T-2.III The Altar of God
1. The Atonement can only be accepted within you by releasing the inner light. ²Since the separation, defenses have been used almost entirely to defend against the Atonement, and thus maintain the separation. ³This is generally seen as a need to protect the body. ⁴The many body fantasies in which minds engage arise from the distorted belief that the body can be used as a means for attaining “atonement”. ⁵Perceiving the body as a temple is only the first step in correcting this distortion, because it alters only part of it. ⁶It does recognize that Atonement in physical terms is impossible. ⁷The next step, however, is to realize that a temple is not a structure at all. ⁸Its true holiness lies at the inner altar around which the structure is built. ⁹The emphasis on beautiful structures is a sign of the fear of Atonement, and an unwillingness to reach the altar itself. ¹⁰The real beauty of the temple cannot be seen with the physical eye. ¹¹Spiritual sight, on the other hand, cannot see the structure at all because it is perfect vision. ¹²It can, however, see the altar with perfect clarity.
2. For perfect effectiveness the Atonement belongs at the center of the inner altar, where it undoes the separation and restores the wholeness of the mind. ²Before the separation the mind was invulnerable to fear, because fear did not exist. ³Both the separation and the fear are miscreations that must be undone for the restoration of the temple, and for the opening of the altar to receive the Atonement. ⁴This heals the separation by placing within you the one effective defense against all separation thoughts and making you perfectly invulnerable.
3. The acceptance of the Atonement by everyone is only a matter of time. ²This may appear to contradict free will because of the inevitability of the final decision, but this is not so. ³You can temporise and you are capable of enormous procrastination, but you cannot depart entirely from your Creator, Who set the limits on your ability to miscreate. ⁴An imprisoned will engenders a situation which, in the extreme, becomes altogether intolerable. ⁵Tolerance for pain may be high, but it is not without limit. ⁶Eventually everyone begins to recognize, however dimly, that there must be a better way. ⁷As this recognition becomes more firmly established, it becomes a turning point. ⁸This ultimately reawakens spiritual vision, simultaneously weakening the investment in physical sight. ⁹The alternating investment in the two levels of perception is usually experienced as conflict, which can become very acute. ¹⁰But the outcome is as certain as God.
4. Spiritual vision literally cannot see error, and merely looks for Atonement. ²All solutions the physical eye seeks dissolve. ³Spiritual vision looks within and recognizes immediately that the altar has been defiled and needs to be repaired and protected. ⁴Perfectly aware of the right defense it passes over all others, looking past error to truth. ⁵Because of the strength of its vision, it brings the mind into its service. ⁶This reestablishes the power of the mind and makes it increasingly unable to tolerate delay, realising that it only adds unnecessary pain. ⁷As a result, the mind becomes increasingly sensitive to what it would once have regarded as very minor intrusions of discomfort.
5. The children of God are entitled to the perfect comfort that comes from perfect trust. ²Until they achieve this, they waste themselves and their true creative powers on useless attempts to make themselves more comfortable by inappropriate means. ³But the real means are already provided, and do not involve any effort at all on their part. ⁴The Atonement is the only gift that is worthy of being offered at the altar of God, because of the value of the altar itself. ⁵It was created perfect and is entirely worthy of receiving perfection. ⁶God and His creations are completely dependent on Each Other. ⁷He depends on them because He created them perfect. ⁸He gave them His peace so they could not be shaken and could not be deceived. ⁹Whenever you are afraid you are deceived, and your mind cannot serve the Holy Spirit. ¹⁰This starves you by denying you your daily bread. ¹¹God is lonely without His Sons, and they are lonely without Him. ¹²They must learn to look upon the world as a means of healing the separation. ¹³The Atonement is the guarantee that they will ultimately succeed.