2. A NON-ECCLESIASTICAL
CONFESSION OF
RELIGIOUS FAITH
An Address
by
LOUIS F. POST
~
1969 Reprint
Distributed by the
SWEDENBORG FOUNDATION, INC.
139 East 23rd St.
New York, New York 10010

3. became a personal friend of Henry George
and ardently supported George's reformist
Louis Freeland Post ideas. He was a candidate for public office
in New York State and served in several
[1849-1928] positions. His highest office was that of
Assistant Secretary for Labor during the
administrations of Woodrow Wilson. In
Louis F Post enjoyed a varied career 1920 impeachment proceedings were started
as lawyer, writer, editor, public speaker, against Post for his outspoken opposition to
reformer and government official. He was the harsh aspects of the nationai gov­
largely responsible for the first observance ernment's campaign to deport radical aliens.
of Labor Day as a national holiday through Post's defense was so eloquent that his
his campaign while editor of a New York detractors were shamed and the proceedings
labor newspaper titled Truth. dropped.
He was raised on a farrn near Vienna,
New Jersey, and received his education in His first wife, Anna Johnson, died in
the public schools there. In 1870, after 1891 and in 1893 he married Alice Thacher,
three years of reading in a law firm in an editor of two Swedenborgian newspapers
New York, he was admitted to the bar and in Chicago. Through her Post became in­
practiced for a time in that city. He served terested in the great Swedish scientist and
in South Carolina as United States Attorney seer. Post had been raised in a Presbyter­
in Charleston du ring the reconstruction era ian family, but had drifted from the church
following the Civil War. His work there and become a free thinker. At the time
included an extended investigation of the he came in contact with Swedenborg, he
activities of the original Ku Klux Klan. was a self-styled "atheist." Swedenborg's
writings gave him, for the first time in his
Subsequently he held several editorships life, a rational approach to faith. While
including the Cleveland Recorder, the Chi­ he never formally joined the New Church,
cago Public, and the New York Standard. he came to found his philosophy of life
AH had a strong single tax flavor. Post on Swedenborgian teachings. He freely and
2 3

4. publicly identified himself as a Swedenbor­
gian.
His published works include The Ethics A Non-Ecclesiastical Confession
of Democracy (1905), a memoir of Henry
George titled The Prophet of San Francisco of Religious Faith
(19 0 5), Social Service (1909), Ethical Prin­
cipals of Marriage and Divorce (1916),
and Basic Facts of Economics (1927). Let me state at the outset that 1 am not
a member of any religious denomination.
1 have no church connections; and, because
this is so, it might be inferred that 1 have
no religious convictions. Yet the differences
in religious opinion between myself and my
friends of the churches are probably neither
so numerous nor so radical as might be
imagined. In the final analysis our disputes
would hin e, 1 think, chiefly upon -.9,ues­
ti cclesiasticis~ For 1 reject what
my friends of the churches are pleased to
caU their spiritual authorities, and rest my
religious faith upon what 1 am pleased to
caU m~n perception and ~ n reason.
Most cordiaUy do 1 grant you that this
medium of spiritual light is of dubious
value. But its revelations, while not inferior
to those of the churches in the humanities,
may be superior in the harmonies; and
as this is the Qnly channel of communication
the universal Father has ever established
between Himself and me, so far as 1 know,
1 prefer it to aH others for my own use.
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5

5. Once upon a time 1 too belonged to a
church. Although not born in the Presby­ to atheism. 1 came to believe that there
terian "persuasion," as we used to say, is no God and no spirituallife. Men seemed
1 was plunged into it at an early age, to me only as the flame of the candIe, which
so early that my "memory runneth not is something and sorn.ewhere while it burns,
to the contrary." ln the primitive society but nothing and nowhere when you blow
of my native hills and swamps Presbyterian­ it out.
ism and respectability were synonymous.
