The doctrine is first considered as science, then philosophy and lastly as a religion. Missions of the 19th century spread against a background of North Atlantic revivalism with its emotionalism and mass-meeting crowd psychological behaviours. One might well question in face of such provisions, do the laws even need to use the modifiers forcible or fraudulent? His blog takes a contrarian view of topical and timeless issues, political, social, economic and speculative. Let me say this that if there is a hint of coercion or forcible conversion, the matter will be dealt with seriously, said Derek OBrien, a spokesman for the Trinamool National Congress party which is in power in West Bengal. First, there has been increasing campaign against Muslims as a result of which these. 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. 72% of the new converts to Hinduism were Dalit Christians, mostly Christian Cheramars, Christian Sambavas and Christian Pulayas. It attracted the highest number of persons from Ezhava, Thiyya and Nair communities. In other words, the true purpose of a religion is to ensure that each person reaches his true potential, goes beyond the temptations toward one honest truth - upliftment of himself. [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 following is a list of converts to Hinduism from other religions or a non-religious background. These are returns not conversions. {{#totalcount}} {{{short}}} 5:48. [citation needed], Greece has a long history of conflict, mostly with Jehovah's Witnesses, but also with some Pentecostals, over its laws on proselytism. 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. "Bah pioneers", rather than attempting to supplant the cultural underpinnings of the people in their adopted communities, are encouraged to integrate into the society and apply Bah principles in living and working with their neighbors. Rinchana changed his name to Sultan Sardarudin Shah after converting to Islam and became the first Muslim ruler of Kashmir. [20] In the Islamic religion, it is believed that everyone is Muslim at birth. Bahs regard their own faith as the most recent (but not the last), and believe its teachings which are centered around the principle of the oneness of humanity are most suited to meeting the needs of a global community. 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. We will be happy to have you on board as a blogger, if you have the knack for writing. Islam gained 144 new believers and lost 40 during the period. A List of Converts to Hinduism: 1. Though ostensibly secular in objective, the anti-conversion laws in force in various states of India Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Chhattisgarh (all areas with a significantly high population of tribals, Dalits, the depressed castes, and reeling from poverty, illiteracy and abysmal healthcare) in effect gives the government a vast swathe of control over peoples choices in matters of faith and religion. Other religions organize mass conversions, usually of Dalits, away from Hinduism and its legacy of caste discrimination. 2014-12-30. 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. We are talking about an amendment bill introduced in the Uttarakhand assembly on November 29and passed a day laterto make the four-year-old anti-conversion Act (which ironically goes by the name Uttarakhand 'Freedom of Religion' Act, 2018) even more stringent. LESS The closest Hindu equivalent of a regular congregation is the RSS shakha. But we need to be judicious while moderating your comments. Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Hindu MNA Lal Chand Malhi said that the Hindu community in Pakistan was being continuously exploited in Sindh. Gods of the Blood: The Pagan Revival and White Separatism, page 183, Mattias Gardell, 2003, Param Vir: Our Heroes in Battle, p.21, Major General Ian Cardozo, 2003, List of converts to Hinduism from Christianity, International Society for Krishna Consciousness, List of converts to Hinduism from Buddhism, List of converts to Christianity from Hinduism, List of converts to Sikhism from Hinduism, List of converts to Buddhism from Hinduism, https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/english/hollywood/news/things-you-didnt-know-about-russell-brand/articleshow/47811458.cms, https://www.indiatvnews.com/entertainment/hollywood/i-am-a-follower-of-hinduism-says-russell-brand-859.html, https://littleindia.com/russell-brand-marries-india-themed-party/, Ram Dass the official interactive Satsang site for author (Be Here Now) and spiritual teacher Ram Dass, Dona Catherina: the last empress of Lanka, "A brief History of Tamil People (by Prof. A. Velupillai)", "Theosophy: Building of the Cosmos by Annie Besant", "John Dobson: Amateur Astronomy's Revolutionary", "How I Became A Hindu - Chapter 1 - From Arya Samaj to Mahatma Gandhi", "Former Ronald McDonald Turns Vegetarian Activist", "Adherents.com - Online Payday Loans - Same Day Payout", Kelli Williams Quotes and Trivia at MovieTome, "Recently, I got to know about Sanatan Dharma", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=List_of_converts_to_Hinduism&oldid=1133347277. 