n e w c h u r c h l i f e : m ay / j u n e 2 0 1 6
Doug Taylor was a master at
presenting
deep spiritual truths in a way
readings:
that people new to the Church could
And Swedenborg wrote:
understand, by relating them to things
I was once asked how, from a
they were already familiar with.
philosopher, I became a theologian;
He had a fine command of language
and I answered, “In the same manner
(as both a speaker and writer), and an
that fishermen were made disciples and
ability to construct diagrams to illustrate
apostles by the Lord: and that I also
abstract things – such as the levels and
had from early youth been a spiritual
functions of the human mind, or the
fisherman.” On this, my questioner
arrangement of the heavens. We see such
asked, “What is a spiritual fisherman?”
diagrams in his last book, The Hidden
I replied, “A fisherman, in the Word, in
Levels of The Mind: Swedenborg’s Theory
its spiritual sense, signifies a man who
of Consciousness, published in 2011.
investigates and teaches natural truths,
Doug also wrote several other books,
and afterwards spiritual truths, in a
including:
Spirituality That Makes Sense,
rational manner.” (Influx 20)
and Landmarks In Regeneration. Not to
mention hundreds of sermons, classes,
pamphlets and radio talks.
In addition to his academic achievements, he was a remarkably skilled and
multi-faceted person – “full of surprises,” as his children said.
He excelled at sports, especially cricket and Aussie-rules football (he was a
great kicker). One of his heroes was Sir Donald Bradman, a legendary cricket
player. (I was told that no memorial for Doug would be complete without
mentioning Sir Donald Bradman.)
Doug also had considerable artistic talent, and when he was 14 years old
he won a major art competition with a drawing of Sir Winston Churchill,
another lifetime hero of his.
He was a fine singer, and also had a wonderful speaking voice, as fine as
any English Shakespearean actor – which brings up an interesting anecdote.
Sir Laurence Olivier, the famous actor and director of the Old Vic repertory
company in London, brought a production of a Shakespeare play to Australia
while Doug was in college. The University Drama Club was called upon to
supply extras, and Doug got the part of a soldier. As he was waiting in the
wings, Olivier walked past him to go on stage, tapped Doug on the shoulder
and said: “Good luck, laddy.”
When the play was over, the press, for some reason, latched onto Doug to
interview – much to the chagrin of the director and star. Doug’s acting career
never equaled Laurence Olivier’s, but for one brief moment there he did, in a
way, upstage the great thespian.
Doug was born into a Presbyterian family and grew up on a farm in
Terang, in the Australian state of Victoria. He was a very good student, but the
246