That aIl his was really a religious pro­
The tire and brimstone hell was to me cess is part of the faith 1 am now confessing.
a lurid reality. My selfish anguish lest 1, To such of you as have come to your re­
even l, might not answer roll calI among ligious faith by other ways, the atheistic
the elect on the last great day, was at ~ may not seem in the direction of
times excruciating. Possibly the fault was ~ion. But as there are "nine and sîxty
my own, but 1 got the notion that faith ways of constructing tribal lays, and every
was necessary to make my election sure, single one of them is right," even if not
and that faith meant implicit belief in the the way of our tribe, so there are twelve
improbable and the unreal. In stark terror, JI gates into the New Jerusalem, every single
therefore, "1 walked the earth a credulous one of which is the right gate even if it
man, believing many things." 1 was as ~~urs or . . omeJiae-rn:er~ng, my
credulous regarding pulpit utterances as ~:vish)·and CËtholic anc(Prot~ friends
your materialistic fatalist is about inherited - ay-é,' my at eiS riends""âls'o, you of the
criminality . spiritual pu se - some fine mormng after
these fleshly garments of ours have been cast
Perhaps my faith became over-strained. into graves, may we not aIl meel face to
At any rate, when new experiences dis­ face in the New J erusalem, coming toward
closed new sets of facts, a new religious one another each through his own gate?
vista opened before me. My church friends Even here and now, do we not come at
did not think this vista religious; for it times into the Roly City, as it were, through
turned me into "free thinking," as it was our opposite gates, meeting one another
stigmatized, and thence to agnosticism and spiritually face to face and greeting one
another spiritually heart to heart?
6
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6. pulses, than to guess that it generated them.
Whether or not atheism may be one of Ancestor worship impressed me as less
the gates into the New Jerusalem, l think likely to have produced God than to be
that in my case it was at least a vestibule a groping in the dark for God by beings
l'rom paganism to religion. l should think intuitively conscious of His presence. The
so ëvenlT l were sure of its having been principle of averages which enables us,
atheism. But looking backward, l doubt if for instance, to know the result of an elec­
lever was an atheist. l think that the God tion where millions of votes are cast, upon
l denied was only my own distorted appre­ receiving a few bunches of scattered returns,
hension of a theological fetish. l doubt, too, suggested to my mind systems of law back
if l ever really rejected the idea of spiritual of the physical. And in those laws l caught
life. What l revolted against was a pagan glimpses of beneficent purpose. As my
hell with !ts cruel devils keeping the sul­ apprehension of human brotherhood de­
phurous fire ablaze, and a pagan heaven veloped under the influence of Henry
with useless angels "loafing about a throne." George's "Progress and Poverty," my per­
ceptions of spiritual Fatherhood clarified. l
Revolting as my reasonless faith was, l realized that human suffering, which l had
found the process of evicting it long and once attributed to an angry deity and later
}lainful. In time, however, this old faith died to insentient fate, is traceable to human in­
within me, and l came l'ully into the stage difference to beneficent natural laws.
of irrational negation which l have
So l wandered out of my atheism, if
described as atheistic. Eventually, that atheism it was, into what l shall presume
period, too, passed away. Materialistic ex­ to characterize as a rational spiritualism
planations of a Godless universe ceased to - not the spiritism of the mediums, but
satisfy me. The evolution of conscious life a philosophy of spiritual life.
and moral ideals l'rom unconscious matter
and unmoral motion became as absurd Your sense of the incongruous might be
to my perceptions as that the stream can rise quickened if I, al'ter characterizing this phi­
above its source. It seemed to me more losophy as rational, were to identify it with
rational to guess that the human brain, as the name of Emanuel Swedenborg, and his
l.t developed physically, acquired capacity teachings, or "doctrines."
for receiving and individualizing moral im­
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7. N ow doctrines with reference to truth may
be likened to streets with reference to a city. hard, geometrical arrangement of spiritual
They are the paths by means of which ohenomena as Swedenborg seemed to me to
we get about. Sorne streets are too narrow, see them - such things as these made his
sorne are too broad, sorne are only alleys, books uninterestingly fantastic. But as l
and blind alleys at that; so it is with doc­ began to appreciate his meanings, somewhat
trines. But streets we must have if we have l imagine as one gradually appreciates the
cities, and doctrines if we would explore strange idioms of a new language, his des­
truth. And what l offer you in the way of criptions which had seemed fantastic and
doctrine is only a map - my map - which dull revealed to me a phenomenon of in­
you can accept or reject as you please. As dividual and social life animate with ra­
long as we accept and make our maps of tional purpose and replete with human
doctrines honestly, and alter them when we interest. Translate Swedenborg out of the
find them wrong, we have no reason to lifeless atÎcl colorless Latin-English in which
think contemptuously of doctrines merely his writings are officially printed, into the
because they are doctrines, particularly if living speech that phrases modern modes of
they form a reasonable philosophy whose thought, and he is not fantastic, not mysti­
elements harmonize and dovetail, somewhat cal, not irrational.
as the streets of a well-planned city This is not my view alone, nor the view
harmonize and unify the whole area. ::llone of Swedenbor 's church followers.
