Do Hindus try to convert others?
@headhunter525 (3548)
India
9 responses
@urbandekay (18278)
•
9 Feb 10
Well, perhaps it depends on what exactly you mean by Hindu or which part of that collection of religious beliefs and philosophies. Certainly those that are referred to as Hare Krishnas do seek to make converts
all the best urban
1 person likes this
@headhunter525 (3548)
• India
10 Feb 10
In India the fundamentalist group: RSS, which actually is more like the religious wing of the political party BJP asserts that even Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism are part of Hinduism. This 'emperialistic agenda' of RSS is being spurned by these religious groups. However, I think it's very clear that Hare Krishna is a Hindu group. At least RSS will claim that and I have never heard any objection from ISKCON. Rated your post!
@urbandekay (18278)
•
10 Feb 10
Yes, I have even heard Hindus claim that Christianity and Islam are part of Hindu but whether it is better to be inclusive in this way or exclusive like Judaism and Islam, do not know
all the best urban
@headhunter525 (3548)
• India
16 Feb 10
The problem, I think, with being too inclusive is that it becomes very arrogant. Hinduism claims that it is very tolerant. But in claiming itself to be tolerant it tries to absorb all other religions into it and claim to be the religion of all religions. But Hinduism is so diverse. Sankara's Vedanta is a monist whereas Madhva is a realist like Mimamsa or Nyaya. For Sankara the world is illusion whereas for Madhva the world is real. Madhva critiqued Sankara saying that his idea of the world is wrong. Sankara also criticised Mimamsa guys saying that they are wrong. But a present Hindu will say that both of them are right. I can't simply understand how that's possible. But because they say that their religion goes beyond logic all religions are ok.
The problem is that when they do Maths or Physics they use logic but when they do religion they get transferred into translogic. I wonder how they'll relate Ethics and Religion or History and Religion.
@1anurag1 (3576)
• India
20 Oct 09
I dont think
even now there are some groups which are doing some thing. but it is not written any where in the religion. as it is the oldest religion and i think during that time when no other religion existed there were no need to make a provision like that.
i think it is very flexible too. there is no compulsion to pray daily. what is needed to be honest and good human being.
1 person likes this
@headhunter525 (3548)
• India
20 Oct 09
So you mean to say that there are some people trying to convert others, but the religion itself does not say anything of that sort! I agree that being honest and being a good human being is indeed really needed.
@kiran8 (15348)
• Mangalore, India
11 Mar 10
There is no conversion in Hinduism.Hinduism is more a way of life than a religion.It is one of the oldest living religions in the world today.there is no compulsion or forced conversion in Hinduism. But if someone wants to adopt to the hindu way of life then they are welcome to do so...
@headhunter525 (3548)
• India
14 Mar 10
I have been personally accosted by ISKCON with their literature as they try to spread their belief. They were polite though. I have also read the account of many whites who have converted into Hinduism through ISKCON. The history of Hinduism in Manipur was through force. The Bengali Hindu priest converted the King, and the priest instigated the king to forcefully convert his subjects and also burn the literature of the local religion. The kind obeyed. Hindus will say that was not to be appreciated, but that was the reality. Personally, I have heard of conversion and reconversion activities by Hindus in many tribal regions.
@headhunter525 (3548)
• India
17 Mar 10
Do you mean to say that one can be a member of ISKCON and be a Muslim or a Sikh too? But the moment one becomes a follower and devotee of Krishna she or he ceases to be a Muslim or a Christian. So one cannot simultaneously be a follower of Allah and Krishna. So whenever an ISKCON members ask people to become follower of Sri Krishna it is engaging in conversion.
Regarding the tribals they were not Hindus. And to my knowledge no one has coerced them to join other religion. I think it's just a propaganda. If there was really coercion there should be a police case against such people. But there is nowhere a case being filed. And without such a case one should not say it's coercion. In fact, if there is any group that coerced other to follow others' religion, I think, both you and I can agree that those who coerce others should be jailed.
@kiran8 (15348)
• Mangalore, India
14 Mar 10
First of all ISKCON is an organisation formed by a saint in the modern years and it follows its own course.They are followers and devotees of Lord Krishna and invite people to join their group.I have had them come to my house as well...there is no question of conversion, because I have a Sikh couple who too are members of the ISKON movement...
