Tuesday Text Class Notes, Chapter 3 Section 1

          photo: Tom and Anna

*The next step in this Course is direct approach to God. Are you prepared?

-confusing awe and fear

-assigned study periods

-revelation

          All learning involves attention and study. This is a mind training course. Make the obvious assignment, plan your study periods. You have problems? Consider that ACIM will solve some of them. If you believe that this is true you will apply yourself to the task at hand. Maybe you don't think ACIM will solve your problems. Or maybe you do and then don't take them time to search for answers.  You realize that you are being prepared for something, but are you prepared?

          Mental retardation is a term used in this section that was more popular when the Course was published. Today we use different words like intellectual disability. Mental retardation can be used for truth or error like all defenses. It is maladaptive when used for attack. Jesus refers to this as, "pseudo-retardation" syndrome". You can use this defense as you read this Course. This attacks both you and Jesus. It leaves you weak and him ineffective. This perception leads to fear. You don't realize your mind or Jesus' and what is willed there. This leads to behavior will conflict.  You don't know your true will.

          Awe is appropriate only to God. It is not appropriate to Jesus because of our inherent equality. Jesus has clarified his role in the atonement without over or under stating it. He is in charge of the entirety of it, we each have a role to play which he will dictate to us.

          The next part of this Course rests on your study of the previous part. Without this you will become fearful when the unexpected does occur to make constructive use of it. But if you study the earlier part you will see the obvious implications. You are being prepared for revelation experience with God. If you aren't ready you are too likely to confuse awesome with fearful. You can learn and pass this Course. So far we have been only been talking about God indirectly. The next step is direct approach to God Himself. Don't start this step without careful preparation. You need to uproot fear.