Religious Conversion - Your views

Originally posted by: mermaid_QT

Well said!

Thanks SB. Come on guys, let us hear from all and especially from those who have experiences of this sort! Would love to know more. thnx
😃

Originally posted by: mermaid_QT

Thanks SB. Come on guys, let us hear from all and especially from those who have experiences of this sort! Would love to know more. thnx
😃

You beat me to it, but I will add a footnote:

I have experienced proseltyzation, and fairly aggressive one at that, but it went in from one ear and out through the other. In my opinion, banning is never a solution - it merely increases the curiosity factor and invokes mostly knee-jerk reactions. The reason proseltyzation works in the poorer sections of society is purely economical. On an empty stomach, the lines distinguishing the spiral of the temple from the steeple of the church do tend to get blurred.

It's not just the poor who they target for conversion. I mean I am no Tata Birla but I am in no need of donations from the Church.

I belong to a Hindu family living in Canada.
We have been visited by some ambassadors of Christanity. A few years ago, my brother had come back from school and was alone at home when he was paid a visit by 2 men who were spreading the message of Christanity in the community knocking on doors. My brother was a little freaked out when they started preaching in the doorway, he stood there listening for a long time before he could utter a word. And when he finally managed to let them know that he was not interested in converting, they gave him a couple of hymn books and asked him to read them and they will be back to know if he had reconsidered his decision. 😕
They had been back the following weekend and when my brother refused to attend them, I had a brief talk with them letting them know that we were happy with our religion, they then asked me to return the books they had left with my brother.

But that wasn't the end. We are still occasionally visited by such people and I think the tolerance is wearing a bit thin and we can't bother being too polite anymore.
Now getting back to your post Maya, I have experienced how persuasive such people can be. But being a firm believer in my faith and in no need of help, I can see how it is easy for people like us to resist changes firmly. But for these people you have mentioned most of whom are in dire straits, any help is a great help (doobte ko tinke ka sahara) If these missionaries bring with them a promise of a better life, I can't blame these people for being open to it. For Missiomaries, their mission is to spread the message of Christ and the more people they can get to believe in their faith, the more successful they consider their life to be. They might be luring people into their faith with materialistic things such as TV, but if they think that's the right way to go, then that's their belief! I would call TV a luxury but in areas where they are helping people improve living standards, I think religion is just a means to enhance life, not to restrict it. If claiming allegiance to one faith helps you lead a better life, I think the purpose of having religion in society is served right there.

I am sorry about the long post. I do not agree with the missionaries way of dealing things, but if nothing else in our country (the governement, people) can help those in need and they can, then I can't seem to find a problem. I agree with QT, banning will not be the solution in a secular country like India.

Just to end, I do not advocate for these missionaries, but I do believe that self comes before society or religion. And unless the govt has better proposals to offer than what the missionaries have, they shouldn't think about banning them.

I can't believe I just wrote a post that long. I am sorry for everyone who reads it. 😛

Originally posted by: V.T.

😉 u suck neetu. ill post mine tomorrow😉

Vicks, I have never known you to have read any post that had more than 2 lines😆. For that matter I have never know you to write a post more than 2 lines either😉.

Will wait to read your views on this. I wonder what you think about this issue of religious conversion.... it is quite an interesting topic

Hi,
I am not a regular on this part of the forum but this seems like such an interesting discussion that i can't resist jumpimg in with my two cents worth. I do hope that it's allright to do so.

A very thought provoking post on an issue, which is very sensitive in india. and some well thought out replies too.
I would just like to add, that the basic problem, in my opinion is the divergent mature of the religions in question.

Islam and Christianity, like Judaism are religions of the Book. They are strictly monotheistic and the first two have a very, very strong emphasis on evangelical activities.

A religion like Hinduism, on the other hand is pluralistic with zero emphasis on evangelicalism.

There is thus an intrinsic cross purpose here.

Hindism extends itself to accept all religious practices, without seeking to convert and Christianity and Islam on the other hand view Hindus and tribals as 'pagans' who must be brought to the light and one true path.

The truth is that at the end of the day, i think there is nothing wrong if in the Orphanage they introduce the children to christianity. or even if people are moved to adopt a new faith. It's their choice and their right, but only if they are moved to do so because of faith and not monetary or reservation considerations.

on the other hand i find myself recoiling instinctively from the assumptions under lying so much of the conversion attempts: that we the idol worshipers need to see the true light and true way.

This, to me, reeks of cultural imperialism and is deeply insulting.
Who are you to judge my gods and pass pronouncements on them? If you truly respect all religions, as so many of these converts profess and claim, then respect my religion enough to not assume that i need to 'saved.'

Ok, that was a long post. I do hope i haven't bored those who read it. And more importantly, i have not offended anyone. These are my my personal opinions and are in no way intended to disrespect or insult anyone or any religion.

regards,
Armana

Hi,

Thanks Armana for letting me know about this discussion...I would like to contribute as well towards it as I feel very strongly about conversion too. Though I am hindu, my mum's side of the family are roman catholics and from a very young age a lot of effort has gone into influencing me about not following hinduism. The logic behind it we don't follow a set of rules, hence we don't know how to reach god. The only way I can reach god is of course through Christanity. Even today when I visit a church during Christmas, I often here the father propagating about the goodness of Christanity over other religions. And they openly state that their main purpose is evangelism.

And I really wonder where does the thought of religious tolerance then disappear. My aunt doesn't fail to remind me how I become holy after visiting the church and how my prayers get answered quickly if I worship a particular saint on a particular given day. Usually the opinion is Hinduism is full of idol worship and superstitions. However in Christanity too one worships the various idols, which are usually referred to as Statues.

This reminds me of a very famous thought which Vivekananda once said. According to him irrespective of any religion whenever we worship we try to form a certain image in our minds. Whether we look up at the clouds or whether we form a mental image in our minds, in order to concentrate we do tend to look towards a particular image and if this image isn't idol worship, then what is.

The second belief Hinduism is superstitious also doesn't hold true...as in Christanity, it is commonly believed some of the people possess the holy spirit and through which they can cure people and remove misery from people's life. If this ain't a superstitious belief, then I don't know what else can be the description of superstition.

Okay sorry for having rambled too much...but I for one am really against conversion unless and until the person really feels strongly about a certain belief and feels that's the only way to reach God.

Our ultimate aim is to reach God, however Christians and Islam do take the ownership of making sure they convert as many people as possible to their religions cuz the tolerance level is usually not as high as it is in Hinduism. But they often forget Hinduism has been the oldest religion in this world and history has proved that and no amount of forcefullness will ever wipe out Hinduism...

Sorry guys for rambling away soooo much but this is something I really feel strongly about...

Garf