A (nyugati) vallások reprezentációja 19. századi erdélyi (unitárius) utazók írásaiban
The Representation of (Western) Religions in the Travel Writings of Transylvanian (Unitarian) Travelers

Summary/Abstract: The aim of this study is to explore the theme of religions/religious diversity in the travel writings of two Unitarian travelers, namely Alexander Bölöni Farkas and Charles Derzsi. Since one key-element of Unitarian theology is religious tolerance insisting on the idea of freedom of conscience – according to which each individual in his views is given the same free as Adam and Eve –, it is particularly interesting to examine how these two travelers coming from Transylvania represented and interpreted in the 19th century the different and newly emerged denominations of the ‘West’. The study begins with a(n literary) outlook, interpreting some essays of Voltaire’s Letters on the English (1733) in which the French philosopher describing the Quakers, Presbyterians, Anti-Trinitarians analyzed England’s religious life. Then a special emphasis is given to highlight how Alexander Bölöni Farkas, as an accredited diplomat of the Transylvanian Unitarian Church, implicitly criticized the religious intolerance of his homeland through representing and interpreting in his travel writings (Journey in North America, travel journal) the legal status of the religions in the USA and the unusual religious practices – the divine service, the doctrine, the life-style, the distinctive clothing – of the Quakers, Shakers, Methodists. Finally, as a control study Charles Derzsi’s report is drawn into analysis (Religious Life in London and Denominations) in which the Unitarian alumnus systematically summarized the different denominations of the capital, as he propagated the idea of religious tolerance and personal faith.

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