Reality of the Spiritual World
“We are not human beings having a spiritual experience, but spiritual beings having a human experience.” ~ Pierre Teilhard de Chardin
We in the Swedenborgian Church take this quote by de Chardin quite literally. Swedenborg reported that the spiritual world was very real, more real than this world, and that each of us has an eternal spiritual body that is in communication with the other world here and now and that will continue to live on after our earthly bodies give out. This spiritual world peeks out into ours through mystical experience, intuition, ecstatic moments of prayer, synchronicity, artistic expression, powerful acts of kindness, in loving community and in the unveiling of deeper truths of the scriptures as we study them and seek to live by them.
Inner meaning of the Bible
One of the most important elements of Swedenborg’s theology is the principle that the Bible has an inner, spiritual meaning encoded within the text. This encoding occurs through the language of correspondences a way of reading the bible where the images contained within a story depict deeper spiritual realities. He says that the Bible was never meant to be taken purely or even primarily in a literal sense, and he points out that the text is often confusing or even contradictory if taken literally. Rather, Swedenborg asserts, the Bible should be read as a multilayered description of the spiritual realities within us and in the world beyond. The biblical story unfolds as a spiritual progression from the Garden of Eden in the book Genesis, to the Holy City in the book of Revelation. This progression is one of moving from a state of innocence to a state of innocence with wisdom, the many twists and turns of the books in between depicting the journey we all must take if we are to be spiritually regenerated.
Angels
Swedenborg reported back that angels were not another species of being but instead all men and women who lived good lives by the best that they know and now find their place in heaven. In this heavenly community angels live in community, they marry, work, play and enjoy diverse pleasures and joys. And they interact with this world, watching out for us, conveying love and comfort and helping us to overcome spiritual battles. Swedenborg wrote extensively about the lives of angels in one of his most popular works Heaven and Hell.
The Nature of God
Swedenborg shared in his theological writings a view of God as infinitely loving and at the very center of our beings. In his view, God is Love and Wisdom itself, quite literally incapable of judgment, punishment or anger. It is our call to be vessels of this love, and to share it, whatever form it may take. The emphasis is not on accepting particulars of doctrine, but rather to lead a life of love towards the Divine and all beings.
What about Hell?
Swedenborg was given to visit and see not only the heavenly realms but the hellish. He came back to report that while God is always drawing us towards love, towards the life of heaven, that this is never done with compulsion and so in giving us the freedom to choose men and women through history and today continue to choose the life of selfishness and domination, over the life of mutual love. We see hell as a state of being that manifests itself when we are trapped in self interest, in destructive cycles, and unable to respond to the promptings of love that God is offering us. Part of the journey of life is to traverse these states of ‘hell’ and come out on the other side. There is a debate within our tradition about whether hell is truly eternal, or if everyone eventually traverses their way out to heaven. Regardless it seems impossible to deny that hellish states can feel ‘eternal’ and ‘unescapable.” Within this framework of understanding we find freedom in knowing that when we face our own dark times that God and the angels will help us through if we but ask and that it is all a part of the journey.
Regeneration
“The purpose of creation is a heaven of the human race.” Emanuel Swedenborg
We believe the in the call to be born again of the spirit, and we believe that it is a life long process (perhaps an eternal one.) The purpose of life on earth is to overcome our innate selfish tendencies and respond to the higher divine call to grow in love for God and others. As we follow this path of growth we too become more joyful, getting in touch with a higher experience of love as we learn more about who we are and what we have to bring to the world. As we progress along the spiritual path we recognize howe we fit in the grand design, what use we have to offer that will be of benefit to others and the world and our own highest joy.
Divine Providence
We do not believe that everything happens for a reason. But we do believe that in every moment God is seeking to bring about good, and in this way there is a general flow of providence that is working to draw us all towards the heavenly life. God does not ordain tragedy, but within a tragic or traumatic moment the Lord can bring about amazing good through inspiring those involved to heal themselves and become healers for others, by inspiring communities to come together in love and justice. This stream of providence is always flowing and we can at times see it in moments of synchronicity. Rev. Dr. George Dole often uses the metaphor of cross stitch to describe what providence looks like. On the back is often quite messy but when you look at it from the front you can see the beauty of the pattern emerge.
The Second Coming
The idea of the second coming throughout the history of Christianity has always been, a little weird. Is it going to happen in our life time? Will there really be wars on the earth and will some people really just disappear from the earth in an instant and be taken up to heaven? Will the dead rise from their graves?
Swedenborg reported that the Second Coming had actually begun to take place in his lifetime – and in fact still is taking place. The Second Coming understood in this way is not an actual physical appearance of the Lord, but rather His return in spirit and truth as we come to open up more fully and deeply to a new era of spiritual understanding and love. “At that time people will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory.” Mark 13:26 refers not to a physical spectacle but to the way God will come out of the ‘clouds’ or the foggy understanding that we have to be more clearly revealed. This is continually happening as the world grows in love and wisdom.