A Course In Miracles Quotes On
Our Atheist Religion
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What is A Course In Miracles (ACIM)?
In this article, I look at the atheist religion, which we call in ACIM the ego’s religion. I ask whether, in many western societies, this is now our default religion.
Contents List For This ACIM Article: Brainwashed With The Atheist Religion Atheist Beliefs Are Prevalent Amongst Both The Religious And Non-Religious Why Do I Call Atheism A Religion? A Course In Miracles Quotes On The Atheist Religion/The Ego’s Religion THE WORLD’S RELIGION ATHEIST FUNDAMENTALISM IT'S OK TO MAKE A GOD IN THE IMAGE OF EXPERIENCES FROM YOUR CHILDHOOD IT'S OK TO IMAGINE THE GOD YOU WANT IT'S OK TO EXPERIMENT WITH AN ALTERNATIVE BELIEF SYSTEM
I left the church when I was 17. I hadn’t stopped believing in God, but I felt that the way I was receiving certain teachings in the church was leading me away from God’s love, so I left. Many years later, I was shocked to realise that the word God had begun to sound old-fashioned and laughable to me and that the words Catholic and Jew seemed almost insulting. How could this be? I had been brought up Catholic with Jewish friends. I had a loving experience of both traditions. If I, with my background, had begun to hear these words in this way, how must it be for others whose knowledge of religion comes only from the media? I realised I had been brainwashed with the atheist religion. I use the word brainwashed deliberately. I hadn’t had anyone telling me I shouldn’t believe in God. Yet still, here I was, finding myself uncomfortable with words which rationally I had no reason to resist. The atheist religion believes there is no God, and this had been held up as truth and fact, not as belief. I had been surrounded by this belief system, and over time, it had become hard for me to be open to a different belief.
For me, the atheist religion is dominant in the UK. In the absence of receiving teachings from other traditions, this will be our religion. Even when we choose to expose ourselves to alternative teachings, we continue to be exposed primarily to the atheist religion and it is inevitable that we share some of its beliefs. 
I will be even more controversial and suggest that even those of us who call ourselves religious or spiritual often live in accordance with the main belief of the atheist religion. Namely, the belief that we are a body and a separate individual.
I challenge this belief. Spirituality is saying that - no matter the beauty we find in our lives - when we live as though we are only physical beings, we are missing the bigger picture. We are living life with the aim of being a fatter, more beautiful caterpillar, when - whether we accept it or not - we are destined to be a butterfly. A Course In Miracles goes further. It says we are already the butterfly, and the more we know it, the more we experience ourselves as such.
I use the word religion to expand our minds to the possibility that belief in the world, and belief that there is no interconnecting force between us are just that...beliefs... ...Beliefs that are commonly shared and practised and therefore extremely powerful. ...Beliefs that are so strong in us that we tend to filter out information that contradicts them. But beliefs nonetheless. (By the way, if you are an atheist, this page may not be your thing, but you are very welcome. I have just done a google search on Atheist and there are - unsurprisingly but sadly - people sending out hate to atheists in the name of religion. hmmm.)
The following A Course In Miracles quotes (ACIM quotes) appear in my book
IT'S OK TO BELIEVE, Moving From Head To Heart.
In case you own the book and wish to refer to the accompanying poem, I have included the title of the chapters they appear in, along with the headings to the poems they accompany. The atheist religion would have us believe it deals in facts and truth, and that everything else is just belief. These A Course In Miracles quotes help us realise that we are always believing something. Rather than just allowing ourselves to be swept along with the beliefs of the world, we can learn to choose our beliefs.
This chapter of
IT'S OK TO BELIEVE
looks at the beliefs that lie behind the atheist religion. The World’s Religion
“The ego is the mind's belief that it is completely on its own.
The ego's ceaseless attempts to gain the spirit's acknowledgment and thus establish its own existence are useless.
Spirit in its knowledge is unaware of the ego.
It does not attack it; it merely cannot conceive of it at all.
While the ego is equally unaware of spirit, it does perceive itself as being rejected by something greater than itself.”
(T-4.II.8, A Course In Miracles quote) No Time for Religion
“Littleness and grandiosity can and must alternate, since both are untrue and are therefore on the same level...
[E]xtremes are [this level’s] essential characteristic.”
(T-9.VIII.1.6, A Course In Miracles quote) Believe in Something
“It is still up to you to choose to join with truth or with illusion. But remember that to choose one is to let the other go.
Which one you choose you will endow with beauty and reality, because the choice depends on which you value more.”
(T-17.III.9, A Course In Miracles quote) Graven Images
“Surrounded by a stillness so complete no sound of battle comes remotely near, [the thought God holds of you] rests in certainty and perfect peace.
Here is your one reality kept safe, completely unaware of all the world that worships idols, and that knows not God.”
(T-30.III.10, A Course In Miracles quote)
This chapter of
IT'S OK TO BELIEVE
shares my experiences of being on the receiving end of intolerance of my belief in God. As with any religion, there are those in the atheist religion who are extremely tolerant and loving, and those who aggressively try to impose their beliefs on others. Why So Angry?
