Currently there are 25 to 60 million people[specify][citation needed] studying Spiritism in various countries, mainly in Brazil, through its essential books, which include The Spirits Book, The Book on Mediums, The Gospel According to Spiritism, Heaven and Hell and The Genesis According to Spiritism. When I tell them my caste they stop asking questions. "Almost every day now, mass Buddhist conversions are taking place across India," he told me . Abstain from posting comments that are obscene, defamatory or inflammatory, and do not indulge in personal attacks. More than 1,000 people, mostly Muslims, were killed by rioters. Latter Day Saints hold that one may be baptized after death through the vicarious act of a living individual, and holders of the Melchezidek Priesthood practice baptism for the dead as a missionary ritual. Allan Kardec's codification of Spiritism occurred between the years 1857 and 1868. [58][59], The Church of Scientology attempts to gain converts by offering "free stress tests". These laws are invoked and enforced only when a group of people, not individuals, seek to move out of Hinduism. Gauri Viswanathan (1998), Outside the Fold: Conversion, Modernity, and Belief, Princeton University Press, "Artists Find Inspiration, Education at Church of Scientology & Celebrity Centre Nashville. "The [local] priest tells me if I was a good dalit in this life, then in my next life I can be born into a better part of society. Both Hinduism and those pre-Abrahamic religions kept trying to look for common grounds with the Abrahamic faiths for co-existence, while Abrahamic faiths were least interested in discovering common grounds. [citation needed]. However, Taoism does have its own religious conversion ceremony which seems[original research?] New trends of Mass Conversion of Christians to Hinduism has emerged in India. Some Christian sects require full conversion for new members regardless of any history in other Christian sects, or from certain other sects. The Dharama Jagran Samanvay Vibhag, an offshoot of the RSS, is reportedly going into the bounty-hunting business. This theory was publicized by the popular news media but disputed by other scholars, including some sociologists of religion. Help us delete comments that do not follow these guidelines. "Untouchability" was abolished under India's constitution in 1950 but the practice remains a degrading part of everyday life in Indian villages. Mainly it includes Customs and traditions Religion Arts Literature Science Government Festivals Language [57] Lofland summarised his findings in 1964 in a doctoral thesis entitled "The World Savers: A Field Study of Cult Processes", and in 1966 in book form (published by Prentice-Hall) as Doomsday Cult: A Study of Conversion, Proselytization, and Maintenance of Faith. It is considered[by whom?] In the small one-room house on the edge of the rice bowl of India, Narasimha Cherlaguda explains why he is preparing to be reborn as a Buddhist. In October 2021, Sukmawati Sukarnoputri of Indonesia converted to Hinduism. May1: 500. It has been distributing pamphlets in and around Aligarh seeking donations from the public to help fund a reconversion ghar wapsi (homecoming) ceremony that the saffron outfit is planning to hold on Christmas Day and during which it will seek to bring Muslims and Christians back into the Hindu fold from which they have allegedly strayed. {{/more}}. "Conversion" is a very charged word for Hindus. Retrieved May 5, 2015. A religious creed which can capture the ear and support of secular power can become a prestige movement, encouraging the mass of a people to follow its tenets. Besides being overtly anti-Christian, the proposed anti-conversion law would negate the constitutions secular values. Today almost double that figure will embrace a new religion and repeat the 22 oaths Ambedkar mouthed. This is a service to our country and we will continue with the ghar wapsi [homecomings], Jugal Kishore, a VHP official involved in the event, was quoted as saying in the Indian Express newspaper. Membership into a Latter Day Saint church is granted only by baptism whether or not a person has been raised in the church. To be like Islam and Christianity, which are seen to be muscular religions that enjoin proselytisation to swell their ranks, Hinduism, as viewed by the saffron brigade, needs to gird up its loins to project a more virile and vigorously assertive persona. Hardliners plans for a mass ceremony in December were put on hold after pressure from senior officials within the movement and, it is thought, the government. All other aspects such as visiting temples are secondary. Of the total 506 people who registered their change of religion with the government, 241 were those who converted from Christianity or Islam to Hinduism. 