Parliament of the World's Religions

Lore & Background

The Parliament of the World's Religions traces its origins to the World's Parliament of Religions of 1893, held in Chicago during the World Columbian Exposition. This was an initiative of Swedenborgian layman Charles Carroll Bonney, with Unitarian minister Jenkin Lloyd Jones as another principal organizer. John Henry Barrows was appointed first chairman of the General Committee by Bonney. The Parliament opened on 11 September 1893 at the World's Congress Auxiliary Building (now The Art Institute of Chicago) and ran until 27 September, making it the first organized interfaith gathering. It featured representatives from a wide variety of religions and new religious movements, including Jainism, Buddhism, Hinduism, Christianity, Islam, the Baháʼí Faith, Theosophy, and Spiritualism, among others. Notable participants included Swami Vivekananda, who introduced Hinduism with his famous opening address, and Virchand Gandhi, who represented Jainism.

Reader's Guide

The 1893 Parliament had a lasting ripple effect, inspiring figures like Sarah Farmer to establish Greenacre in Eliot, Maine, where representatives from at least seventeen faiths gathered in 1894 and raised what is believed to be the world's first peace flag. The Parliament was incorporated in 1989 to organize the centennial conference, which convened in 1993 at the Palmer House hotel in Chicago, with over 8,000 attendees. That conference produced the document 'Towards a Global Ethic: An Initial Declaration' and a book, 'A Sourcebook for the Community of Religions'. Subsequent Parliaments were held in Cape Town, South Africa in 1999 (over 7,000 attendees) and Barcelona, Spain in 2004 (over 8,900 attendees), each focusing on pressing global issues such as religiously motivated violence, access to safe water, refugees, and external debt. The Parliament continues to serve as a platform for interreligious dialogue and cooperation.

Did You Know?

• The 1893 Parliament was the first organized interfaith gathering and is recognized as the birth of the worldwide interfaith movement.
• Swami Vivekananda began his speech at the 1893 Parliament with 'Sisters and brothers of America!' and received a standing ovation lasting two minutes.
• The 1993 Parliament produced the document 'Towards a Global Ethic: An Initial Declaration', mainly drafted by Hans Küng.
• The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Native American religious figures, Sikhs, and other Indigenous and Earth-centered religionists were not represented until the 1993 Parliament.