The Urtext has essentially put "flesh on the bones." Phrases and passages that I could not fully discern the meaning and understanding of … suddenly came alive for me in Urtext for the first time. If "miracles" are seen as shift in perception, then the Urtext was definitely a part of that miracle. The Urtext has put some Freudian and other psychological concepts into a clearer light and perspective and shed additional meaning on certain ideas common to psychology and human behavior. Jesus's words have power! He sees the Spirit behind these fragile human forms and personalities. His words spoke directly to me even though originally addressed to Helen and Bill.… This book ranks as of one of my favorite most favorite editions of ACIM thus so far published. It is a real treasure and a most helpful and invaluable tool for deriving the very most out of Jesus's teaching that has come to be known as A Course in Miracles by hundreds of thousands students across the globe."
Peter Anastasia, Santa Fe, NM


It's really an incredible resource.  It also comes with a DVD called "The Scholar's Toolbox," which contains even more information. It is edited by Doug Thompson. After almost 20 years of being a Course student I have read and/or listened to most of the people who share it on some level. I used to be on a newsgroup with Doug and I have found him to be one of the more brilliant "scholars" of ACIM.  He has an extensive background with the Bible and has spent literally 100s if not thousands of hours with the Course.  He has written some of the best stuff I've ever read on several of the more controversial themes of the course.  I'd love it if he someday wrote a book on it. I am very excited about having the urtext in book form... 
Dr. Sheryl Valentine, California


Thank you for your persistence and hard work. I consider this an excellent resource for me as a group facilitator - and, most of all, as a continuing student of the Course - and I thank you both for your diligence, hard work and devotion to the Course and to the Course Community.
Bob Riley, Group Facilitator, New Mexico


I've seen the relevant material in the book with my own eyes, specifically the information that identifies words from Helen's notebooks ...
Robert Perry, Author and CEO of Circle of Atonement, Sedona, Arizona

Publisher's Note: The “information” referred to by Robert Perry refers to a pre-publication edition of the the appendices and concerns the source of Helen Schucman’s notebooks as it relates to copyright litigation that ended with all copyrights to A Course in Miracles being voided 2004, thereby placing them in the public domain. While all versions of the Course are considered to be true to the core teaching, questions linger over editing that resulted in discrepancies of up to 48,000 words where several topics were severely truncated or eliminated altogether. A Course in Miracles Urtext Manuscripts is compiled by Doug Thompson, a biblical scholar, and published by Miracles in Action Press, LLC without any redaction in content whatsoever. Additional information on these topics is available in the appendices in the Urtext Manuscripts, and in the book A Course in Miracles on Copyright Law, and on the DVD.


Dear Doug,
You must have enjoyed the moment when you handed me the 7 volume UR document! Knowing full well its contents and the likely impact it would have. I had little opportunity to appreciate what I was handed, much less appreciate yourself and what a gift you brought.
DT [Doug Thompson] has probably told you that I began The Course in 1975, from a Xerox of the Criswell edition. It has been 34 years now of constant healing, expansion and growth. Through many changes The Course has been my touchstone, my guide, my lighthouse in an ever-changing sea. I have only barely cracked your publication, only the first few pp. but I can already see that this work brings me ever closer to Helen’s intimate conversation with Jesus. I won’t say more until I know more, but I just had to include this note to express to you my profound heart-filling gratitude for your excellent service…. Just to let you know, [it’s] packed with more than you ever wanted to know about ACIM origins and evolution and includes 4.5GB DVD-ROM  "Scholar's Toolbox" with complete concordance of several ACIM versions, the Bible, commentary + 3500 pp. of facsimile reproductions of Helen's original shorthand notebooks! Compiled by Doug Thompson as a first step toward a truly scholarly "critical edition" or ACIM. Definitive, authoritative, unabridged  a must for the library of serious students. I hope our paths cross again in the near future. The deepest appreciation to you from me.
Kellie Love, Group Facilitator, Durham, North Carolina
Facilitator of the oldest continuous ACIM study group in the world, begun in Oct. 1975 by Joseph Janis, Ph.D. using manuscripts obtained from Judy Skutch. Group has met continuously, every Sunday night since then, under my facilitation since 1979. ACIM 34 year student, Ordained Interfaith Minister, Voice of the 1st official recording of ACIM for FIP, [Foundation for Inner Peace] Father of three beautiful daughters, and humble servant of anyone who wishes to learn about ACIM.


