Religious Conversions: Three Factors Dominating Religious Self, And Their Significance To Hinduism

1. What Governs Conversions ?

Domination of following 3 Factors Above Religious Self:
Survival Factor, Greed Factor, Love Factor

('Love Factor' in this context is defined as 'Perception or Illusion or Awareness or combination of these'
'Religious Self' in this context is defined as 'Positive Consciousness or Life Energy derived from or related to Religion')


2. Some Questions To Ponder Over

2.1 How did Christianity Spread in Europe, and British/French/Portuguese Colonies ?

2.2 What is History of Islam related to Conversions ?
How did it start from zero in 7th century, to become the second largest religion in the world within the span of few centuries ?

2.3 Red Indians in USA, before Europeans came here, had their own way of life, Faiths. Where are their Faiths now? Did all Native Americans get converted to Christianity by love factor ?

2.4 Back home in India, what factors came into play to convert 26% of Goa citizens, 19% Kerlalites to Christianity within just a few centuries?

2.5 One may say, times have changed now.... ... Hold...
So have Methods. The Principles have not changed. Principles have remained the same.


Ok, for Change of Flavor,

2.6 Why did Sikhism survive, when Punjab is historically at the gate of Barbarian invasions?

2.7 Why did Marathi State spread from a tiny kingdom after killing of Sambhaji in 1689, into one of the biggest Empire of BharatVarsha in 1758 ?



3 Three Factors

Coming back,
There are new means by which people are likely to get converted.

3.1 Survival Factor:
Historical... example Muslims in India....Why they were forced to Islam
Another example...People struggling to satisfy their basic life needs...ex. in Africa, some parts of India

3.2 Greed Factor:
How people in India and in modern countries are getting converted...
One of persons I know in India is a typical middle class family leader. Around the time of his conversion to Christianity, his physical assets got doubled for unexplainable reasons. The new assets acquired (within span of days) had all praise for 'Jesus' written all over them.

3.3 Love Factor (Illusion, Positive Awareness, Perception):
Example. How Michael Jackson got into Islam. Works on 'intellectual' level...


4 What is Significance of Conversions ?

4.1 History has shown that a person who goes away from a religion for any cause, has higher chances of doing damage to his old religion, than the person still being part of that religion. The extent of damage done to the old religion is roughly inversely proportional to time spent in new religion.

4.1.1 Why were Islamist rulers able to conquer good part of India,and damage the backbone of long living Bharatvarsha? Were all the cruel soldiers of Islam imported from somewhere else ? No. Refer to the above statement.

4.1.2 Why did Christianity start spreading left and right, when Empire of Rome was converted in late 4th century ? Why did long living original Roman Civilization break down so fast after that? Refer to the above statement.

4.1.3 In modern world, ex. in Orissa or Kerala and now in parts of Maharashtra, why are new-converts (to Christianity) working much harder than traditional Christians, to get people converted into Christianity ? Refer to the above statement.

4.2 There are other obvious factors such as principles of the religion itself....the way they are laid out to the community. If the religious foundation is faulty but religious self esteem is higher, and the head count is higher, it forms a hazard like a living human bomb. And that is liability to Mother Earth.



5 Why Conversion From Hinduism Is Damage To Hinduism ?

5.1 The Conversion Pattern:
Relating to a conversion activity in context with Hinduism, Chances of finding that a person is getting away from Hinduism is much higher than a chance of finding that someone is getting to Hinduism.

5.2 Damage to Relgious Self:
For any religion to live, a religious self-esteem in minds of people is very important. That goes beyond traditional rituals and personal practices. Hinduism has mainly lived since has been a way of life. Its principles have been traditionally in the blood of people. Ex. Compassion, Peace, Human Tolerance, Service; And their connection with the fact that diverse set of creeds (Jainism, Buddhism etc. ) existed within Hindu civilization. These have directly fed the body of Hindu society to flourish its religious self esteem.

5.3 Traditional Way Of Life And Modern Social Dynamics:
Changes to modern societies have been inherently bringing the changes in ways of life. Religious rituals are still useful, but they are partly becoming inconsistent with new styles of day-to-day living.
The old traditions of Bhikshuk Student earning 'intellect' or Dnyana by going door to door and saying 'Om Bhavati Bhiksham Dehi~' is long gone. These things are increasingly seeming artificial.

