viji_53 Posted August 1, 2000 Report Share Posted August 1, 2000 Is there any necessity to convert people from one religion to another? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shvu Posted August 1, 2000 Report Share Posted August 1, 2000 No, there is absolutely no reason. Everyone is inclined to think that his/her religion is good or superior. If one begins to feel that there is a better religion, which is rare, he would get converetd on his own accord. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
viji_53 Posted August 2, 2000 Author Report Share Posted August 2, 2000 Hindu religion is the most ancient religion. You can be convertrd to any religion. But to be a hindu; you have to be born as hindu. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R_Srisan Posted September 1, 2000 Report Share Posted September 1, 2000 Many self-destructive syndromes are seen as "Religion"; and in that regard if one cares, one may be obligated to save someone from "themself" so to speak... Take the Gaudiya Math line of dead babajis' photos ??? as a solution to this question ??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R_Srisan Posted September 1, 2000 Report Share Posted September 1, 2000 With regards to "Hinduism", the term is primarily racist, meaning that which is done by one delineated through the INDU river valley, and those Dravidians later who were also considered "indu" as being aboriginal to India. Hinduism is not a "religion" it has absolutely no standardized precepts nor practices. It is true that no one can be converted to be "born German", or "Born Indian"; though in terms of anything Vedic, also there are no authorized "converts" amongst the modern schools of Indian "religion", though originally there was provision of anyone being accepted and consecrated into the Vedic Fold who were accepted by the priesthood as being devout and qualified by devotional and capability, not birth. It baffles me as to how any Indians even think they "have a religion" when they don't do the first thing they puport to be imposing upon. Anyone who is caring to be a better person, had best not associate with Dravidians anyway. Ever asked for simple directions in Calcutta? Ever done any business with Indians? Ever trusted an Indian to perform honorably, and be reliable? The works of the Soul, being of prime concern. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angelo Posted September 13, 2000 Report Share Posted September 13, 2000 Do not many religions fetter their devotees with arbitrary fears / thoughts / beliefs? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gauracandra Posted September 13, 2000 Report Share Posted September 13, 2000 Perhaps...Though I'm not sure the word arbitrary is necessarily the most apt word. Most religions I think try to give some sort of a regulative environment in which to develop devotion to God. At times people may not see why various rituals occur... but outside the rituals people will often become whimsical and in this stage I think it is the people who become arbitrary and not the religious institutions. Here is an example of what I mean. Before we eat, a religious regulative principle may be to pray. This shows a reverence towards God, and gives the individual a chance to feel a certain connection to God. Now it could be argued that if a person naturally feels reverence to God, and when presented with food has a natural feeling of thanks, that he doesn't need to pray. And there probably are some individuals like this. Now suppose we decide that praying before we eat is too old fashioned. We're modern and lead a fast paced life. So we say "If you feel like praying, go right ahead, if not God knows your thankful". This becomes arbitrary. Pretty soon no one will pray. They'll say "I don't need to pray". But we don't pray for God's sake. We pray to feel a sense of connection, and gravity. It is a chance for us to take time out of our hectic schedule and feel a sort of reverence in our life. The same could be said of the Sabbath for Christians. The regulative principle is to set aside one day of the week to feel this reverence. Now we could say "Why Sunday? I feel like taking Tuesday off to worship God" But will we really take Tuesday off? Not likely. In some sense, Sunday is an arbitrary day. But it is not for God's sake that we take Sunday off but our own. We want a sense of community and a feeling of connecting to something bigger than we are. Now it is true that religion often becomes distorted and used to manipulate people. But that is not true religion. In the Vaisnava tradition we believe this is Kali Yuga - the age of quarrel and hypocrisy. And this hypocrisy can infect any religion. So the goal should be to lead a regulated life, and to search for the essense of the religion. If you look at the essense of what Jesus Christ says its beautiful. If on the other hand you listen to Jerry Falwell you are likely to get a distorted view, Christ's teachings through a prism of various political, social, and economic factors. Still, many if not most people are sincere in their practices. I'm thinking about posting a very good article by Srila Saccidananda Bhaktivinode Thakura called "Stages and Varieties of Faith". It is quite long so perhaps I'll only quote a number of sections. This article is related to your point. Gauracandra Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ggohil Posted September 14, 2000 Report Share Posted September 14, 2000 I am not sure if the word Hindu comes from Vedas. I believe the religion is called Sanatan Dharam. If Sanatan Dharam means following of the Vedic teachings, then perhaps any soul is a potential candidate. Therefore, I think the point of converting into Hindu is moot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
