The History of the Interfaith Movement
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“Henceforth the religions of the world will make war, not on each other, but on the giant evils that afflict mankind.” – Charles Bonney, 1893 |
The Interfaith Movement formally began at the first Parliament for World Religions in Chicago in 1893. Those who gathered had the understanding that there was a need for better communication and cooperation among religions across the globe. Since that time, there has been a global effort worldwide to bring together different religions in a hope to seek common ground.
The second Parliament did not gather again until 1993 to mark the centenary of the first. The year of 1993 was dedicated to inter-religious understanding and cooperation amongst many interfaith events around the world. As a result of the actions of that year, there are a number of local, national, and international interfaith organizations addressing a wide variety of issues and concerns today.
Since that time, there have been three more Parliament meetings. In March 2001 the International Interfaith Centre convened a meeting in Oxford that was attended by representatives from 14 of the international interfaith organizations. Together they agreed to create a calendar of events to enhance awareness of each other’s activities, and to meet again in Budapest in August 2002 to build upon this new networking relationship.
The meeting in Budapest took place in August 2002; the third was in September of 2003 in Oxford. The latest meeting was held at the Parliament of the World’s Religions in Barcelona, Spain in July 2004.
“No human life together without a world ethic for the nations.
No peace among the nations without peace among the religions.
No peace among the religions without dialogue among the religions.”
– Hans Kung,
Christian Theologian