New Church

Saw an ad for newchurch.org here on RHP, so thought I'd take a look.

Here's the intro from their website:

The New Church is a new Christianity that provides a clear path to happiness and addresses your questions about God, love, and life after death with answers that make sense. The teachings are immediately practical and deeply spiritual: it is a religion to be lived, not just believed.

The New Church is based on the teachings of the Bible as illuminated by Emanuel Swedenborg, an eighteenth century theologian and scientist. Swedenborg provided an explanation of the Bible's internal meaning, as well as writing many additional volumes which shed light on why we're here and how to develop a functional relationship with God. Swedenborg teaches that all people who live good lives, regardless of their religion, are welcomed into heaven. Above all, authentic religion is kindness towards the neighbor and a willingness to be lead by God.

Here's part of their view on salvation from the website:

The requirements for salvation are simple: live well, believe rightly, and you will be saved. We believe that all people who live good lives, no matter what their religion, have a place in heaven. Heaven is limitless in its capacity for angels, in fact, the more angels there are, the more heaven thrives. Everyone born on this earth has been predestined for heaven. The only reason someone would go to hell is because they have chosen to go there of their own volition.


God desires for us all to go to heaven. He doesn't judge us, or condemn evildoers to hell. Those who choose evil condemn themselves to hell by choosing to withdraw from the Lord's love and mercy. The Lord God Jesus Christ saved us by showing us how to live our lives. His entire life on earth was about overcoming evils and temptations, and his death was the conclusion of that struggle. Just as we are faced with evils and temptations in our lives, Jesus struggled against those same temptations as a human. In overcoming them, He taught us the way to live.

We are saved when we open ourselves to the Lord and his love, and draw nearer to the Lord; and we do that by living our lives loving him. What does that mean? It means obeying his commandments (avoiding evil), being of use and loving others. We may have been taught that believing in the Lord is enough to save. But belief (or faith) without actively living that faith is not truly believing. Certainly, we cannot earn our way to heaven by our works. But we only truly believe or have faith when we actively work to do God's will. Love (or charity) must be united with faith in order for either to be real.

Jesus saved us, not through his death, but through his life. He overcame evil and restored a sense of balance in the world, leaving us in freedom to choose good or evil. He taught us how we should live our lives; in fact he showed us how to do it. It is only by so doing that we can be truly happy. When we die, we continue to make these choices, which determines whether we live in heaven loving God and doing his will, or turn away from him to hell. Jesus set the stage so that we are free to choose. We must do our part to choose good, which will draw us closer to the Divine. This is how Jesus saves.

Seems like some of the objections of Christianity often voiced on these forums are not an issue with the New Church.

Thoughts?

Originally posted by ThinkOfOne
Saw an ad for newchurch.org here on RHP, so thought I'd take a look.

Here's the intro from their website:
[quote]The New Church is a new Christianity that provides a clear path to happiness and addresses your questions about God, love, and life after death with answers that make sense. The teachings are immediately practical and deeply spiritual: it ...[text shortened]... stianity often voiced on these forums are not an issue with the New Church.

Thoughts?

How could there be any objections to anything you're posted herein? It has totally stripped anything offensive from Christianity and leaves behind just a sanitized, sterile and ultimately impotent shell.

It's an orgy of buzzwords completely disconnected from any meaning.

Originally posted by ThinkOfOne
Saw an ad for newchurch.org here on RHP, so thought I'd take a look.

Here's the intro from their website:
[quote]The New Church is a new Christianity that provides a clear path to happiness and addresses your questions about God, love, and life after death with answers that make sense. The teachings are immediately practical and deeply spiritual: it ...[text shortened]... stianity often voiced on these forums are not an issue with the New Church.

Thoughts?

I like it. Seems like less emphasis on Jesus and more emphasis on self responsibility.
Still...I've been sucked in before by sweet words..

Originally posted by karoly aczel
I like it. Seems like less emphasis on Jesus and more emphasis on self responsibility.
Still...I've been sucked in before by sweet words..

Well, there ya go...

Originally posted by ThinkOfOne
Saw an ad for newchurch.org here on RHP, so thought I'd take a look.