viji_53 Posted September 17, 2000 Author Report Share Posted September 17, 2000 Sanatana Dharma or Hindu religion is the most ancien religion. So all people are Hindus only. Other religion are recent ones. People belonging to other religions are converted ones. The most satire thing is : In India where majority are Hindus are afraid of minorities in talking about their religion . No where you can see such a silly thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
viji_53 Posted October 3, 2000 Author Report Share Posted October 3, 2000 No body is bothered about caste today & nobody is torturing Harijans nowdays. Every show is made by politicians who want to win the election in the name of caste. Why the govt is not abolishing the caste column in applications? You ask majority of the people , they do not want such a column in all the application starting from Kindergarden. Intercaste marriage has become so common today. Present generation is not at all bothered by castes. Believe it or not I also came to know about many castes as a teacher when I enter the castes of the students in the school register. So if you want to blame anybody for castes you should blame only politicians & not common people. In Gita Varnasram was given based on the charecter & not by birth. Those who srive to reach God are Brahmins. Those who Protect people and country are Kshtriyas, Those who trade are vaisyas & who work for others are Sudras. In my opinion all of us who are working for others are sudras & who are doing business are vaisyas. How many Brahmins you can find today? A pure Brahmin should not worry about future , should not go for materials under any circumstances Should realize the purpose of life, should learn all 4 Vedas teach them to others & make others also to attain salvation. Brahmin hatred & athism etc should go from Hinduism. If you stop preaching about Christianism or Islam the religion will fade away but not Hinuism. It is like Banyan tree. It will spread on its own. We do not need any preaching for our Dharma. May God Hari pour His grace to all of us! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 26, 2006 Report Share Posted October 26, 2006 Yes, one must convert. One must convert from one religion to no religion. That is the instruction in Bhagavad Gita. "Abandon all varieties of religion". Is there any necessity to convert people from one religion to another? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 26, 2006 Report Share Posted October 26, 2006 You can be convertrd to any religion. But to be a hindu; you have to be born as hindu. Nonsense! There are many who adopt or practice Hinduism that were not born as Hindus. If Hinduism is a true religion then it has to be universal and not limited to India. If Hinduism is just limited to those born as Hindus in India then it is a false religion. All the laws and principals of Hinduism are supposed to apply to everyone in the world not just those born in India. People 'convert' to religions all the time and this includes eastern religions like Hinduism, Buddhism and Sikhism, too bad if you don't want to accept it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 26, 2006 Report Share Posted October 26, 2006 With regards to "Hinduism", the term is primarily racist, meaning that which is done by one delineated through the INDU river valley, and those Dravidians later who were also considered "indu" as being aboriginal to India. It's not racist, it was a term the ancient Persians (who were probabaly Zorastrians at that time) used to describe the cultural practices and people who lived on the other side of the Sindhu river. Hindu is a persian translation of Sindhu (Sanskrit). The ancient vedic religion was similar to Zorastian religion in some ways but different in others so the Zorastrians called the people 'Hindus'. But the name of the religion at that time was Vaidika Dharma or Arya Dharma. Because Hinduism has grown so fast it became referred to as Sanatana Dharma. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 26, 2006 Report Share Posted October 26, 2006 I agree. Viji_53 doesn't seem like a very well informed person on hinduism. Nonsense! There are many who adopt or practice Hinduism that were not born as Hindus. If Hinduism is a true religion then it has to be universal and not limited to India. If Hinduism is just limited to those born as Hindus in India then it is a false religion. All the laws and principals of Hinduism are supposed to apply to everyone in the world not just those born in India. People 'convert' to religions all the time and this includes eastern religions like Hinduism, Buddhism and Sikhism, too bad if you don't want to accept it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sanatan Posted October 27, 2006 Report Share Posted October 27, 2006 Hindu religion is the most ancient religion. You can be convertrd to any religion. But to be a hindu; you have to be born as hindu. Hindu originated as a geographical designation...and is now a sectarian term, as demonstrated by the above statement. The correct term is Sanatana-dharma...eternal religion, eternal truth, or eternal duty. No religion is also a definition, as religion can imply sectarianism. