What does Emanuel Swedenborg Say about Homosexuality?

Posted on February 6, 2015 by Lee — 83 Comments

This article is for people who want to know what Emanuel Swedenborg (1688–1772) says on the subject of homosexuality. If you’re not interested in that, you can safely skip it. For the broader picture, and my reasons for writing these two articles about homosexuality from a Christian perspective, please see the companion article, “Homosexuality, the Bible, and Christianity.”

While many Swedenborgian ministers and laypeople accept homosexuality as equal to heterosexuality, a great deal has been written by conservative Swedenborgian ministers arguing that Swedenborg condemns homosexuality as evil and contrary to God’s will. I am not aware of any article currently in print that considers their arguments point by point. This article is intended to fill that gap.

Writing and publishing these articles is not something that I particularly enjoy doing. It’s just something that must be done to help dispel a large weight of faulty thinking and bad scholarship swirling through our society and our world on the subject of homosexuality.

People’s lives—physical, social, and spiritual—are at stake. Although I would prefer to avoid the subject entirely, I cannot in good conscience stand idly by and say nothing.

For more on Swedenborg and homosexuality, please click here to read on.

Tagged with: Emanuel Swedenborg, gay marriage, homosexuality, marriage, marriage equality, relationships, same-sex marriage, sex, sin of Sodom, Sodom, spirituality
Posted in Sex Marriage Relationships

Do Atheists Go to Heaven?

Posted on February 2, 2015 by Lee — 217 Comments

Do atheists go to heaven?

For most atheists, the obvious answer is, “No.”

Ironically, atheists agree with traditional Christians on this point. It’s just that atheists don’t think anyone else goes to heaven, either. And traditional Christians think that atheists go to hell—an idea that atheists reject.

Then again, Christians and atheists can’t even agree on how to define “atheism.”

Christians tend to define atheism as a belief that there is no God.
Atheists tend to define atheism as a lack of belief in gods.

What strikes me about both of these definitions is that they’re all about belief or lack thereof. And these days belief is seen as something we do with our head, meaning with our intellect.

But Psalm 14 and its variation in Psalm 53 start out:

Fools say in their hearts, “There is no God.”

Not “in their heads,” but “in their hearts.” Saying in your head that there is no God, as your average present-day atheist does, is very different from saying in your heart that there is no God.

So before we get to whether atheists go to heaven, let’s look more closely at what the Bible means when it talks about believing or not believing in God.

For more on atheists and the afterlife, please click here to read on.

Tagged with: agnosticism, agnostics, atheism, atheists, believing in God, fundamentalism, God, heaven, Jesus Christ, justice, science, the Bible
Posted in All About God, Science Philosophy and History

Louis A. Dole Sermon Archive

Posted on January 30, 2015 by Lee — 4 Comments

I am pleased to announce a new website in honor of my grandfather, the Rev. Louis A. Dole. He was born 130 years ago today on January 30, 1885.

Louis A. Dole Sermon Archive

Sermons by the Rev. Louis A. Dole (1885-1964)

There are already over 80 sermons posted on the site. I am adding more almost every day. These classic sermons, written and delivered more than half a century ago, are full of practical wisdom based on the Bible and the writings of Emanuel Swedenborg (1688-1772).

For the text of the About page from the Louis A. Dole Sermon Archive, please click here to read on.

Tagged with: Christian sermons, Dole Sermon Archive, Emanuel Swedenborg, Louis A. Dole, Louis A. Dole Sermon Archive, Louis Dole, New Church, New Jerusalem Church, Rev. Louis A. Dole, Sermons, Swedenborg, Swedenborgian sermons, the Bible
Posted in Books and Literature

Is Jesus Christ the Only Way to Heaven?

Posted on January 18, 2015 by Lee — 178 Comments

Is Jesus Christ the only way to heaven?

Yes . . . but it’s not what you’re thinking!

Here’s the deal. According to the Bible, Jesus Christ is God. There’s nothing in the Bible about him being the second Person of a Trinity. That was a purely human invention. (See “Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.”)

Isaiah 44:6 says:

Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel, and his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts: I am the first and I am the last; besides me there is no god.

