The useful application of ACIM's teachings can also be a place of contention. While some persons report good transformations and particular growth from following class, others get the methods to be inadequate or even harmful. The course's emphasis on forgiveness and enjoy is exceptional, but critics disagree that it may be overly simplified and naïve, failing to address the difficulties of individual associations and the need for boundaries and accountability. Moreover, the course's length and rigorous character can be overwhelming for some people, ultimately causing burnout or disillusionment. Authorities claim that the time and energy needed to accomplish ACIM could be greater used on more empirically reinforced healing practices or religious disciplines that have an established history of effectiveness.

The broader impact of ACIM on the spiritual and self-help areas can be worth considering. The class has encouraged a significant subsequent and has been incorporated into various New Era and religious acim movements. But, their impact can be seen as a double-edged sword. On one hand, it has presented a framework for people seeking religious growth and inner peace. On another hand, its teachings can subscribe to a lifestyle of spiritual bypassing, where people use religious concepts in order to avoid coping with particular and social issues. This could lead to a form of escapism, where the concentrate on spiritual attitudes distracts from the prerequisite of participating with and handling real-world challenges.

More over, the professional accomplishment of ACIM and its connected resources improves ethical concerns. The expansion of workshops, books, and seminars centered on ACIM is visible as capitalizing on individuals' religious wants and vulnerabilities. Experts disagree that the commercialization of spirituality may lead to the exploitation of seekers, who might invest substantial time and income in to techniques that finally do not supply on their promises. This commercialization can also donate to the dilution of the course's teachings, as various understandings and adaptations proliferate, perhaps ultimately causing distress and misapplication of the principles.

Still another critical element to consider could be the exclusivity and dogmatism that could often accompany the ACIM community. As the class it self encourages general enjoy and forgiveness, just how it is shown and used by some adherents may result in an expression of spiritual elitism. This will build an "people versus them" mindset, where people who follow ACIM are viewed as enlightened, while those that don't are viewed as misguided or unenlightened. Such attitudes can be divisive and detrimental to the course's supposed goals of peace and unity. Experts fight that true religious development must foster inclusivity and humility, as opposed to creating a hierarchical difference involving the spiritually awakened and the unawakened