Let me begin by the conclusion – forceful conversion of people of any faith is unethical, as much as it is illegal, and no matter people of which religion do it, it needs to be stopped. Period.
Now, let me begin my story. There are a lot of people equating the recent so called ‘ghar-wapasi’ ceremony and mass conversion of Muslims and Christians to Hinduism with conversion of Hindus to Islam and Christianity and these equations generalize ALL conversions. I cannot vouch for all that missionaries and evangelicals do to convert people to Christianity because there are several of such initiatives taken by many Christian organizations, and in many cases, it may simply boil down to those individuals or teams who in their evangelical enthusiasm may forget the means to achieve the end. But ALL conversions are not of the same kind where coercion or inducement plays the key role.
My conversion certainly does not belong there. I was a post-graduate, employed, married and stable when I chose to accept Jesus as my personal saviour and Lord, well, against the wishes of my parents and relatives. It was purely due to the spiritual merit of Christianity, I was a spiritual seeker and I couldn’t find anything to satisfy me in my old existence which was Hinduism by birth and upbringing. I had an encounter with God, who changed my life. Is that conversion unethical? Illegal? Who can stop that? Is stopping such conversion desirable? Is that in alignment with our Constitution? As a citizen of free and independent India, am I not free to choose whom to worship? Arguments of blanket ban on conversions are therefore illogical and serve no purpose except infringing on personal freedom.
Conversion in that sense is a misnomer, it is more a transformation brought from inside out. The process is initiated by the realization of sin, typically associated with disillusionment with the world around and failure of human philosophies in explaining the gap in sinfulness and salvation. This is followed by a deep desire to seek the truth, like I had, and as God has promised, those who seek Him shall certainly find Him. But the world full of self-righteousness will never reach this point of seeking the truth, the absolute truth, and will remain blissful in their self-assessed standards of morality, which in itself has become widely accepted as relative.
Now, let me step on the pedal. Ever since I have given my heart to Jesus, my perspectives have changed and that has brought me peace that cannot be explained by dynamics of this world. I have become fearless. I have been able to forgive and let go. And as a corollary, I share my discovery with all my friends, in pure love that they might also experience life in its fullness just as I am. My being a Christian has helped me being an encourager, a cheerleader, a giver, and a pacifier. Can that attract people to Christ? Well, yes! On the other hand, if I give money to someone in desperation and ask him to bow down and pray to any deity, they may do that for the moment, but would that result is life-long relationship, a transformation? Most certainly not. Forcible conversion is futile, it does not serve Christianity. Jesus does not count heads, He looks into hearts.
Historically, this is not the first attempt to hurt the spread of Christianity. Several attempts have been made to erase the existence of the Bible and memory of Jesus Christ around the world. Fabricated stories, including those of His marriage, keep being thrown to unsettle those who believe in Him. But the end result is that Christianity is thriving. It is no longer a western religion, there are more Christians in China than the world believes, in spite of countless restrictions and persecutions. The point I am trying to make is this – it does not matter who stands against God, because victory is His! With greater persecution of church, Christianity is set to grow faster.
Finally, let me quote an episode from the Bible. Jesus once asked Peter, “Who do you think I am?”, to which he answered, “You are the Christ.” He asks each of us the same question. This Christmas, the answer we have for Him does not so much count for Jesus as much as it determines our future. Whether we acknowledge God as God will not change His position, it will only change our relationship with Him. It will only set the direction for our eternal destination. Watch out.