22 December 2014. This is list of converts from Indian-origin religions. The six Astika and two Nastika schools of Hindu philosophy, in its history, did not develop a missionary or proselytization methodology, and they co-existed with each other. The peace we seek in the world begins in human hearts; it finds its glorious expression when we look beyond any differences in religion or tribe and rejoice in the beauty of every soul, said Obama, who namechecked prominent Indian Muslims, Sikhs and sportswomen. Most Hindu sub-schools and sects do not actively seek converts. Buddhism received two new believers who switched from Hinduism. The Making of a Moonie: Choice or Brainwashing? It is being learnt that an attempt is being made to convert Dalits and other people from economically backward societies, by propagating anti-Hindu messages. The Inquisition in France and in Iberia worked to convert heretics with varying success. Historical records bear ample testimony to the rigorous implementation of St Caprions axiom extra ecclessium nulla salus (outside the Church, no salvation), even by the proverbial fire and sword, especially by explorer-cum-conquistadors like Vasco da Gama, the tales of whose brutalities in enforcing a harvest of faith in the erstwhile Portuguese-controlled state of Goa are legion. Despite this UN-declared human right, some groups forbid or restrict religious conversion (see below). What is God? I ran away to the city. He ran away after being tied up with his mother and clubbed for a night by an upper caste neighbour for allowing his goat to wander. Kiran Bedi, the BJPs main candidate in forthcoming elections in Delhi, blamed fringe elements for the ceremonies. Mansar Baskey, one of the reconverted, described to the newspaper how he had become a Christian a year ago with his wife, son and father. Based on the declaration the United Nations Commission on Human Rights (UNCHR) drafted the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, a legally binding treaty. Also find news, photos and videos on conversions to hinduism. "No one shall be subject to coercion which would impair his freedom to have or to adopt a religion or belief of his choice" (Article 18.2). 241 of the 506 people who reported their change of religion with the government were Christians or Muslims who converted to Hinduism. India investigates reports of mass 'reconversion' of Christians Up to 100 Christians 'welcomed back' to Hinduism in West Bengal, raising concerns about possible coercion A damaged mural of. They will then give the go-ahead only once he is satisfied that one is not swapping religions for monetary benefits or other inducements, or by being taken in by fraud, or being swayed by either promises of salvation or threats of incurring divine displeasure, as the case may be. which appears on Wednesdays. Apostate is a term used by members of a religion or denomination to refer to someone who has left that religion or denomination. Many dalit thinkers say that what is happening in India is a "religious rebellion" against a hierarchy that condemns them to a life of suffering. {{/totalcount}}, Thu, Mar 02, 2023 | UPDATED 08:23 AM IST. The Dalit leader decided to quit Hinduism and take up Buddhism, along with close to. Chico Xavier wrote over 490 additional books, which expand on the spiritualist doctrine. Delhi Social Welfare Minister Rajendra Pal Gautam found himself in the middle of a political storm after visuals of an alleged "mass conversion" to Buddhism, involving around 10,000 people (as . Since the Bah Faith has no clergy, converts are encouraged to be active in all aspects of community life. Saint Paul in Athens fits here, as do some of the Indic religions (such as Buddhism insofar as it ranks as a religion and Jainism). More than 70 people from the village of Kumarriguda, 40 miles outside Hyderabad, the capital of southern India's Andhra Pradesh state, will leave the Hindu religion. 77% of the new converts to Islam were Hindus and 63% women. One becomes a Jain on one's own by observing the five vows (vratas)[44] The five main vows as mentioned in the ancient Jain texts like Tattvarthasutra are:[45][46], Following the five vows is the main requirement in Jainism. [37], Jainism accepts anyone who wants to embrace the religion. Other religions organize mass conversions, usually of Dalits, away from Hinduism and its legacy of caste discrimination. Hinduism is often described as a way of life. [I say] why wait?". "There is no caste system here." The message has been conveyed in the party leaderships own style, Bedi said at the weekend. On 14 October 1956, Dr BR Ambedkar, the architect of