Page:The Swedenborg Library Vol 3.djvu/97

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FALSITIES ACCEPTED FOR TRUTHS.
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perverts the doctrine in favor of himself, and confirms it both by reasoning grounded in scientifics, and by the literal sense of the Word. Worship derived from such a source is profane, how holy soever it may appear outwardly; for inwardly the worship of such a person is the worship of self and not of the Lord; nor does he acknowledge any truth, except so far as he can interpret it in his own favor. Such worship is what is signified by Babel.

Such, however, is not the state of those who are born and educated in such worship, and do not know that it is false, and who live in charity. In the ignorance of such there is innocence, and in their worship there is good derived from charity. Whether worship is to be denominated profane, does not so much depend on the worship itself, as on the character of him by whom it is performed. (A. C. 1295.)


FALSITIES THAT ARE ACCEPTED AS TRUTHS.

All falsities exist from evil; but the falsities which are not from evil, are falsities indeed in the external form, but not in the internal. For there are falsities with those who are in the good of life; but interiorly in these falsities there is good which causes the evil of the false to be removed. Hence this falsity before the angels does not appear as falsity, but as a species of truth; for the angels look at the interior things of faith, and not at its exterior.

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