Wembley's Conference of Living Religions 1924

Wembley's Parliament of Living Religions was part of the British Empire Exhibition of 1924, inviting famous representatives of important Living Religions within the British Empire. Although the Exhibition was held at Wembley Park in north-west London the Conference was held at the Imperial Institute, between 22 September and 3 October 1924.[1]

The tradition of this and similar World Fairs go back to the early 18th century. Some of the more famous ones have been The Great Exhibition of 1851 in London and Parliament of the World's Religions in Chicago in 1893.

Proposed objectives

William Loftus Hare described the following ten objectives of such International Conferences.

1. To bring together in conference, for the first time in history, the leading representatives of the great Historic Religions of the world.
2. To show to men, in the most impressive way, what and how many important truths the various religions held and teach in common.
3. To promote and deepen the spirit of human brotherhood among religious men of diverse faiths, through friendly conference and mutual good understanding, while not seeking to foster the temper of indifferentism, and not striving to achieve any formal and outward unity.
4. To set forth, by those most competent to speak, what arc deemed the important distinctive truths held and taught by each religion, and by the various chief branches of Christendom.
5. To indicate the impregnable foundations of theism and the reasons for man's faith in immortality, and thus to unite and strengthen the forces which are adverse to a materialistic philosophy of the universe.
6. To secure from leading scholars, representing the Brahman. Buddhist, Confucian, Parsee. Mohammedan, Jewish and other faiths, and from representatives of the various churches of Christen- dom, full and accurate statements of the spiritual and other effects of the religions which they hold upon the literature, art, commerce, government, domestic and social life of the peoples among whom these faiths have prevailed.
7. To inquire what light each religion has afforded, or may afford, to the other religions of the world.
8. To set forth, for permanent record to be published to the world, an accurate and authoritative account of the present condition and outlook of religion among the leading nations of the earth.
9. To discover, from competent men, what light religion has to throw on the great problems of the present age, especially the important questions connected with temperance, labor, education, wealth and poverty.
10. To bring the nations of the earth into a more friendly fellowship, in the hope of securing permanent international peace.[2]

Main participants and religious representatives

• Mirza Bashir-ud-Din Mahmud Ahmad (Islam)
• Sir Francis Young-Husband
• Pandit Shyam Shankar
• Al-Haj Khwaja Kamal-ud-Din
• Mustafa Khan
• Sheikh Kahdim El Dojaily
• Sufi Hafiz Raushan Ali
• Dr. W.A. de Silva
• Mr. G.P. Malalasekera
• Mr. Shoson Miyamoto
• Shams-ul-Ulema Dastur Kaikobad Adarbad Noshirvan
• Rai Bahadur Jagmander Lal Jaini
• Sardar Kahan Singh
• Mr. Hsu Ti-Shan
• Mr. N.C. Sen
• Professor S.N. Pherwani
• Mr. Mountford Mills
• Mr. Ruhi Afnan
• The Venerable Archdeacon Williams
• Mr. Richard St. Barbe Baker
• Mr. Albert Thoka
• Mr. L.W.G. Malcom
• Professor J. Arthur Thomson
• Mr. Victor Branford
• Professor H.J. Fleure
• Rachel Annand Taylor
• Mr. Christopher Dawson
• Mr. William Loftus Hare
• Professor Patrick Geddes
• Reverend Tyssul Davies

References

1. An Account of the Parliament of Living Religions, Wembley, London 1924
2. An Account of the Parliament of Living Religions, Wembley, London 1924