The following story was submitted by a reader online. She shares a story of struggle, grief and overcoming a harmful lifestyle and finding new hope and joy in the beauty and hope of an unconditionally loving God.
Hi, I am a true Swedenborg Christian.
I lost my faith quite a long time ago when my ex-husband walked out on me. I used to attend the Catholic Church nearly every day, bible study, prayer groups etc. But because of one person’s comment when I attended Church a few days after my ex husband walked out on me, I left. She said to me "Oh goodness you look so ill", so I informed her that my ex-husband had gone off with another woman. Her reply was, "You know you cannot re-marry. You can not accept Holy Communion." I couldn't believe that someone could comment with such twisted ideas of what Christianity was all about.
So I left the Church and vowed I would never go back. I never did but I went from being a true wife, mother and practicing Christian to someone who started going to clubs, taking recreational drugs, drinking etc. The whole belief system just fell out of my world.
Then I met a man who was kind, very sensible in certain things and got me off drugs, drinking etc. He told me I was destroying myself, which I was. I lived with him for 16 years, when suddenly one day I found him dead in bed. He was 55 years old and had never been ill. I questioned again, over and over, thinking and searching for answers of what had happened to this beloved man. Where was he now? Was he ok?
As I was searching the web Emanuel Swedenborg's name came up, so I read about him and bought the books Heaven and Hell and Divine Providence. Reading these and talking to other Swedenborgians has helped bring back my faith, but even better, everything Swedenborg teaches makes so much sense to me! Swedenborg talks of the same God that I believe in, a God who is a loving, perfect Creator, and who speaks the truth without the man-made exceptions to God's love that have been added into different religions.
In the past, I had always believed that religion was a man-made thing to keep people in line, made by heads of churches to suit their own ideas of what God is all about. In my experiences religion was good at teaching us right from wrong, but it but never really explained how the love of God is universal to all living things, including us. Unfortunately some religions teach fear and negativity, but I believe man has added these things to have more control over others.
But Jesus speaks the truth, and Emanuel Swedenborg was a receptacle of that truth!
The reason I am writing you is when I go on your websites and Facebook I do enjoy commenting on some of the things you teach, and boy do I get some stick from family and friends, they think I have lost the plot. But I tell them that I have never been so happy since reading Swedenborg.
I try to apply Swedenborg’s teachings in my everyday day working life and home life so if my faith has returned but so much stronger now, then how can that be a bad thing? People just do not understand. For now my prayers are for all Swedenborgians all over the world that we can pass on the message of pure unconditional love.