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nitai16108 Posted October 28, 2006 Report Share Posted October 28, 2006 Hare Krishna All glories to Srila Prabhupad "Is there any necessity to convert people from one religion to another?" Ans: ekam sastram devaki-putra-gitam eko devo devaki-putra eva eko mantras tasya namani yani karmapy ekam tasya devasya seva (Gita-mahatmya-7) In this present day, people are very much eager to have one scripture, one God, one religion, and one occupation. Therefore, ekam sastram devaki-putra-gitam let there be one scripture only, one common scripture for the whole world — Bhagavad-gita. Eko devo devaki-putra eva: let there be one God for the whole world — sri Krsna. Eko mantras tasya n?m?ni: and one hymn, one mantra, one prayer — the chanting of His name: Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. karmapy ekam tasya devasya seva: and let there be one work only — the service of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. so,Gita mahatmiya is conversatiion between Lord shiva and Parnati devi Here Lord Siva is glorifying about krishna. You have to understand onething that if somebody is saying you belong to hindu religion or you belong to christian, muslim, budhist or ..... But first self realization is that 1. "You are not this body" 2. "Thinking like that iam hindu,muslim,christain etc is said to be one kind of sense gratification." 3. First you get out of this illusion of religion, caste, creed, nation etc then you can feel that you are realizing the real duty of a human and the importance of human form of life and how rare is it? 4. Always be in smarana of Supreme personality of godhead Lord Sri Krishna. by discussing pastimes, chanting the holy name of the Lord Krishna so that you will be having a chance of getting out ogf this illusion. always try to chant the hari nama ie. Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare Kali kale dharama sri krishna sankirtana the prescribed duty of this age of Kali is to chant the holy name of Lord hari. please do this and this alone can help you to get out of this material world and to become servant of Lord Krishna in his abode. Jivera swarupa hoya krishnera nitya dasa A living entity (Jiva) should surrender to lord Krishna and his devotees and try to become a eternal servant of lord Krishna. Hare Krishna Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nrsinghadev Posted October 28, 2006 Report Share Posted October 28, 2006 Hindu religion is the most ancient religion. You can be convertrd to any religion. But to be a hindu; you have to be born as hindu. Hindu originated as a geographical designation...and is now a sectarian term, as demonstrated by the above statement. The correct term is Sanatana-dharma...eternal religion, eternal truth, or eternal duty. No religion is also a definition, as religion can imply sectarianism. Hinduism does not equal sanatana dharma. Sanatana dharma means Jaiva dharma, Jaiva dharma means the eternal function of the soul. Everyone's eternal function is to be a loving servant of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. "Hinduism" however has many different tenets, worship of many different gods and alot of impersonalist doctrines fall under it's umbrella. Since an impersonalist view does not contain service to the Lord, that fact alone makes that Hinduism and sanatana dharma cannot be equated. Hinduism is but a temporary designation, sweeping lots of different doctrines under one name. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
magika Posted November 11, 2006 Report Share Posted November 11, 2006 Yes, one must convert. One must convert from one religion to no religion. That is the instruction in Bhagavad Gita. "Abandon all varieties of religion". I think u both guest also have lil bit of knowledge about Hinduism....!! FYI .. Every religion other than Hinduism requires to be acquired after birth.... eg.: if u r born in ISlamic family ur circumscion is required... if u r born in christian/catholic family then u need to baptized/ and named with ash water .... etc 2ndly also if u are unaware then fyi.. every sikhs,jains,buddhist etc worships all hindu lords/goddess as these are derived/ or say branches of Hinduism... OK ... so come with some sensible points next time rather saying any 1 nonsense... got it dear ... lets see how much u have in u ..... ... hope u will be reply sensibly by login rather being GUest .....!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ayodhya Posted November 11, 2006 Report Share Posted November 11, 2006 There should not be a necessity to convert anyone. To me, religious conversion is an act of mental violence that creates a sense of fear in people, which decreases free thought, and creates gaps between religions. Obviously, there are exceptions where people simply feel more comfortable worshipping one way or another. More are the names of God and infinite are the forms through which He may be approached. In whatever name and form you worship Him, through them you will realize Him Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sanatan Posted November 12, 2006 Report Share Posted November 12, 2006 Yes, one must convert. One must convert from one religion to no religion. That is the instruction in Bhagavad Gita. "Abandon all varieties of religion". Without proper understanding, that verse is meaningless. Telling a previously-uninstructed and/or unreceptive person this is not different in quality from typical Christian prosetylization. I know, I've tried it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gHari Posted November 13, 2006 Report Share Posted November 13, 2006 There are only two religions: surrender to God, and atheism. Everyone chooses between the two every moment. The rest is just words. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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