Here's the intro from their website:
[quote]The New Church is a new Christianity that provides a clear path to happiness and addresses your questions about God, love, and life after death with answers that make sense. The teachings are immediately practical and deeply spiritual: it ...[text shortened]... stianity often voiced on these forums are not an issue with the New Church.

Thoughts?

It seems infinitely preferable to the horrors of orthodox Christianity. That salvation would be open to all good people, whether or not they believe in Jesus, seems self evident. Right action here trumps right belief.

Originally posted by FreakyKBH
How could there be any objections to anything you're posted herein? It has totally stripped anything offensive from Christianity and leaves behind just a sanitized, sterile and ultimately impotent shell.

It's an orgy of buzzwords completely disconnected from any meaning.

C'mon freaky, there's much "meaning" in truly watching out for your fellow man and walking as Jesus walked. Certainly more than "professing belief" as if it were some sort of magical incantation.

Originally posted by karoly aczel
I like it. Seems like less emphasis on Jesus and more emphasis on self responsibility.
Still...I've been sucked in before by sweet words..

Have to agree with the "self responsibility" part. However it seems to me that, if anything, there is greater emphasis on Jesus: following His example, following His teachings. In short, walking His walk. Perhaps you meant that there isn't the concept of salvation being bestowed upon those who "profess belief" in Jesus.

Originally posted by rwingett
It seems infinitely preferable to the horrors of orthodox Christianity. That salvation would be open to all good people, whether or not they believe in Jesus, seems self evident. Right action here trumps right belief.

Imagine that. Evidently self-evident is not so for those blinded by a desire for cheap salvation.

Originally posted by ThinkOfOne
Imagine that.

Imagine there's no heaven
It's easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky

Swedenborg 🙄

An idle question: Once you've grasped the Golden Mean, what's all the fuss about Jesus? Why have a church at all?

Originally posted by ThinkOfOne
Saw an ad for newchurch.org here on RHP, so thought I'd take a look.

Here's the intro from their website:
[quote]The New Church is a new Christianity that provides a clear path to happiness and addresses your questions about God, love, and life after death with answers that make sense. The teachings are immediately practical and deeply spiritual: it ...[text shortened]... stianity often voiced on these forums are not an issue with the New Church.

Thoughts?

"We may have been taught that believing in the Lord is enough to save. But belief (or faith) without actively living that faith is not truly believing. Certainly, we cannot earn our way to heaven by our works. But we only truly believe or have faith when we actively work to do God's will. Love (or charity) must be united with faith in order for either to be real. "
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Sorry , but St Paul et al got there 2 millenium before this guy did.

Whilst I cannot disagree with some of the sentiments of the New Church , it's funny that these concepts are being presented as if they are "new" somehow.

What's also strange is that I would presume a member of the new church would believe in the Holy Spirit and that God was actively building the church up many centuries ago and has been doing ever since (because that's all very Biblical and sound). So surely they should be called the "updated church" or something? Do they think the Holy Spirit has been asleep for centuries?

Interestingly , all cults and obscure sects always say something like "the church departed from it's true teachings many centuries ago" or "God's message has been lost and we need to restore it". In this case it seems to be implying that Christianity has never been "lived" but only believed and the New Church is going to show us the way.


It's all quite repetitive really

Originally posted by ThinkOfOne
Imagine that. Evidently self-evident is not so for those blinded by a desire for cheap salvation.

It wasn't cheap. It cost the death of the Son of God.

Originally posted by Bosse de Nage
Swedenborg 🙄

An idle question: Once you've grasped the Golden Mean, what's all the fuss about Jesus? Why have a church at all?

Ex-ACT-ly.

Originally posted by ThinkOfOne
Imagine that. Evidently self-evident is not so for those blinded by a desire for cheap salvation.

Cheap salvation? Are you serious? No wonder your theology fails so miserably! The salvation which was wrought for ALL mankind was by no means cheap. It was the most costly purchase ever made in the history of man.

AND, as if that wasn't enough, if it were so cheap, if it were so easy for man to grasp, why is there such resistance to this 'cheap' grace? Obviously, there is more undercurrent than hits the surface, but for those who refuse to look beneath and are instead content to live superficially, such reality is lost on them.

Originally posted by knightmeister
It wasn't cheap. It cost the death of the Son of God.

Didn't cost you a red cent, did it?