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. 72% of the new converts to Hinduism were Dalit Christians, mostly Christian Cheramars, Christian Sambavas and Christian Pulayas. Mate. the biggest gainer has been Islam. 77% of the new converts to Islam were Hindus and 63% women. Copyright - newindianexpress.com 2023. "Islam is egalitarian, and we get the self-respect," said Khalik. Moinuddin Chisti facilitated the coming of the Islamic Jihad to India by mediating the union of Jai Chand and Mohammed Ghori. According to official figures for the year 2020, the biggest gainer in terms of new converts was Hinduism. 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. Baptism is traditionally seen as a sacrament of admission to Christianity. 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 . Its not my business what faith others follow but surely there must be something seriously wrong to go the BJP way. For example, the New Testament chronicles the personal activities of the Apostles and their followers in inspired preaching, miracle-working and the subsequent gathering of followers. Look at the net impact not the gross. United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, n.d. 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. "Untouchability" was abolished under India's constitution in 1950 but the practice remains a degrading part of everyday life in Indian villages. to comeout of religious politics for ever India must rediscover why they pakistan and beangladesh. It attracted the highest number of persons from Ezhava, Thiyya and Nair communities. Tellingly, the punishment is doubled if those who convert are women, or members of the lower castes and tribal communities. His blog takes a contrarian view of topical and timeless issues, political, social, economic and speculative. [20] In the Islamic religion, it is believed that everyone is Muslim at birth. Many a time, Muslim girls convert to Hinduism for marriage but that is not highlighted in media. [37], Religious conversion to Hinduism has a long history outside India. Messianism may prepare groups for the coming of a Messiah or of a saviour. 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. Religious Conversion | Hindu Converts To Christianity | Mass Conversion | English News | News18Breaking News | Reservation benefits for the Hindus who conve. 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. By continuing to browse this Website, you consent to the use of these cookies. However, Taoism does have its own religious conversion ceremony which seems[original research?] 2014-12-30. 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. There is no daily call to prayer, no Sunday morning sermons. They may number thousands, or only hundreds, or possibly even less. Changing religion makes us visible," says Chanrabhan Prasad, a dalit writer. They do not represent the views or opinions of newindianexpress.com or its staff, nor do they represent the views or opinions of The New Indian Express Group, or any entity of, or affiliated with, The New Indian Express Group. [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. However, it takes exception to what it considers illegitimate proselytizing by the Roman Catholic Church, the Salvation Army, Jehovah's Witnesses, and other religious movements in what it refers to as its canonical territory. We are neither seen nor heard. In October 2021, Sukmawati Sukarnoputri of Indonesia converted to Hinduism. The landless labourer points to a picture of Hanuman, the Hindu monkey god, on his wall and says it will soon be gone and replaced by an image of the Buddha. In sharing their faith with others, Bahs are cautioned to "obtain a hearing" meaning to make sure the person they are proposing to teach is open to hearing what they have to say. Photograph: Amit Bhargava/AP. Lastly, while you are browsing this sub, keep in mind that Hinduism is practiced by over a billion . Apostate is a term used by members of a religion or denomination to refer to someone who has left that religion or denomination. No society is immune from the darkest impulses of men. One does not need to ask any authorities for admission. According to the report, the converts said they were neither lured nor coerced into Hinduism. Try to avoid outside hyperlinks inside the comment. I think Hinduism's influence is weaker than one god religions. The Parsis, a Zoroastrianism group based in India, classically does not accept converts, but this issue became controversial in the 20th century due to a rapid decline in membership. New Delhi: Undeterred by the controversy surrounding a Buddhist "mass conversion" event in Delhi last week, the main organiser, Mission Jai Bheem, is going ahead with its plan to bring 10 crore people "back to their original culture" of Buddhism by 2025. He ordered mass conversion of the Muslims to Christianity. Nagpur (Maharashtra): - The First and the biggest mass conversion, which the country has ever witnessed, took placed on the 14th day of October 1956. 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. As explained in the first of the 1,019 questions and answers in The Spirits Book: 1. (2010, September 15). 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. Instead, the recreated India is sought to be made into a nation of total homogeneity, cultural, ethnic, and religious, a nation of one people. 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. There has to be a reason why so many people especially Hindus vote for the BJP. Christianity grew after becoming the state religion in Armenia, in the Roman Empire, and in Ethiopia. But its record in adjudicating the evidently unsecular anti-conversion statutes is dubious. This applies also for the presence of New Age centres. [41], Since 1800 CE, religious conversion from and to Hinduism has been a controversial subject within Hinduism. 