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Swedenborgianism is a sect I have always found particularly fascinating, probably because of how small and obscure they compared to other controversial groups like LDS and JWs. I've been studying it mostly out of curiosity.
The main reason why Swedenborgianism isn't considered a part of mainstream Christianity is that they have a different and understanding of God from Nicene Christianity. Idk what I'd label their view as, since one can argue them being anything from moralists, to partialists or Unitarians. Swedenborgians would say that they do believe in the Trinity, but not in the Nicene sense of three persons all being the same God.
To elaborate, Swedenborgians believe that (at least from what I can understand) Jesus Christ is both God and Man. They also believe he was born of a virgin. However, that is where their commonalities with Christians end. Swedenborgians reject the Father and the Holy Spirit a separate persons. They believe the Father refers to Christ's divine nature, the Son is his human nature, and his activity/power is the Holy Spirit.
The reason why some dispute them being modalists, is that moralists think God takes different modes (he was the Father in the OT, became the Son during the pre-Resurrection NT, and is now taking the form of the Holy Spirit.) Swedenborgians don't think Christ takes different modes.
While Swedenborgians do believe in the Resurrection, their understanding of it is still different from Nicene orthodoxy. They believe that Jesus really did rise from the dead, but he discarded the human body he got from Mary, and now has a divine human body.
As for Scripture, Swedenborgians generally take the Bible to be authoritative, but Emmanuel Swedenborg himself only regard the Gospels and Revelation as part of the New Testament Canon.
I don' fully understand their approach the Scripture, but it has something to do with correspondence and finding spiritual meaning in the text over a literalistic hermeneutic.
The main reason why Swedenborgianism isn't considered a part of mainstream Christianity is that they have a different and understanding of God from Nicene Christianity. Idk what I'd label their view as, since one can argue them being anything from moralists, to partialists or Unitarians. Swedenborgians would say that they do believe in the Trinity, but not in the Nicene sense of three persons all being the same God.
To elaborate, Swedenborgians believe that (at least from what I can understand) Jesus Christ is both God and Man. They also believe he was born of a virgin. However, that is where their commonalities with Christians end. Swedenborgians reject the Father and the Holy Spirit a separate persons. They believe the Father refers to Christ's divine nature, the Son is his human nature, and his activity/power is the Holy Spirit.
The reason why some dispute them being modalists, is that moralists think God takes different modes (he was the Father in the OT, became the Son during the pre-Resurrection NT, and is now taking the form of the Holy Spirit.) Swedenborgians don't think Christ takes different modes.
While Swedenborgians do believe in the Resurrection, their understanding of it is still different from Nicene orthodoxy. They believe that Jesus really did rise from the dead, but he discarded the human body he got from Mary, and now has a divine human body.
As for Scripture, Swedenborgians generally take the Bible to be authoritative, but Emmanuel Swedenborg himself only regard the Gospels and Revelation as part of the New Testament Canon.
I don' fully understand their approach the Scripture, but it has something to do with correspondence and finding spiritual meaning in the text over a literalistic hermeneutic.
