The Spirit Is Willing

Local churches let you get right with God without the hassle

Comments (0) By Nirmala Nataraj Wednesday, Jan 17 2007

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Paul Trapani

San Francisco Zen Center.

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Swedenborgian ChurchLove is life. The sacred can be found in your very surroundings. Everyone is responsible for determining their own beliefs and living by them. And perhaps, most astonishing of all, a good person can get into heaven, no matter what his or her religion. Might sound like common sense, but these are actual tenets of the Swedenborgian Church. Spurred by the teachings of 17th-century Swedish scientist and theologian Emanuel Swedenborg, this unusual branch of Christianity tosses out the rulebook by emphasizing freedom and diversity over garbled doctrine. San Francisco's 100-year-old Swedenborgian Church, designated a National Historical Landmark in 2006, is strongly associated with the early-20th-century Arts and Crafts movement and dispenses with the grandiose flourishes of traditional churches and cathedrals, opting instead for rustic forms, natural materials, and hearthside charm. Whether you're spending Sunday mornings in the candle-lit sanctuary or engaging in meditation dubbed the "hour of peace," this is spiritual sustenance at its simplest and most satisfying. 2107 Lyon St. (at Washington), 346-6466, www.sfswedenborgian.org.