Religion Today

Other faiths besides Mormonism have traditions of visions. In this episode of Religion Today, host Martin Tanner describes nine visions or apparitions of the Virgin Mary, acknowledged as genuine by the Catholic Church. Next, the visions of Emanuel Swedenborg are briefly described. Swedenborg, born in 1688, died in 1772, claimed to have visions of heaven and hell, and described them in ways similar to Joseph Smith.  Swedenborg said our purpose in this life was to be placed between heaven and hell where we would be enticed by both, thereby enabling us to freely choose either good or evil. This is similar to the LDS idea of "there must be opposition in all things" to accomplish our purpose in mortality.