Swedenborgianism

Swedenborgianism 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".

History

Swedenborg himself never tried to establish an organization. At the time of his death, little regards were made. But May 7, 1787, 15 years after Swedenborg's death, the New Church movement was founded in England, a country Swedenborg often visited and where he also died. Its ideas were carried to United States by missionairs, one famous Swedenborgian was Johnny Appleseed. Early missionaries were also made in parts of Africa, as Swedenborg himself regarded the black race as more susceptible to spiritual teachings.

In the 19th century, occultism became increasingly popular especially in France and England, and Swedenborg's writings was blended in with theosophy, alchemy and divination. What fascinated these followrs most was Swedenborg's mystical side. Much emphasize was laid on his work Heaven and Hell, wherein Swedenborg is led to Heaven and Hell by spirits to experience and report the conditions there.

In the U.S., Swedenborgianism was organized in 1817 with the founding of the General Convention of the New Church (sometimes refered to as the Convention). The movement in United States grew increasingly stronger until the late 19th century, when a controversy about doctrinal issues and Swedenborg's authority caused a fraction to split into the General Church of New Jerusalem (sometimes refered to as the General Church), with headquarters in Philadelphia.

Today, the Convention has about 4,500 members in 55 Churches, and the General Church has about 2,100 members in 33 churches. There is also an international organization -- the Swedenborgian Church -- which has 45 churches with 2,600 members in the U.S., and 50,000 members worldwide.

Beliefs

The "doctrines" of the New Church are as follows:

#That there is one God and that He is the Lord Jesus Christ. Within Him there is a Divine Trinity.

#That a saving faith is to believe in Him and to live a life of charity.

#That all evils are to be shunned and originate in mankind.

#That good actions are to be done, because they are of God and from God, and are therefore necessary for life.

#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 [1])

Swedenborgians have been viewed skeptically by Christian groups as an occult heretical movement in which people speak in tongues and see spirits [1]. While the mystic aspect certainly appealed to some people, and still does, the New Church as an organization today constitutes 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.

Influence

Notable persons influenced either by Swedenborg's writing or by the New Church include Henry Ward Beecher, William Blake, Elizabeth and Robert Browning, Thomas Carlyle, S. T. Coleridge, Ralph Waldo Emerson, George Inness, Henry James Sr, C.G. Jung, Helen Keller, Fitz Hugh Ludlow, Walt Whitman, and Coventry Patmore.

Resources

History of the Swedenborgian Church of North America According to the Church itself

NewChurchHistory.org Great collection of articles on Swedenborgian history, by Swedenborgians; a collaboration of Bryn Athyn College of the New Church with Glencairn Museum.

Swedenborg, Revelation and the New Church, paper by Rebecca Kline Somewhat unstructured, it has some historical information about the schism in 1890.

Maine Lodge of Research : Swedenborg - The Church A well written historical article