Conjugial Love passages have also been quoted, referring to the roles of
women, but these are not the same as today's roles. I remember arguments
in the ‘50s and ‘60s about women's uses being "domestic" and men's being
"forensic," but in the 18th century those roles were completely different.
Wealthy women were running small businesses, not single-family
homes. Even if they weren't, many passages in the Writings are descriptive,
not prescriptive, yet descriptive passages are often treated as prescriptive. In
old translations "homo" is "man," thereby excluding women in their English
translations. This said more about the mores of the time than what the
Writings said. I heard one translator say the Writings are amazingly feminine
in the Latin, yet growing up I bought that "man" included me. Today I see it
definitely did not.
Passages quoted from the Spiritual Diary are not from the Writings,
and were Swedenborg's observations of individual women, not a judgment
of women as a whole. Indeed, in that work, words have had to be added by
the translator to make sense, which were not in the original Latin. Check out
Durban Odhner’s and Jonathan Rose's translations of some of those passages
compared to men who chose a different rendering.
I would have preferred the work not been published. Much of it is
judgmental, harsh and totally unlike the rest of the Writings. In the published
Writings, such as Arcana Coelestia, True Christian Religion, etc., the
manuscripts were clear and unambiguous. Spiritual Diary was never prepared
for printing.
I take issue with Ned Cole's assertion that women do not belong in the
priesthood. He's entitled to his own opinion of course, but not his assertion
about women. Those of us who felt called to serve people spiritually were
denied the ability to serve in the church in which we grew up or to serve those
we loved. Many of us decided to embrace other Swedenborgian churches and
serve others outside the General Church community, knowing that all the
doctrine in the world will not change hearts. Only by seeing the amazing ways
women serve people spiritually will things change.
So, yes this was indeed a big issue for many who left the General Church.
I decided to stay, but actually regard Creekside Independent Church as my
church now, although also support the Bryn Athyn Informal service. Mr. Cole
even accuses the priests of not caring about the truth. What a pity to emphasize
truth when the Writings themselves speak of the importance of charity, which
I do not see in that remark.
Rev. Julie Conaron
Interfaith and Swedenborgian Minister
Hospice Chaplain
Willow Grove, Pennsylvania.
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