The World’s Parliament of Religions: The East/West Encounter, Chicago, 1893, by Richard Hughes Seager, the Bates and Benjamin Professor of Classical and Religious Studies, has been published in paperback by Indiana University Press (11/09).
According to the publisher, “Conceived as a magnificent display of the major religions of the world, the 1893 parliament sought to unite ‘all religion against irreligion.’ A singular moment in the creation of a more pluralistic religious culture in America, it introduced many Americans to Eastern religions and meditative practices such as yoga. Some in the Christian community saw the gathering as a sign of the approaching fulfillment of the missionary’s hope to evangelize the world, while others saw a divided Christendom under threat from the religions of the East. Richard Hughes Seager explores this fascinating event in all its complexities and in a new preface, summarizes recent research and reflects on religious pluralism in an age of religious extremism.”
According to the publisher, “Conceived as a magnificent display of the major religions of the world, the 1893 parliament sought to unite ‘all religion against irreligion.’ A singular moment in the creation of a more pluralistic religious culture in America, it introduced many Americans to Eastern religions and meditative practices such as yoga. Some in the Christian community saw the gathering as a sign of the approaching fulfillment of the missionary’s hope to evangelize the world, while others saw a divided Christendom under threat from the religions of the East. Richard Hughes Seager explores this fascinating event in all its complexities and in a new preface, summarizes recent research and reflects on religious pluralism in an age of religious extremism.”
