The Parliament of the World’s Religions—Will It Succeed?
HUNDREDS of religious leaders gathered at the second Parliament of the World’s Religions held in Chicago, Illinois, U.S.A., in the summer of 1993. Buddhism, Christendom, Hinduism, Judaism, and Islam were all represented. Witches and goddess-worshipers were present too. They discussed their role in bringing an end to war. The chairman of the parliament acknowledged that “two-thirds of the major conflicts in the world today have religious overtones.”
A Hundred Years Ago
Was the parliament successful? Take a look at what happened a hundred years ago at the first Parliament of the World’s Religions. It too was held in Chicago, in the summer of 1893, and more than 40 religions were represented. The Council for a Parliament of the World’s Religions admits that those who attended in 1893 “believed that it would be the first of a series of international interfaith gatherings that would contribute to understanding, peace and progress. It was not to be. Religious intolerance and violence have been part of the wars of the past 100 years, and continue so today.” Why the failure? Because the entire concept of interfaith is not approved by God. The Bible says: “Do not become unevenly yoked with unbelievers.”—2 Corinthians 6:14-17.
Appropriately, the September 1893 issue of Zion’s Watch Tower highlighted the lack of Scriptural support for the Parliament of the World’s Religions when it said, not without a trace of satire: “They have dug up many wonderful baked-clay cylinders out of the ruins of Babylon and other ancient cities, but there are some not yet found. . . . They have not found any which speak of Moses and Joshua having called a ‘Parliament of Religions,’ of Moabites and Ammonites, and Edomites . . . They have not found any which speak of sturdy old Samuel having sent to Gath and Ekron to get a deputation of the priests of Dagon to come up to Shiloh and hold a conference with the priests of Jehovah . . . They have not found any which speak of old leather-belted Elijah having proposed a ‘congress’ with the priests of Baal and Moloch for a week’s discussion of the tenets of their respective faiths, with a view to the promotion of mutual respect for each other’s religion.”
God’s Kingdom—The Only Hope
The Parliament of the World’s Religions will not succeed. Newspapers and delegates used such terms as “chaos,” “turmoil,” and “bedlam” in connection with the parliament. According to one report, even the police got involved in quieting down two disturbances caused by political divisions. In a 1952 document, the parliament listed as one of its purposes: “To establish a permanent World Parliament of Religions to work with the UNITED NATIONS in the attainment of world peace and understanding among all peoples.” In contrast, Jesus said that his Kingdom was no part of this world. The Bible points to God’s Kingdom as the only solution to mankind’s problems.—Daniel 2:44; John 18:36.