22.; emphasis added), Some countries distinguish voluntary, motivated conversion from organized proselytism, attempting to restrict the latter. The groups responsible for the conversion ceremonies come from the same broad Hindu nationalist movement as the ruling Bharatiya Janata party, which was led to a landslide victory in elections last year by Narendra Modi. Despite officially being a secular nation, organizations allied with the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) are actively promoting mass conversions to Hinduism. your username. Not so for the small community of Christians in Agra, a town in the northern Indian province of Uttar Pradesh. In a shocking update, an alleged 'mass conversion' took place in Rajasthan's Jaipur as around 400 families have been allegedly converted. In fact, donations to Christian missions in India . [I say] why wait?". Without defining what all would, and could, possibly count as inducement or fraud, these laws impose stringent criminal sanctions on violators. 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 views expressed in comments published on newindianexpress.com are those of the comment writers alone. [13] The theology thus rejects infant baptism. Modi has been criticised by opposition politicians for remaining silent on the issue of reconversion ceremonies. Modi has denied any wrongdoing and a supreme court inquiry has found insufficient evidence to support the charges. They even treat tribals as low. "Conversion" is a very charged word for Hindus. This Samiti, a not-so-small wing of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, a militant Hindu organisation, contended that far from propagating religious intolerance, it was only righting historical wrongs and injustice perpetrated by Christian missionaries and Muslim clerics who, in order to bolster the numbers of their respective faiths, had lured and coerced Hindus to stray from their original religion. {{{read_comment_link}}} Tellingly, the punishment is doubled if those who convert are women, or members of the lower castes and tribal communities. But its record in adjudicating the evidently unsecular anti-conversion statutes is dubious. Basing its ruling on a 1956 report entitled Report of the Christian Missionaries Activity Enquiry Commission, which deemed proselytisation as a threat to Indias territorial integrity and internal security, the court ended up conflating every act of propagation of ones faith Christianity, in this case (enshrined as a fundamental right in the constitution) as an attack on Hinduism and its followers, tantamount to blasphemy, which, incidentally, is also a criminal offence in India. India will succeed so long as it is not splintered along the lines of religious faith, he added. The mass conversions which are being planned are part of a strategy to bring in congregationalism through the back door. 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. In that case, the judges could remedy the errors of 1977 by seeking inspiration from the European Court of Human Rights 1993 ruling in the Kokkinakis case, which struck the right balance between keeping out improper proselytism and Christians right to practise, profess, and propagate their faith. So all tribals and SCs converted to Christians here. Thus the 1st-century Levant, steeped in expectations of overturning the political situation, provided fertile ground for nascent Christianity and other Jewish messianic sects, such as the Zealots. These laws are invoked and enforced only when a group of people, not individuals, seek to move out of Hinduism. According to the pamphlet, the bounty involved in converting a Muslim is Rs 5 lakh while in the case of a Christian its Rs 2 lakh. At the end of the 12th century, Jayavarman VII set the stage for conversion of the Khmer people to Theravada Buddhism. Now we are on Telegram too. George Harrison: A very popular English musician, a member of The Beatles. Some people say that missionaries are forcefully converting them. Homecoming in the Christmas season is supposed to be a joyous occasion, accompanied by camaraderie and cheer. Though ostensibly secular in objective, the, Indians look up to the judiciary to uphold the secular values of the republic, and the Supreme Court has, time and again, thwarted onslaughts on peoples core fundamental right of religious freedom. The aim to constant but a few adaptation headed for Islam is captivating area all the rage the countryside, it is not barely awfully blue appear in amount . There has to be a reason why so many people especially Hindus vote for the BJP. More portentous was the grand ghar wapsi (homecoming, or mass-reconversion) programme announced by the Dharam Jagran Samiti (loosely translated into Hindi-Religious Awakening Front) in the neighbouring town of Aligarh, where Christmas was to be celebrated by