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Our Beliefs "We worship the One God, the Lord, the Savior Jesus Christ, the Redeemer of the world; in whom is the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit; whose humanity is divine, who for our salvation did come into the world and take our nature upon him. He endured temptation, even to the passion of the cross. He overcame the hells, and so delivered mankind. He glorified his humanity, uniting it with the divinity of which it was begotten. Without this, no mortal could have been saved, and they are saved who believe in him and keep the commandments of his Word. This is his commandment; that we love one another, as he has loved us. Amen." The Affirmation of Our Faith
As this affirmation implies, the Swedenborgian faith is firmly Christian and Biblical. Rest assured, this basis for our inspiration is also deeply respectful and profoundly inclusive. Swedenborg taught us to believe in the Word, which is God's truth sent forth to the beings who need language for the continuation of their understandings. The Word is not just the Bible, but the source of the Bible. The Word guides the sense of the Bible and holds it together for divine purposes, so that deep readings of the Bible may reveal the Word. But no religion has a patent on the Word, and the Word can be found in all religions, for the Word is about those acts of truth and goodness which correspond to the Divine plan. Goodness and truth are known by their applications to loving uses, and the uses of heaven are of many kinds in the many varied angelic communities. When we read the Word, angels are said to be reading with us in correspondences, and they help us to relate the many levels of meaning to our lives. The kingdom of the Lord is ever extending, so we must prepare ourselves to recognize the goodness of truth and the truth of goodness where-ever we may go. Thus the Swedenborgian faith is not about conversion and conflict, but about the universal hopes for peace and shared inspiration among the countless beings of God's creation. God plans heavens for us all.
Our Swedenborgian perspective brings us much joy and wonder, and we feel liberated to become more appreciating citizens of the universe. This is further shown in the following, which is the affirmation of our love for the neighbor. "We worship the Lord God, our Savior Jesus Christ. He is Creator, Redeemer and Regenerator who brings us into being, frees us from evils and, as we struggle to overcome them as sins against him and do good, gives us the full humanity for which he created us. Today he comes to us anew. In the spirit and truth of his holy Word he discloses himself to us in his Divine Humanity and seeks to unite us with himself. This disclosure, with its enlightenment and renewal of life, is his Second Coming. This makes possible the new and larger life which becomes ours as we love him and the good which comes from him in all people. All this is the neighbor who is to be loved, both individually and in our group relationships. Thus the larger the group and the larger the good it serves, the greater is our obligation to it. Our family, our community, our county, and the nations of the world are larger neighbors. Our church, other churches, all religions making up the Lord's kingdom on earth, are still larger neighbors. Greater still is the Lord's kingdom in heaven, and our highest neighbor is the Lord himself. So far as we approach him in worship and life as the visible God in whom is the invisible, we walk in the light of his Holy City New Jerusalem. Amen." The Affirmation of Our Love for the Neighbor
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