tatue or
image. Those who do so and do not worship the image itself as God are
saved if they also live by the precepts of the Decalog from religious
principle.

[6] It is plain, then, that as the Lord desires the salvation of all, He
has also provided that everyone who lives well may have a place in
heaven. See in the work _Heaven and Hell,_ published at London, 1758 (nn.
59-102 ), in _Arcana Caelestia_ (nn. 5552-5569) and above (nn. 201-204)
that heaven in the Lord's sight is like one man; that heaven accordingly
corresponds to each and all things in man; and that there are also those
who represent skin, membranes, cartilages and bones.

255. _The merely natural man confirms himself against divine providence
when he sees the Mohammedan religion accepted by so many empires and
kingdoms._ The fact that this form of religion is accepted by more
kingdoms than Christianity is may be a stumbling-block to those who give
thought to divine providence and at the same time believe that no one can
be saved unless he has been born a Christian, thus where the Word is, by
which the Lord is known. That form of religion is no stumbling-block,
however, to those who believe that all things are of divine providence.
These ask in what the providence consists and find it is in this, that
Mohammedanism, acknowledges the Lord as Son of God, the wisest of men and
a very great prophet who came into the world to teach men; most
Mohammedans consider Him to be greater than Mohammed.

[2] That form of religion was called forth in the divine providence to
destroy the idolatries of many nations. To make this fully known we will
pursue some order; first, something on the origin of idolatries.
Previously to that form of religion the worship of idols was general in
the world. This was because the churches before the Lord's advent were
all representative churches. The Israelitish church was of this
character. In it the tabernacle, Aaron's garments, the sacrifices, all
things of the temple in Jerusalem, the statutes also, were
representative. Moreover, the ancients had a knowledge of
correspondences, which is the knowledge of representations--it was the
chief knowledge of their wise men. This knowledge was cultivated
especially in Egypt and was the origin of Egyptian hieroglyphics. By that
knowledge the ancients knew what animals of every kind signified and what
trees of every kind signified, as they did what mountains, hills, rivers
and fountains sign