Guess who the New Testament says is the first and the last?

If you guessed Jesus Christ, you get a gold star!

Just take a look at Revelation 1:17–18; 2:8; and 22:12–13. The context makes it clear that the one who says in Revelation, “I am the first and the last” is none other than the risen and glorified Jesus Christ.

When Philip said to Jesus, “Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied,” Jesus replied:

Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and you still do not know me? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. (John 14:9)

And in John 10:30, he said plainly, “I and the Father are one.”

The message of the Bible is clear: There is one God, and Jesus Christ is that God. So according to the Bible, all people who believe in God believe in Jesus Christ, even if they do not call God Jesus Christ. There is no other God to believe in. “I am the first and I am the last; besides me there is no god.”

In other words, according to the Bible, saying that Jesus Christ is the only way to heaven is the same thing as saying that God is the only way to heaven.

Is there any religious person, of any faith, who would really disagree that God is the only way to heaven? Obviously, God, the Creator of the universe, who has all power in heaven and earth, is the only way to heaven. If it weren’t for God, there wouldn’t be a heaven. And if God didn’t give us life and the ability to choose heaven over hell, not a single one of us could go to heaven.

So Christians who think that anywhere from 68% to 99.99% of the world’s population is going to hell because they’re not Christian, or because they’re not the right kind of Christian, are really denying that Jesus Christ is God.

Let’s look at a few of the Bible passages these Christians quote to support the mistaken and non-Biblical idea that only Christians go to heaven.

For more on Jesus Christ and the way to heaven, please click here to read on.

Tagged with: belief, Christianity, faith, God, heaven, Jesus, Jesus Christ, salvation, the Bible, the Father, the name of Jesus, the name of Jesus Christ
Posted in All About God, The Bible Re-Viewed

Islam, Christianity, or No Religion at All?

Posted on January 14, 2015 by Lee — 10 Comments

In a recent comment on the article, “If there’s One God, Why All the Different Religions?” a reader named Zabi said:

Thank you for writing this article, it has helped me a lot. Right now I’m having a struggle between which faith to choose. My friend says that I’m going to hell because I’m not I don’t believe in Christianity and my mum says that I can’t leave Islam because I have to be in a religion but I don’t trust religion. I pray to God by talking to him every night and apparently I sit on the fence and have to choose but in your insight

Do I have to choose a religion?

Apparently I have to and my heart and just me does not trust it so what would you think?

First, thanks again for your comment and questions, Zabi. I’m glad the article was helpful to you. As I said in my brief response to your comment there, these are very personal issues. You’ll have to make up your own mind. However, since you asked, I would be happy to offer you some of my thoughts, which I hope will be helpful to you.

Here is the quick version:

The most important thing is your relationship with God
Religion is about seeking to know God and to do God’s will.
Islam and Christianity at their best are both beautiful religions.
I would suggest avoiding the fundamentalist wings of both religions.
Belonging to a religion offers a community of people who share your faith.
Not belonging to an organized religious group is an alternative if you are self-motivated and strong in your faith.

Let’s look at these issues more closely.

For more on Islam, Christianity, or no religion, please click here to read on.

Tagged with: Christianity, church, faith, fundamentalism, God, heaven, hell, Islam, mosque, organized religion, relationship with God, religion, spirituality
Posted in All About God, Spiritual Growth

Tommy Gilbert: The Curse of Free Money and Easy Living

Posted on January 12, 2015 by Lee — 9 Comments

Thomas Gilbert, Jr.

Thomas Gilbert, Jr., 30, had everything. His father was a Wall Street multimillionaire. He grew up amid wealth and luxury. He had attended the best private schools, and graduated from Princeton University in 2009 with a degree in economics. He was 6’3″ tall, healthy, good-looking, and flitted about the high-class society scenes with beautiful women on his arm.

Just one problem.

He didn’t have a job.

Why should he, when his $3,000 a month allowance from his wealthy father paid his rent and gave him some pocket money? He preferred to hang around his father’s multimillion-dollar mansion in East Hampton, NY, hit the gym, do some yoga, and then go surfing.

