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stories about his experiences. The
friend, Count Von Hopken, related
this conversation:
“I asked [Swedenborg] once why
he wrote and published those visions
and memorable relations, which
seemed to throw so much ridicule on
his doctrines, otherwise so rational;
and whether it would not be best for
him to keep them to himself, and not
to publish them to the world? But he
answered that ‘he had orders from
the Lord to publish them,’ and that ‘those who might ridicule him on that
account would do him injustice’; for, says he, ‘why should I, who am a man in
years, render myself ridiculous for phantasies and falsehoods?’” (Documents
Concerning Swedenborg, Vol. I, p. 67)
Many people would agree with the Count, and Swedenborg does not
explain further the value that his stories – so preposterous to many people –
would have.
But a little thought should make it clear what the stories do. Imagine
Columbus returning from his historic voyage full of facts and figures about
a new land, but no story. Without a story it’s all speculation, and the obvious
question is, “How do you know this?”
If Swedenborg was going to claim that what he wrote about heaven was
true, he needed to provide a full explanation of how he knew. A story attaches
information to reality – and if you don’t accept the story, you are not likely to
believe the information.
These two points – that
stories have the ability to
overcome biases and to
change behavior – would
by themselves explain
why the Lord taught by
means of parables.
What do stories do?
While this is not the reason for the parables in the Word, since the literal
truthfulness of these stories is not the issue, it does begin to show that a story
makes things real to people. The Lord’s own explanation, as we read in our
lesson, makes this point:
“I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing
they do not hear, nor do they understand. “ (Matthew 13: 13)
One way to read this is that He is saying, “They are too simple and
spiritually blind to understand, so I tell them stories.” Another way is that He
is saying, “Stories are more convincing than direct instruction. This is how I
can make these things real to them.”
A recent article in the Journal of the American Medical Association also
says something similar:
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