The realistic application of ACIM's teachings can also be a place of contention. While some individuals record good transformations and personal growth from following a course, the others find the methods to be useless or even harmful. The course's focus on forgiveness and love is excellent, but critics disagree that it can be very easy and naïve, failing to address the complexities of individual associations and the need for boundaries and accountability. Furthermore, the course's length and extensive character can be frustrating for some individuals, leading to burnout or disillusionment. Critics suggest that the full time and work expected to perform ACIM could be better allocated to more empirically reinforced beneficial techniques or religious disciplines that have an established history of effectiveness.

The broader impact of ACIM on the spiritual and self-help areas is also worth considering. The program has encouraged a significant subsequent and has beendavid hoffmeister incorporated into numerous New Age and spiritual movements. However, their influence is visible as a double-edged sword. On one hand, it has presented a structure for individuals seeking religious growth and inner peace. On one other hand, its teachings may subscribe to a tradition of religious bypassing, where people use spiritual methods to avoid coping with personal and social issues. This can result in a questionnaire of escapism, where the concentrate on spiritual attitudes distracts from the necessity of interesting with and addressing real-world challenges.

Moreover, the commercial success of ACIM and their related products increases honest concerns. The expansion of workshops, publications, and seminars based on ACIM is visible as capitalizing on individuals' spiritual wants and vulnerabilities. Critics argue that the commercialization of spirituality may cause the exploitation of seekers, who may possibly invest significant time and money into methods that eventually don't deliver on their promises. This commercialization may also subscribe to the dilution of the course's teachings, as different interpretations and changes proliferate, perhaps resulting in distress and misapplication of the principles.

Still another important part to consider may be the exclusivity and dogmatism that will sometimes accompany the ACIM community. As the course it self encourages common love and forgiveness, the way it's shown and practiced by some adherents can result in a feeling of spiritual elitism. This will build an "us versus them" mentality, wherever those who follow ACIM are viewed as enlightened, while those who don't are viewed as misguided or unenlightened. Such attitudes can be divisive and detrimental to the course's proposed objectives of peace and unity. Experts disagree that true religious development should foster inclusivity and humility, rather than creating a hierarchical variance involving the spiritually awakened and the unawakened.