the Indian Constitution, took a life-altering decision. Advertise With Us | The Hindu right has become increasingly wary of Buddhist conversions, seeing its call for equality as exerting a powerful pull on the lowest castes. This fabricated India is not a land of different people who settled in different places at different times, and had different ways of living and different forms of worship. At the end of the 12th century, Jayavarman VII set the stage for conversion of the Khmer people to Theravada Buddhism. The amendment makes provision to increase the maximum imprisonment for . Missions of the 19th century spread against a background of North Atlantic revivalism with its emotionalism and mass-meeting crowd psychological behaviours. They may number thousands, or only hundreds, or possibly even less. [25], As late as the 6th century, the Eastern Roman empire and Caliph Umar ibn Khattab were issuing decrees against conversion to Judaism, implying that this was still occurring. The last time it did was in 1977, in the, A national anti-conversion law, if enacted, would definitely be challenged in the Supreme Court. The exact requirements vary between different churches and denominations. Religious Freedom and Mass Conversion in India illuminates the ways in which these tactics immobilize potential converts, reinforce damaging assumptions about women, lower castes, and religious minorities, and continue to restrict religious freedom in India today. Religious wars and suppression shaped the histories of the Baltic tribes, the Hussites and the Huguenots. Tellingly, the punishment is doubled if those who convert are women, or members of the lower castes and tribal communities. The closest Hindu equivalent of a regular congregation is the RSS shakha. Answer (1 of 17): Yes, a lot of people. Church authorities told the Indian Express that around 1,000 local people had been baptised in the poverty-stricken and remote area over the last year. The Allahabad High Court recently refused to quash a First Information Report (FIR) filed against 37 persons accusing them of coerced the first informant into religious conversion (Hinduism to. His blog takes a contrarian view of topical and timeless issues, political, social, economic and speculative. . His blog takes a contrarian view of topical and timeless issues, political, social, economic and speculative. As an untouchable, the 25-year-old is at the bottom of Hinduism's hereditary hierarchy. [42][43], In recent decades, mainstream Hinduism schools have attempted to systematize ways to accept religious converts, with an increase in inter-religious mixed marriages. Both are true in their own contexts. The closest Hindu equivalent of a regular congregation is the RSS shakha. Reports surface in newspapers of untouchables being barred from temples. The Bharatiya Janata party (BJP) government in the western state of Gujarat controversially amended an anti-conversion law to classify Buddhism and Jainism as branches of the Hindu religion, denying them status as unique religions. |A+AA-. "India investigates reports of mass 'reconversion' of Christians". 72% of the new converts to Hinduism were Dalit Christians, mostly Christian Cheramars, Christian Sambavas and Christian Pulayas. 5:48. The rise of the BJP to power at the national level in 1998 spurred a spate of anti-conversion legislation. In what way where the majority Hindus oppressed? But the Sangh Parivar seems bent on turning it into a way of strife. A total of 144 persons adopted Islam. It includes various traditions and customs to be followed by its followers. 2014-12-30. [64][65], On the other end of the proselytising scale are religions that do not accept any converts, or do so very rarely. Early Christianity attracted followers by offering community material support and enhanced status for disadvantaged groups such as women and slaves. Try to avoid outside hyperlinks inside the comment. The widespread Dalit mass conversions to Buddhism have enraged many Hindu organizations from Delhi in the north to Yadgir in the south. You can become a Hindu even if you are born a non-Hindu and you are of a non-Asian origin. We are not committing any sin by bringing back our people to our own religion. The punishment will be three to ten years in prison and at least Rs 50,000 as fine. [21][22], Conversion to Judaism is the religious conversion of non-Jews to become members of the Jewish religion and Jewish ethnoreligious community. There has to be a reason why so many people especially Hindus vote for the BJP. 100 percent correct. Converts from undetermined former religion, Religious Conversion: Contemporary Practices and Controversies, page 3, Christopher Lamb, M. Darroll Bryant, Kan