Blake's Religion HELP!

[beatnik]

Hey dudes! I'm writing an essay entitled 'How religious is Blake' (pretty vague huh) and i really need help on interpretations of Blake's religious views! He seems to despise organized religions, thats a given, but what were his actual Chrisitan beliefs, a lot of his imagery seems to be a metaphor for Jesus Christ, but in other areas he openly criticises Jesus and Jehovah! He has a devout hate for Newton and the general Enlightenment period, but follows Swedenborgianism, a church based on the teachings of individualism and reason from a scientist!?!? What are blake's religious views HELP ME PLEASE!!! cheers guys!!

[hawthornewitch]

if the devil was to walk this earth would not religion be his sharpest tool?
I think that blake believed that the heart of all true paths lay not within parameters of any religion (religion is but mans perception of a truth twisted to meet his own ends) but burned deep into the soul, take christianity for instance do we really need to live by rules burned into tablets of stone or does not each man allready have within himself the knowledge of of what is right and what is wrong if he looks deep within himself be he heathen turk or jew, and in this place would he not find truth? God is truth! It is religion that is a lie, Does religion not harm in gods name twisted to meet the ends of greed? Within the soul of every living thing lies the truth of eden and the path to the golden temple. Religion was penned by man and man is easily corupted but the truth within him is not there lies heaven.

Namaste.
Hawthornewitch.

[byquist]

Try to get a hold of a book, "William Blake - The Politics of Vision," by Mark Schorer. He covers all this stuff. I wouldn't know where to begin. Maybe that Blake was a total individualist, creating his own mythology, drawing from the Bible, Swedenborg, mysticism, gnosticism, history and every other "Tom, Dick and Harry" available to him. Also, his etchings or lithographs, or whatever they are called, are tremendous. Good luck on the paper. If you can get your hands on that book, you'll find all your answers.

[lclay3]

I tried for years to get into Blake; all I had was Mark Schorer, and he never spoke to me. Then I got ahold of Fearful-Symmetry by Northrup Frye. It opened for me a lifelong love of William Blake.

[holydog]

highly recomend reading Jesus and the lost Goddess by Timothy Freke and Peter Gandy myth busting original gentle and inspiring stuff
arf arf xxH.D.