ECHOES FROM THE PARLIAMENT OF RELIGIONS.
By Editor
THERE is probably no occurrence of this century which will have a greater effect on the future of the religious world than the recent Parliament of Religions held in connection with the World's Fair at Chicago. That its effect will be beneficial the great mass of the people believe; but that it marks an advance stage in the malady which now afflicts Christendom is also believed by many thoughtful men scattered through all denominations. It is distinctly a compromise on the part of Protestantism, and this must be evident to every candid mind who will compare the spirit, the utterances, and the personnel of that gathering with the Protestantism of the Reformation and the teachings of the New Testament. But many of our religious journals, sad to remark, approve of the parliament. Of this we shall have more to say hereafter. Below are some of the characteristic utterances (the Italics are ours):— For ourselves we desire to express our gratitude to Dr. Barrows and Mr. Bonney for giving the world this Parliament of Religions.—The Congregationalist. It will give the Christian people a wider outlook upon the world of religious thought, and will tend to strengthen the bonds of human brotherhood.—Buffalo Christian Advocate. Many addresses have been made by prominent clergymen and advocates of several faiths, and with one or two exceptions the harmony of the gathering is remarkable.—St. Louis Christian Advocate. There never before has been on so broad a scale so signal an exhibition of the essential brotherhood of all men. If anyone object to thinking of it as a "brotherhood of religions," it has at all events been an impressive manifestation of the peculiar kinship that belongs to all deeply and devoutly thoughtful religious men of every nationality and clime, speech or race.—The Advance. The most significant religious event of the century is marked by the spirit of sobriety, of charity, of reverence, and of loyalty to the truth. It was possible to sneer at its proposals. One who fears God and loves his fellow-men must rejoice at its achievement.—The Examiner. All together they constitute the greatest religious gathering the world has ever seen. Too much cannot be said in praise of President C. C. Bonney and Chairman Dr. John H. Barrows for their titanic and successful labors in preparing this "more than imperial feast."—Central Christian Advocate. The scene presented upon this platform is one that every beholder will carry with him through life. Its cosmopolitan and unique character may be accepted as symbolic of a new period of civilization, when all the nations of the world shall be as one.—Methodist Recorder. This is the platform of the parliament—the fatherhood of God and the brotherhood of man. Fortunately, the rules of the parliament preclude discussion, but the greatest benefit will result from comparison of creeds and systems.—Zion's Herald. The first world's Parliament of Religions will prove, we believe, a mighty factor in the winning of religious thought the world over, in the gathering of truth and the scattering of error, thus aiding in bringing about the great consummation—the union of God and man, of heaven and earth.—Union Signal. It is only by way of our sense of shame that Christianity will be honored and magnified by this parliament. If Dr. Momerie's brilliant epigram, "All religions are fundamentally more or less true, and all religions are superficially more or less false," needs to be taken, like most epigrams, with some qualifications, it is none the less true that we are learning from this parliament that our religion cannot be the perfect manifestation of the relations of God and men, the flawless sphere of truth, until it includes the Orient as well as the Occident.—New York Evangelist. The first effect of this Parliament of Religions must be to correct the opinion too often entertained, and sometimes even sedulously cultivated, that all forms of religion but our own are but a mixture of ignorance and superstition. There is as little ground for the Christian charge that all foreign priests are self-seekers, as for the analogous Protestant charge against all Roman Catholic priests, or for the similar infidel charge against all Christian ministers. The ecclesiastic's coat is no sure preventive against selfishness; the ecclesiastical spectacles are no guarantee of the truth. But whatever other impression the various speakers at the Parliament of Religions may have left on the minds of their audiences, there is no doubt that they left one of profound spiritual earnestness.—The Outlook.