Can we stop conversions? (Part II of II) - The Sunday Times

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In the context of religion, this question must be rephrased as
'Should we stop conversions?' The plain answer would be that we
should not, provided the conversions are genuine and the person
concerned has changed his or her religion out of the conviction
that it offers a better personal spiritual path. Any conversion
should be based on a deep understanding of not only the new
religion, but also of the one the person was born into. While
speaking in America almost a century ago, Swami Vivekananda had
clearly stated that he did not want Christians to become Hindus
but to be better Christians.

In India, much is made of the constitutional provision of freedom
to propagate one's religion. However, this comes with a rider,
namely, subject to maintenance of law and order. It is in this
context that the issue of religious conversions must be seen. In
1936, Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar said, "By joining Islam or
Christianity, the Depressed Classes would not only go out of the
Hindu religion, but also go out of the Hindu culture. Conversion
will denationalise the Depressed Classes."

Gandhiji had also expressed similar sentiments. He had urged the
missionaries to concentrate on their social service activity, and
stop the process of conversions. He had coined the phrase 'rice
converts' to define those who had adopted Christianity on the
inducement of the social service done by the missionaries. Even a
cursory reading of any Christian literature makes it clear that
social service is not an end in itself, but is a means to lure
people into adopting Christianity.

People of all religions get upset when their members adopt a
different faith. In 1839, when two Parsis converted from
Zoroastrianism to Christianity, the community tried to woo them
back with monetary incentives and threats of violence. In Islamic
countries, missionary activity is thoroughly discouraged and
severely restricted. In Israel, a bill to ban conversions was
dropped only when the various churches gave a written undertaking
that they would not indulge in proselytisation.

The Church of England was displeased when Prince Charles claimed
that the monarch must be the defender of all faiths. Today the
monarch is expected to defend only the Anglicans and not even
other Christian sects, let alone the non-Christian ones. Many
Anglicans expressed concern when reports suggested that the
present Prime Minister of the UK was thinking of becoming a
Catholic.

The Catholic Church too returns the compliment in kind. When the
Pope visited South America in October 1992, he said that he had
to take care of the sheep who had been put in his care and
protect them from the "rapacious wolves" of the Protestant
missionaries. He is also unhappy when Catholics look towards
Hinduism or Buddhism as an alternative, even though this change
may be due to a genuine intellectual gravitation. He has asked
his flock to consider their own spiritual heritage and ask
themselves if it should be set aside lightly. When it comes to
asking members of other faiths to adopt Catholicism, however,
such soul-searching becomes superfluous!

In attempting to convert people to another religion, particularly
where force or inducement is used, there is a need to make the
converts repudiate their past. Otherwise, there is apostasy. In
a letter dated January 27, 1545, Francis Xavier wrote, "When all
are baptised I order all the temples of their false gods to be
destroyed and all the idols to be broken in pieces. I can give
you no idea of the joy I feel in seeing this done, witnessing the
destruction of the idols by the very people who but lately adored
them."

Given the upheaval that it creates, it is no wonder that Gandhiji
said, "If I had power and could legislate, I should certainly
stop all conversions." There is a serious need to look at the
issue of proselytisation on a holistic basis.

(Ashok Chowghule is the president of the Maharashtra unit of the
Vishwa Hindu Parishad)

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