A friend, whose sense of the rational l ames reeman Clarke said:" Emanuel
held in high esteem, assured me that Swe­ wëaen org was e organ of a new
denborg's philosophy was reasonable. Yet spiritual philosophy, the power of~h
my early experiences with Swedenborg's fs -lÎardly -ye~derstood, but which seems
theology did not impress me with his ra­ likely to leaven all religious thought and
tionality. If you dip into sorne of his books, change all arbitrary theolo ies into a r ­ "P,.
you may fare no better at first than l did. tional spiritualism." Edward Everett Hale ,.~
wrote: "Swedenborgianism has done e J'
Their stilted Latin-English; their ecclesiasti­
cal phrasing; the wooden pictures of angels liberating work of the last century ... The ::;
always facing the Lord, whom they cou]dn't wave Swedenborg started lasts to this day.
see except as a sun in the heavens; the The statements of his religious works have
revolutionized theology." I"Râlph Waldo
ro
rr

8. Emerso--r:)concluded that "The most remark­ form and void. Yet Swedenborg, unless he
able step in the religious history of recent did one or the other of these two things,
ages is that made by the genius of must have seen and heard what he said he
Swedenborg ... These truths passing out of saw and heard. On the spiritual planes
his system into general circulation are now of existence, where all is to us ideal and
met with every day, qualifying the views abstract, he MUST have seen individual
and creeds of all churches and of men of ~ and social life in the concrete.
~l
no church."
It makes little difference to me, whether
Three things about Swedenborg's philoso­ Swedenborg saw these spiritual phenomena
.phy are singularly impressive. The first is concretely or not. Of thé authenticity of his
the obvious truth of its details. The second message to mankind, his philosophy sim­
is its completeness and its homogeneity. And ply as philosophy, is its own sufficient
the third is the universal adaptability of voucher. For example, in his concept of
its principles. Like leaf to tree, or body to God as both "esse" and "existere," the
P1ind. or mind to spirit is any part of this "being" and "becoming" theories of the old
philosophy to any relatea part. With it, philosophies are vitalized with rational
as with physical nature, everything fits spiritual life. By the same concept the truths
true. If Swedenborg recorded mere dreams of idealism are harmonize01ï1one rand
and hallucinations, then he dreamed a philo­ system ith ail that is true in materialism.
sophy of miraculous consistency. If he re­ S;ëdenborg's "esse" as infinite an ete ~
corded no dreams nor hallucinations, but nally unchanging essence, and <~istere" as
thought out his philosophy - which he might its infinite and eternally changing expres­
possihlv have donp-. for his was one of sion, constitute the dominant principle of
the greatest minds of his day, and he was pnenomena on every plane-physical, men­
one of the most renowned scientists of tal, moral, spiritual. It is God Himself.
Europe- if he thought out this philosophy,
and then as a tour de force turned it Swedenborg's God is a triune God, but
into allegory, he produced an allegory of the Trinity of Swedenborg is not the medie­
marvelous art, one so perfect in its analo­ ~ val riddle of three individuals who are yet
~
gies, yet so true to human life that Pil­ but one individual. Swedenborg's Trinity
grim's Progress is by comparison without in its ideal expression is a universal prin­
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9. ciple - the principle of the unity of purpose,
kind. Rere are three elements, aH of them
cause and e((ect; or, what is essentially
necessary. and necessary in unison as one.
Without this trinity in unity, Edison as
the same thing, of substance, (orm, and use
inventor of electric lighting not only could
or power- for in its final expression, the
not exist, but would be unthinkable.
power anything has is in the ullimate USê
it performs. WiThout this Trinity ln unity
And when we speak of God the Spirit
Goa could not be God. nor could anv man
as infinite use or effect. which is creation.
be a man. Even a chair could not be a
we mean creation in the sense not merely
chair; for is not a chair necessarily sub­
of original making but of ÇQntinuous
stance, form and utility-wood, shape, and
making. Very often the idea of a First
seating capacity - and are not these things
Causè seems to imply an original cause,
three distinct elements of one object? On
when its real meaning is a continuous cause.
their highest plane, these three unified ele­
To illustrate: we might speak of the move­
ments appear to Swedenborg's vision as
ment of a cannon ball and the movement of
Father, Son, and Roly Spirit - three in
a watch as caused by a force. But
One and One in three; God the Father as
the cannon ball's movement is caused by
Infinite purpose or love, desiring creation;
an original, the movement of the watch
God the Son as Infinite cause or wisdom,
by a continuous force.
i
conceiving creation; and Godtne Spirit as
infinite effect or use, which is creation.
