Editing Swedenborgianism (section)

== {{anchor|Criticism and censorship}}Criticism ==
{{See also|Historical fires of Stockholm#Fires in the 1700s}}
Swedenborg stated that he had distributed his books to English bishops and nobility, who considered them well-written but of little value and advised against reading them.<ref>AR, n. 716.</ref> Some members of other Christian denominations have criticised the church's denial of a trinity and Jesus' atonement. The New Church believes that there is one God in Jesus, and some Christian theologians classify the church as a cult.<ref>Martin, Walter Ralston. ''[[The Kingdom of the Cults]]''. Bloomington: Bethany House Publishers, 2003, pp. 636–7.</ref>

Others reject Swedenborg's visions. [[Walter Ralston Martin]] quoted a critic that Swedenborg's spiritual experiences "were admittedly of such a character, that in an ordinary man they would have sufficed to qualify him for an asylum." According to Martin, however, his theological writings were so systematic that "no one can reasonably say that Swedenborg was insane":<ref name="Walter, p. 631">Walter, p. 631.</ref> "Swedenborg was a rationalist, and paradoxically, a mystic. He was one who absorbed the introspective and subjective philosophy of Rene Descartes, and the empiricism of John Locke, which he combined with the transcendentalism of lmmanuel Kant, thus forming a mold into which Christian theology was poured, and what would not go into the mold (selected Old Testament works, the Pauline epistles, Acts, James, Peter, Jude, etc.), he simply discarded. What emerged was a deeply speculative philosophical system of theology, couched in a redefined Christian terminology, and buttressed with mystical visions, trances, and dreams."<ref name="Walter, p. 641">Walter, p. 641</ref>

The earliest assessment of Swedenborg came from contemporary German philosopher [[Immanuel Kant]]. Swedenborg was relatively unknown until 1759, when a fire broke out in [[Stockholm]] and threatened to burn down his house and his writings. At a dinner in [[Gothenburg]], {{convert|480|km}} away, he reportedly turned pale and described to the guests exactly what was happening until the fire was put out (three houses away from his house). This was investigated by Kant, who wrote ''Dreams of a Spirit-Seer'' criticising Swedenborg and knowledge derived from dreams and visions.<ref>[[s:Dreams of a Spirit-Seer/Appendix 4|Kant, Immanuel. Dreams of a Spirit-Seer, trans. by Emanuel F. Goerwitz, 1900, Appendix IV.]]</ref> Kant wrote in letters that he privately admired Swedenborg, but did not publicly admit it in fear of ridicule.

Swedenborg stated that all teachings came to him from the Lord while reading scripture in a full waking state, and although allowed to converse with angels and spirits to give an account of the afterlife all doctrinal teachings were received from Jesus alone.<ref>TCR, n. 779.</ref> Religious critics disagree, saying that he received his information from evil spirits and his revelations are "among the most antibiblical and anti-Christian material ever printed."<ref>Ankerberg, John and John Weldon. ''Cult Watch''. Eugene: Harvest House Publishers, 1991, p. 172.</ref><ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=K5DyeKul6-0C&q=most+antibiblical+and+anti-Christian+material&pg=PA360 Ankerberg, John and John Weldon ''Cult Watch''] Eugene: Harvest House Publishers, 1991, p. 172 (Google book, text search)</ref> According to Martin, Swedenborg "was apparently well aware of the fact that Pauline theology, if accepted at face value, would vitiate almost en toto his own. So he began with the basic assumption that he was right, and that the apostle Paul was wrong! In some of his visions and dreams, he stated that he actually argued with Paul, Luther, Calvin, and others. And, as ego triumphed, these great thinkers all retreated before Swedenborg's new revelations. However, one factor must never be forgotten, and that is the statement that the New Testament is the criterion for measuring all subsequent revelations, and whatever is found to be contrary to it, must be and always has been, rejected by the Christian church."<ref name="Walter, p. 638">{{cite book|title=The Kingdom of the Cults |author1=Walter Martin |author2=Ravi Zacharias |date=October 2003 |publisher=Baker Books |isbn=9780764228216 }}</ref>

Christians emphasise that in distinguishing an evil spirit from an angel, angels must glorify Jesus and teachings must be based on scripture.<ref>Ankerberg, p. 173.</ref> New Church adherents say that Swedenborg would agree, since he said no evil spirit can utter the name of Jesus; it signifies salvation, and those in the spiritual world speak as they think.<ref>AR, n. 294.</ref> Unlike many [[Spiritualism (movement)|spiritualists]], Swedenborg praises Jesus as the God of heaven and earth and his doctrines are derived from scriptural references. According to Swedenborg, none of the teachings originated from an angel or spirit and the spiritual world was revealed to him so humanity would know that there is life after death: "When I think of what I am about to write and while I am writing, I enjoy a complete inspiration, for otherwise it would be my own; but now I know for certain that what I write is the living truth of God."<ref name="Doc. II, page 404">Doc. II, page 404</ref> "That the Lord manifested Himself before me His servant, and sent me to this office, and that He afterward opened the sight of my spirit, and so has admitted me into the spiritual world, and has granted to me to see the heavens and the hells, also to converse with angels and spirits, and this now continuously for many years, I testify in truth; likewise, that from the first day of that call I have not received any thing which pertains to the doctrines of that church from any angel, but from the Lord alone while I read the Word."<ref>TCR, n. 779. See also DP, n. 135.</ref>

Critics note that Swedenborg viewed only 36 books in the Bible as divinely inspired.<ref>Arcana Coelestia (10325)</ref> According to them, masquerading as a being of light is a demonic tactic;<ref>Ankerberg, p. 264</ref> Swedenborg's allegorical, esoteric interpretations and paranormal encounters contradict the scriptures and make his claims spurious.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.watchman.org/profile/swedenborgpro.htm |title=Page Redirection |website=Watchman.org |access-date=20 January 2017}}</ref><ref name="Walter, pp. 638-641">Walter, pp. 638–641</ref> This criticism ignores the fact that the majority of Swedenborg's writings are based on direct scriptural quotations with numerous cross references. As for the writings of Paul, Swedenborg clarified the distinction between the epistles of Paul with the rest of scripture in his private diary: "Paul indeed spoke from inspiration, but not in the same way as the prophets, to whom every single word was dictated but that his inspiration was that he received an influx, according to those things which were with him, which is quite a different inspiration, and has no conjunction with heaven by correspondences."<ref>Spiritual Diary, n. 6062.</ref>