Editing Swedenborgianism (section)

== {{anchor|Assessments of other beliefs}}Assessment of other beliefs ==
The doctrines of the New Church review and assess the doctrines of earlier churches. Swedenborg believed that before the New Church can be received, the doctrines of older churches must be exposed and rejected;<ref>Swedenborg, Emanuel. ''Summary Exposition'', 1769 (SE). Rotch Edition. New York: Houghton, Mifflin and Company, 1907, in ''The Divine Revelation of the New Jerusalem'' (2012), n. 95.</ref> the New Church is so opposed to the doctrines of the older Christian churches that they cannot coexist.<ref>SE, n. 102–104.</ref>

=== Nicene Christianity ===

==== Former Christian creeds ====
In the New Church, authority is based on divine revelation rather than creeds or church councils.<ref>TCR, n. 176.</ref> All doctrine should be confirmed by scripture. The interpretation of scripture is determined by doctrine, however, and enlightenment by God should be sought when reading his words.<ref>TCR, n. 225–233.</ref>

===== Apostles' Creed =====
The [[Apostles' Creed]], the creed of the [[Apostolic Age|Apostolic Church]], does not refer to a trinity: "I believe in God the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth; and in Jesus Christ His only Son our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary: also in the Holy Spirit." This creed is in agreement with the New Church, since it does not mention an eternally existing son.<ref>TCR, n. 175.</ref>

===== Nicene Creed =====
The [[Nicene Creed|Nicene]] and [[Athanasian Creed]]s introduced the trinity.<ref>TCR, n. 177.</ref> The Nicene Creed is a modified version of the Apostles' Creed; according to the New Church, a trinity of persons is a trinity of gods.<ref>TCR, n. 172–173.</ref><ref>SE, n. 34.</ref> The creed also introduces the concept of a son "begotten from eternity", which the New Church considers erroneous:<ref>TCR, n. 83, 101–102.</ref> "the Human, by which God sent Himself into the world, is the Son of God."<ref>TCR, n. 92.</ref>

===== Athanasian Creed =====
The New Church considers the [[Athanasian Creed]], like the Nicene, incorrect in defining a trinity of persons. However, the church believes that the Athanasian Creed can be corrected if a trinity of one person in God is understood when it speaks of a trinity of persons.<ref>DL, n. 55–57.</ref> The creed expresses the church's doctrine of the divine human: "That our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is both God and Man; and although He is God and Man, still there are not two, but there is one Christ. He is one, because the Divine took to itself the Human; yea, He is altogether one, for He is one Person: since as the soul and the body make one man, so God and Man is one Christ." According to the New Church, God's human nature was made divine.<ref>AC, n. 10125(3), 10824, DL, n. 29.</ref>

===== Chalcedonian Definition =====
The [[Council of Chalcedon]] declared that Jesus has two natures (divine and human), which contradicts New Church doctrine. Swedenborg said that it was revealed to him in a heavenly vision that:

{{blockquote|[T]hose who had the greatest influence in the council, and who were superior to the rest in rank and authority, came together in a dark room and there concluded that both a Divine and a human nature should be attributed to the Lord; principally for the reason, that otherwise the papal sway could not be maintained. For if they had acknowledged the Lord to be one with the Father, as He Himself says, no one could have been recognized as His vicar on earth; and schisms were arising at that time, by which the papal power might have fallen and been dissipated, if they had not made this distinction. Then to give their decision strength, they sought out confirmations from the Word, and persuaded the rest.<ref>AC, n. 4738(3).</ref>}}

Although most other churches maintain that Jesus has two natures, the New Church believes that his human nature was made divine.<ref>AC, n. 10125(4).</ref>

==== {{anchor|Roman Catholic Church}}Catholicism ====
According to Swedenborgianism, the [[Catholic Church]] has perverted scripture to obtain primacy and dominion in spiritual matters. The Council of Chalcedon declared that Jesus has a divine and human nature so that the pope could claim to be the vicar of Christ and appropriate spiritual powers to the priesthood that belong to God alone. Authority is claimed by the pope and the priesthood over that of scripture.<ref>Swedenborg, Emanuel. ''New Jerusalem and its Heavenly Doctrine'', 1758. Rotch Edition. New York: Houghton, Mifflin and Company, 1907, in ''The Divine Revelation of the New Jerusalem'' (2012), n. 8.</ref> The desire to spiritually rule others or appear pious for honour and reputation originates from self-love, which is opposite the love of God and others.<ref>HH, n. 508, 535, 562, 587.</ref>

