1) What was your reason to coming to an atheist forum? To learn by exposure to contrary beliefs.
2) Does it matter to you whether your religious beliefs are true? Better question: Do beliefs, religious or otherwise, matter? Answer: Yes.
3) Do you feel 100% certain that your beliefs are true? To the extent humans can have certain knowledge, yes.
4) Does your religion have an associated text? 4a) Who wrote the book? The writings of Emanuel Swedenborg.
4b) How many times have you read it through entirely, cover to cover? The Arcana Coelesia alone is 22 volumes and haven’t even scratched the surface. I’ve read Heaven & Hell twice and important sections of Divine Love and Wisdom & Divine Providence several times. The following I have read at once: Conjugal Love, True Christianity, the Heavenly City, Life on Other Planets, and The White Horse. I have only read part of Apocalypse Explained.
4c) Do you think the book is exactly how your god would want it to read, with no mistakes. No. However, the essential doctrines are accurately expressed.
4d) Do you think everything written in it is literally true, and actually happened as stated? If not, who has the authority to pick the literally true parts? No and from a New Church perspective only the inner meaning is truly important.
5) Do you think that there are any other religions/gods, from past religions or other current religions, that could also be true/real? 6 [including parts a and b] Have you spent any time researching other current religions, or religions from the past, to consider whether they could be true too/instead? Depends on the god. I saw a movie about Thor so he seems to be real. ;-) However, even polytheistic
7) Say you were born in another country, where the predominant religion is one other than the one you currently believe in. Say you were raised in this different religion. Do you feel that at some point you would have rejected that religion and adopted the one you have now? If so, why? [i]Probably not.
8) Do you feel that all your morality comes directly from your religion? No. It comes from God.
8a) Say you drew up a list of all the things you consider are moral, and the things you consider immoral. Then say you did the same for what your god's opinion would be. Would your lists be the same as your god's? If not, where would you differ? Go to question 9.I do not believe in moral codes, but rather moral example in the person of Christ
8b) Do you feel you act in accordance to every moral and instruction in your religion/book?I have more work to do to be Christ-like, but I’m working in the right direction.
8c) If you had never known about your religion, or any religion, do you feel you would have any idea how to act morally, or to care about it?The ability to recognize what is good and true providential. So yes.
9) Can you give 5 reasons why you believe in your religion, starting with the most important to you? New Church theology is rational, empowering, conforms to my own mystical experiences. Those 3 are sufficient
2) Does it matter to you whether your religious beliefs are true? Better question: Do beliefs, religious or otherwise, matter? Answer: Yes.
3) Do you feel 100% certain that your beliefs are true? To the extent humans can have certain knowledge, yes.
4) Does your religion have an associated text? 4a) Who wrote the book? The writings of Emanuel Swedenborg.
4b) How many times have you read it through entirely, cover to cover? The Arcana Coelesia alone is 22 volumes and haven’t even scratched the surface. I’ve read Heaven & Hell twice and important sections of Divine Love and Wisdom & Divine Providence several times. The following I have read at once: Conjugal Love, True Christianity, the Heavenly City, Life on Other Planets, and The White Horse. I have only read part of Apocalypse Explained.
4c) Do you think the book is exactly how your god would want it to read, with no mistakes. No. However, the essential doctrines are accurately expressed.
4d) Do you think everything written in it is literally true, and actually happened as stated? If not, who has the authority to pick the literally true parts? No and from a New Church perspective only the inner meaning is truly important.
5) Do you think that there are any other religions/gods, from past religions or other current religions, that could also be true/real? 6 [including parts a and b] Have you spent any time researching other current religions, or religions from the past, to consider whether they could be true too/instead? Depends on the god. I saw a movie about Thor so he seems to be real. ;-) However, even polytheistic
7) Say you were born in another country, where the predominant religion is one other than the one you currently believe in. Say you were raised in this different religion. Do you feel that at some point you would have rejected that religion and adopted the one you have now? If so, why? [i]Probably not.
8) Do you feel that all your morality comes directly from your religion? No. It comes from God.
8a) Say you drew up a list of all the things you consider are moral, and the things you consider immoral. Then say you did the same for what your god's opinion would be. Would your lists be the same as your god's? If not, where would you differ? Go to question 9.I do not believe in moral codes, but rather moral example in the person of Christ
8b) Do you feel you act in accordance to every moral and instruction in your religion/book?I have more work to do to be Christ-like, but I’m working in the right direction.
8c) If you had never known about your religion, or any religion, do you feel you would have any idea how to act morally, or to care about it?The ability to recognize what is good and true providential. So yes.
9) Can you give 5 reasons why you believe in your religion, starting with the most important to you? New Church theology is rational, empowering, conforms to my own mystical experiences. Those 3 are sufficient
