The morning call., 1893-04-24
A CONGRESS OF RELIGIONS.
Rev. Horatio Stebbins on the Project
at the Worlds Fair

At the First Unitarian Church last night
Rev. Horatio Stehbins delivered an address
upon the proposed Congress of Religions
at the Worlds Fair"
BE said the scheme, if he could use the
term, was the greatest moral and spiritual
advance that had been made in centuries
The congress was not only parliament OF
religions, but Of mankind as well, taking in
the length and breadth and the circumfer-
ence of the whole earth. The idea was at
once ambitious and uuique and one peculiar
to our time.
I'm no period OF the worlds history be-
fore to-day" said the speaker, would such
thing as congress Of the religions of
man have been possible. But the world is
growing smaller every day. Time and dis
lance have been overcome by the telegraph
and space by the telescope. The congress
Of religions is new thought and we owe 1t
10 new conception of humanity itself
he greatest word next to God is humanity
and * is because OF the wider, broader view
OF humanity which the people of all religions
take to-day that q congress OF represen a.
tlves of religions can be had.
what IS congress of religions? Not a
congress OF religion, remember, but a cob
gress Of religions.
1T means OF course primarily the as
sembHng Of representatives of all the
Just one, and an interchange of views be-
tween the representatives. No one knows
now many religions there are in the world
ana no writer even pretends to say. Its
estimated that thirty representatives viii
attend the Worlds Fair Congress Of Re-
ligiOns.
There are three great religions on earth,
buddhism, Christianity and Mohamme q an
ism, that is these are the only three religions
that can possibly survive the change of time
ana custom, and of all of them the Christian
religion is the most plant.
christianity is n young religion. less
than 20GO years old. and that in the history
OF religion is only the gray and rosy dawn
There are more sectS in the Christian re-
llgi"n :han in all other religions on the
earth combined, and it is because of the
tiexbilty of Christianity and its adapta-
blity TO all trends Of religious fought that
so many sects are possible.
'M0hammedanism is also a new religion.
younger than Christianity, without much of
its adaptabiIity.
Buddhism is mystery. Men bava
studied 1t for years without mastering it.
Christianity has been claimed by eminent
writer's to be an OifshnOt of Buddhism and
Mohamnedanlsm an offshOot of Christianity.
uere Is as much difference between Chris
tans In the line of Thought as there is
between Christianity and Buddhism.
All religions have the same root, and
question the congress of religions Will have
TO zeal win IS how, coming from the same
root, there is SO much difference in IN.
blossom and seed of religions
There is one view TO be taken of the
proposed congress Of religions that is
cheering to ALL 1t is that such a concep-
ton has dawned on the minds OF religions
men. Such movement means death to
the little Drovincialisms of religion and TO
the practice of putting Christianity in
corner. Only one-third of the people of the
earth are Christians. and they are divided
into hundreds of sects.
christianity can never become the re-
ligion OF all mankind in its present form
and the coming congress is the first step on
the broad road OF liberalily in Christianity
which VIII sooner or later work ont its
destiny. Lot every Christian keen watch
upon The congress OF religions. 1t will pre-
sent the humane aspects Of religion in
contFadlstinctioa to provincial Christianity
and will prove great attainment in liberal
thought, In genial temper and good man
ners"
The attendance was large and the speaker
certainly interested hls audience The lee
lures continue on Sunday nights until
further notice.