forgiveness due to the fact that specialness in any form ties in so immediately with preserving the separation from God.
Teacher of God
Specialness is in reality arrogance and being in competition with God, so a teacher of God has nothing to do with being a Course instructor despite the fact that many students accept as true with otherwise. Looking at our conceitedness in making such an announcement, we flip back to humility to teach us so we can examine from it: