243、⑻第四个是执着于虚假的宗教信仰。原因在于，属灵事物上的虚假信仰要么逐出宗教，要么玷污它。对那些歪曲纯正真理的人来说，宗教被逐出；对那些拥有虚假，没有纯正真理，以致这些真理不可能被歪曲的人来说，宗教则被玷污。对后一种人来说，良善有可能存在，主通过使那些虚假变得适合而将它们与良善联结起来。因为这些虚假就像各种不和谐的音符，通过将它们巧妙组合并插入音符，它们能转为和谐，甚至还能发出悦耳的声音。婚姻之爱在这种人里面是有可能存在的，但在那些歪曲教会纯正真理的人里面不可能存在。对真正婚姻之爱的普遍无知或质疑它是否存在就出自后者。许多人内心所固有的疯狂信念，即奸淫并非违反宗教的罪恶，也源于他们。
243、（8）第四点原因是根深蒂固的错误宗教信仰。
这种精神方面的谬误会偏离腐化宗教信仰。拥有不正确的真理的人会偏离信仰，拥有谬误的人会腐化宗教。在后一种人中，善的因素可能被主与他们中的谬误相分离，使其变得和谐。
在这些人中，有些情况下，婚姻之爱是可能存在的，但在拥有不正确的真理的人中却是不可能的。因为他们会轻视真正的婚姻之爱，或者对其存有疑问，他们会认为淫爱并不违背宗教。
243. (viii) The fourth inward reason is adherence to false religious beliefs.
The reason is that false belief in spiritual matters either banishes religion or befouls it. It is banished in the case of those whose genuine truths have been falsified; it is befouled in the case of those who possess falsities, but no genuine truths, so that they could not have been falsified. In these cases kinds of good can exist with which those falsities can be linked by the Lord making them conformable. For these falsities are like discords of various notes, which by cleverly bringing them together and inserting notes can be resolved into harmony, so that it can even be made to sound pleasant. In these cases some sort of conjugial love can exist, but not in the case of those who have turned the genuine truths of the church they have into falsities. This is the cause of the current ignorance about truly conjugial love or the doubt which questions whether it can exist. It is also the cause of the crazy belief so many people have fixed in their minds, that adultery is not a matter of religious evil.
243. 8. Of these internal reasons, a fourth is ingrained falsity of religion. The reason is that falsity in spiritual matters either does away with religion or corrupts it. It does away with religion in the case of people who have falsified genuine truths. It corrupts it in the case of people who have acquired falsities indeed, but not genuine truths, which they therefore could not falsify. In these latter people elements of good may exist with which their falsities can be joined by the Lord through adaptations of them; for these falsities are like various discordant tones which through skillful interpolations and insertions are drawn into a harmony, from which comes also the pleasantness of the harmony.
In people like this some conjugial love is possible; but it is not possible in people who have falsified genuine truths of the church in themselves. They are the cause of the prevailing ignorance concerning truly conjugial love or the skeptical doubt that it is possible. They are also the source of the insane belief residing in the minds of many that adulterous affairs are not evils against religion.
243. 8. A fourth cause of inner coldness is religious falsity. The reason is that untruth in spiritual matters either takes away religion or defiles it. It takes religion away from people who have genuine truths that are falsified. It defiles the religion of people who do labor under false notions but do not have any genuine truths to be falsified. These people may have some good qualities that the Lord can join those false notions to, in practice, because their false ideas are like so many discordant tones that skillful combinations worked in artfully can make into harmony that is pleasant. Some married love is possible for these people, but it is not possible for people who have falsified in themselves the genuine truths of the church. They are the ones responsible for the prevailing ignorance about the real love in marriage, or the negative attitude about its being possible. The insanity, settled in many people's minds, that adulteries are not evils of religion, also comes from them.
243. VIII. THAT OF THE INTERNAL CAUSES [OF COLD], THE FOURTH IS [IMBUED] FALSITY OF RELIGION. The reason is because falsity in spiritual things either takes away religion or defiles it. It takes it away with those with whom genuine truths are falsified. It defiles it with those with whom there are indeed falsities but no genuine truths and consequently none which could be falsified. With such men there may be goods with which by application those falsities can be conjoined by the Lord; for their falsities are like various discordant tones which, by skilful combinations and insinuations, are drawn into a harmony with its resultant gratefulness. With these, some conjugial love is possible; but with those who have falsified the genuine truths of the Church, it is not possible. From the latter comes the prevailing ignorance as to love truly conjugial, or the negative doubt as to whether it is possible. From them also is the insanity inseated in the minds of many, that adulteries are not evils of religion.
243. (viii) The fourth of the internal causes is falsity of religion. The reason is that falsity in spiritual things either takes away religion or contaminates it. It takes it away in those who have falsified genuine truths. It contaminates it in those in whom there are falsities, indeed, but no genuine truths to be falsified. With the latter, there are goods with which those falsities can be conjoined by the Lord through adjustments, the falsities then being like discords of varying tone, which by skillful resolvings and modulations are brought into harmony, whence, indeed, a harmony is pleasing. With such partners some marital love is possible, but none with those who have falsified genuine truths of the Church. From such falsifications come the prevalent ignorance about true marital love and the scepticism about its possibility. From them, too, comes the madness, seated in the minds of many, that adulteries are not evils for religion.
243. (8) That the fourth of the internal causes is falsity of religion. The reason is that falsity in spiritual things either takes away religion, or defiles it. It takes it away from those with whom genuine truths are falsified. It defiles it with those with whom, though there are falsities there are not genuine truths, which therefore, could not be falsified. With these there may be goods with which those falsities may be conjoined, through applications, by the Lord; for these falsities are like various discordant tones which by skilfull arrangements and combinations are brought into harmony, from which there arises its agreeableness. With these there can be some conjugial love; but with those who have falsified in themselves the genuine truths of the church there cannot be. Thence comes the prevailing ignorance as to love truly conjugial or negative doubt whether it can exist. And from them also comes the insanity, seated in the minds of many, that adulteries are not evils of religion.
243. VIII: Quod causarum internarum Quarta sit falsitas religionis [imbuta]; 1causa est, quia falsitas in spiritualibus vel aufert religionem, vel conspurcat illam; aufert apud quos genuinae veritates falsificatae sunt; conspurcat apud quos falsitates quidem sunt, sed non genuinae veritates, quae ideo non falsificari potuerunt; apud hos dari possunt bona cum quibus falsa illa per applicationes a Domino conjungi possunt; sunt enim haec falsa sicut varii toni discordes, qui per solertes adductiones et insinuationes trahuntur in harmoniam, unde etiam hujus gratitudo; 2apud hos aliquis amor conjugialis dabilis est, sed apud illos qui genuina vera Ecclesiae apud se falsificaverunt, non dabilis: ex his est regnans ignorantia de Amore vere conjugiali, aut negativa dubitatio quod dabilis sit; et quoque ab his est vesania plurium mentibus insidens, quod adulteria non sint mala religionis.
Footnotes:
1. Sic in art. 8, 234 supra, et in Indice.
2. Prima editio: gratidudo;