What is Swedenborgianism?

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So I came accross this website for a group called the “New Church”, who profess a particular brand of Swedenborg’s belief. I have only one problem, that is, understanding what Swedenborgianism is. I’m just curious, I have never heard of it until now!
 
oh look, nontrinitarian. oh well.
… and they deny the existence of hell…

:\

Never heard of them before.
 
I think they’re very much on the decline these days, although they’re still around to an extent (there’s a rather prominent Swedenborgian Centre in London somewhere I seem to recall). During there heyday in the nineteenth century in Britain they built a significant number of rather grand gothic Churches, most of which are no longer under their ownership. I can’t say I’ve ever heard of them undertaking much in the way of proselytising, which may explain their decline.

Emanuel Swedenborg was an eighteenth-century Swedish scientist and philosopher (known to this day for first theorising the concept of neurons within the brain) who claimed to have experienced a series of visions on ‘the new Christian religion’. Although he never established an explicit religious group around his teachings, one grew up after his death. Essentially, it’s non-Trinitarian, very anti-Sola Fide (perhaps a reaction to the Swedish Lutheranism of the time), and teaches that a third ‘Last Judgement’ took place in 1757 (the previous two taking place at the time of Noah’s Flood and the Passion respectively). They also hold a rather unusual scriptural interpretation of the biblical account of creation, holding that it pertains to a process of internal rebirth within man.
 
LoyalViews said:
So I came accross this website for a group called the “New Church”, who profess a particular brand of Swedenborg’s belief. I have only one problem, that is, understanding what Swedenborgianism is. I’m just curious, I have never heard of it until now!
Click to expand...
Google helps. 😛
 
Aha! I know Google helps 🙂 But I was looking for some more thorough explanation than what I was finding. I couldn’t find any “outside” explanations other than Wikipedia. Is there anyone who knows any converts or any converts here? It all seems rather cult-ish, really.
 
It is. Swedenborg’s best friend was Cicero (you know, the Roman senator and orator) 😃 Mormonism borrowed many of his teachings, but ignored others (like rejection of polygamy). It is very Gnostic, based on the volumnious writings of a schizophrenic. Just dabble in some of his books, and you will discover :takeoff:.
 
I like a ‘Svedish’ smorgasbord very much…all kinds a food a buffet…grew up with the Italians, Norskis, and ‘Svedes’…
 
LoyalViews said:
So I came accross this website for a group called the “New Church”, who profess a particular brand of Swedenborg’s belief. I have only one problem, that is, understanding what Swedenborgianism is. I’m just curious, I have never heard of it until now!
Click to expand...
some of Swedenborg’s writings…
“3630. From this it may be seen that the viscera and members, or organs of motion and sensation, correspond each and all to societies in heaven, thus as it were to so many distinct heavens; and that from those societies, that is, through them, celestial and spiritual things flow in with man, and this into adequate and suitable forms, and in this manner present the effects which are apparent to man. These effects however do not appear to man otherwise than as natural, thus altogether under another form and under another appearance, so that they cannot be known to be from heaven.” :confused:
“3642. One morning I was in company with angelic spirits, who according to custom acted in unity of thought and speech. This penetrated also toward hell, into which it was continued, insomuch that they appeared as it were to act as a one with the infernals; but the reason was that the good and truth with the angels was by a wonderful turning changed with the infernals into evil and falsity, and this by degrees as it flowed down, where hell acted as a one by persuasions of falsity and by cupidities of evil. Notwithstanding that the hells are out of the Grand Man, they are nevertheless in this manner reduced as it were into a one, and thereby are kept in order, according to which are their consociations; thus the Lord from His Divine directs the hells also.” :confused:
😃
 
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