New Century Edition Translations For Free Online

The New Century Edition translations of the Heavenly Doctrines published so far (Heaven and Hell, Divine Love and Wisdom, Divine Providence, True Christianity vol. 1) can be downloaded for free from here as PDFs or .txt files.

Learning Truth Without the Word

Theolog Coleman Glenn commented on Making Faith Our Own - Part 2 that he wonders

...how people [born into Judaism or Islam] get to the point where they accept the Word as true even as they're rejecting some of the things they've been taught in their birth-religion.

This is a difficult and important question. Here are two passages that provide the beginnings of an answer. Spiritual Experiences 5709, quoted in Perspective on the “Two Foundations of Truth” talks about people who are “no longer able to be convinced from the Word” and indicates that, so far as these people are in good, truth from science may be able to open their intellects.

Similarly, Apocalypse Revealed 936, explains that the leaves of the tree of life in the Holy City that “were for the healing of the nations” mean rational truths

...by which they who are in evils and thence in falsities are led to think soundly, and to live becomingly.... [because] they who are in evils and thence in falsities cannot be healed by the Word, because they do not read it; but if they have sound judgment, they can be healed by rational truths.

Perspective on the "Two Foundations of Truth"

People often draw conclusions about the importance of scientific knowledge based on the “two foundations of truth” described in Spiritual Experiences 5709.

Afterwards, I spoke about the foundations of truth, that they are two, one from the Word, the other from nature or from the truths of nature; and that the foundation from the Word is for the universal heaven, thus for those who are in the light [lux] of heaven; but the foundation from nature, for those who are natural and in natural light [lumen], thus for those who have confirmed themselves from the letter of the Word in things not true, yea, in falsities, so as to be convinced of them. For these are no longer able to be convinced from the Word. But, still, [these two foundations of truth] agree the one with the other; which is proved by a contemplation of certain things in the Word. Since sciences have shut up the understanding, therefore, sciences may also open it; and it is opened so far as men are in good.

It is fascinating that the sciences may open the understanding if people are in good. However, it is useful to know that this passage comes under the heading, “Those Who Were Called Learned and Were Believed Because They Could Confirm Their Own Dogma Whatever It Might Be, In the Other Life” (Spiritual Experiences 5700) and that at the end of the section it says,

In brief, nothing can be founded upon scientifics except it be previously founded upon the Word. This must be first: the other is only a confirmation from man's scientifics. (Spiritual Experiences 5710)

Bryn Athyn Post Now Available Online

The Bryn Athyn Post is now available for free online.

Heaven and Hell Considered to Be a Spiritual Classic

Theolog Coleman Glenn found a book on Amazon.com called 50 Spiritual Classics: Timeless Wisdom from 50 Great Books on Inner Discovery, Enlightenment and Purpose. He writes,

One of the 50 classics is Heaven and Hell, and the author gives it a very positive (and accurate) assessment, neither dismissing the teachings about hell nor claiming that it must be a work of Swedenbog's imagination.

He also notes that if you go down to “Search Inside This Book” and search for 246 and then 249 you can read the chapter about Heaven and Hell.