Student of Swedenborg

[LastPoet]

[Neo-Scholastic]

In Life on Other Planets, Swedenborg stated that he conversed with spirits from Jupiter, Mars, Mercury, Saturn, Venus, and the moon. He did not report conversing with spirits from Uranus and Neptune, which were not yet discovered. ~ Wikipedia

Pretty much sums it up.

On its face it sounds absurd. But I find that it makes sense in light of Hermetic tradition and the symbolism of alchemy. Plus he did in fact mentioned planets in far away and as yet unknown planets.

[The Grand Nudger]

Roger, psychic, remote viewer, chit chatted with a god (claimed to be an official mouthpiece for the almighty, no less), controlled the weather, took a magical flight to heaven (and hell), scyrer and finder of lost things.

Garbage, start to finish. What we have here is your everyday charlatan, nothing more.

[reverendjeremiah]

It looks nothing more than a protestant rendition of the Kabalah.

[Neo-Scholastic]

You will find as I continue to post on this forum I consider symbolic meanings more important that trying to force natural facts the fit a text. Plus he did write about life on far away planets not yet discovered. I don't expect you to know that, much less care. I only mention that to point out that Swedenborg was a prolific writer and its difficult to summarize the full scope of his thought or wrap it up with a simplistic and shallow statement like "pretty much sums it up." For many of you mystical claims are in themselves enough to dismiss Swedenborg outright. Most other Christians do too for exactly the same reasons. I view these mystical claims skeptically as well, but place them within the context of other parts of his writings. But I am not overly concerned with them because my interest in Swedenborg does not rest on his visions or para-physical occurances.

[The Grand Nudger]

So did L. Ron Hubbard (who was also a prolific writer). There's nothing simplistic or shallow about "summing it up", there have been far too many quacks and conmen in our history to deal with each individually as though their claims were worthwhile.

[Neo-Scholastic]

So did L. Ron Hubbard (who was also a prolific writer). There's nothing simplistic or shallow about "summing it up", there have been far too many quacks and conmen in our history to deal with each individually as though their claims were worthwhile.

I'm not asking anyone to deal with each individually. That would place too much burden. But to take one piece out of a large body of work and say "that sums it up" strikes me as flippant and reductive.

This is an introduction to let any interested party know where I'm coming from. Then when I post you can place my comments within a context.

[The Grand Nudger]

If only that large body of work hadn't been grounded in a notion so easily summed up. We appreciate the intro thread.

[Mister Agenda]

Yeah, thanks for the intro. And your particular brand of Christianity seems in the top 50% in terms of not annoying me.

[Neo-Scholastic]

Thanks to all and I look forward to participating.