Mission, A Cultural Confrontation
Swami Vivekananda and The American Missionary Movement
Keywords:
Mission, Swami Vivekananda, American Missionary MovementAbstract
In 1893 there occurred a unique event in the history of organized religion. Commemorating the four hundredth anniversary of the discovery of America, the World- Columbian Exposition opened in Chicago to display the achievements of Western civilization. Since "faith in a Divine Power ... has been, like the sun, a life-giving and fructifying potency in man's ... development, l " one of the twenty congresses was devoted to religion. When the Parliament convened on September 11, 1893, among the Oriental delegates on the platform were: Proptop Chandra Mazoomdar of Calcutta and B. B. Nagarkar of Bombay, both representing the Brahmo Samaj; Dharmapala of the Ceylon Buddhists; Virchand Gandhi for the Jains; and Chakravarti and Annie Besant of the Theosophical Society. Seated with this illustrious group was a young Hindu, Swami Vivekananda, who ' 'represented no particular sect, but the Universal Religion of the Vedas.
References
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