Papal primacy is claimed by the Catholic Church from an interpretation of Matthew 16:18–19,<ref>{{bibleverse|Matthew|16:18–19}}</ref> where the apostle Peter is appointed the rock on which the church will be built and given the keys to heaven. In the New Church, this passage is understood spiritually; the "rock" signifies the truth that Jesus is God, "Peter" signifies faith in God, and the "keys of the kingdom of heaven" signify the faith that allows one to enter heaven.<ref>AC, n. 3769(4), 9410(2)-9410(3).</ref> Divine providence gave the Catholic Church spiritual dominion, since it helped spread [[the gospel]] and prevented the Christian church from being destroyed by Arianism or Socinianism.<ref>DP, n. 257.</ref>

Catholics who do not read scripture worship externally only, to prevent the scriptures from being profaned.<ref>AC, 10040(2).</ref> New Church adherents believe that Catholics who have avoided idolatry, worshiped God alone and done good works can receive spiritual truth from scripture more easily.<ref>FJC, n. 58.</ref>

==== {{anchor|The Protestant or Reformed Churches}}Protestantism ====
Although the [[Protestant]] churches have broken away from the Catholic Church and rejected many of its traditions, their basic theology remains the same. Catholics and Protestants agree on the belief in the trinity, original sin, and [[Justification (theology)|justification]] by faith; the main difference is that the Protestants believe that faith alone saves, without acts of charity.<ref>SE, n. 17–20.</ref> The [[Reformation|reformers]] separated faith from charity to separate completely from the Catholic Church.<ref>SE, n. 21–29.</ref>

In the New Church, good works must be done with the acknowledgment that good originates from God and not from self. The Protestant separation of faith and good works is derived from an epistle by [[Paul the Apostle]] saying that humanity is justified by faith, without "works of the law" (Romans 3:28).<ref>{{Bibleverse|Romans|3:28}}</ref> New Church adherents consider this is a false interpretation, for by "works of the law" Paul meant the external rituals of [[Law of Moses|Mosaic law]] (not the Ten Commandments or acts of charity).<ref>TCR, n. 338.</ref>

There is no instantaneous salvation by paying lip service to a belief in Christ.<ref>TCR, n. 626–646.</ref> A person acquires a nature according to their works, and must repent for their sins by refusing to do evil. "The faith of the former church is, that repentance, remission of sins, renewal, regeneration, sanctification, and salvation, follow of themselves the faith that is given and imputed, without any thing of man being mingled or joined with them: but the faith of the New Church teaches repentance, reformation, regeneration, and thus remission of sins, with man's cooperation. The faith of the former church teaches the imputation of Christ's merit, and the imputation embraced in the faith that is given: but the faith of the New Church teaches the imputation of good and evil, and at the same time of faith, and that this imputation is according to the Sacred Scripture, while the other is contrary to it."<ref>TCR, n. 647.</ref> Some Protestant churches (including the New Church) have withdrawn from the doctrine of faith alone: "The Word is read by them, and the Lord is worshipped, and hence with them there is the greatest light; and spiritual light, which is from the Lord as the Sun, which in its essence is Divine love, proceeds and extends itself in every direction, and enlightens even those who are in the circumferences round about, and opens the faculty of understanding truths, so far as they can receive them in accordance with their religion."<ref>FJC, n. 14.</ref>

=== Socinianism and Arianism ===
In [[Socinianism]], Jesus' divinity is denied. [[Arianism]] is similar, believing that Jesus was a created being. Both are considered heretical by the New Church, which believes that the divine human is the means by which humanity is saved; since all those who are in heaven are in his presence, Christians who deny Jesus' divinity go to hell. However, this does not apply to those who have been born and lived outside Christianity.<ref>HH, n. 3, 83; DP, n. 231, 256; AR, n. 571; TCR, n. 380, 795.</ref> According to New Church revelation, many Christians are Socinian at heart and deny that Jesus is divine; this derives from a trinitarian doctrine, from dividing Christ into two natures, and from calling Jesus merely the son of Mary.<ref>DP, n. 262; TCR, n. 94, 111, 380, 637–638.</ref>

=== Islam ===
The New Church considers [[Islam]] to have been established by divine providence to eliminate [[idolatry]]. The New Church considers it a partial (or introductory) revelation; Islam worships one God, teaches one to live well and shun evil and teaches that Jesus was a great prophet and the son of the virgin Mary, but not the son of God (as in Christianity). The [[Quran]] contains teachings from sacred scripture.<ref>TCR, n. 833.</ref>

The church believes that Islam is a religion adapted to societies that practice [[polygamy]]. Since polygamy is an opposite love from monogamous marriage, and a marriage between a husband and wife corresponds to the marriage of God and the church, spiritual matters were not revealed in Islam.<ref>FJ, n. 71.</ref> It is regarded differently from Socinianism or Arianism because only Christians can profane what is holy by distorting scripture; non-Christians, such as Muslims, cannot.<ref>AC, n. 9021.</ref> Muslims oppose any Trinitarian Christian church.<ref>TCR, n. 831.</ref> The New Church believes that Muslims may enter heaven, but only those who reject polygamy can learn the true nature of God.<ref>TCR, n. 832.</ref>