Dignitaries at the 1893 World Parliament of Religions

The Other September 11th

by Mark Solomon

The 11th of September is a date now etched in the minds of Americans and people all over the world as a grim anniversary. In the media and in our hearts, this date is marked as a memorial to the terrible events in 2001 when thousands of innocent people died at the hands of religious fanatics bent on destruction. The grief and the scars related to this date will take time to heal and the memories of loss and the images of heroism in the face of grave danger will stay with us, the living, for a long time still to come.

But this date, September the 11th, holds another memory as well, one with a much more hopeful connection, one which holds the seeds for the renewal we must envision to move on and create a better, more peaceful world.

In September of 1893, the 11th marked the start of a very different event.

Swami Vivekananda, center in turban, came to America for the conference.

In the city of Chicago, which held a great World's Fair that year, representatives came from all over the world to attend a parliament of religions. This Parliament brought together, for the first time in history, delegates from each of the world's major religions Ð Hindu, Buddhist, Jain, Zoroastrian, Shinto, Islam, Judaism, Confucian, Catholic, and Protestant.

They came to give lectures, to discuss, and to uncover the common bonds between their faiths. It was here in America that this noble event was organized, by people with the optimism and good will to see the benefits to be gained from meeting together with people of different beliefs and creeds.

The Parliament drew huge crowds over the course of two weeks and opened people's eyes to the depth of spiritual feeling and dignity that runs through all faiths. Here was a living example of tolerance, of people with deeply held beliefs accepting the differences between them and honoring those differences with mutual respect.

Is this not the way to end the fanaticism that destroys?

Can we learn to see the varied religions as "the fingers of one hand" all springing from the same source and leading to the same ultimate goal?

When we remember this date, September the 11th, let us also remember the beacon of hope that events like the Parliament of Religions offer us - the hope to see the defeat of fanaticism and to end the violence and destruction in God's name. Then perhaps, we may emerge more fully human, with our hearts open to the depth and breadth of religious expression. Maybe then we will learn that how a person prays is less important than learning to see what is sacred within each of us.

Related Links

• Centenial Celebration of Swami Vivekananda in America and the World's Parliament of Religions
  
• The Catholic Church's Encounter with American Culture at the Turn of the Century
  
• Transcript of Swami Vivekananda's addresses at the World's Parliament of Religions, Chicago, September 11, 1893
  

About the Author
Mark Solomon is a film maker.