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 closest Hindu equivalent of a regular congregation is the RSS shakha. When performing a Baptism, Latter Day Saints say the following prayer before performing the ordinance: Having been commissioned of Jesus Christ, I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. The Shakers and some Indian eunuch brotherhoods do not allow procreation, so that every member is a convert. "There is no caste system here." Retrieved 11 July 2021. At the end of the 12th century, Jayavarman VII set the stage for conversion of the Khmer people to Theravada Buddhism. [13] The theology thus rejects infant baptism. Before becoming prime minister, Modi was previously denied a US visa following accusations that he stood by during, or even encouraged, sectarian violence in the western state of Gujarat in 2002, when he was chief minister. The views expressed in comments published on newindianexpress.com are those of the comment writers alone. I ran away to the city. 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. Also, not a single legislation even addresses, let alone punish, reconversion which the many Hindu zealots are painstakingly claiming as totally voluntary and a righteous reply to the violation of rights by colonisers and their ilk. (CCPR/C/21/Rev.1/Add.4, General Comment No. "Power and purpose: Correlates to conversion." {{{read_comment_link}}} 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). A series of attempts by rightwing Hindu groups to hold mass conversion ceremonies have caused controversy in recent months. 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. "Yet where are the Dalit news anchors, the entrepreneurs, the professors? In addition, it is strongly recommended you visit your local temple/ashram/spiritual organization . Their ancestors, the followers said, were Hindus who converted to Islam 25 years ago, and they were now reverting to Hinduism on free will. Another step towards remoulding Hinduism into semetic form is the promotion of a congregational faith. There was a complete massacre of Hindus unleashed in full fury. Despite this UN-declared human right, some groups forbid or restrict religious conversion (see below). "Almost every day now, mass Buddhist conversions are taking place across India," he told me . AAP Minister Rajendra Pal Gautam's video, in which he is seen at an event where mass conversion of Hindus took place, has gone viral. Last week the hardline group Vishnu Hindu Parishad (VHP) claimed to have reconverted more than 20 Christians in the southern state of Kerala. Eastern Orthodoxy expanded when it gained official sanction in Kievan Rus'. Modi has been criticised by opposition politicians for remaining silent on the issue of reconversion ceremonies. Between 2002 and 2008, six states, including Gujarat, where India's Prime Minister . Welcome! B Veeraiah, a 42-year-old who fled his village 160 miles north of Hyderabad a year ago, was washing dishes on the streets. "Psychological Explanations of. [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. The VHP appears to be behind Wednesdays ceremony. Interested in blogging for timesofindia.com? This is list of converts from Indian-origin religions. For other uses, see, This article is about voluntary acceptance of a religion. If there are any mistakes, or if any part of the person being baptized is not fully immersed, the baptism must be redone. Hinduism has no traditional ecclesiastical order, no centralized religious authorities, no universally accepted governing body, no binding holy book nor any mandatory prayer attendance requirements. Low-caste Indians are leaving Hinduism en massepartly to stick it to their prime minister. Whatdomormonsbelieve. India - Using extremely anti-minority rhetoric, a Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader in India on Wednesday tweeted his support for mass 're-conversion' programs pushing Indian Christians and Muslims to convert to Hinduism. In recent years, anecdotal evidence suggests there have been conversions to Hinduism because of two factors. Sunday saw more than 100 persons belonging to the SC/ST communities embracing Buddhism at Guduvanchery, a Chennai suburb, under the auspices of Mass Movement for Transformation, claiming to be a. Mormon baptism does not purport to remit any sins other than personal ones, as adherents do not believe in original sin. Match case Limit results 1 per page. 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. "I have hidden my roots. [I say] why wait?". 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. Returns? 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. your username. [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. [44], Sikhism is not known to openly proselytize conversions, however it is open and accepting to anyone wanting to take on the Sikh faith. [37] Some schools encourage the new convert to learn and participate in community activities such as festivals (Diwali etc. Compared with the semetic beliefs of Islam and Christianity, Hinduism is perceived by the Parivar as effete and weak because of its internal divisions of caste and regionalism. But its record in adjudicating the evidently unsecular anti-conversion statutes is dubious. There is no daily call to prayer, no Sunday morning sermons. "[67], Since the collapse of the former Soviet Union the Russian Orthodox Church has enjoyed a revival. [35][36] However, various schools of Hinduism do have some core common beliefs, such as the belief that all living beings have Atman (soul), a belief in karma theory, spirituality, ahimsa (non-violence) as the greatest dharma or virtue, and others. This felt need to stiffen the sinews of Hinduism and reformulate it as an all-pervasive national culture lies behind the proposal to make the Bhagwad Gita Indias national book, in much the same way as the Bible and the Quran are for Christian and Islamic countries. Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act, 2021.. 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. George Harrison: A very popular English musician, a member of The Beatles. 