The Meaning of Judgment

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Summary: The four types of judgment found in "A Course In Miracles"
Review: THE MEANING OF JUDGMENT is an audio cassette recording of a workshop led by Kenneth Wapnick, PhD., on June 20, 1992. The workshop, which includes several question and answer dialogues between the attendees and instructor, was held at the Foundation for A Course In Miracles, which was then located in Roscoe, New York. The foundation has since moved to Temecula, CA., and is now more focused on electronic outreach: http://www.facimoutreach.org/

In THE MEANING OF JUDGMENT, Kenneth Wapnick focuses on the four types of judgment described in the Course. Three of the four types of judgment are addressed in the Course. One of them is implied:

1. The Ego's Judgment - This type of judgment is based on the idea that we could be inadequate and separate from God. It's the idea that the ego has usurped God. It's a judgment based on differences.

2. The Judgment of The Ego as Futile - The second type of judgment is the judgment we make when we look at the ego's thought system, the ego's way of seeing differences, of making decisions in this world, and we then recognize that all of our thoughts and judgments have no affect. This is the judgment we make that realizes that the ego's judgment means nothing. This is the step where we realize that ultimately we can't really know anything in this world. We realize the futility of putting our faith in our limited perceptions. Wapnick says that without this step, it's impossible to know what the Holy Spirit is all about. As a way of exemplifying this step, Kenneth Wapnick quotes the passage in A COURSE IN MIRACLES that says: "Forgiveness is still and quietly does nothing. It merely looks and waits and judges not." It is this second step, this second type of judgment that is the main focus of this audio cassette.

3. The Holy Spirit's Judgment - This type of judgment is described in A COURSE IN MIRACLES in Chapter 12, "Judgment of Holy Spirit," and Chapter. 14, "Equality of Miracles." It's a judgment that sees that everyone and everything in this world is either expressing the love of God, or calls for the love of God. There is no attack in this judgment. There is no attack in this perception.

4. The Final Judgment; God's Judgment - This judgment occurs at the end of the Atonement. A COURSE IN MIRACLES describes the "Atonement" as the point when we let go of our egos and take the final step back toward God. This is when we fully realize the non-dual nature of God and cease to exist as separate, individual personalities. This judgment entirely ends the "dream," i.e., the belief in the separation from God, the belief in the reality of the physical universe, the belief in individual identity. When one has accepted the third judgment, then this final judgment is only a small step away. It's the final step that the Course says God takes for us, bringing us back to Him.

As with almost all of the audio cassettes by Kenneth Wapnick, I would recommend THE MEANING OF JUDGMENT for those who have been studying A COURSE IN MIRACLES for a few years at least. If you are new to the Course, I recommend starting with some of his simpler books, such as A TALK GIVEN ON A COURSE IN MIRACLES: AN INTRODUCTION or perhaps THE MOST COMMONLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT A COURSE IN MIRACLES.

Andrew Parodi