On Conversions. --------------------- I have just finished reading a heated discussion on religious conversions. I dont really understand the raucous created by people who demand banning of conversions. How stupid can one be? The proposition to ban conversion is logically untenable and socially indefensible. On the contrary, allowing conversions can be socially very beneficial. A religion represents merely a set of ideas. And any particular set of ideas offers benefits to its practitioners, tangible and intangible. So, it is only natural that in the market place of ideas, when a better set of ideas floats around, even if only in the perception of some people, those people should be allowed to adopt those ideas and convert. So, at the foundations of logic this should be allowed to happen. Trying to lock people in illusory path dependencies based on birth is decisively dumb! After all, ideas are not like your skin colour to say that they cannot be changed. A friend of mine who once was an ardent devotee of Palani, now visits Tiruphathi more, after he has become a successful businessman. I dont see anything wrong in it. And I dont really understand the case against converting for money, or, for ration cards more recently. It can be established squarely, or beyond reasonable doubt, that all religions have stupid and outdated ideas. So, ditching one and choosing another purely for ideas alone doesnt make sense to me. You are merely leaving one set of bad ideas for another set of bad ideas. Well, I agree that the bad ideas may be mutually exclusive, but when you acquire a new religion you end up acquiring its bad ideas too, nonetheless. In such a situation, the only things from conversions that you can call useful with any degree of certainty are the money, material benefits and improved dignity the new religion may offer. You are still stupid after conversion, but at least, you are stupid with a ration card in hand! Or money in another case! Or dignity in yet another! This observation gives us a beautiful opportunity to better the social and living conditions of people. Now, every religion is dying to woo people into their fold, just the same way Airtel and Idea are competing to attract customers. We all know, in the end, people benefit thru corporate competition. If it were not for Airtel and Idea and Reliance, BSNL would never have stirred in its slumber to service its customers. Similarly, if it were not for the Christian missionaries, the Hindu Charities would not have become at least this effective. Nor will they go on advertisement campaigns as to how good they are and how willing they are to provide you with the service of equality which they have recently added to their industry verticals. So, a laissez-faire for religions should be allowed to be established for the benefit of every one. More so for Hinduisms (our religious BSNL) customers. Hinduism wouldnt have attempted to talk about equality today in such a large and meaningful scale, if it had gone unchallenged. So, of all the people, most Hindus should be thankful to the presence of other religions for some of the benefits they currently enjoy in its fold. I would personally like to witness such healthy competition among religions to provide better goods and services, even if it is merely to retain their current customer base and expand. In the end, the end justifies the means, if they dont put an end to all of us. You know what I mean? To understand why conversion is good, just keep in mind the following words of a shrewd observer: Science changes its views based on new evidence. Religion changes its views based on popular opinion, when it is afraid of losing members.
Posted on: Wed, 24 Dec 2014 09:54:55 +0000
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