The World Parliament of Religions in 1898

i've been obsessed with the world parliament of religions for a long time. it was an event in 1898 in Chicago that introduced eastern religions to the west. but that's putting it mildly. it was also, in some ways, the first world trade conference - but before there was even a league of nations. At the World Parliament, dignitaries, academics and religious leaders got together from American, Britain, a couple other places in Europe, and Asia. This is where Vivekananda first preached his passion-filled, materialistic Hinduism. The westerners loved it. According to this bright yellow book i'm reading, Indians loved it too. Indians wanted to step out of the victim shoes and get with the western progress. They thought if Hinduism can be saleable to the west, then they were going to be ok.

But the fact is that the World Parliament was more about the west trying to sell their ideas about progress and giant dams and military dominance to the east. And many of the speakers from the east were merely reacting to that sales job. They were on the defense. And, i learned from this book, that is where a very important muslim preacher first told the world how he was going to take the best of the west (military dominance, evangalism + colonialism) and combine it with the elements that he thought his culture shouldn't lose. He, and others there, saw clearly that the West had no use for history. The East personified history (some westerners still think this is cute). Many of the religious speakers there - from buddhists to jesuits to jains - agreed that it was time to leave the past behind but keep a bit of culture at the same time. The muslim leader went on to inspire Osama Bin Laden. Vivekenanda, better known for his impact on a generation of hippies, also inspired the Hindu fundamentlist party that took over India in the 1990s, the BJP. The buddhist preachers are still quoted by warring buddhist nationlists, striving to remake history just like the Brits did, in Sri Lanka. Isn't it a beautiful thing when the world comes together to share ideas? JFC.