Religious conversion & its legitimacy in the free world..!

Religious conversion has many connotations. The constitution of India guarantees freedom to practice, profess and propagate any religion of our choice. It also gives us the right to not follow any religion.

The idea of conversion should not surprise or alarm us; we are surrounded by it. Tadpoles become frogs. Acorns become oak trees. Caterpillars do not hold onto themselves but become butterflies. Worms chew on dead things converting them into fuel for new things to grow. A grain of wheat dies and becomes something far greater.

The process of transformation and conversion is almost a law of our existence. What would be alien and frightening is the idea of something not converting and transforming.

The need to be converted, transformed, and remade is signaled so clearly in nature it’s a wonder we can even debate the question.

What about the things of the spirit, intellect, and imagination?

Is it too much of a stretch to consider that these might be subject to similar processes of conversion?

But there seems to be one important difference — choice. A tadpole has no choice, it must convert or die; likewise an acorn. My body must constantly convert food or I die. In the realm of emotion, spirit, intellect, and imagination though there is no compulsion, only choice.

Have you never experienced the slow dawning realization that you have some terrible character flaw you wish you didn’t have? I might consider myself a good person until I’m standing in a queue while someone in front fiddles to find their change and that old impatience and bad temper flares up in me again.

I can stubbornly hold onto who I am or I can look to change.

Have you never reached the point where you give a half-inarticulate sob ‘If only someone would take this [insert flaw] away from me?’ I’d argue that this longing for transformation, for conversion, and the desire to start again and be reborn comes from two places:

We see it happening all around us in the natural world

The desire exists because the means of satisfying it exists just as thirst exists because there is a means of quenching it.

To stop converting, to hang onto what you are, to freeze in time, and refuse conversion is to stagnate and die. We must be remaking all the time. Start again to practice patience when the bad temper comes, each day, step by step until we are made new.

Most religions recognize this need for conversion and there are different approaches:

Humanists believe we are complete in ourselves, we have all we need and with effort and skill we can haul ourselves up by our own collars into new and better men.

Others believe that only by surrendering to various forces we can get what we need to transform. All we need to do is become ‘One’ with them.

Notice how in these approaches the initiative lies with us and the work lies with us. We can become more perfect, like little deities, with the right technique or approach.

Christianity says something different and radical. No matter what we do we cannot solve this problem. We cannot convert ourselves or rebirth ourselves and the first step to conversion or rebirth is to abandon the attempt. It must be done for us.

Jesus said no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again and not to be surprised by this. That being willing to die is the key to living, letting go is the secret to taking hold, and losing our lives is how to find them. Only if we surrender the futile attempt to become a minor deity will we be given back more than our heart desires.

Love puts us on the path to being born again. To love Him with all our heart, mind and strength puts Him and us in the right order. And loving our neighbor as you put us in the right relation to our fellow humans.

Following a particular religion or having certain beliefs should be a person’s own decision. If you go about influencing and forming organizations to convert, it’s a scam.

Where’s the liberty of following one’s own religion.

If a person on his own feels like following a particular religion without being purposely influenced that is his or her own choice and should be encouraged.

The following video of ‘India in Details’ (https://www.youtube.com/c/IndiaInDetails/featured) sensibly and logically explains the scenario in a better way:

Watch, share, and spread awareness!