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You might find this description of Swedenborg, taken from his Heaven and Hell very interesting. Here's the link, but I singled out a notable passage hopefully to whet your appetite:
Quote:
The husband appeared to be between adolescence and early manhood in age...his whole facial appearance was singularly one of dazzling good looks. He was dressed in a full-length robe. In the case of the wife, however, it took the following form. I saw her face, and did not see it. I saw it as the very essence of beauty, and did not see it because the beauty was beyond expression...I was simply stupefied by it....Her eyes flashed with the light of her heaven, which is blazing, as I said, and so takes its quality from the love of wisdom. For wives in the third heaven love their husbands on account of their husbands' wisdom and in response to it, and the husbands love their wives on account of and in response to that love directed towards them, and so they are united. The wife had her beauty as a result of this, such beauty that no artist could reproduce it or portray it in its true form...such loveliness expressible in his art. Her hair was attractively arranged in a style to match her beauty, with jewels in the form of flowers inserted into it. She was dressed in a scarlet gown, and under it a purple bodice fastened in front with rubies.
You might find this description of Swedenborg, taken from his Heaven and Hell very interesting. Here's the link, but I singled out a notable passage hopefully to whet your appetite:
Interesting. Certain aspects of his statement remind me of Mormonism.
Might be some similarities. Joseph Smith drew heavily from Swedenborg.
Quote:
In the case of the wife, however, it took the following form. I saw her face, and did not see it. I saw it as the very essence of beauty, and did not see it because the beauty was beyond expression...I was simply stupefied by it. such beauty that no artist could reproduce it or portray it in its true form...such loveliness expressible in his art.
Best as I can surmise Swedenborg was referring to this girl:
So someone jots down some words on an apparent vision of heaven and now you look forward to death? How myopic.
My wife passed on recently and very unexpectedly. I know I am never ever gonna see her again. Even if heaven and hell were real, our destinies would not be the same as she was far the better person than me. That would mean she has to be a complete zombie not to have to deal with the knowledge off me in the other place. Will she be 51 or 21?
All these visions and descriptions of heaven tend to fabricate nothing more than wishful thinking. You are mortal just like your chimp cousins and other critters. Life goes on, but not you, you cease to exist and the only consolation, your atoms get recycled.
No, actually, He didn't. He said no one would marry or be given in marriage. He did not say that all marriages performed on earth would be dissolved. That is determined by whether or not the marriage was performed by someone who had the God-given authority to bind in Heaven that which was bound on Earth.
Sounds like Swedenborg had quite an active fantasy life and was quite the idealist.
I recall Swedenborgianism being presented as a heresy in my days at Bible institute but at the time I figured any "ism" with a name like that could be discarded out of hand ... and of course now we know why, you can never trust the Borg anyway. Beware Swedes bringing Borgs. And I should know, as I'm 50% Swedish.
All these visions and descriptions of heaven tend to fabricate nothing more than wishful thinking. You are mortal just like your chimp cousins and other critters. Life goes on, but not you, you cease to exist and the only consolation, your atoms get recycled.
Do you base your convictions on anything more concrete and provable? Really... nobody knows for sure what lies beyond the grave. Neither you nor me nor thrillobyte nor Swedenborg. Is any one of us really in a position to be telling anyone else who's right and who's wrong? On this particular matter, I don't think so.
Do you base your convictions on anything more concrete and provable? Really... nobody knows for sure what lies beyond the grave. Neither you nor me nor thrillobyte nor Swedenborg. Is any one of us really in a position to be telling anyone else who's right and who's wrong? On this particular matter, I don't think so.
No one, Katzpur, knows what's on the Jovian moon, Ganymede. So if I tell you there are sentient dining room chairs dancing in caves just beneath its surface, who are you to tell me if I'm right or wrong?
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I can't wait to get there.
