Our Scholars on Swedenborg blog features articles written by Swedenborgian academics with an emphasis on how religious pluralism has been used to solve some of the most pressing issues of the past and present.
Helen Keller’s Spiritual Sight
A lesson as old as the sun: tragedy shapes a portal to transformation. Read more
Discovering the True Significance of Mary Magdalene: An Easter Surprise
From harlot to seer to first nun to modern feminist, history’s characterization of Mary Magdalene still may not be quite right. Swedenborg is here to help with a more inner and spiritual view. Read more
Using Swedenborg to Understand the Quantum World III: Thoughts and Forms
Swedenborg’s metaphysics helps provide a spiritual understanding of substance and form as they relate to quantum physics. Read more
Using Swedenborg to Understand the Quantum World II: Desire and Energy
The similarities between the way desire affects the human mind and the way energy affects the physical world might give us important insights into quantum mechanics. Read more
Using Swedenborg to Understand the Quantum World I: Events
For the last hundred years, physicists have been using the quantum theory about the universe, but they still do not properly understand of what the quantum world is made. Read more
L. Maria Child: Visionary Antislavery Crusader Changed a Church by Leaving It
By speaking truth to power, the legendary nineteenth-century author and political activist assisted a surprising outcome. Read more
Conflict Resolution: Learning from Psychologists and Angels
There’s a spirituality to developing effective ways of transforming difficult relationships. Read more
How Usefulness Became a Cornerstone Swedenborgian Spiritual Growth Method
During the height of the human potential movement, prominent “third wave” psychologist Wilson Van Dusen visited Swedenborgian spirituality and spun an essay on usefulness that became a runaway success. Read more
What Do American Pragmatism, Swedenborg, and Zen Hold in Common?
Roots for the renowned American work ethic and sense of practicality that have flowered in both American Pragmatism and the nation’s passion for Zen can be traced convincingly to Swedenborg’s philosophy of usefulness. Read more
Did Swedenborg Study Kabbalah? Part 2: Probing His Historical Context
In order to create a more complete picture of Swedenborg’s relationship to kabbalah, a comparison of these two great traditions must be complemented by historical evidence of his intimacy with the Jewish esoteric teaching; and scholars have done so by taking into consideration the prevalence of kabbalistic thought during Swedenborg’s time, citing his connection with its proponents both at home and in the European intellectual community at large. Read more