Constituting the one original and con ­
tinuous impulse of all phenomena, the three
Let us illustra te on a lower plane with attributes of God - purpose or love, cause
a man, a useful inventor - Edison for or wisdom, and effect or use-are sym­
example, as the inventor of electric light ­ bolized materially by the heat, light, and
ing. We have in the first place Edison's consequent vitality of the sun. The sun is
purpose, or love desiring to produce elec­ said to be in our solar system correspon­
tric lighting; in the second place, his know ­ dent to the triune God in Ris universe. To
ledge or wisdom conceiving a method of 'ÛÎJ.derstand what is meant by correspondent,
electric lighting; and in the third place his sorne idea of the Swedenborgian doctrine
utilization of this knowledge or wisdom of correspondences is necessary.
for the satisfaction of his purpose or love Correspondence differs, let me explain,
in producing electric lighting to serve man­
14 15

10. from analogy. Analogues are only acci­
dentaI resemblances, having nu relation to birth) of a human soul; the Israelitish
cause and effect; whereas Swedenborg's cor­ pilgrimage, of its struggles in that rebirth;
respondences are effects on one plane while the tragic drama of Palestine is a
of causes on another. The idea may be representation of the progress of truth on
crudely illustrated by one's image in a earth -- particularly THE truth of the Fa­
mirror. This is not an analogue: its char­ therhood of God and the brotherhood of
acteristics are those of Swedenborgian man: its birth in a lowly place, the vicious
correspondences. A perfect example of persecution of it in its infancy, Hs confound­
correspondence is facial expression: it is a ing of the learned in youth, its temporary
manifestation of the mental on the plane of obscurity, its subsequent disturbance of
the physical. Another example is the heat dominant or crystallized disorder, its cruci­
of the sun, which is the material appear­ fixion, its resurrection, its triumph. And
ance of God's love, as its light is of His isn't this process familiar, in the develop­
wisdom. Upon coming to fuU spiritual con­ ment not alone of individual character but
sciousness, we should feel according also of human society-what Swedenborg
to Swedenborg, the love principle as the would caU the "greater man"? From Moses
physical body feels heat, and see by wis­ to Lincoln every leader in the new crusade
dom as the physical eye sees light. In has realized it. Have we not aU realized H?
like manner aU other realities of what Do we not aU realize, moreover, that truth
we now caU the ideal would be concretely triumphant tends to crystallize in false
phenomenal. forms, to be in turn broken up and reform­
Interpreting the Bible by this system of ed with repetitions essentiaUy of the same
correspondences, Swedenborg considers it drama successively on higher and higher
as embodying an inner sense which con­ planes of appreciation and application?
stitutes the true biblical revelation. This According to Swedenborg's philosophy,
inner sense is not as in a cryptogram; it the different planes of divine expression are
is to the literary and the historical sense insulated, the phenomena of each pro gres­
as soul to body, or cause to effect. The sing in continuous ~ ~ on their own
first chapter of Genesis thus becomes essen­ plane, and being held to it by the principle
tiaUy the story of the birth (or the re­ of what Swedenborg caUs .. discrete degrees."
A crude illustration of discrete degrees would
r6
17

11. planes, each discreted from the others. These
be a stream of water in a pipe; while the arethe corporeal, the plane on which the
water can flow continuously within the pipe, physical senses reign; the natural, the plane
it cannot spread beyond its confines. This of intellectual activity; the moral, the plane
principle of discrete degrees, one of the of righteous or unrighteous conduct; and the
great distinguishing doctrines of Swedenborg, spiritua~ the plane of motive. To give
is no more than the perfection of analysis. your fellow man a "fair deal," for example,
It simply recognizes and distinguishes es­ whatever the motive, even though it be only
sential differences between things that are to keep out of jail or to get into good
homogeneous, but in different frames of society, is moral; but it is not spiritual
reference - or different "dimensions," if you unless inspired by motives of respect for
prefer the term. the rights of your fellows as equal to your
A very important principle, therefore, is own.
that of discrete degreeS> one which is woe­
fully ignored -oy the present generation. Through the boundaries of discrete de­
The universities ignore it when they treat grees nothing can pass in its üWn form.
sociology as an inductive science merely, the IfS' form must alter to harmonize with
churches when they consider it ded.uctively the nature of the plane into which it passes.
alone; Christian Scientists ignore it when For illustration, love on the spiritual plane
they obscure the difference between the spiri­ becomes heat on the corporeal, and wis­
tual and the physical; materialists when they dom on the former is light on the latter.
are blind and deaf to the spiritual; Social­ Consequently the scientist, though he might
ists ignore it when they obscure the differ­ explore to infinity the continuous degrees
ence between social solidarity and individual of the corporeal plane, can never pëlletrate
autonomy; anarchists when they deny social its insulation into the natural, the moral,
solidarity; your practical man ignores it or the spiritual- at least, not as a scientist,
when he sneers at the ideal, your idealist not by so-called scientific methods. On the
when he abjures the practical. corporeal plane we live in a world of effects.
