Religious Conversion and Reconversion

BJP is back to power again and somehow debates on religious conversion, reconversion and other related matters are making news once more. Islam and Christianity are once again beginning to be portrayed as religions that convert people from one religion to another religion. As a Christian I want to emphatically admit that Christians do 'propagate Christianity' praying and hoping that people will eventually come to follow Jesus Christ as Lord and God. I believe that Islam too engages in similar activities, persuading people to become a Muslim. The Constitution of India allows a person to propagate one's religious belief. For this same reason, if a Hindu undertakes re-conversion processes, persuading converted ones to return to their traditional faith or even persuade a-religious person to join Hinduism, it's the same as what Christians and Muslims are doing; and I am quite okay about it. Propagating one's religion involves trying to convert people or reconvert people.

However, in this process of conversion or reconversion, there has to be certain ground rules. No party must forcefully try to convert anyone. Conversion must take place only through persuasion, explaining and living out the beauty and truth of that particular religion. Forceful conversion is neither morally nor legally right. Those who force others to convert or reconvert must be legally sued.

Someone may ask why there is a need at all to try to convert others. Or rather, why must I try to convince the other person that my religion is true and beautiful, thereby implicitly implying that yours is not true and beautiful. Why can't each one just practice one's religious belief and leave others alone? 

Religion has been an important feature of human lives throughout human civilization. And if one reads religious history, one will realise few things: 1. Many religions have died out in the past and many new ones have emerged. 2. A religion does not remain static in term of its belief and practices. 3. Certain religion has evil practices. 

To give examples, let me cite from history. 1. Manichaeism is now gone and so is Mithraism. But then over a period of time, religions like Bahaism and Mormonism emerge. 2. Buddhism was established by Gotama, yet it has mutated into various shades; and so Islam or Christianity. The beliefs of the different sub-groups are not entirely the same and the practices too are not all similar. 3. Religious culture of Aztecs include human sacrifice. 

From this brief account, one realises that religions evolve. Even within my own religious tradition, there was time when Bible was not made accessible to all or following the cultural practices of the day, slaves were owned by Christians or people of certain background were not accepted as equals. However, things changed. Hinduism has also undergone lot of changes in its historical evolution. Women were not allowed to read the sacred texts in the past; it is changing now. All these changes occur because there has been intra and inter-religious debates and discourses in human history. Without such dialogues and discourses, a religion will fossilized and required reformation will not take place. Political practices, religious beliefs, economic traditions etc are human enterprises, and as human individuals and civilisations interact, our lives and our social-religious-economic-political enterprises will change. Some religion may not be able to keep up with the changing political and economic scenario, and they may die out. Some may evolve very well and emerge triumphant as some religions have been in recent days. For example, one query what many religious and political scholars ask is whether Islam will be able to peacefully adapt to the ever growing tradition of liberal democracy without losing its identity, and if it does how will it take place? This interaction is inevitable; and in the process, Islam may even have things to learn from other religions. 

Because of this sort of ever increasing interaction, religious dialogues and discourses across cultures will take place. And once this takes place, conversion and reconversion are going to be happening. Just as I live within a particular political tradition, I live within certain religious tradition. Yet I have to have an openness to learn about better political tradition or even be willing to perform reform within my own political tradition; and this same thing applies to my religious belief too. I think my view is right, yet I am open to interaction and learning -- that's the kind of attitude I think we must possess. But having such an open mind is to be open for conversion and even to convert others -- religious, political, social etc. As long as forceful conversion and other immoral practices are kept out, friendly dialogues and intercourse resulting in even conversion must be left open to establish a progressive society.