Dear Mr. Thompson,
I recently received a copy of the Urtext as a gift. I sincerely wish to thank you for all your efforts. It has been most helpful in clarifying certain aspects of the Course in my mind….
It is my belief that the FIP version is not as different from the Urtext and notes as it would seem to appear, at least when it comes to “Content”. However, what the FIP version lacks that the Urtext conveys is the personal and practical daily life application of the teachings. The direct, intimate and even comfortable way in which Jesus both instructs and guides Bill and Helen in their outer as well as inner affairs is what has been of most help to me in clarifying certain aspects of the Course I have struggled with…
One last thing I would like to share. The day I completed the final lessons of the Course I woke that night and heard clearly that there where aspects of the Courses teachings I misunderstood that needed correcting. I picked up the FIP version and was told the answers I needed could not be found there… The following day as I picked up our mail and there was a box containing the Urtext...  I knew instantly it was just what I needed and when I needed it. It was just like the day A Course in Miracles first arrived in my hands.
Michael Lance, somewhere, possibly USA


It ain’t easy reading in any form but at last you can examine the Urtext version of ACIM in a neat & nifty bound format. Doug Thompson has done a truly obsessive job in organizing, footnoting, and simply thinking through the presentation of this unwieldy document. The accompanying DVD has so much stuff on it I haven’t sorted it all out yet, but it’s equally impressive; one fascinating inclusion is reproductions of Helen Schucman’s original shorthand notes. This is NOT something to hand over to a novice Course student, but if you’ve earned your stripes with, say, a couple decades of ACIM study, you may find this is a got-to have addition to your bookshelf. There are some laugh-out-loud moments and passages of pure perplexity. For best price order from Community Miracles Center although I’ve added this title to the Miracles Bookshelf for you Amazon addicts.
D. Patrick Miller, Publisher, Fearless Books

Publisher’s Note: Mr Miller’s review is edited for accuracy, clarity, grammar, length and punctuation. See complete text on www.fearlessbooks.com


Hi Doug,
Thank you for the copy of the Urtext that you presented to me in San Francisco. I did pass on the copy you addressed to Ken Wapnick to the man himself on the following Friday.
He and I had a discussion that I wanted to share with you and others interested. We discussed the editing of the Course and the reasons much of the non-personal material was removed from the FIP version (from essentially only Chapters 1 to 5). This may not be new information, but it was news to me, so I share it in case it is helpful to those who believe that the Urtext or the Notes were the pure words of Jesus.
Ken claims that the non-personal words were edited out because they were Helen's words, not Jesus's. When I expressed surprise and asked him how he knew they were not Jesus's and intended to be part of the Course, he explained that such discussions as those on sex (including the line that the only appropriate use of sex is for reproduction) were exactly the personal views of Helen and he could not imagine Jesus having such views (being so out of line with the rest of the material). He also said that other passages showed a complete misunderstanding of Jungian psychology of which Helen had little knowledge and that Jesus would, clearly, not make such errors. He said, therefore, that the Notes (Chapters 1 to 5) were a mix of Jesus and Helen and that Helen's editing job, with his assistance, had been to make that distinction and edit out the Helen part.
If this is true (and it seems logical and 'feels true' to me), then by leaving the Helen material in, students of the Course are potentially being mislead into thinking this is all the teaching of Jesus and part of the Course. That is my concern and I just want to put it 'out there'.
Best wishes,
Ian [Patrick] Miracle Network, London, UK


Ian,
Thanks for sharing this. The idea that some of the words were not from Jesus is certainly new to me, also. But, like you, it makes a kind of sense. I'd been bothered by the line about sex being only for reproduction; it seemed Puritanical and un-Jesus-like. Not being a deep student of Jung, I had not noticed any misunderstanding there, but if that is confirmed by someone who knows Jung it would go a long way toward verifying what Ken says.
That being said, I still feel there is a lot of material in the UR Text that is very useful, and in some cases, material that clarifies statements that _did_ make it into the Course. So I'm glad it is being published.
Allen Watson, Portland, OR Author, Seeing the Bible Differently


