Is Common-law Marriage Un-conjugial?

Fran pulls passages from the Writings to investigate the differences between common-law marriage and the ideals of conjugial love. Are they different? Are they mutually exclusive? She uses a fine toothed comb to untangle the matter. -Editor

This question cannot be clearly addressed unless we first look to the Lord, grasp two heavenly secrets (one relating to truth, the other to good) and hold them uppermost in our minds.

1. Conjugial love is the marriage of good and truth (love and wisdom).
2. This marriage corresponds to the marriage of the Lord and the church.

It cannot be fully confirmed that...love truly conjugial is from the Lord and is with those who come directly to Him, unless these two arcana are specially treated of...of which one will be, On the Origin of Conjugial Love from the Marriage of Good and Truth; and the other, On the Marriage of the Lord and the Church and its Correspondence. Conjugial Love 70

The natural marriage of a man and a wife is a conjugal (note spelling) relationship. This natural, conjugal relationship becomes a conjugial relationship from the Lord. This distinction is important. Conjugal = natural. Conjugial = spiritual. When a married couple regard each other only, their marriage is natural/conjugal. When they regard and acknowledge the Lord in their marriage, their marriage becomes spiritual/conjugial.

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"Quod ecclesia in specie sit ubi Verbum, et per id Dominus notus." A Church Specific or The Lord’s Church....Specifically?

Fran examines the use of the phrase 'the church specific' in New Church publications and weighs whether this concept is represented in Swedenborg's writings. In brief, it's not. What brought people to bolster this concept, given that a broader vision of the one Lord and his one universal church pervades Swedenborg's theological works? Fran's clear treatment of this issue imparts a loving clarity that may put this notion to rest for good. -Editor

For many years an idea or a doctrine concerning 'the church specific' has been in common thought among General Church members and leaders. Indeed, much has been written on the topic and published in many articles in New Church Life. Using the search feature at HeavenlyDoctrines.org and inputting the words “church specific” returns 256 results from the New Church Life archives. A cursory scanning (speed-reading) of the articles reveals that although most acknowledge the universality of the Lord’s church, one also finds many statements about a ‘church specific’ defined in terms which indicate a distinction from the Lord’s universal church. Below are some samples extracted from various articles.

• The Divine Truth revealed in the Heavenly Doctrine is new. It is utterly distinct from the religious theories and beliefs of the Christian world. In the measure that this truth is recognized as the Word of the Lord in His Second Coming, given for the instruction and guidance of the Church; in the measure that it is regarded as the actual source of authority; it cannot but create and establish with us a distinct kind and quality of religious life. The depth of our faith in the Writings is reliably reflected in the strength of our determination to mould our own life, and the life of the Church as an organization, into a form receptive of, and responsive to, the Divine Law revealed;¹
• We must be profoundly convinced of the need for [the establishment and preservation of that which is called in the Writings] the "Church Specific," and must clearly understand the relation which exists between this and the "Church Universal;”²
• The way to heaven is kept open by the Lord to everyone, whether he belongs to the Church specific or not;³
• The church which has the Word is called the church specific; those who are in good, but lack truth, make up the church universal;⁴
• In this lies the difference between “the universal church” (Apocalypse Explained 331) and “the specific church” (Apocalypse Explained 252);⁵
• The Lord is equally present with both of these churches;⁶
• It is imperative that we preserve clearly in our minds the nature of the church specific and of the church universal—recognizing the distinction between the two;⁷

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In Defense of Man

Fran takes issue with feeble substitutions for the word 'man' when it is used to represent our collective humanity. She argues that this fixation on the literal, gendered meaning of the word is the result of a narrow reading. She asks that we invoke a higher perspective and thereby restore to 'man' its proper significance. -Editor

Man: noun

1. an adult male person, as distinguished from a boy or a woman.
2. a member of the species Homo Sapiens or all the members of this species collectively, without regard to sex: prehistoric man
3. the human individual as representing the species, without reference to sex; the human race; humankind: Man hopes for peace, but prepares for war.
4. a human being; person: to give a man a chance; When the audience smelled the smoke, it was every man for himself.
5. a husband

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