The traditional rituals (lightning lamp, bowing to elders) are also being challenged by 'intellectually' stubborn mind.
(Funny example: When people put their shoes at the temple door for their convenience irrespective of the fact that there is a shoe-rack outside the temple with instructions, and if someone keeps those shoes in the racks to help keep the dignity of the place or requests them to put shoes to appropriate place, people may feel it's getting into their personal zone. Some may educate you that it's democracy, and that you are not supposed to tell them so)



6 If So What Would Help Religion?

6.1 Raising One's Self Esteem as a Hindu:
So what are the ways beyond rituals with which religion can still live and Strengthen?
By the Principles which form the foundations... not only the foundations of the rituals, but the foundations of the religion itself.

Exploring and practicing the foundational principles with awareness in context with religion will help religious Self Esteem to grow.

6.2 Helping Fellow Hindus In Need:
One part of it would be helping the needy. Example...
Why to feel guilty helping a few Hindu Bhutanese refugees coming to USA who may loose their religion in the quest to service and improve ?
Who feels guilty when few billions of dollars are pumped from western Christian communities
in countries like India, Africa to 'Spread Love Of Jejus' worldwide ?
Does anyone share the guilt when petro dollars and Euro dollars are poured into Indian, Pakistani Madarasas to ensure young 'Allah Ka Banda' reads Quran and Hadith properly and is in good shape ?
(By the way if you have doubts about what's wrong in it, try reading some Quran and Hadith yourself. Yes I did try)

No no, wait....we are not getting into others' footsteps by helping other fellow Hindus . We are referring to helping people from our own religion, from loosing their religious self-esteem.
It not only goes to the great cause of helping them or religion, but also raising one's religious self, hence self-esteem itself.

6.3 Helping Any Needy:
Now I can hear global citizen inside you, asking...how about helping as a human being , rather than just a religious being ? ....
Sure go ahead and help Bhutanese Hundu/Buddhist refugees coming to USA in need of shelter and means to earn food.

Yes, ...in case you feel helping the Hindus in need and helping a non Hindu in need are two 'exclusive' things.....you come back and say..'How about helping others non-Hindus in need....?
Of course it's an awesome human value. And this article should not stop you from playing your 'human being' part.


A Side note, Hindu Civilization has been a source for a diverse, rich literature of all kinds....Science, Religion, Art. Example... Yoga can be looked in all 3 of these ways. Vedas are assets to be forwarded thru next generations. Named here are just 2 out of many.
These assets and principles of life, are not to be lost like most of the rich literature at Nalanda university in 1193 A.D. which was burning at the hands of Invading powers for several weeks, and was lost upto significant extent for ever.

Of course gone are the 'old' days, where conversions happenned with the tip of the sword.
But history repeats itself. Methods change. Principles are the same.
Systematic conversions is new branch of study for those who do have skepticism about this fact yet who don't want to give up and do more research.


7. Religious Self Esteem
Coming back, the point is of Religious Self Esteem. If it is confined to my rituals and my interpretations of religions without quest to explore identify and quest for the deeper meaning, then it won't do much damage to the religion itself, but it won't do good too beyond it's mere survival and grand self illusion of the self.

On the other hand, putting oneself to test and reviving it against the principles of relgion and humanity would be an awakening experience.

And I am positive..... Raising religious self of a Hindu will hardly do any damage to any other religion, or society. It hardly has.




8. Some Referencecs:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nalanda_University
http://freetruth.50webs.org/ Things They Don't Tell About Christianity
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-864522917532871834
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Witzel
http://sites.google.com/site/hindunew/dharma
http://www.christianaggression.org/
http://www.factusa.org/
http://www.hinduwisdom.info/Glimpses_XX.htm
Youotube on: Cultural Genoside of Hindus by Christian missionarys in India
Youtube on: 'India -- How Britishers (Christians) fooled the Hindus'
Youtube on: 'And the world remained silent - Part 1 (on Kashmiri Pandits)'
http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/03/25/bhutan.refugees/index.html
http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/asiapcf/06/19/india.maoists/index.html?iref=werecommend