350、众所周知，人生来比动物更低级。所有动物一出生就知道与其生命之爱相对应的各种知识。因为它们一出母腹或从卵中孵化出来，就能看、能听、能走、能识别它们的食物、母亲、朋友和敌人；不久后，就有性意识，知道如何交配，还知道如何养育后代。唯有人生来没有这种知识，因为他没有与生俱来的任何知识，只有接受属于知识和爱之物的能力和倾向。他若不从其他人获得这些，依旧比动物更低级。人生来如此无知，是为了叫他不要将任何事物归给自己，而要归给其他人，最终将一切智慧和对智慧的爱唯独归给神，以便他能成为神的形像，这一点可见于记事（132-136节）。
由此可知，没有从其他人那里获知，主降世并且就是神，而仅仅吸收自己国家的宗教和法律的某些知识之人，若认为婚姻之爱无非是两性情爱，并视一夫多妻之爱为唯一的婚姻之爱，是没有过错的。对那些出于宗教信仰避恶如罪的人，主在其无知中引导他们；祂的神性权威和圣治使他们脱离罪的任何指控，以便他们能得救。因为每个人生来注定上天堂，无人注定下地狱。凡上天堂的，都是被主带到那里的；凡下地狱的，都是被自己带到那里的。
350、我们知道人生来还不如动物。所有动物生来就有与其生活习性相对应的各种知识。它们一离开母体或一出蛋壳就能看、能听、能走路、能辩别食物，能够认得自己的母亲、朋友和敌人。不久以后就能区别出同类的异性并养育自己的后代。而人类却不是生来就有这些知识的。而只是具有一种获得这些知识、技能的倾向。人若不从别人那里获得这些知识，就会连动物都不如。（关于人生来是这种状态，因此人才会将一切归功于他人，并将一切智慧和对智慧的爱归于主，以便人能最终成为与主一样。请参见（132-136节。）
因此人若不从别人那里了解到主如何到人世间，了解到主就是神，并且对于宗教不甚了解，而认为婚姻之爱与对异性的爱没有区别，一夫多妻制中的爱是唯一存在的婚姻中的爱，这不是他的错。
主会在这种人无知的状态下领导他们。主不会归罪于他，那些出于宗教信仰而拒绝罪恶的人都可以被拯救。因为每个人生来是注定要上天堂的，没有人生来注定要下地狱。主愿使所有人进天堂，而人却会自己选择地狱。
350. It is well known that a human being is by birth lower than an animal. All animals are born knowing what corresponds to the love of their lives. As soon as they drop from the womb or hatch from the egg, they can see, hear, walk, recognise their food, their mother, their friends and enemies; and not long afterwards they become aware of sex, know how to make love, and also how to bring up their offspring. It is only man who at birth has no such knowledge, having no innate knowledge at all. He has only the ability and inclination to receive matters relating to knowledge and love. If he does not get these from other people, he remains lower than an animal. See the experience related in 132-136 as proof that man is born thus ignorant, in order to prevent him attributing anything to himself, but only to others, and finally all wisdom and love of wisdom to God alone, so that he can become an image of God.
[2] It follows from this that a person who has not learned from others that the Lord came into the world, and is God, but has merely absorbed some knowledge of the religion and the laws of his own country, is not to blame if he thinks of conjugial love as no more than sexual love, and believes polygamous love to be the only conjugial love there is. The Lord guides them in their ignorance, and His Divine authority and providence keep from having guilt reckoned against them those whose religion makes them shun evils as sins, so that they may be saved. For every person is destined by birth for heaven, no one for hell. Everyone who comes into heaven is brought there by the Lord, everyone who comes into hell is brought there by himself.
350. People know that a person is born worse off than an animal. All animals come by birth into various kinds of knowledge corresponding to their life's love. For as soon as they drop from the womb or are hatched from the egg, they see, hear, walk, recognize their proper food, recognize their mother, recognize their friends and enemies, and not long after, distinguish the opposite sex and know how to mate and also rear their young. The human being alone does not come by birth into such knowledge, inasmuch as he does not have any knowledge inborn in him, but only a capacity and inclination for acquiring such things as have to do with knowledge and love. And if he does not acquire them from others, he remains worse off than an animal. (To see that a person is born of such a character in order that he may attribute nothing to himself but to others, and ultimately all wisdom and love of wisdom to God only, and this to the end that he may become an image of God, consult the narrative account in nos. 132-136.)
[2] It follows from this that if a person does not know through others of the Lord's coming into the world and the fact that He is God, and has gained only some concepts relating to the religion and laws of his own region, it is not his fault if he thinks of conjugial love as no more than love for the opposite sex and believes that polygamous love is the only conjugial love there is.
The Lord leads such people in their ignorance, and by His Divine guidance He providentially averts from an imputation of guilt those who from religion refrain from evils as sins in order that they may be saved. For everyone is born for heaven, and no one for hell; and from the Lord each comes into heaven, and into hell from self.
350. It is well known that man is born lower than an animal. All the animals are born with knowledge matching the love of their lives. For as soon as they are born, or hatched, they see, hear, walk, know their foods, their mother, their friends and enemies, and not long after, know the other sex and how to love and also rear young. Only people know nothing like that when born, for nothing of knowledge is inborn in them, only the ability and inclination to acquire the things that have to do with knowledge and love. And if they do not get these from others, they stay lower than animals. The story in nos. 132-136 shows that a human is born like this on purpose so that he can attribute nothing to himself but to others and eventually attribute all wisdom, and the love belonging to it, to God alone, and so that because of this he can become an image of God. Consequently, a person who does not find out from others that the Lord came into the world and that He is God, and only learns something about the religious concepts and laws of his land, is not to blame if he thinks no more of married love than of love of the other sex and believes that polygamous love is the only married love. The Lord leads these people in their ignorance and by Divine power carefully keeps them from being charged with any guilt if from religion they avoid evil things as sins, so that they can be saved. For every person is born for heaven and none for hell, and everyone enters heaven thanks to the Lord and enters hell by himself.
