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Below we explore spiritual questions from the perspective of Emanuel Swedenborg.
Who was he? What did he have to say? Why does he get mentioned so much? Who are his readers?
Swedenborg has had a variety of both supporting and critical biographers. However, his development from scientist to mystic has greatly interested many people ever since it had occurred in the eighteenth century.
From 1745, when he considered himself to have entered a spiritual state, he applied his scientific methodology by meticulously describing his inner experiences, reporting accurately things he had subjectively noticed on his visionary journeys.
Swedenborg was able to learn his profound ideas by reflecting carefully on the words of sacred writing.
He came to believe that there is a relationship among the physical, the spiritual, and the divine and this can be seen in nature and in inspired sacred writing of the Bible.
With the aid of this scenario, he interpreted much of the Bible in a new light. He claimed that even the most apparently trivial sentences could hold a profound deeper meaning. He argued that it is the presence of this inner sense that makes the Word divine.
The relationship is shown in the vast and consistent use of Biblical confirmations in his books for his psychospiritual and theological ideas.
Some information is available below on who Swedenborg was in terms of his job, studies, vocation, inner experiences, and publications. Also his influence on other writers and the application of his ideas today for philosophy, spiritual education, and therapy.
Also available are articles that set out Swedenborg’s main spiritual principles. Included is what he said about human nature, potential inner growth of the individual, individual human destiny, the problem of innocent people suffering, his pre-Freudian account of dreams, his conscious experiences of a realm of spirit, the process of dying and what happens afterwards, his visionary experience of the universe of planets, his take on supernatural reality, an inner meaning of stories in the Bible and reasons for inconsistences, and why the Divine Being seems to be absent from the world.
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By Stephen Russell-Lacy Emanuel Swedenborg was a spiritual philosopher. He believed that a good marriage helps each partner in their personal growth. As humans, we all have limitations, which is why this is so important. Sometimes, we know what’s right but still struggle to act on it. According to Swedenborg, nobody can be blamed for this … Continue reading Personal growth – Does marriage help?
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By Stephen Russell-Lacy Emanuel Swedenborg was an 18th-century Christian mystic. He has something to say about the origin of our mental images. He claimed he could converse with people occupying, what for most of us is usually, a hidden spirit realm. This he termed the ‘spiritual world’. He said this communication took place in full … Continue reading Mental images – Are we responsible for them?
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