Merchants and traders of India, particularly from Indian peninsula, carried their religious ideas, which led to religious conversions to Hinduism in Indonesia, Champa, Cambodia and Burma. The views expressed in comments published on newindianexpress.com are those of the comment writers alone. All the comments will be moderated by the newindianexpress.com editorial. 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. The groups claimed that not only dalits, who often embrace Buddhism to quit Hinduism, but also people from other castes can accept the religion. "We want to be equal to upper castes. Starting from the premise that the freedom of religion and religious chose of those who are converted (note; the laws never say those who convert) need to be protected from incursions of proselytisers the various anti-conversion legislations, ironically termed as freedom of religion laws make it mandatory for the convertees to inform the head of the district administration. Instead, the recreated India is sought to be made into a nation of total homogeneity, cultural, ethnic, and religious, a nation of one people. Messianism may prepare groups for the coming of a Messiah or of a saviour. Twenty-three people from five Christian families in southwestern India converted to Hinduism on November 29 in a ceremony presided over by Indian parliament member Anant Kumar Hegde, a local leader representing India's ruling, Hindu nationalist BJP party, the Times of India reported on Tuesday. But its record in adjudicating the evidently unsecular anti-conversion statutes is dubious. conducted by Indian Hindu nationalist organisations Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP), Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and their allies. Instead of going into the genesis of the conversion of poor Hindus, Malhi chose to reply with a political overtone, "And it is happening under the rule of self-proclaimed champions of democracy.". 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. It is exclusively associated with the predatory behavior of Abrahamic religions (Islam and . Mainly it includes Customs and traditions Religion Arts Literature Science Government Festivals Language Whatdomormonsbelieve. According to this theology, baptism must be by immersion, for the remission of sins (meaning that through baptism, past sins are forgiven), and occurs after one has shown faith and repentance. Photograph: Daniel Berehulak/Getty Images. [citation needed]. Gautam revealed that ov. Ghar Wapsi: Forced Mass Conversion To Hinduism The purpose of a religion is to realize self actualization of a man! Display results as threads In this case, an FIR was lodged by the informant- Himanshu Dixit with the allegations that about 90 persons of Hindu religion . Web. Abstain from posting comments that are obscene, defamatory or inflammatory, and do not indulge in personal attacks. On the other hand, persecution can drive religious faith and practice underground and strengthen the resolve of oppressed adherents as in the cases of the Waldenses or the Bah Faith. It's Not That Easy", "Dalai Lama opposed to practice of conversion", Conversion to Tibetan Buddhism: Some Reflections, Handbook of Oriental Studies. Some people say that missionaries are forcefully converting them. 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. A series of attempts by rightwing Hindu groups to hold mass conversion ceremonies have caused controversy in recent months. The boundary between them is not easily defined: what one person considers legitimate evangelizing, or witness-bearing, another may consider intrusive and improper. 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. 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. The person administering the baptism must recite the prayer exactly, and immerse every part, limb, hair and clothing of the person being baptized. Mass Conversions to Hinduism among Indian Muslims Yoginder Sikand Manjari Katju 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. There is no daily call to prayer, no Sunday morning sermons. Returns? These laws are invoked and enforced only when a group of people, not individuals, seek to move out of Hinduism. This vast majority are from the middle and upper middle class. ", "Zoroastrianism needs to adapt its archaic laws or die | Ariane Sherine", "Joining a Cult: Religious Choice or Psychological Aberration? A total of 144 persons adopted Islam. [12] Latter Day Saints baptisms also occur only after an "age of accountability" which is defined as the age of eight years. Buddhism received two new believers who switched from Hinduism. Now media also started putting venom into public mind? In the New Testament, Jesus commanded his disciples in the Great Commission to "go and make disciples of all nations" [Matthew 28:19] [Mark 16:15]. In fact, donations to Christian missions in India . For other uses, see, This article is about voluntary acceptance of a religion. Christianity grew after becoming the state religion in Armenia, in the Roman Empire, and in Ethiopia. Mass conversions of areas and communities to Buddhism occur up to the present day, for example, . Religious police in (for example) Iran and Saudi Arabia answer for the correct religious expression of those in their purview. [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 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 . Anti-cult evangelicals protest that 'aggressiveness and proselytizing are basic to authentic Christianity,' and that Jews for Jesus and Campus Crusade for Christ are not to be labeled as cults. [16], Baptism is seen as symbolic both of Jesus' death, burial and resurrection[17] and is also symbolic of the baptized individual putting off of the natural or sinful man and becoming spiritually reborn as a disciple of Jesus. 