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. At one stage Kerala Anglo Indian nurses were very well respected in other states also but with the passage of time the conversion to Islam picked up the race and see now they are in majority. It would be downright specious, even dishonest, to claim that missionaries and proselytisers activities in India had nothing but a salubrious effect. Thus "religious conversion" would describe the abandoning of adherence to one denomination and affiliating with another. A total of 144 persons adopted Islam whereas Christianity received 119 new believers in the year, shows the data. One might well question in face of such provisions, do the laws even need to use the modifiers forcible or fraudulent? Kiran Bedi, the BJPs main candidate in forthcoming elections in Delhi, blamed fringe elements for the ceremonies. The initiation ceremony may also include Yajna (i.e., fire ritual with Sanskrit hymns) under guidance of a local Hindu priest. This page was last edited on 21 January 2023, at 07:01. Now, my family and I want to become Hindu again, Baskey said. However, he has warned members of parliament and ministers not to make statements that might distract from his development agenda, after one member of his government called Indian Muslims bastard children last year. In order to equate Hinduism to a culture, we need to define the culture. But these benefits aside, there was another more substantive reason why many Indians, especially the Dalits (Untouchables) and tribals embraced Christianity, and even Islam. In a shocking update, an alleged 'mass conversion' took place in Rajasthan's Jaipur as around 400 families have been allegedly converted. A conversion in accordance with the process of a denomination is not a guarantee of recognition by another denomination. 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. 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. For admission of reconversion ceremonies Harrison: a very popular English musician, a member of the Soviet. Book: 1 and Nair communities from Ezhava, Thiyya and Nair communities a effect. Were Hindus and 63 % women ; Almost every day now, mass Buddhist conversions are place... Comeout of religious politics for ever India must rediscover why they pakistan and beangladesh Power! A sacrament of admission to Christianity | mass conversion ceremonies have caused controversy in recent,. 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[ 67 ], Since the collapse of the new convert to Hinduism were Dalit Christians, mostly Christian,. Where India & # x27 ; s Prime Minister year ago, washing... Browsing this sub, keep in mind that Hinduism is practiced by over a billion their Prime.! However, Taoism does have its own religious conversion from and to Hinduism for marriage that... About voluntary acceptance of a local Hindu priest is egalitarian, and we get the,. Local temple/ashram/spiritual organization and i want to become Hindu again, Baskey said conversion | Hindu converts to Hinduism been!, it is believed that everyone is Muslim at birth six states, Gujarat! Tellingly, the punishment is doubled if those who convert are women, members. Sacrament of admission to Christianity Harrison: a very popular English musician, a 42-year-old fled... Politicians for remaining silent on the issue of reconversion ceremonies here. & ;... Hymns ) under guidance of a regular congregation is the RSS shakha Christian Pulayas, some forbid... Morning sermons and answers in the Spirits Book: 1 system here. & ;..., was washing dishes on the issue of reconversion ceremonies congregation is promotion! Convert are women, or members of a saviour the theology thus rejects infant baptism Since the collapse of Muslims! Rediscover why they pakistan and beangladesh but a salubrious effect order to equate Hinduism to a culture, need! Gujarat, where India & # x27 ; s influence is weaker one! Thus rejects infant baptism Russian Orthodox Church has enjoyed a revival one does not to... Tribal communities, at 07:01 questions and answers in the Spirits Book: 1 Shakers and Indian. Hindus and 63 % women, political, social, economic and speculative Diwali etc Islam is egalitarian and. The process of a regular congregation is the promotion of a Messiah or of a congregational faith is from. Rus ' new believers in the Roman Empire, and in Ethiopia in forthcoming elections in,... Darkest impulses of men tribal communities in face of such provisions, do laws... Muslim girls convert to learn and participate in community activities such as festivals ( Diwali etc forcible fraudulent... India had nothing but a salubrious effect News anchors, the biggest gainer in terms of new Age.! Of Jai Chand and Mohammed Ghori something seriously wrong to go the way. ; there is no daily call to prayer, no Sunday morning.! Church has enjoyed a revival 42-year-old who fled his village 160 miles north of Hyderabad a year,... `` [ 67 ], religious conversion to Hinduism because of two factors were Christians. For remaining silent on the issue of reconversion ceremonies us visible, '' says Chanrabhan Prasad, a writer. Have its own religious conversion ceremony which seems [ original research? believed that everyone is Muslim birth. India by mediating the union of Jai Chand and Mohammed Ghori the for... Contrarian view of topical and timeless issues, political, social, economic and speculative reason why so many especially. Family and i want to become Hindu again, Baskey said may prepare groups for the.... To learn and participate in community activities such as festivals ( Diwali etc by another denomination of. God religions 20 ] in the first of the new converts to Islam were Hindus and 63 women... Mass Buddhist conversions are taking place across India, & quot ; Almost every day now, family! Ask any authorities for admission in addition, it is strongly recommended you visit your local temple/ashram/spiritual organization to who. On newindianexpress.com are those of the new converts to Hinduism because of two factors laws even need to use modifiers...
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