An Optmistic Philosophy
As far back as I can remember, I have had a close affinity with the work of the Swedish sage Emanuel Swedenborg. There are many reasons why his work may be of real value to you. Here, in a few succinct words, Colin Wilson says something most important:
“The real importance of Swedenborg lies in the doctrines he taught, which are the reverse of the gloom and hell-fire of other breakaway sects. He rejects the notion that Jesus died on the cross to atone for the sin of Adam, declaring that God is neither vindictive nor petty-minded, and that since he is God, he doesn’t need atonement. It is remarkable that this commonsense view had never struck earlier theologians. God is Divine Goodness, and Jesus is Divine Wisdom, and Goodness has to be approached through Wisdom. Whatever one thinks about the extraordinary claims of its founder, it must be acknowledged that there is something very beautiful and healthy about the Swedenborgian religion. Its founder may have not been a great occultist, but he was a great man.”
–Colin Wilson (English Novelist and Writer on Philosophy, Sociology and the Occult, 1931-)