Susan Dugan and Bruce Rawles read from and converse about Lesson 134: “Let me perceive forgiveness as it is. (ACIM, W-134)” from the Workbook of A Course In Miracles – in this YouTube video.
Our typical default ideas about forgiveness – heavily reinforced by the mostly unchallenged concepts embraced by almost everyone in this world – revolve around anchoring some “legitimate” grievances that have wrongly damaged our peace (with no complicity on our part) and then we attempt to deny the ‘big deals” we’ve already claimed as our “slings and arrows of outrageous fortune” all the while hoping to avoid exposing our furtive attempts to maintain the “face of innocence” while painting at least part of the world “outside us” as guilty, or at least more guilty than us. The irony, of course, is that our real innocence is forever available for us as long as we also claim it for EVERYONE else without exception, something we almost never even consider, despite the sane, eternal logic that quietly awaits our consideration.
By wonderfully stark contrast, the Course’s real alternative – and complete overhaul and upgrade) to ego’s fake forgiveness – sees the fleeting appearances of this world’s undeniably horrific events as unworthy of our preoccupation and instead releases our identity from a prisoner of our own compulsive condemnations. This quintessential quote from the first “What is…” feature in Part II of the Workbook – What is Forgiveness states:
“Forgiveness recognizes what you thought your brother did to you has not occurred. ²It does not pardon sins and make them real. ³It sees there was no sin. ⁴And in that view are all your sins forgiven. ⁵What is sin, except a false idea about God’s Son? ⁶Forgiveness merely sees its falsity, and therefore lets it go. ⁷What then is free to take its place is now the Will of God.” (ACIM, W-pII.1.1:1-7)
Here are the first three paragraphs from Lesson 134: “Let me perceive forgiveness as it is.”:
“1. Let us review the meaning of “forgive,” for it is apt to be distorted and to be perceived as something that entails an unfair sacrifice of righteous wrath, a gift unjustified and undeserved, and a complete denial of the truth. ²In such a view, forgiveness must be seen as mere eccentric folly, and this course appear to rest salvation on a whim.
2. This twisted view of what forgiveness means is easily corrected, when you can accept the fact that pardon is not asked for what is true. ²It must be limited to what is false. ³It is irrelevant to everything except illusions. ⁴Truth is God’s creation, and to pardon that is meaningless. ⁵All truth belongs to Him, reflects His laws and radiates His Love. ⁶Does this need pardon? ⁷How can you forgive the sinless and eternally benign?
3. The major difficulty that you find in genuine forgiveness on your part is that you still believe you must forgive the truth, and not illusions. ²You conceive of pardon as a vain attempt to look past what is there; to overlook the truth, in an unfounded effort to deceive yourself by making an illusion true. ³This twisted viewpoint but reflects the hold that the idea of sin retains as yet upon your mind, as you regard yourself.”
(This video was recorded on May 21, 2021.)
If you have questions or comments about this video, prior videos in this ACIM-related video series or other Course-related topics, please email them via the ACIMblog.com contact form. Susan and Bruce will review and try to respond to questions and suggestions for future conversations. We look forward to extending the conversation with you!
Here are some prior ACIM-related conversations with Susan Dugan and Bruce Rawles.