Concept

Religious conversion

Overview

Religious conversion is the adoption of a set of beliefs identified with one particular religious denomination to the exclusion of others. Thus "religious conversion" would describe the abandoning of adherence to one denomination and affiliating with another. This might be from one to another denomination within the same religion, for example, from Protestant Christianity to Roman Catholicism or from Shi'a Islam to Sunni Islam. In some cases, religious conversion "marks a transformation of religious identity and is symbolized by special rituals".

People convert to a different religion for various reasons, including active conversion by free choice due to a change in beliefs, secondary conversion, deathbed conversion, conversion for convenience, marital conversion, and forced conversion. Religious conversion can also be driven by practical considerations. Historically, people have converted to evade taxes, to escape military service or to gain political representation.

Proselytism is the act of attempting to convert by persuasion another individual from a different religion or belief system. Apostate is a term used by members of a religion or denomination to refer to someone who has left that religion or denomination.

Overview adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0; see the article history for authors).

Possible passages

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_Conversions_, whether they be political, scientific, philosophic, or religious, form another way in which bound energies are let loose. They unify us, and put a stop to ancient mental interferences. The result is freedom, and often a great enlargement of power. A belief that thus settles upon an individual always acts as a challenge to his will.
William James, Memories and Studies
Names Religious conversion.
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The change which has taken place in them is called a new birth or regeneration, [John 3:5, 6] because a new life has been planted in them. [II Cor. 5:17+] It is called conversion, [Acts 3:19] because they have been converted or turned from sin to righteousness, from self to God.
Martin Luther, An Explanation of Luther's Small Catechism
States what Religious conversion is.
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In religion, hence, the conversion of the repressed array of interests into ideal value-forms is less radical and abstract than in philosophy, and less checked by fusion with existence than in art. Religion is, therefore, at one and the same time more carnal and less reasonable than philosophy and art. Its history and protagonists exhibit a closer kinship to what is called insanity[93]--that being, in essence, the…
John Dewey, Creative Intelligence
States what Religious conversion is.
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Philosophers who discussed Religious conversion

Related ideas

Opposing perspectives

Normal science

Place in the tradition

Part of New Age.

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