The useful application of ACIM's teachings can be a place of contention. Though some persons record positive transformations and personal growth from after the course, the others discover the techniques to be ineffective or even harmful. The course's increased exposure of forgiveness and enjoy is admirable, but authorities disagree that it may be very simplistic and naïve, declining to deal with the difficulties of individual relationships and the need for limits and accountability. Furthermore, the course's period and extensive nature may be frustrating for many people, resulting in burnout or disillusionment. Experts claim that the time and effort needed to complete ACIM could be better spent on more empirically supported beneficial practices or spiritual professions that have an established history of effectiveness.

The broader affect of ACIM on the spiritual and self-help towns can also be price considering. The class has influenced an important following and has a course in miracles  been integrated into various New Age and spiritual movements. However, its influence is visible as a double-edged sword. On one hand, it has presented a construction for individuals seeking religious development and inner peace. On the other hand, its teachings may subscribe to a tradition of spiritual bypassing, where persons use spiritual concepts to prevent coping with personal and cultural issues. This will result in a form of escapism, where the focus on religious attitudes distracts from the requisite of participating with and addressing real-world challenges.

Furthermore, the commercial achievement of ACIM and their connected materials increases moral concerns. The growth of workshops, publications, and seminars predicated on ACIM can be seen as capitalizing on individuals' religious wants and vulnerabilities. Authorities argue that the commercialization of spirituality can cause the exploitation of seekers, who may spend significant time and money into techniques that eventually do not offer on their promises. This commercialization also can donate to the dilution of the course's teachings, as various understandings and adaptations proliferate, possibly resulting in distress and misapplication of the principles.

Another critical part to think about could be the exclusivity and dogmatism that could sometimes accompany the ACIM community. Whilst the course itself encourages common love and forgiveness, just how it's taught and practiced by some adherents may result in a sense of spiritual elitism. This may produce an "people versus them" mindset, wherever those who follow ACIM are regarded as enlightened, while those who do not are considered as misguided or unenlightened. Such attitudes could be divisive and detrimental to the course's purported targets of peace and unity. Critics fight that true spiritual development must foster inclusivity and humility, as opposed to creating a hierarchical variation between the spiritually awakened and the unawakened.