The practical application of ACIM's teachings can be a point of contention. While some people report positive transformations and particular development from after the course, others discover the techniques to be useless as well as harmful. The course's emphasis on forgiveness and love is excellent, but experts disagree that it could be very easy and naïve, declining to handle the complexities of individual relationships and the requirement for boundaries and accountability. Moreover, the course's period and extensive nature can be frustrating for many people, resulting in burnout or disillusionment. Experts declare that the full time and effort expected to accomplish ACIM could possibly be better used on more empirically reinforced healing techniques or spiritual disciplines that have an established history of effectiveness.

The broader impact of ACIM on the religious and self-help neighborhoods is also value considering. The program has influenced a substantial david hoffmeister following and has been incorporated into numerous New Age and religious movements. However, its effect is visible as a double-edged sword. On one hand, it has presented a platform for persons seeking spiritual development and inner peace. On another hand, its teachings may contribute to a culture of spiritual skipping, wherever persons use religious ideas in order to avoid working with particular and cultural issues. This may cause a form of escapism, where the give attention to religious attitudes distracts from the necessity of engaging with and handling real-world challenges.

Moreover, the commercial success of ACIM and their connected components raises ethical concerns. The expansion of workshops, books, and seminars based on ACIM can be seen as capitalizing on individuals' spiritual needs and vulnerabilities. Experts disagree that the commercialization of spirituality may cause the exploitation of seekers, who may spend significant time and income into methods that ultimately don't provide on the promises. That commercialization also can subscribe to the dilution of the course's teachings, as numerous understandings and changes proliferate, possibly resulting in frustration and misapplication of the principles.

Another critical part to take into account may be the exclusivity and dogmatism that could sometimes accompany the ACIM community. Whilst the course itself stimulates general enjoy and forgiveness, the way it is taught and used by some adherents can result in a sense of religious elitism. This could develop an "people versus them" attitude, wherever people who follow ACIM are viewed as enlightened, while people who don't are viewed as misguided or unenlightened. Such attitudes could be divisive and detrimental to the course's proposed goals of peace and unity. Authorities fight that true religious development must foster inclusivity and humility, as opposed to developing a hierarchical distinction involving the spiritually awakened and the unawakened.