Tag: Emanuel Swedenborg

Right from wrong – Should we try to tell?

Morality has a bad press. It smacks of being judgemental and a blaming attitude. Discrimination is out and tolerance is in. Anything goes these days as long as it doesn’t cause harm. Many people do not think in terms of morality yet they feel that decisions should be made on the basis of the greatest good for the greatest number of people. Those, who deny there are any personal rights and wrongs, nevertheless, emphasize the ideals of love, holism, and self-improvement. And even criminals usually acknowledge their crime is wrong deserving punishment if they are caught. So the question remains just how does one know what really is right and wrong?

Evil – Can anyone be so characterised?

Ratko Mladic was the key player and commander of the Bosnian Serb forces that tried to eliminate Muslims from large parts of Bosnia. His forces massacred eight thousand Muslim men and boys at Srebrenica in 1995, and the brutal siege of Sarajevo between 1992 and 1995 resulted in the death of 10,000 people. His capture and trial for war crimes reminds us of the torture, mass rape, arson and genocide that formed part of this ‘ethnic cleansing’. How does one explain these evil crimes against humanity? Are standards of good and evil are only products of local culture, custom, or prejudice and that the very word ‘evil’ is an outmoded concept no longer fit for purpose.

Gossip – Is it good for the soul?

Is it good to talk about the private lives of public figures? Like the sexual seductions of Dominique Straus-Khan, managing director of the IMF? This is someone who was heading for high political office. Or the widely reported affair of footballer Ryan Giggs with Big Brother star Imogen Thomas? What is more important — the human right to a private life or the media’s freedom of expression? Can talking about people we know be a good thing?

Sexual culture — how to live in it?

‘Women should avoid dressing like sluts in order not to be victimised’ said policeman PC Michael Sanguinetti in Toronto, whilst advising students about safety on campus. In so saying he unleashed a storm of outrage. The marchers seem to be implying that sexual signals have no meaning in the world of human interaction.

Organised religion – beyond its sell by date?

organised religion

The World Values Survey, which is claimed to be the most reliable survey of beliefs across the globe, suggests that there has been a substantial cultural change. William Bloom writing in The Complete Encyclopedia of Mind Body Spirit reports that in modernised and free societies, where people have access to diverse views, up to seventy per cent of the population has moved away from a single faith tradition. Many seem to be acknowledging a spiritual dimension to life without affiliating with organised religion.

Hearing voices in the head – Are they real?

One well know example of some hearing voices is Joe Simpson. Whilst climbing on the West Face of Siula Grande in the Peruvian Andes, Simpson fell from high up on the mountain and was left for dead. Frostbitten and slowly freezing to death he recovered consciousness to realize he had a broken leg throbbing with … Continue reading Hearing voices in the head – Are they real?

Life after death – What’s it like?

In the post Is there an afterlife? I pointed to a similarity between Swedenborg’s reports of his mystical experiences of life after death and numerous accounts of the near death experience. There are also striking similarities between what various modern psychic mediums have said concerning a realm of spirits with Swedenborg’s writings. These similarities are … Continue reading Life after death – What’s it like?

Afterlife – Is there one?

A young man was skating on the local reservoir and fell through the ice. As he approached hypothermia, he could hardly move. He went down in silence his lifeless arms floating above his head. He then stopped feeling afraid of death and of there being no afterlife and actually started to feel warm. Feeling at … Continue reading Afterlife – Is there one?

Admiration – Do you deserve it?

You have seen the young pop performers, posturing on stage, pretentious, reeking of youthful ego and full of their celebrity status. And you wonder if you could have gone up on stage yourself and done that too. Maybe not! But what about something else you do that deserves attention — great disco dancing, passing of academic tests, goal scoring on the sports field? Don’t you too deserve some admiration? Or is the meaning of life for you something very different?

Swedenborgian Psychology

Psychology is the study of our experience and behaviour. It is about the way the human mind works. How do children start to think more rationally? How do we become male or female in personality? How do personal relationships succeed or fail? How can we understand clairvoyance, hypnotism and other extraordinary states of consciousness? How … Continue reading Swedenborgian Psychology