Other Definitions
swedenborgianism (dict)
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SwedenborgianismSwedenborgianism is a term based on the ecclesiastical organization of certain beliefs relating to Emanuel Swedenborg's writings and, as such, is considered a religious movement by some. It is based on the belief that Swedenborg witnessed the Last Judgment and second advent of the Lord, along with the inauguration of the New Church and an explanation of the spiritual meaning of the literal sense of The Word. Swedenborgians often refer to themselves by other terms, including "New Christians", "Neo-Christians", "The New Church", and "Church of the New Jerusalem". The "doctrines" of the New Church are as follows: 1. That there is one God and that He is the Lord Jesus Christ. Within Him there is a Divine Trinity. 2. That a saving faith is to believe in Him and to live a life of charity. 3. That all evils are to be shunned and originate in mankind. 4. That good actions are to be done, because they are of God and from God, and are therefore necessary for life. 5. That these good acts are to be done by mankind as if from him/herself; but that it ought to be acknowledged that they are done from the Lord with Him and by Him. (see Swedenborg's True Christian Religion, author's introduction) Swedenborgians now constitute a widely-spread and considerable society with a regularly constituted ecclesiastical organization. The term may also be used to refer to people inspired by some part of Swedenborgian philosophy or theology who nevertheless take an eclectic approach to such topics and so blend "pure" Swedenborgian thought with ideas from other systems, including Jungian psychology, Spiritualism, and "traditional" Christianity. Such Swedenborgianism bears little resemblance to the more ecclesiastical form usually referred to by the term. Notable persons influenced by Swedenborg include S. T. Coleridge, Robert and Elizabeth Browning, Coventry Patmore, Henry Ward Beecher, Thomas Carlyle, Henry James Sr., C.G. Jung, Helen Keller,Fitz Hugh Ludlow and William Blake.
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