350. It is known that man is born viler than the beast. All beasts are born into the sciences corresponding to their life's love. As soon as they drop from the womb or are hatched from the egg, they see, hear, walk, know their food, their mother, their friends and enemies; and not long afterwards, know the sex and how to love, and also how to rear their offspring. Man alone when born has no such science, for with him nothing of science is connate, but only a faculty and inclination for receiving the things which pertain to science and love; and if he does not receive these from others, he remains viler than the beast. That man is born such, to the end that he may attribute everything not to himself but to others, and finally may attribute everything of wisdom and of the love thereof to God alone and may thereby be able to become an image of God, may be seen in the Memorable Relation, nos. 132-136.
[2] From this it follows, that the man who does not know from others that the Lord came into the world and that He is God, and who has imbibed knowledges only of the religion and laws of his own country, is not at fault if he thinks no more of conjugial love than of love of the sex and believes polygamous love to be the only conjugial love. In their ignorance, the Lord leads those of them who from religion shun evils as sins, and under Divine auspices providentially withholds them from any imputation of guilt, to the end that they may be saved; for every man is born for heaven and none for hell, and every one comes into heaven from the Lord, and into hell from himself.
350. It is known that the human being is born meaner than the beast. All beasts are born into a knowledge answering to their life's love. When first they fall from the womb or are hatched from the egg, they see, hear, move, know their food, mother, friends and enemies, and not long after, know sex and how to mate, and also how to rear their offspring. Only the human being knows nothing of the kind at birth; no knowledge is connate with him. He has only faculty and inclination for receiving what belongs to knowledge and love; if he does not receive this from others, he remains meaner than a beast. See the Memorabilia (n. 132-136) to the effect that the human being is born thus in order that he may ascribe nothing to himself, but to others, and all wisdom and love for wisdom to God alone finally, and thus be capable of being made an image of God. The man, then, who does not know through others that the Lord came into the world and that He is God, but has only acquired some knowledge of the religion and laws of his own part of the world, is not at fault if he does not think more of marital love than of sexual, and if he believes that polygamous love is the only married love. These men the Lord leads in their ignorance, and under the Divine auspices providentially withdraws those from any imputation of guilt who from religion shun evils as sins, to the end that they may be saved. For every human being is born for heaven and no one for hell; and a man comes into heaven from the Lord, and into hell from himself.
350. It is known that man is born viler than a beast. All beasts are born into the knowledges corresponding to the love of their life. As soon as they fall from the womb, or are excluded from the egg, they see, hear, walk, know their food, their mother, their friends and enemies, and not long after know the sex, and know how to love, and also how to rear their offspring. Man alone when he is born has no such knowledge, for no knowledge is connate with him. He has only a faculty and inclination for receiving the things which are of knowledge and of love, and if he does not receive them from others he remains viler than a beast. Man is born such, to the end that he may attribute nothing to himself but to others, and finally everything of wisdom and of the love of it to God alone, and that thereby he may become an image of God, as may be seen in the Relation at n. 132-136. From these considerations it follows that the man who does not know from others that the Lord came into the world, and that He is God, and who has only imbibed some notions of the religion and laws of his country, is not to blame if he does not think more of conjugial love than of the love of the sex, and that he believes polygamous love to be the only conjugial love. The Lord leads them in their ignorance, and under Divine auspices providently conducts those away from the imputation of guilt who from religion shun evils as sins, to the end that they may be saved. For every man is born for heaven and none for hell; and everyone comes into heaven of the Lord and goes to hell of himself.
350. Notum est, quod homo nascatur vilior bestia; 1omnes bestiae nascuntur in scientias amori suae vitae correspondentes; ut primum enim e utero cadunt, vel ex ovo excluduntur, vident, audiunt, gradiuntur, norunt suas escas, suam matrem, suos amicos et inimicos, et non diu post, norunt sexum, et sciunt amare, et quoque educare proles: solus homo cum natus est, nihil tale scit, nihil enim scientiae illi connatum est; modo est facultas et inclinatio recipiendi illa quae scientiae et amoris sunt; et si haec ab aliis non recipit, manet vilior bestia: quod homo talis nascatur propter finem, ut nihil sibi tribuat, sed aliis, et tandem omne sapientiae et ejus amoris Soli Deo, ac ut inde possit imago Dei fieri, videatur Memorabile,132 ad 136.
[2] Ex his sequitur, quod homo, qui non per alios scit, quod Dominus in Mundum venerit, et quod sit Deus, et modo hausit aliquas cognitiones de Religione, et de legibus suae regionis, non in culpa sit, si non plus cogitat de Amore conjugiali, quam de amore sexus, et quod credat amorem polygamicum esse solum conjugialem: hos Dominus in illorum ignorantia ducit, et Divino Auspicio providenter ab imputatione reatus abducit illos, qui ex religione fugiunt mala ut peccata, propter finem ut salventur; unusquisque enim homo nascitur ad coelum, et nullus ad infernum; et quisque in Coelum venit a Domino, et in infernum a se.
Footnotes:
1. Prima editio: bestiae;