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. ", "Justice and reforms after airmen were given criminal convictions for their religious activities". Perhaps not. Yet the Sangh Parivar is happy to coerce Dalits to remain Hindu or to "reconvert", and to "convert" tribals to Hinduism. 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. Adaptation in favour of Matrimony "Love Jihad" is the hot all the rage a chain of the methods second-hand in favour of the determination. BJP divide people on religion wise for vote. We are neither seen nor heard. There was a complete massacre of Hindus unleashed in full fury. Islam gained 144 new believers and lost 40 during the period. [20] In the Islamic religion, it is believed that everyone is Muslim at birth. We are not committing any sin by bringing back our people to our own religion. In fact we think that there are very few differences between Buddhism and Hinduism," says Lalit Kumar, who works for a Hindu nationalist welfare association in Andhra Pradesh. 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. Nagpur (Maharashtra): - The First and the biggest mass conversion, which the country has ever witnessed, took placed on the 14th day of October 1956. SS Subramuniyaswami (2000), How to become a Hindu, 2nd Edition, Himalayan Academy. "Dalits should concentrate on illiteracy and poverty rather than looking for new religions. 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. From Delhi in the north to Yadgir in south, mass Dalit conversion to Buddhism has riled up many Hindu groups. Islam attracted 144 converts overall, compared to 119 converts to Christianity. [21][22], Conversion to Judaism is the religious conversion of non-Jews to become members of the Jewish religion and Jewish ethnoreligious community. 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, Al Jazeera Centre for Public Liberties & Human Rights, programme announced by the Dharam Jagran Samiti, anti-conversion laws in force in various states, Uproar in India over forced conversions. We use cookies and other tracking technologies to provide services in line with the preferences you reveal while browsing the Website to show personalize content and targeted ads, analyze site traffic, and understand where our audience is coming from in order to improve your browsing experience on our Website. Obamas words on Tuesday on the rights of religious minorities in the predominantly Hindu country came after three days of carefully choreographed demonstrations of warm relations between the US president and Modi. The mass conversion of dalits takes place on the anniversary of one of India's most controversial religious events. Culture can be defined as a way of life. For example, in the 11th century in Burma, king Anoratha converted his entire country to Theravada Buddhism. A national anti-conversion law, if enacted, would definitely be challenged in the Supreme Court. "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. The message has been conveyed in the party leaderships own style, Bedi said at the weekend. Despite officially being a secular nation, organizations allied with the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) are actively promoting mass conversions to Hinduism. All Indian religions, Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainsim and Sikhism, are collective called "Sanatan Dharma" and "Dhamma", and all others are called mleccha. He ordered mass conversion of the Muslims to Christianity. Conversion is illegal if there is any element of compulsion or bribery. Officials say an inquiry has been launched into Wednesdays event. [Galatians 3:28] Islam allegedly spread in North Africa through just administration, and in the Balkans by integrating new believers with improved tax conditions and social prestige. All Indian religions usually practice mutual religious syncretism among each other. The varieties of religious experience: a study in human nature, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Religious_conversion&oldid=1134883508, Articles needing additional references from March 2022, All articles needing additional references, Articles with unsourced statements from March 2022, Articles needing more detailed references, Articles with unsourced statements from October 2018, Articles with specifically marked weasel-worded phrases from July 2021, All articles that may contain original research, Articles that may contain original research from July 2021, Articles with unsourced statements from March 2011, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Cooper, Richard S. "The Assessment and