“You speak two languages at once, and this must lead to unintelligibility.
Yet if one means nothing and the other everything, only that one is possible for purposes of communication.
The other but interferes with it.”
(T-14.VI.7, A Course In Miracles quote) Atheist Fundamentalism
“...gods demand that those who worship them obey their dictates, and refuse to question them...
It is their enemies who are unreasonable and insane, while they are always merciful and just.”
(W-170.8, A Course In Miracles quote) Touchy
“…the ego is your belief.
The ego is a confusion in identification.”
(T-7.VIII.4, A Course In Miracles quote) Unquestioned
“Belief is an ego function, and as long as your origin is open to belief you are regarding it from an ego viewpoint.
When teaching is no longer necessary you will merely know God.
Belief that there is another way of perceiving is the loftiest idea of which ego thinking is capable. That is because it contains a hint of recognition that the ego is not the Self.”
(T-4.II.4, A Course In Miracles quote) You Can Believe What You Like
“Allegiance to the denial of God is the ego's religion.”
(T-10.V.3, A Course In Miracles) No Faith Is Stronger
“We understand that you do not believe all this.
How could you, when the truth is hidden deep within, under a heavy cloud of insane thoughts, dense and obscuring, yet representing all you see?
Today we will make our first real attempt to get past this dark and heavy cloud, and to go through it to the light beyond.”
(W-41.5, A Course In Miracles quote)
In this chapter of
IT'S OK TO BELIEVE,
I suggest that we have a concept of God that is based on our childhood experiences. In order to journey out of the atheist religion we need to see what qualities we have assigned to God and update our image of Her/Him/It. Like Your Parents?
“Do not underestimate the power of the devotion of God's Son, nor the power the god he worships has over him. For he places himself at the altar of his god, whether it be the god he made or the God Who created him.
That is why his slavery is as complete as his freedom, for he will obey only the god he accepts.”
(T-11.VI.5, A Course In Miracles quote)
This chapter of
IT'S OK TO BELIEVE
looks at the role imagination plays in how we experience the world. When we practise the atheist religion we believe in the solidity of the world and look to it to tell us what reality is. When we practise belief in a God of Love and Unity, we choose to open our minds to belief in something other than what our senses tell us to be true. Let Us Imagine
“Your ego is trying to convince you that it is real and I am not, because if I am real, I am no more real than you are.
That knowledge, and I assure you that it is knowledge, means that Christ has come into your mind and healed it.”
(T-4.IV.10, A Course In Miracles quote) A Much Friendlier Place
“Two ways of looking at the world are in your mind, and your perception will reflect the guidance you have chosen.”
(T-12.VII.5, A Course In Miracles quote)
This chapter of
IT'S OK TO BELIEVE
gives us permission to experiment with an alternative belief system. One of the dangers of the current atheist religion is that it doesn’t really encourage such experimentation. It paints such a poor picture of religion that people don't really feel they can go along to a service and try out the spiritual practices.
Thankfully, it does seems to be acceptable to try out meditation. If we want to know if there is anything to this God stuff, we need to engage in the experiment of choosing a spiritual practice. We need to do the experiment to see the results. The Side of Caution
“You cannot evaluate an insane belief system from within it. Its range precludes this.
You can only go beyond it, look back from a point where sanity exists and see the contrast.
Only by this contrast can insanity be judged as insane.”
(T-9.VII.6, A Course In Miracles quote) Experiment
“No one can judge on partial evidence.
That is not judgment. It is merely an opinion based on ignorance and doubt.
Its seeming certainty is but a cloak for the uncertainty it would conceal.”
(W-151.1, A Course In Miracles quote) Not The Same
“Listen to what the ego says, and see what it directs you see, and it is sure that you will see yourself as tiny, vulnerable and afraid.
You will experience depression, a sense of worthlessness, and feelings of impermanence and unreality.
You will believe that you are helpless prey to forces far beyond your own control, and far more powerful than you.
And you will think the world you made directs your destiny. For this will be your faith.
But never believe because it is your faith it makes reality.”
(T-21.V.2, A Course In Miracles quote)
The atheist religion states that we are physical beings. Whether we pursue a spiritual path or not, this is the default belief of this world. Our senses confirm that this is true, and we tend to believe our senses even though we know they are often unreliable. If we believe instead that we are spiritual beings having a physical experience, we need to actively expose ourselves to information and practices that cultivate and allow us to test this belief. Otherwise, whether we realise it or not, we will continue to strengthen our allegiance to the atheist religion.
Click here to view or buy It's OK to Believe, Moving From Head To Heart
Click here for a discussion on Religion Versus Science
For more about A Course In Miracles, see the following: What is ACIM? A Course In Miracles quotes on Resistance to God Definition of Forgiveness in ACIM
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There are many other ACIM quotes threaded through this site. Just look for the typeface in a maroon/brownish colour.
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