World's Parliament of Religions, The
the East/West encounter, Chicago, 1893
Richard Hughes Seager
208 pages | ~6 hrs
Comparative Religion
World's Parliament of Religions, The
the East/West encounter, Chicago, 1893
By Richard Hughes Seager
In 1893, Chicago hosted an unprecedented gathering that would forever alter America's spiritual landscape. The World's Parliament of Religions brought together representatives from major faith traditions in what organizers hoped would unite all religions against the growing tide of secularism. Yet this ambitious assembly sparked as much controversy as it did celebration.
Richard Hughes Seager masterfully chronicles this pivotal moment when East met West in ways that challenged every participant's assumptions. Some attendees viewed the Parliament as validation of Christianity's supremacy, while others witnessed the profound wisdom of Eastern traditions taking center stage. Missionaries saw both unprecedented opportunity and existential threat. Christian unity seemed within reach to some observers, yet denominational divisions appeared more pronounced than ever.
Through careful historical analysis, Seager reveals how this single event embodied the tensions and possibilities of religious pluralism in late nineteenth-century America. The Parliament became a mirror reflecting competing visions of faith's role in modern society. Some participants left convinced they had witnessed the dawn of global spiritual harmony, while others departed deeply unsettled by challenges to their theological certainties.
This compelling narrative illuminates a watershed moment that helped birth America's more diverse religious culture. For readers exploring interfaith understanding and spiritual pluralism, Seager offers essential insights into how religious dialogue can simultaneously unite and divide, inspire and threaten.
What You'll Discover
- ✓ Explore World's Parliament of Religions. fast (OCoLC)fst01407324
- ✓ Explore Parlament der Weltreligionen (1893)
- ✓ Explore History
- ✓ Strengthen your faith journey
- ✓ Explore Chicago (Ill.)
- ✓ Explore Relations
- ✓ Explore Religions, relations
- ✓ Explore United states, religion
Topics
Details
- Published
- 1995
- Publisher
- Indiana University Press
- ISBN-10
- 0253351375
- Pages
- 208
- Language
- EN
- LC Classification
- BL21.W8 S43 1995
