The origins of A Class in Wonders can be traced back to the effort between two persons, Helen Schucman and William Thetford, equally of whom were distinguished psychologists and researchers. The course's inception happened in the early 1960s when Schucman, who was a clinical and research psychiatrist at Columbia University's School of Physicians and Surgeons, began to have some internal dictations. She defined these dictations as coming from an interior style that identified itself as Jesus Christ. Schucman initially resisted these experiences, but with Thetford's inspiration, she started transcribing the communications she received.
Over an amount of seven years, Schucman transcribed what might become A Class in Wonders, amounting to three sizes: the Text, the Workbook for Students, and the Information for Teachers. The Text sits out the theoretical foundation of the program, elaborating on the core concepts and principles. The Workbook for Pupils contains 365 lessons, one for every time of the season, developed to guide the audience via a daily training of applying the course's teachings. The Handbook for Educators gives more advice on how to realize and teach the rules of A Program in Wonders to others.
Among the central themes of A Course in Miracles is the a course in miracles of forgiveness. The class teaches that correct forgiveness is the key to inner peace and awareness to one's divine nature. In accordance with its teachings, forgiveness is not merely a moral or ethical exercise but a fundamental shift in perception. It involves letting go of judgments, issues, and the belief of failure, and as an alternative, seeing the world and oneself through the lens of love and acceptance. A Course in Wonders emphasizes that correct forgiveness results in the acceptance that individuals are all interconnected and that divorce from each other can be an illusion.
Still another significant facet of A Class in Miracles is their metaphysical foundation. The class gift suggestions a dualistic view of fact, unique between the confidence, which presents separation, concern, and illusions, and the Sacred Spirit, which symbolizes love, truth, and religious guidance. It shows that the ego is the origin of enduring and conflict, whilst the Holy Spirit offers a pathway to therapeutic and awakening. The goal of the class is to greatly help persons transcend the ego's confined perception and arrange with the Sacred Spirit's guidance.