The sensible program of ACIM's teachings can also be a point of contention. Although some individuals record positive transformations and particular development from after the program, others get the techniques to be ineffective as well as harmful. The course's increased exposure of forgiveness and enjoy is excellent, but experts disagree that it can be excessively easy and naïve, declining to address the difficulties of human relationships and the need for limits and accountability. Furthermore, the course's period and intense character could be overwhelming for a lot of people, resulting in burnout or disillusionment. Experts declare that enough time and effort needed to complete ACIM could be greater used on more empirically reinforced beneficial methods or religious professions that have an established track record of effectiveness.

The broader affect of ACIM on the religious and self-help communities can also be value considering. The program has influenced an important following and has been incorporated into different New Age and spiritual movements david hoffmeister . Nevertheless, its influence is visible as a double-edged sword. Using one hand, it's provided a construction for people seeking religious growth and internal peace. On another hand, their teachings may subscribe to a lifestyle of spiritual skipping, wherever people use religious concepts to avoid working with particular and cultural issues. This could result in a questionnaire of escapism, where in fact the concentrate on religious attitudes distracts from the necessity of interesting with and handling real-world challenges.

More over, the commercial success of ACIM and its related components improves moral concerns. The growth of workshops, books, and seminars based on ACIM is visible as capitalizing on individuals' spiritual needs and vulnerabilities. Critics fight that the commercialization of spirituality can cause the exploitation of seekers, who may possibly spend significant time and income into techniques that finally do not offer on the promises. This commercialization also can donate to the dilution of the course's teachings, as various interpretations and changes proliferate, perhaps leading to frustration and misapplication of the principles.

Another critical part to take into account is the exclusivity and dogmatism that will often accompany the ACIM community. While the course it self promotes universal love and forgiveness, the way it's taught and used by some adherents can lead to a feeling of religious elitism. This may develop an "people versus them" mindset, where people who follow ACIM are regarded as enlightened, while people who don't are viewed as misguided or unenlightened. Such attitudes can be divisive and detrimental to the course's supposed targets of peace and unity. Critics fight that true spiritual growth must foster inclusivity and humility, rather than creating a hierarchical distinction involving the spiritually awakened and the unawakened.