(March 2, 2012 at 12:35 am)ChadWooters Wrote: I lead a small Swedenborg study group. Some of the stuff does sound batshit crazy and yet there's something in the general structure of his theology that I find very compelling and has helped me grow spiritually. So don't ask me to defend all the "problem texts" all at once. This is fun, so I plan to hang around. "Same garbage different face." bit of an oversimplification, but I understand the sentiment.
As for "something that happened in the past", I can only say it is reasonable to believe that Jesus was a real person that was really crucified. Every bit as reasonable as believing that Socrates was a real person that was forced to drink hemlock. I don't need absolute certainty to run with an idea. Do it all the time at work and at home. I just need to think that what I believe is reasonable.
Your human right is the right to be the best human you can be. But by choice we inflict misery upon ourselves through our inhumanity to each other.
Oops. The question I posed Chipan I had meant to pose to you. Namely:
"I wonder if your religion leads its adherents to be skeptical of science. I always think it should be easy for a theist to embrace science for what it is. Does your faith teach you that the bible is the literal word of God? My sense is probably no. You guys don't think the earth is only 6000 years old and that people used to ride around on dinosaurs and all that rubbish, do you?"
Personally my biggest complaint with most religions is that they do their adherents a great disservice in many ways. Yours has no history of inquisitions or crusades so go for it. Personally mind/body dualism of a spirit world vs a physical world is a non-starter for me, but if you're not hurting anyone and your outlook doesn't diminish you, have fun.
