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
World’s Parliament of Religions in Chicago
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