Hi Friends,
My opinion is not of much matter, I know. But I feel to share it now anyway. I have enjoyed reading the UrText, because I felt it helped me to understand Helen better. As a scribe, I also recognized times when Helen did not get out of the way and her personal views were included in the dictation. Of course, there are also times that she got out of the way beautifully and the words flow flawlessly, and not all of that seems to be included in the 2nd edition.
I enjoy the UrText & I am happy I have had the chance to read it, but I would not recommend it to a new student and I agree that if someone feels that every word in the UrText are the words of Jesus, they may be misled.
And at the same time, no one can truly be misled unless that is their intention. Anyone who seeks truth will be led to clarity, even if Jesus whispers in their ear as they read the UrText and says, "Just overlook that part, and keep reading."
Love, Regina [Dawn Akers] New London, NC
Scribe of The Holy Spirit’s Interpretation of the New Testament


I strongly believe in the authenticity of the Christian Bible and the Jesus Christ of Nazerth. The jesus of the ACIM is nothing more than a demon who decieved Helen Schucman and Bill Thedford. The voice which speaks thru the Course is not the real Jesus. Beware,Galatians 1:6-9
Gregory Maxwell, Alta Loma, CA


On behalf of my ACIM Study Group I want to thank you. We have gone through the Text, Workbook and Manual together, very deliberately and carefully and we just started doing the same with the URTEXT…Your footnotes alone have made this a very rewarding experience for us all.
Brian Toale, Group Facilitator, New York, NY


I just heard that you sent a resume to my firm... I tried to call you and left a message on your answerphone. I don't know whether you are aware of my involvement in ACIM, but I am certainly aware of yours! I got a copy of Urtext as soon as CMC added it to their online bookstore, and have been reading it almost every night. ACIM first came to me when I was 18 years old, in 1977, when a friend loaned me a copy of the Manual for Teachers. When it came back into my life in 1985 I recognized that it would be my lifelong spiritual path. I've been studying it daily since then, I've been very involved in supporting some of the teachers, and I've had some involvement with the Russian and Chinese translations. I speak about it to everyone who wants to hear it. I teach it daily in my household. I'm writing (slowly) books about it. I think we have some work to do together. Let's talk. The sooner the better for me, as I won't be able to concentrate on anything else until then.
Bart Bacon, Tampa, FL


Dear Mr. Monkton,
 …Regarding Doug Thompson's works… I can appreciate the great academic and investigative effort he has invested in them…
Yours in Christ,
Armando Brons, Guarico, Venezuela


Dear Doug,
I am replying to you in private simply to say that no one on your email list wants to go to war over this but I simply must point out two facts: 1) the document you enclosed was the PROPOSED BY DEFENDANTS wish list, not the actual (FAR less sweeping and inclusive) decision by Judge Sweet; and 2) the volume listed in your publication as "the Whitmore Edition" is not accurately named and is, in fact, the CIMS Edition, if Mr. Thompson wants to be objectively and historically correct (instead of making it personal).
And it is clear that you have made your decision.  So be it.  I am not one bit interested in picking up the gauntlet that this publication is intended to throw down.  My only wish is to honor and maintain the healing that is so clearly evident in our community in the last 9 years.
Peace to you, my brother. God bless you in every single instant always,
Carmen Cameron, Louisville, KY

Publisher’s Note: We have a sense of wonder, love and forgiveness of the perception of attack via “the gauntlet that this publication was intended to throw down.” Ms. Cameron, whom I had never met before in my life, was the first to hug and thank me upon presenting her with a copy of the Urtext Manuscripts at a conference in San Francisco. The above email came a few days later and introduces some “misperceiving” regarding, 1) copyright status of the source documents of A Course in Miracles Urtext Manuscripts, which are in the public domain; and 2) the naming conventions of various editions and versions of ACIM, (i.e., “Criswell,” “Hugh Lynne Cayce,” “Thetford,” “FIP”) that were used in Doug Thompson’s reference in the Appendices to the Course in Miracles Society (CIMS) “Original Edition” as the “Whitmore” edition. Having received confirmation that the OE is indeed the product of several members of CIMS, the attribution will be changed to the HLC "CIMS Edition" in future editions.