Love Does Not Condemn: The World, the Flesh, and the Devil According to Platonism, Christianity, Gnosticism, and 'A Course in Miracles'

by Kenneth Wapnick

'The body was not made by love. Yet love does not condemn it and can use it lovingly, respecting what the Son of God has made and using it to save him from illusions.' (Text, Chapter 18). 'By declaring the phenomenal universe to be the work of the illusory ego, though not inherently evil or sinful, the Course gently resolves the great Platonic paradox of living in an imperfect, visible, and material world, yet knowing of a spiritual world whose Source is perfect and good.' (From the Preface) This book is an in-depth exploration of the non-dualistic metaphysics of 'A Course in Miracles,' and its integration with living in this fundamentally illusory world. It discusses how the Course resolves the God-world paradox that has existed in the Western world since the time of Plato namely, how an imperfect material universe could result from a perfect immaterial Creator. Thus, the context of this exploration is the Platonic and Gnostic themes that have run through Western intellectual and religious history, and the similarities and contrasts between these and the Course. Love Does Not Condemn is in three parts: the first part introduces the Gnostics, Platonists, and the Church-Gnostic conflict of the first two centuries A.D.; the second discusses a seven-stage myth, as understood by Platonism, Christianity, Gnosticism, and A Course in Miracles; the third compares and contrasts the four approaches in light of the God-world paradox, and concludes with a discussion of the errors common to the Gnostics and many students of the Course. The appendix includes the complete text of the important Gnostic document "The Gospel of Truth," glossary of terms, table of dates, bibliography, subject and name index, and an index of Course references.

698 pages, Hardcover

First published July 1, 1989

Reviews

[Micah Christian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Deep, probably not for everybody but for those who find Platonism, Christianity, Gnosticism and ACIM interesting. I thought the book was very interesting and helpful. I really liked it and will most likely read parts of it again from time to time.

[Luke · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you can force yourself through it, this is an amazing book. One of the most difficult reads I've had.

[Clay Stablein · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a very scholarly work. It is well written and very well-researched. Dr. Wapnick has left no stone unturned. He covers the subject matter, a wide path of somewhat disparate philosophies, respectfully. If you are familiar with A Course in Miracles (ACIM) and are interested in the history of Gnosticism, then I strongly recommend this book. If you are not familiar with ACIM, but would like to learn more about it, I recommend The Disappearance of the Universe by Gary Renard.