Synopsis
Both age-old and pressing in the wake of 9 / 11 is the question of how the existence of God can be reconciled with the existence of radical evil. Swedenborg's masterpiece Divine Providence takes on that question and explains how God's greatest gift to humanity, our freedom, mandates that God permit evil. However, with every evil act comes the possibility of its transmutation into a higher good, and that possibility depends on how it is received by those whom the evil impacts. Swedenborg's answers turn us to a deeper understanding of our own human nature and process, and strengthen our trust that there is a providence in our circumstances, though it is rarely visible in the moment.
About the Author:
Emanuel Swedenborg (1688-1772), a truly remarkable visionary, began his career as a Swedish mining official and member of parliament and became well known throughout Europe as a scientist and prolific writer on scientific and philosophical subjects. After a series of profound religious experiences during midlife, he devoted the remaining twenty-seven years of his life to being a Aservant of the Lord@ and wrote energetically to communicate a spiritual vision of reality. Since then, the rigid theologies of the eighteenth century have steadily yielded, and the foresighted lucidity of his perspective has gained widening recognition. The fresh and contemporary appeal of Swedenborg=s insights arises from the respect he showed for all religious faiths that stress a useful and loving life.