The useful application of ACIM's teachings can also be a point of contention. While some individuals report positive transformations and personal growth from following program, the others get the techniques to be ineffective as well as harmful. The course's increased exposure of forgiveness and love is exceptional, but experts disagree that it can be overly simplistic and naïve, failing to handle the difficulties of individual associations and the requirement for boundaries and accountability. Moreover, the course's size and rigorous character could be overwhelming for some individuals, ultimately causing burnout or disillusionment. Critics suggest that enough time and work needed to perform ACIM could be better used on more empirically supported therapeutic practices or spiritual professions which have an established history of effectiveness.

The broader impact of ACIM on the spiritual and self-help communities can also be worth david hoffmeister considering. The course has inspired a substantial following and has been integrated into numerous New Era and spiritual movements. But, its impact is visible as a double-edged sword. On one give, it's presented a framework for persons seeking religious growth and internal peace. On one other hand, their teachings can donate to a culture of religious bypassing, wherever people use spiritual methods to prevent working with particular and cultural issues. This could cause an application of escapism, where in actuality the concentrate on religious values distracts from the requisite of participating with and addressing real-world challenges.

Furthermore, the professional achievement of ACIM and its connected materials raises ethical concerns. The expansion of workshops, publications, and seminars based on ACIM is visible as capitalizing on individuals' spiritual wants and vulnerabilities. Experts disagree that the commercialization of spirituality can cause the exploitation of seekers, who may invest substantial time and income into methods that eventually do not provide on the promises. That commercialization may also contribute to the dilution of the course's teachings, as various understandings and changes proliferate, probably resulting in confusion and misapplication of the principles.

Another critical element to take into account could be the exclusivity and dogmatism that could occasionally accompany the ACIM community. While the course it self stimulates general love and forgiveness, the way in which it is shown and practiced by some adherents can result in a sense of religious elitism. This can build an "us versus them" mindset, wherever those who follow ACIM are seen as enlightened, while those who do not are viewed as misguided or unenlightened. Such attitudes may be divisive and counterproductive to the course's purported objectives of peace and unity. Critics fight that true spiritual growth should foster inclusivity and humility, as opposed to developing a hierarchical variation involving the spiritually awakened and the unawakened.