cover image Community of Religions: Voices and Images of the Parliament of the World's Religions

Community of Religions: Voices and Images of the Parliament of the World's Religions

. Continuum, $21.95 (256pp) ISBN 978-0-8264-0899-0

In 1993, representatives from the multitude of the world's great religious traditions met in Chicago to celebrate the centennial of the 1893 World Parliament of Religions. The speeches, poems and essays collected in this volume reflect the sense of harmony and community that emerged from the discussions among adherents of widely diverse religions. Included in the collection are the voices of religious leaders like the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Francesco Gioia, and of scholars like Paul Knitter and Byron Sherwin, discussing topics ranging from spiritual pluralism and religious ritual to global ethics and the future of religions. A helpful opening section provides a comparative historical overview of the 1893 and 1993 Parliaments while an extensive appendix offers a variety of resources available for exploring the impact of the two Parliaments upon the world's religious communities. By capturing the spirit of understanding and acceptance that marked the 1993 Parliament, this collection challenges and inspires the world's religions to move beyond narrow sectarianism to a wide religious pluralism as they seek to provide spiritual values to a culture increasingly enamored of material values. (Aug.)