Sastri, A History of South India, p382-383. Culture can be defined as a way of life. The recent mass conversion of Dalits to Buddhism in Gujarat's Una district, which included the Dalits who were brutally assaulted by cow vigilantes for allegedly skinning dead cattle, has. In connection to this, many users in India posted a claim that the 'princess of Indonesia' converted to Hinduism following which 50,000 Indonesians did the same. The historical God-fearers may represent a philosophical bridge between Hellenism and Abrahamic faith. Like African Americans in the US who refuse to use their "slave" names, many in the lowest castes have spurned their obvious caste identifiers. In another case, Larissis v. Greece, a member of the Pentecostal church also won a case in the European Court of Human Rights.[68]. Conversion to the Bah Faith carries with it an explicit belief in the common foundation of all revealed religion, a commitment to the unity of mankind, and active service to the community at large, especially in areas that will foster unity and concord. [63], Research in the United States and in the Netherlands has shown a positive correlation between areas lacking mainstream churches and the percentage of people who are members of a new religious movement. Furthermore, certain Hassidic groups who physically attacked a meeting of the Hebrew Christian 'cult' have themselves been labeled a 'cult' and equated with the followers of Reverend Moon, by none other than the President of the Central Conference of American Rabbis. There are no rituals or dogmas, nor any sort of procedures in conversion to Spiritism. while converting to islam, which fikra (out of 72) do they convert to? The Muslim castes which have been particularly vulnerable to Hindu missionary efforts have been those Answer: "God is the Supreme Intelligence-First Cause of all things."[28]. People convert to a different religion for various reasons, including active conversion by free choice due to a change in beliefs,[3] secondary conversion, deathbed conversion, conversion for convenience, marital conversion, and forced conversion. Throughout the timeline of Buddhism, conversions of entire countries and regions to Buddhism were frequent, as Buddhism spread throughout Asia. Richadiana Kartakusama (2006), Archaeology: Indonesian Perspective (Editors: Truman Simanjuntak et al. Buddhism [ edit] Conversion to Hinduism. The worry is that some kind of coercion is involved. It attracted the highest number of persons from Ezhava, Thiyya and Nair communities. Answer (1 of 5): Sorry to say but Islam was not spread in the world by its teaching but was done through swords. Much of the theology of Latter Day Saint baptism was established during the early Latter Day Saint movement founded by Joseph Smith, Jr. BJP is in power today only because other parties played religious politics by oppressing the majority Hindus and providing every right. Returns? Amen. "I have hidden my roots. Lastly, while you are browsing this sub, keep in mind that Hinduism is practiced by over a billion . it was conviction of muslim that they can not live withth cafirs and need a seperate pure (Pak) land which will be muslims and they will take muslims from india and nonmuslims will move to india. Article 18.2 bars coercion that would impair the right to have or adopt a religion or belief, including the use of threat of physical force or penal sanctions to compel believers or non-believers to adhere to their religious beliefs and congregations, to recant their religion or belief or to convert." He will not be alone. [31][32][33] In its diffuse and open structure, numerous schools and sects of Hinduism have developed and spun off in India with help from its ascetic scholars, since the Vedic age. The spectre of losing Dalits to another faith and that too a public pledge to reject Hinduism in the election campaign season has reignited an age-old debate about caste oppression. 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Their change of religion with the government were Christians or Muslims who converted to Hinduism has emerged India... 72 % of the Khmer people to our own religion barred from temples the constitutions secular.., which expand on the spiritualist doctrine reconversion & # x27 ; reconversion #. Emerged in India thousands, or from certain other sects some sociologists religion. Sociologists of religion 's hereditary hierarchy of a non-Asian origin it into a Latter day church... Crowd psychological behaviours congregation is the RSS shakha converts are encouraged to be followed its. Saint church is granted only by baptism whether or not a person been... Whether or not a person has been raised in the North to Yadgir in the and!