bringing 4,000 Christians and 1,000 Muslims back into the folds of Hinduism. AHMEDABAD: Buddhist groups in the city have organized conversion drives from Hinduism to Buddhism to mark Vijaya Dashmi on Tuesday . It includes various traditions and customs to be followed by its followers. Most Hindu sub-schools and sects do not actively seek converts. A Jehovah's Witness, Minos Kokkinakis, won the equivalent of $14,400 in damages from the Greek state after being arrested for trying to preach his faith from door to door. Colonial missions since the 19th century have attracted people to an implied nexus of material well-being, civilisation, and European-style religion. to comeout of religious politics for ever India must rediscover why they pakistan and beangladesh. "There is no caste system here." "India parliament uproar over conversions by Hindu groups". But these benefits aside, there was another more substantive reason why many Indians, especially the Dalits (Untouchables) and tribals embraced Christianity, and even Islam. The widespread Dalit mass conversions to Buddhism have enraged many Hindu organizations from Delhi in the north to Yadgir in the south. which appears on Wednesdays. But often on trains people ask about my background, what my father did, where I am from. About Us | Privacy Policy | However, other officials from the VHP denied to local reporters any reconversions, saying the ceremony had been to lay a foundation stone for a hostel, healthcare centre and school for the poor. These mass conversion movements, and resulting narratives questioning converts' sincerity and agency, set the stage for three central challenges undermining the human right to freedom of thought, conscience, and religion in India today: Legislation limiting "forcible" and "induced" conversions Senior VHP functionaries contacted by the Guardian on Thursday said they were unable to comment. For forced conversion, see. Religious enthusiasm for proselytism can play a role. This is list of converts from Indian-origin religions. Frankish armies spread Roman Catholicism eastwards in the Middle Ages. But, the solution a national legislation to ban and criminalise conversions assertively advocated by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which commands an absolute majority in parliament, and despite repeated disavowals, remains rooted in essentially a chauvinistic, right-wing Hindu ideology, is far more disconcerting, and if implemented, would deal a grievous blow to the constitutional ideal of secularism. In cases of mass conversion of Muslims to Hinduism, the central thrust has been on their de-Islamisation rather than on their accepting the Hindu religion. Answer: "God is the Supreme Intelligence-First Cause of all things."[28]. [21][22], Conversion to Judaism is the religious conversion of non-Jews to become members of the Jewish religion and Jewish ethnoreligious community. "Almost every day now, mass Buddhist conversions are taking place across India," he told me . SS Subramuniyaswami (2000), How to become a Hindu, 2nd Edition, Himalayan Academy. {{/more}}. This is for countering the claims of BJP. Apostate is a term used by members of a religion or denomination to refer to someone who has left that religion or denomination. A national anti-conversion law, if enacted, would definitely be challenged in the Supreme Court. Hindu Scriptures do not provide any procedure to convert to Hindu from any other religion as Hinduism is regarded as the way of life. Last Updated: 02nd April 2021 02:32 PM Of India kept sleeping or had their mock permission. Brahmanism?? I think Hinduism's influence is weaker than one god religions. I ran away to the city. to be adopted and modified from Chinese Buddhist refuge-taking ceremonies. Also, 32 people left Islam to join Hinduism. Hinduism is often described as a way of life. This situation stems from a law passed in the 1930s by the dictator Ioannis Metaxas. His blog takes a contrarian view of topical and timeless issues, political, social, economic and speculative. Mass Conversion to Hinduism In India By Faheem Belharvi Bajrang Dal, an offshoot of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) converted at least 57 Muslim families (200 people) into Hindus at a "Purkhon ki Ghar vapsi" coming home of the ancestors ceremony held at Agra, Uttar Pardesh. Lastly, while you are browsing this sub, keep in mind that Hinduism is practiced by over a billion . [42] Religious leaders of some of Hinduism sects such as Brahmo Samaj have seen Hinduism as a non-missionary religion yet welcomed new members, while other leaders of Hinduism's diverse schools have stated that with the arrival of missionary Islam and Christianity in India, the view that "there is no such thing as proselytism in Hinduism" must be re-examined. [37] If after a period of study, the individual still wants to convert, a Namakarana Samskara ceremony is held, where the individual adopts a traditional Hindu name. 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