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Objective
The Swedenborg Symposium intents to bring Emanuel Swedenborg's ideas under
the attention of a broad public. The theme is: Swedenborg
is a reliable source! The participants want to correct a number of broadly
spread misunderstandings concerning Swedenborg, and want to explain
about the intentions of the New Church. The symposium
offers an occasion to readers of Swedenborg's Writings to meet with
each other. On Sunday May 7th. a public worship
for the New Church will take place.
Program on May
6th:
- Arrivals - from 9.30
the centre is open - so is the book room with the works by and about
Swedenborg.
- 10.30 - Welcome and biographical
sketch by Guus Janssens.
- 11.00 - The mystical
way of Swedenborg - lecture by dr. Daniel van Egmond.
- 12.00 - Swedenborg's
place in world literature - lecture by Robert Lemm.
- 13.00 - lunch – pause.
- 14.00 - Kant's ambivalent
relation with Swedenborg - lecture by prof.
dr. Hans Gerding.
- 15.00 - About the New
Christian Church - lecture by Dr. Rutger
Perizonius.
- 16.00 - Epiloog by Rev.
Dushan Sever
- 16.30 - End of the symposium.
Program
on Sunday 7 May 2006.
- 12.00 - Evaluation and
plans - open meeting.
- 14.00 - Public worship
service for the New
Church led by Rev.
Dushan Sever.
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Exposition
Gouaches
by Ton Gravelijn, painter.
- The
new publication of the Swedenborg Bookhouse is decorated
with one of his gouaches.
- Ton's
inspiration for these fine paintings comes from Swedenborgs
writings
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and will be on display during the symposium.
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Location
Swedenborg symposium takes place on Saturday
6 May 2006 in Amersfoort, in the renewed
building of the Centre for Reflection, of the Holy Circle Foundation
in Amersfoort - more info on
www.heiligecirkel.nl.
Reservations
To be certain
of a seat, reservations can be made via reserveren@swedenborg.nl. The price for participation
is €10 per person. For the participants coffee and tea are free. During
the pause from 13.00 till 14.00 there is a simple lunch available at
€5.
Diner & Hotel - In the evening at 19.00
h. there will be a diner at the Golden Tulip Inn in Amersfoort. For those who
come from far and also want attend the Sunday program, we advise to
make reservations at this hotel
via: www.goldentulip.com
Contact
The symposium is
organised by the Swedenborg Boekhuis.
For more information
and questions you may get in touch with Guus Janssens at:
- Swedenborg Boekhuis
- PO Box 19 - 5110
AA Baarle Nassau
- Netherlands
- telephone +31.612379252
- email info@swedenborg.nl
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More about
the theme and the lecturers:
1.
Dr Daniël van Egmond is a philosopher and scientist of religion.
He promotes the realignment of religion and meditation in our culture.
Daniel is also a member of the Swedenborg Genootschap and a fine friend
when it comes to promoting Swedenborgian ideas in new age circles and
students. He has a strong New Church opinion about the question: Was
Swedenborg a mystic?
"Emanuel Swedenborg is not in the first place a theologian who
proclaims doctrines based on his own theological studies. On the contrary,
he is someone who speaks from own experience concerning God, the world
and people. That his experiences are reliable becomes clear from the
fact that they correspond with experiences which we do not fine with
other Christian and not-Christian mystics. What Swedenborg makes special
is that he offers a method for the process of regeneration. In Daniel's
contribution special attention will be given on the methods which
Swedenborg provides us."
2.
Mr Robert Lemm will use the symposium to present his new book about
Swedenborg's place in world-literature. Robert has written a number
of books on the history of religion - several award winning titles you
may find when you 'Google' for his name. He is a fine scholar too, f.i.
he translated Jorge L. Borges' works from Spanish into Dutch - he also
contributed to the 1994 symposium. An important statement in the introduction
of his new book is: "Swedenborg
reveals what was concealed by the churches."
3.
Prof Dr Hans Gerding is active as professor in philosophy and theosophy
at the University of Leiden. He is also the director of the Dutch Institute
for Parapsychology in Utrecht. He wrote his doctrinal thesis on Kant
versus Swedenborg. Hans' lectue is about: Immanuel Kant's ambivalent
relation with Emanuel Swedenborg.
"Kant's
book: ' dreams of a spirit seer' is interpreted by many as an attack
on Swedenborg, and therefore a plead for critical thinking about his
conclusions. At closer consideration however Kant's idea about Swedenborg
is not at all destroying. The lecture focuses on the borders Kant
drew and which were passed by Swedenborg."
4.
Dr. Rutger Perizonius is the editor of the English magazine 'De
Hemelse Leer', in which the internal sense of the Writings is the central
theme. His lecture is adapted to listeners who know little about the
New Church and it's various branches. Rutger will try to explain how
the various opinions about the status of Swedenborg's Writings ultimately
have lead to the opinion that they are the Word of God especially revealed
for the present day man of the post Last Judgment era. Several doctrinal
consequences of this opinion will be discussed.
5.
Rev. Dushan Sever is pastor of The Lord's New Church which is
Nova Hierosolyma in Philadelphia USA. In the epilogue on this symposium
day he will speak about the growth of the Church in man. Dushan will
also deliver a sermon on this theme on Sunday. A Dutch translation will
be made available for those attending.
6. My
person will host the event, present a biographical scetch at the start
of the symposium and coordinate the logistics and publicity.
Sincerely,
Guus Janssens - info@swedenborg.nl
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