AlI differences of kind, from lowest to It depends not only for its original impulse,
highest, Sire within the s'''YE:.denborgian con­ but also for its continuance, upon other
cept of dis~de~s. But life isâTV:Wed worlds _. discreted worlds of ends and
by Swedenborg into four major d~gr~
19
18

12. reasonable. Through it l came to appreciate
causes. The latter can be studied from the the dilemma of those to whom everything
former only ideally, by philosophical as is in flux, and also the dilemma of those
distinguished from scientific method, and to whom everything is fixed. Eternally
through the medium of correspondences. changing phenomena came to seem to me
Classical analysis is not the open sesame; only natural expressions of eternally
anatomical psychology is vanity and vexa­ unchanging principle. l beheld a universe
tion. of matter and mind and morals and spirit
But do not imagine that Swedenborg's in constant flux phenomenaUy, yet in prin­
philosophy is merely an intellectual system. ciple the same yesterday, today and forever.
From center to periphery it is vibrant Ii is a universe, moreover. which is pervaded
with the doctrine of usefulness for its own and governed by an exquisite harmony of
sake. This doctrine is simply a rational the wisdom that is in infinite rationality
interpretation of the Two Great Command­ and the love that is infinite justice.
ments -- love for God and love for the
neighbor. Man's love for the neighbor ex­ By Swedenborg's philosophy my later
presses itself and finds satisfaction in use­ religious views were molded. Though it
fulness to man; his love for God in use­ may not have restored religion to me nor
fulness to man under the inspiration of me to religion, l became conscious of sorne
his imperfect perceptions of the external of the signs of both. l feU once more that
principles of absolute right. Conversely, l was a miserable sinner; although it was
God's love finds expression and satisfaction when l wronged a brother or drifted away
in usefulness to man, and in harmony also from the principles of absolute right as l
with the eternal principles of absolute right. perceived them, and never because l missed
a prayer meeting or amused myself on a
Understood in that way, the idea of love Sunday. Once more l tried to pray, but in
by God for man and by man for my work rather than on my knees. And
God appealed to my awakening sense of l feared -- for tfilS is a confession - that
the spiritual. So l turned hopefully to l was still somewhat of a pharisee: l could
Swedenborg for more light. As l began not wholly rid myself of the notion that it
to delve into his philosophy, it responded was a deadly sin in others to disagree
to my demand for the rational, for the
21
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13. with me. But pharisee or not, l was able
with aU sincerity to say, along with men
whose experience had been not unlike my
own, that a faith that was dead revived.
But this new faith is not the old terror­
fostered credulity; it is implicit confidence
~ ~~mt~lY in the eracticaDj.J!.ty of wl'lat 1S right.
ere-arë times w6en l TaIter, and, in­
deed, there are many such limes, l can ex­
daim with rational fervor regarding this
new faith, as aforetime l prayed with credu­
lous piety regarding its graven image:
"Lord, l believe, help Thou mine unbelief."
22

14. Swedenborg's
Theological Works:
Apocalypse Explained, 6 volumes.
Apocalypse Revealed, 2 volumes.
Arcana Coelestia, 12 volumes.
Conjugial Love
Divine Love and Wisdom
Divine Providence
Four Doctrines
Heaven and Hell
Miscelianeous Theological Works
Posthumous Theological Works, 2 volumes.
The Spiritual Life, The W ord of God
True Christian Religion, 2 volumes
ÛTHER TITLES:
Gist of Swedenborg,
by Julian K. Smyth and William F. Wunsch
Introduction to Swedenborlt's ReliKious
Thought- by John Howard Spalding
My Religion- by Helen Keller
Swedenborg, Life and Teaching-
by George Trobridge
Free Catalogue will be sent upon request from:
Swedenborg Foundation, Inc.
139 East 23rd Street
New York, N. Y. 10010