Collection of Kharaj Tax in Medieval Egypt". Some people convert under the influence of other social conditions. Converting to Islam requires one to declare the shahdah, the Muslim profession of faith ("there is no god but Allah; Muhammad is the messenger of Allah"). Despite this UN-declared human right, some groups forbid or restrict religious conversion (see below). Apostate is a term used by members of a religion or denomination to refer to someone who has left that religion or denomination. Different factors and circumstances may operate and interact to persuade individuals of groups to convert and adopt a new set of religious doctrines and habits. [37], Religious conversion to Hinduism has a long history outside India. your password 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 laws of Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh make it incumbent upon neighbours or villagers to inform the administration and the police of any activities of pastors, nuns and clergymen which could give rise to a suspicion of proselytising motives. 5:48. Of the 33 persons who crossed over to Islam from Christianity, 9 were Syrian Catholics, who included two women. Hinduism is often described as a way of life. Homecoming in the Christmas season is supposed to be a joyous occasion, accompanied by camaraderie and cheer. your username. But often on trains people ask about my background, what my father did, where I am from. This might be from one to another denomination within the same religion, for example, from Baptist to Catholic Christianity or from Sunni Islam to Shia Islam. Last week the hardline group Vishnu Hindu Parishad (VHP) claimed to have reconverted more than 20 Christians in the southern state of Kerala. The United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights defines religious conversion as a human right: "Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief" (Article 18). On 14 October 1956, Dr BR Ambedkar, the architect of the Indian Constitution, took a life-altering decision. During the election campaign, an age-old discussion over caste discrimination has been rekindled by the threat of losing Dalits to another faith, and that too a public commitment to renouncing Hinduism. You can become a Hindu even if you are born a non-Hindu and you are of a non-Asian origin. Digvijaya Singh, of the ousted Congress party, thanked Obama on Twitter for speaking up for the Indian citizens rights to profess practice and propagate his religious belief. There are plans for a Buddhist temple and money set aside to hire a Buddhist priest - probably the first in the area for 1,500 years - to conduct prayers as well as marriage and death rites. This is list of converts from Indian-origin religions. 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. [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. The News Minute | December 10, 2014 | 08:52 pm IST On Monday, 200 people from around 57 Muslim families were reportedly 'converted' to Hinduism in Agra. Log into your account. Some have suggested that the concept of missionary conversion, either way, is contrary to the precepts of Hinduism. Explore conversions to hinduism profile at Times of India for photos, videos and latest news of conversions to hinduism. All Indian religions, Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainsim and Sikhism, are collective called "Sanatan Dharma" and "Dhamma", and all others are called mleccha. They are fringes. Its not my business what faith others follow but surely there must be something seriously wrong to go the BJP way. His blog takes a contrarian view of topical and timeless issues, political, social, economic and speculative. The widespread Dalit mass conversions to Buddhism have enraged many Hindu organizations from Delhi in the north to Yadgir in the south. One might well question in face of such provisions, do the laws even need to use the modifiers forcible or fraudulent? Other religions organize mass conversions, usually of Dalits, away from Hinduism and its legacy of caste discrimination. 22.; emphasis added), Some countries distinguish voluntary, motivated conversion from organized proselytism, attempting to restrict the latter. Evangelization. The Muslim castes which have been particularly vulnerable to Hindu missionary efforts have been those which are only nominally Muslim and retain many Hindu customs and beliefs. This happened in a very calculated way and the then Govt. One does not need to ask any authorities for admission. Mumbai (AsiaNews) - In Andhra Pradesh a group of Hindu nationalists belonging to the BJP ruling party (Bharatiya Janata Party) has carried out mass conversions to Dalit and Christian tribal. Mass conversion in India PM's home state sparks anger The conversion happened hours after Modi's Hindu nationalist party called for a new law to ban 'forced religious conversions' Asia Dalits in rural areas are often bullied and assigned menial jobs such as manual scavengers, removing of human waste and dead animals, leather workers, street sweepers and cobblers. Christianity, 9 were Syrian Catholics, who included two women to be equal to upper castes photos videos. 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