The herald., 1893-09-10
THE PARLIAMENT OF RELIGIONS,
The Worlds Congress Of vari-
Gus Creed Followers.
The Features of the Fheosophical
Societies Congress.
An Event at Things This Week which
Should Produce Far Reaching
Beneficial Results-What 1t
Means for Civilization.

theoeophist, furnishes the following
paper on an important event:
The parliament of religions is now
under way at Chicago. having it's vsri-
ous congresses, and perhaps few persons
aware Of the fact have paused to con-
slider the vast Importance of such an
affair or the ensuing results OF it's
achievement as bearing upon the
thoughts OF men and affecting our future
welfare.
The fair itself is indeed the marvel OF
our nineteenth century, with it's myriad
collections of antiquities of all descrip-
tione and hosts of modern inventions
and devices of human art and ekill; its
quaint villages, such as our forefathers
of the different nations used to live and
toll in in the pursuit of their happiness;
and the strange gatherings of foreign
people from all parts of mother earth, as
seen in midway plaisance; all these
things, no doubt, will make our Colum-
bian exposition an unrivaled success
over all preceding international exposi-
tions.
Yet these things for the most part are
but tor the eye, and, with too many,
these will soon have passed from mind.
But not 30 with all that is to take place
in the parliament Of religions.
Here, although there will be an alb
Bence OF festivities and thrilling sights,
yet there will be that which is most i'm
pressiye and calculated to move the
hearts Of all truly spiritual-minded men
and women who grasp the import OF the
situation, not from any narrowly en-
compassed or sectarian view, but rather
in its entirety.
1t may be conceded that the mechan-
ical skill of Fijian may interest and
even surprise one, but his barbarous re-
ligious instinct at once determines for us
what and where he is in the scale of hu-
man development, and the idea that
God makes man, if reversed, will become
much more significant when read, man
makes God, according to the extent of
his civilization and spiritual unfold
ment, for the religion of race or nation
represents the very flower and essence of
that peoples highest ideal, as pertain
ing to what seems to them the mystery
OF being"
This is why men have always defended
their religious views 30 tenaciously, and
in their ignorance and brutality often
allowed force and bloodshed to follow in
their wake.
But things have changed now, and in
these eliminating years of our century
we are just about to witness one OF the
grandest spectscleH ever recorded in the
history of the Christian era. And this
is at the worlds parliament of religions,
where the representatives of the various
oriental and occidental religions will
meet upon one common ground in the
spirit of brotherhood and mutual re-
spect. There one can witness the gentle
natured Brahmin and Buddhist, He
brews, Christians, Mohsmmedans, The
osophists and others, each one contrib
uting that which is held most dear and
precious by his people, the essence of
their hopes and aspirations, in an expo
sition of the doctrines OF their religion.
This indeed is a great stride in the
evolution OF human nature, when we
look back in history upon that horrible
nightmare of murder andrapine between
Christians and Christians, Christiana
and Jews, Christians and Musselmen!
The Theosophist will recognize in this
congress of religions veritable object
lesson of the spirit Of universal brother.
hood, and which WAS already foreshad-
owed by the Theosophical societies con-
ventions at headquarters in India, where
Parsees, Hindoos, Hebrews, Christians,
Mohammedans and Theoeophists have
met in convention.
Yet more important than all these
things is the consideration of the results
that will follow this congress of religions
during the coming years. That these
will be tremendous beyond all doubt
when one considers the tendencies of
our time as being one given to investiga'
tion and comparative criticism.
Much has been said in the reports OF
bi0oted missionaries to etigmatize the
so-called "heathens of Asia" but now
that the Asiatics have caught the spirit
of nineteenth century methods, they will
come forward boldly and enunciate the
true doctrines of their religions through
some intelligent and authoritative per-
eonage delegated for that purpose. Care
full reports will be made of all these pro-
ceedings, many of which we may expect
to find entering current literature and
new publications, but only to be taken
up by scholars and the intelli-
gent thinking classes, with the
result that the barriers OF prejudice
bigotry and intolerance against those of
different race and faith will gradually
melt away before the sunlight of deeper
knowledge. Dogmatic tn eology may
look for q chilling shock when it discov-
ers parallel truths and ethics emanating
from "heathen" priests and scholars.
In fact, one may expect to see radical
changes in western religious sentiment,
and the truth will dawn upon us that
by no means do we possess monopoly
of the gospel of peace and right living.
But the effect of this will be as @ tonic
to true Christianity, pure and simple,
for in self-defense men will be compelled
to seek shelter in the unsophisticated
word Of Christ, and with this comes the
hope that the barnacles and weeds of
theology which are bearing down the
good ship of religious truth may soon
drop off and reach the bottom of the sea
of oblivion.
While On exposition of the various
religions will result in their comparative
study and the discovery of kinship in
fundamental principles, it will be one
of the features of the Theosophical
societies congress to deal with the un-
derlying principles of all scriptures, and
under this head Hevavitarana Dharma-
pala, very learned Indian, will con.
tribute.
Among come OF the interesting sub
jects to be treated of will be: Links be-
tween Science and Religion, by Mrs.
Nercie NJ. Thirds of Chicago Reincar-
Aation of the Soul Law in Nature, by
DR.. j. A. Anderson of San Francisco,
who has recently published new vol
ume on the same subject; Theosophy
Historically Considered, by Prof. q. N.