A forward-looking Christian denomination, the Swedenborgian Church was founded to help people be more open to the Lord’s presence and leading, to facilitate the spiritual well-being of people, and to increase awareness of the new age in which we live.
Since the beginning, The Swedenborgian Church has become a haven for seekers who share Swedenborg’s quest for a religion that interconnects with all of life, and for a system that allows reasoned questioning of life’s deepest religious issues. To this day, the Swedenborgian Church encourages inquiry, respect for differences, and acceptance of other traditions of life and religion.
Emanuel Swedenborg was born in 1688 in Stockholm, Sweden, at the dawn of the "Age of Enlightenment" when Europeans were stressing the importance of scientific reason and rationality.
Young Emanuel was educated at the University of Uppsala where he demonstrated his rare gift in science and mathematics. Extensive publication established him by 1734 as one of Europe’s leading scientists in such diverse areas as mathematics, geology, chemistry, physics, mineralogy, astronomy, and anatomy. According to numerous authorities, many of Swedenborg’s insights in these fields anticipated revolutionary scientific discoveries and theories of our own time.
In addition, Swedenborg served as a member of the Swedish House of Nobles where he authored advanced monetary and fiscal policies.
Swedenborg learned such crafts as bookbinding, watch making, lens grinding, carpentry, engraving, and drafting by taking up residence in the homes where the crafts had been perfected. His breadth of interests and prolific studies made him an uncommon man. His later work revealed him, however, as even more exceptional.
Swedenborg’s all-consuming desire for scientific knowledge began to find a companion: a desire for religious understanding. He examined the relationship between the body and the soul, attempting to discover the nature of the spiritual being residing within human personality. After a profound spiritual experience in his mid-fifties, he devoted the rest of his life to religion.
In preparation for his subsequent work, Swedenborg studied the Bible in its original languages with his well-trained scientist’s care for precision and detail. He wrote volumes on numerous portions of the Bible and on other subjects of Christian theology. The latter part of his religious search, writing, and publishing was done in London where he died in 1772.
Emanuel Swedenborg achieved success in three distinct careers–scientist, statesman, and theologian. Emerson called him "a colossal soul" and counted him as one of the "representative men" of the world such as Plato, Montaigne, Shakespeare, and Goethe.
The height,
breadth, and
depth of
Swedenborg’s
life and
thought
sweep the
widest
possible
range of
human life
from our
inner,
mystical
experiences
to everyday
lives of
usefulness.
In him, for
example, we
find an
inspiration
to search
for a
greater
fulfillment
of our
God-given
potential
through the
cultivation
of
heightened
awareness,
holistic
living, and
right-brained,
intuitive
knowledge.
At the same
time, we
hear
Swedenborg
reminding us
of our duty
to lead a
useful life,
doing
practical
things to
meet our
neighbors’
needs and
striving to
bring God’s
kingdom on
earth.
Emanuel Swedenborg (1688-1772):
· viewed God as infinitely loving and at the very center of our being,
· viewed human life as a continuous re-birthing as we participate in our own creation,
· viewed the Bible as a story of inner-life stages as we learn and grow,
· and had conviction that life continues following the transition we call death to eternity of growing fulfillment.
He said; “All religion relates to life, and the life of religion is to do good”