As the twentieth century opened, the prejudice that seemed
more likely than any other to succumb to the forces of change was that of
religion. In the West, scientific advances had already dealt rudely with some
of the central pillars of sectarian exclusivity. In the context of the
transformation taking place in the human race’s conception of itself, the most
promising new religious development seemed to be the interfaith movement. In
1893, the World’s Columbian Exposition surprised even its ambitious organizers
by giving birth to the famed “Parliament of Religions”, a vision of spiritual
and moral consensus that captured the popular imagination on all continents and
managed to eclipse even the scientific, technological and commercial wonders
that the Exposition celebrated.
Briefly, it appeared that ancient walls had fallen. For
influential thinkers in the field of religion, the gathering stood unique,
“unprecedented in the history of the world”. The Parliament had, its
distinguished principal organizer said, “emancipated the world from bigotry”.
An imaginative leadership, it was confidently predicted, would seize the
opportunity and awaken in the earth’s long-divided religious communities a
spirit of brotherhood that could provide the needed moral underpinnings for the
new world of prosperity and progress. Thus encouraged, interfaith movements of
every kind took root and flourished.
- The Universal House of Justice (From a
message dated April 2002 to “The World’s Religious Leaders”)