He did try to start a hedge fund like his father, but it didn’t get very far. He was in debt. And he had no income of his own to match his high-end lifestyle.

Thomas Gilbert, Sr.

After months of tension with his father over the monthly allowance, which his father was starting to cut off, Tommy Gilbert finally took matters into his own hands. He headed over to his parents’ New York City apartment and told his mother, Shelley Gilbert, to go out and get him a sandwich and soda. Once she was gone, he put a bullet in his father’s head and left.

That, anyway, is what all the evidence points to. For more on the story, see these articles at ABC News, the U.K. Daily Mail, and the New York Post.

What went wrong?

Like any story about human beings, this one is complex and many-sided. But one thing seems clear enough: free money and easy living were not a blessing, but a curse in the life of Tommy Gilbert.

For more on the curse of free money and easy living, please click here to read on.

Tagged with: adulthood, business, heaven, money, service, spirituality, Thomas Gilbert, Thomas S. Gilbert, Tommy Gilbert, violence, wealth
Posted in Current Events, Money and Business, Spiritual Growth

Think No Evil, Speak No Evil: The Way of the Angels

Posted on January 5, 2015 by Lee — 12 Comments

Leviticus 19:17–18 says:

You shall not hate in your heart anyone of your kin; you shall reprove your neighbor, or you will incur guilt yourself. You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against any of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself.

In the Gospels of Matthew (22:34–40) and Mark (12:28–34) Jesus quotes that final line as the second of the two Great Commandments. In the Gospel of Luke, it is Jesus’ questioner who quotes it, leading to the famous Parable of the Good Samaritan. We’ll get to that shortly.

Emanuel Swedenborg (1688–1772) picks up on these Bible themes with this statement in Secrets of Heaven #1088:

People lacking in kindness think nothing but evil and speak nothing but evil of their neighbor. If they have anything good to say, it is only for their own benefit, or else it is an attempt to ingratiate themselves with the person, under the guise of friendship. People who love their neighbor think nothing but good and speak nothing but good of others. They do so not for their own sake or to curry favor with others but because it is what results when the Lord stirs their sense of kindness.

He goes on to say that thinking and speaking evil about other people is what evil spirits prompt us to do; but thinking and speaking good of others is what angels prompt us to do.

In the previous post, “Our New Year’s Resolution Idea for You: Look for the Good in 2015,” Annette and I suggested this as a collective New Year’s Resolution:

Look for the good in the people around us, in our communities, and in the world.

Maybe this sounds like just another of those nice but not so practical warm and fuzzy feel-good notions.

In fact, it is the way of the angels. And for us, it is not only the way we become angels, but also the way we help others to become angels.

Let’s take a closer look.

For more on the way of the angels, please click here to read on.

Tagged with: angels, Emanuel Swedenborg, evil spirits, Jesus Christ, love your neighbor, love your neighbor as yourself, neighbor, New Year's Resolutions, Parable of the Good Samaritan, the great commandments
Posted in Spiritual Growth

Our New Year’s Resolution Idea for You: Look for the Good in 2015!

Posted on January 1, 2015 by Lee — 5 Comments

We get plenty of bad news. It’s all over the media, and all over the Internet.

So here’s a suggested New Year’s Resolution: Look for the good in 2015!

Yes, we do have to pay some attention to the bad things that happen. If we don’t, we’ll never be able to fix them. But it’s just as important—if not more important—to look for the good in the people around us, in our communities, and in the world.

When we look for the good, not only does it give us some happiness and joy, but it inspires us to do good things for others, and give them happiness and joy. And that means we’re growing into angels.

Here are some good news stories that happened in 2014, compiled by BuzzFeed:

Librarian donates all his earnings to the poor

“Paalam” Kalyanasundaram

73 year old librarian “Paalam” Kalyanasundaram donated his entire librarian’s salary every month for thirty years to help the poor—especially children—in his home country of India. He took on odd jobs to support himself. Even after he retired, he continued donating his pension to help the poor and needy.

Kalyanasundaram also founded a charitable organization in order to receive donations and use them to help those in need. This man, a devout Hindu, has devoted his entire life to helping others.

