Only people who love their neighbor as themselves can avoid doing any violence to any soul whatever. D.P. 94 (Divine Providence book section 94 by Emanuel Swedenborg, 1877, Sweden)
The “Ten Commandments” of Moses are separated into two parts: 1. Loving our neighbor, 2. Loving the Lord. If we don’t want to do #2 we won’t be able to do #1. D.P. #95
Without discernment and volition we would not be human beings. Discernment is distinguishing right from wrong. Volition is wanting to do right and not wrong. D.P. 96
The Lord gives us Freedom which is why we can want to do right or want to do wrong. D.P. 96
The Lord’s gift of rationality is how we know what is reasonable. D.P. 96
Evil-oriented people misuse their ability to discern what is true and intend what is good. D.P. 96
Our discernment and intention from the Lord lead irrevocably to eternal life, heaven’s life from the core of our being to its outer limits. D.P. 96
Act from freedom and in accord with reason. D.P. 97
Don’t do evil out of a love for doing evil. D.P. 97
Don’t justify doing or thinking evil. That is a kind of slavery, imitation of reason, distorted reason and a façade made up of rationalizations. D.P. 97
The Lord leads us away from evil-orientation through our freedom. D.P. 97
The Lord plants good things in us. D.P. 97
Idleness distorts or shuts down the deeper levels of the mind. D.P. 98
Some people resolutely deny the Lord’s divine nature and the holiness of the Word all the way to the end of their lives. D.P. 98
Atheists by arguments based on visual evidence attribute everything to the material world and nothing to Divinity. D.P. 98
Real freedom and real rationality are difficult for people who convince themselves of false religious principles. D.P. 98
Children’s and youth’s minds are opened only gradually at the deeper levels by maturity. D.P. 98
When you don’t want to understand you turn back to your own thoughts and you stop understanding. D.P. 99
How do you attain to real freedom and real rationality? Abstain from evils as sins.
The Lord cannot fully enter us unless what is His opposite, evil and false, has been banished. D.P. 100
Banish the devil so the Lord can enter and banish hell so heaven can enter. D.P. 100
We’re in hell when we engage in evil pursuits. D.P. 101
Don’t convince yourself of a faith that is devoid of caring. D.P. 101
If we don’t know what evil is we inevitably wind up loving it because of the false pleasure it offers us. D.P. 101
He or she who neglect thinking about evil is constantly involved in it. D.P. 101
Don’t think our evils are hidden from God and would be forgiven if they came to light. D.P. 101
Refrain from evil deeds. D.P. 101
Why not even think in our spirit of doing evil deeds? Because whatever we think in our spirit in this world we do after we leave this world when we become spirits. D.P. 101
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