A Search for the Truth
Doug Webber
Editor’s note: This article appeared originally on
www.newchurchperspective.com and is reprinted with permission.
C
hristianity has been corrupted over the centuries by false doctrines and
traditions. As it is now, much of it is based on false premises: there is a
tritheistic definition of God, where He is divided between three persons; many
are taught they just have to believe and do nothing; many do not believe in an
afterlife and await some future resurrection; and there is no logical foundation
for defining what portions of Scripture are Divinely inspired or not.
The church is divided. Anyone who examines this will see the problem,
and most churches are unable to address it. The end result is that many have
left the church. They either become a “spiritual independent,” or a secular
materialist, or if they keep looking will be tempted by other false ideologies
or religions. This is what I discovered when I first started asking questions
and not accepting to believe things blindly. There is a lot of darkness and
uncertainty out there.
Those who follow the theology of the New Church experience none of this
spiritual uncertainty: the new revelation explains the doctrines of Christianity
in a logical and rational manner, and explains where the major denominations
have erred.
However, for those who are unaware of the revelations given to Emanuel
Swedenborg, when one begins to see the problems with Christianity it can lead
to doubt, uncertainty, and even outright denial. And this does not just apply
to the congregations; it applies even to ministers who secretly harbor these
doubts.
I went through this period of doubtful searching for many years, and
at times it was very distressful. When I was 12, I had been a Christian for
a while, but when I asked the question, “Exactly how did Jesus Christ save
humanity?” I did not receive an answer. The theology of salvation by vicarious
atonement not only did not make any sense, it was irrational and immoral. So
at that time I opened the Bible, and came up with a similar doctrine to what is
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