For more on this story, see:
The 73-Year Old Librarian Who Has Been Donating Every Rupee He Earned To The Poor For 30 Years!

For more good news stories of 2014, please click here.

Tagged with: angels, Emanuel Swedenborg, good news, Jono Lancaster, Kalyanasundaram, Maurice Rowland, Miguel Alvarez, Nasir Sobhani, New Year's Resolutions, Nicole Bollerman, service, Treacher Collins syndrome
Posted in Current Events, Spiritual Growth

If Non-Christians can Go to Heaven, Why should Christians Evangelize?

Posted on December 29, 2014 by Lee — 20 Comments

Here is a Spiritual Conundrum submitted to Spiritual Insights for Everyday Life by a reader named SeunAlaba:

In 1 of your articles-“If there is one God, why so many religions; & is it only Christians that go to heaven”, you revealed some very enlightening points, but then, there’s just 1 question which seems irreconcilable to the things you wrote. From what I was able to gather, it seems to me as though there would be no point of evangelizing any longer; so my question is are Christians still supposed to evangelize; if yes, to who, & for what end & to what purpose?

SeunAlaba went on to say in a recent comment on the same article:

Thanks for this article Sir. I just have an observation & a question. if it is just as this article suggests it is, it then means we are not supposed to evangelize. Perhaps, my deduction could be wrong, hence the question- what exactly is evangelism? To whom is it to be directed? who should do it? How is it to be done? & to what end & for what purpose should it be done?

These are all excellent questions. Thanks for asking!

The commandment to evangelize comes straight from Jesus Christ himself. Here are Jesus’ final words to his disciples in the Gospel of Matthew:

All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age. (Matthew 28:18–20)

Christians have been following this “Great Commission” ever since—leading to the great spread of Christianity throughout much of the world.

One of the driving forces behind the Christian compulsion to evangelize has been the belief that non-Christians go to hell. Many Christians put tremendous energy into converting non-Christians because they believe that they are doing an eternal favor to all the people they manage to “save” by inducing them to believe in Jesus. That is why they are so persistent.

On the other hand, Christians who believe that non-Christians can go to heaven don’t have that driving force compelling them to convert everyone from the corner grocer to major pop stars and sports heroes. And quite frankly, it’s made many of them lazy and complacent about “making disciples of all nations” as Jesus commanded his followers to do.

Perhaps that’s one reason why, under God’s providence, so many Christians are allowed to believe that only Christians can be saved. While they are missing the greater point, at least someone is following the Great Commission and spreading Christianity to all the nations!

But there are better reasons for evangelizing. Let’s dig into your questions, and tease out some of those reasons.

For more on Christians, non-Christians, and evangelization, please click here to read on.

Tagged with: angels, Christianity, evangelism, evangelization, God, good news, Jesus Christ, making disciples, pain, the Bible, The Great Commission
Posted in All About God, Spiritual Growth

The Song of Mary: My Soul Magnifies the Lord

Posted on December 24, 2014 by Lee — 8 Comments

Reading: Luke 1:39–55 The Song of Mary

And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.”

These words begin the poetic speech by Mary traditionally called “The Magnificat,” from the first word of the Latin version. In English it is often called “The Song of Mary.”

Skeptical scholars will point out the unlikelihood that Mary would spontaneously burst into polished poetry on the occasion of her meeting with her relative Elizabeth. Believers would say it was the Holy Spirit inspiring her and speaking through her.

For us today, does it really matter exactly what happened two thousand years ago in an unknown house in a small town in the Judean hill country? What matters is not an obscure bit of history, but what the spirit says to each one of us through these inspired words.

For more about the Song of Mary, please click here to read on.

Tagged with: Christianity, Christmas, Jesus Christ, Mary, My soul magnifies the Lord, Song of Mary, spiritual meaning, spirituality, the Bible, the birth of Jesus Christ, The Magnificat, The Song of Mary, The Virgin Mary
Posted in Spiritual Growth, The Bible Re-Viewed

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Librarian donates all his earnings to the poor

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