Saint,
My mother-in-law recieved "A Course in Miracles" this Christmas.....My mil's husband asked me of the Course of Miracles, "What do you think?"
Now when the stepinlaw asked me what I thought I replied honestly. Had he asked me five minutes later he'd have gotten the truth then as well. Which would have been a large portion of my mind.
Well I wouldn't recommend you give away any portion of your mind. You might just need it later. <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/rofl.gif" alt="" />
Does anyone have any advice on how to maintain a civil and polite relationship with these people? My present method is to evade all discussion of theology, but quite frankly that is unrealistic.
I would like to suggest that you turn the questions around on your in-laws and ask them what they are looking for in this material. What attracts them to this and what do they hope it will do for them? Rather than evading all theological discussion you might want to point out that "A Course In Miracles" is New Age junk and "The DaVinci Code" is pure heresy. Neither one has a clue what the Bible is all about. Here are some links which will help you understand the depths of depravity in ACIM.
About "A Course In Miracles A Course in Miracles - A Biblical Evaluation"ACIM defines sin as a lack of love and since love is all there is, sin in the sight of the Holy Spirit is a mistake to be corrected rather than an evil to be punished. ACIM attempts to deal with sin by saying that the world is not real and that there is no reality behind separation and guilt. Death is an illusion and Jesus' death on the cross was not to pay for sin but to show that sin and death had no effect on him. Salvation is the result of overcoming the illusion of sin, death, sickness fear and pain and is accomplished through forgiveness and undoing the belief in the reality of separation and guilt. ACIM promotes acknowledging Christ in all "brothers" and recognizing His Presence in man."
You may want to engage them in theological discussions when you realize that they are sincerely asking your opinion. After you study a little bit of this material on "A Course In Miracles" you may want to encourage them to be more selective in their reading material. These two books are off the mark and useless. It appears that you are the only one who is discerning these errors.
My advice is to pray for them and remember the verse you post on the bottom of your messages. "For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God." - 1 Corinthians 1:18
Wes
