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PICTORIAL ALBUM
INTERFAITH ACTIVITIES - News Conference

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COUNCIL FOR A PARLIAMENT OF THE WORLD’S RELIGIONS NEWS CONFERENCE DECLARING 1993 AS THE YEAR OF INTER-RELIGIOUS UNDERSTANDING AND COOPERATION

Cathedral of Saint John the Divine,
New York City - January 25, 1993

 

MESSAGE BY SWAMI ADISWARANANDA

The Parliament of Religions held in Chicago in 1893 envisioned the harmony of religions and unity of humankind. One hundred years have passed, yet the dream of unity and harmony continues to prove elusive. Religious intolerance and misunderstanding keep the world divided and stand in the way of a harmonious world culture. Wherever we look, we find pain and suffering, disunity and despair. The acts of hatred and violence, committed in the name of god and religion, are disgraces of human history. The need for unity and mutual understanding has never been greater than it is today. We live in a world which is neither Eastern nor Western, where every one of us is heir to all of civilization. The vision of a new world order requires a new world outlook, based upon respect for and understanding of other religious traditions.

As we prepare to celebrate the Year of Inter-religious Understanding and Cooperation and the Centennial of the World’s Parliament of Religions, we recall the words spoken at the Parliament in 1893 by Swami Vivekananda:

"Sectarianism, bigotry, and its horrible descendant, fanaticism, have long possessed this beautiful earth. …But their time is come; and I fervently hope that the bell that tolled this morning in honor of this convention may be the death-knell of all fanaticism, of all persecutions with the sword or with the pen, and of all uncharitable feelings between persons wending their way to the same goal."

In his concluding address at the Parliament, he further said:

"Upon the banner of every religion will soon be written, in spite of resistance: ‘Help and not Fight’, ‘Assimilation and not Destruction’, ‘Harmony and Peace and not Dissension.’"

Today, as we usher in the Year of Inter-religious Understanding and Cooperation, the Ramakrishna Order of India, founded by Swami Vivekananda, and its Centers in America and abroad, pay tribute to the message of unity and harmony of religions. May we all rededicate ourselves to the unifying interfaith spirit of the Parliament of Religions.

Swami Adiswarananda
Cathedral of Saint John the Divine
January 25,1993