I agree with you that these days in retaliation to what is happening in many parts of India Hindus have also have been trying to reconvert the Hindus who were coerced into joining other religion, mostly ion the tribal regions...But , as i said earlier, there is no conversion in Hinduism...
@Frederick42 (2024)
• Canada
21 Oct 09
I do not feel it is a converting religion. The hindu masters only preach their hindu spiritual philosophy or meditation and those who want are welcome to listen and join. According to hindus, a christian or muslim can also live according to the hindu teachings or philosophy. The hindu masters do not frighten us by saying we will land up in hell if we refuse to accept the hindu gods.
I am not a hindu. But I have always been amazed at the vast spiritual philosophy of Hinduism. It is almost like the ocean.
I feel that the hindu masters such as Ravi Shankar are doing their best to guide mankind to broaden their vision, to guide people to experience the divine etc.. No evangelism involved here.
@headhunter525 (3548)
• India
21 Oct 09
Definitely, a Hindu guru does not frighten people with Hell. But in the past there has been Hindu guru who converted others. For example, the name of Sankara comes up when we talk of conversion by Hindus. He traveled all over India to convert others to his belief system. The place I came from had no Hindus till 18th Century. Only when a Brahmin came over and converted the king then the king forced his subjects to convert to Hinduism; upon the instigation of the Brahmin the king also burnt all the sacred texts of the religion his subjects followed.
I am not sure if the writings of Arun Shourie or Dr. Radhakrishnan would come under missionary activity though.
@headhunter525 (3548)
• India
22 Oct 09
I agree more or less with what you said. One difficulty is in defining Hinduism. I understand it as that group which accepts the authority of the Vedas and so in textbook like Introduction to Indian Philosophy (Dutta and Chatterjee), a book well known in Indian Universities, it is known as orthodox school; Jainism or Buddhism or Sikhism in India emerged later and they are known as heterodox because they don't accept the authority of the Vedas.
I am happy with that definition. But someone may say that even a Christian, Muslim, Buddhist etc are all Hindus. That also is there. But unless we have a clearer definition it's not easy to figure out the origin. Cheers!
@Frederick42 (2024)
• Canada
22 Oct 09
headhunter,
I am not that sure about Shankara. Maybe there have been few hindus who have engaged in conversion activity. But not as a rule.
The more recent masters such as Yogananda, vivekananda, Ravi Shankar etc.. have never engaged in conversion. Their only business has been to broaden the human vision. Their books are read by many. Their meditations have benefited many.
Iskon or Krishna consciousness people definitely want converts. They do want more people to join the Hare krishna group. However, I have not heard of any hare krishna person going out of the way to get converts. Distributing pamphlets is okay, as long as the pamphlet does not contain something offensive about some other religion.
I have also heard that Hinduism as a religion did not begin with Vedas. Hinduism existed before the vedas were composed. That why it i known as Sanatana Dharma (Eternal law). Nobody know when it began. it does not start with one holy book, seer or prophet.
@cannibal (650)
• India
21 Oct 09
In the first place, the reason why a Christian or a Muslim would proselytize is because s/he thinks that Christianity or Islam respectively is the only correct path and that others are balderdash or infested by the devil.
However, according to Hinduism such a path is a matter of personal choice and in fact all such paths are valid. [Provided of course, the basic ethics are maintained]
So Christianity or Islam which could be termed as paths of the Bhakti (devotion) Yoga with additional inputs of Karma Yoga (Noble deeds), is perfectly valid if the concerned individual thinks so. Also, a path like that of Buddhism could be a combination of Rajas Yoga, (Concentration) Karma Yoga and Jnana Yoga. (Knowledge)
So if someone is already on the right track, there is no need to convert.
Also since Hindus believe in re-incarnation and evolution of the soul, according to the choice of the individual the person may quite possibly in a later life reach his final goal, i.e. Moksha.
It is said that a conscious soul takes birth in a particular religion according to its own choice. And going against that is considered an unconscious decision and an opposition to the soul's Karmic psyche.
At the same time, if an individual is interested in an alternative concept in say, Hinduism s/he's welcome to follow it as a part of personal evolution but s/he must ensure that s/he does not shun away or insult the destined path which was determined at birth.
Also, we know that the missionary zeal can and has led to ego issues and competition and subsequently to worldwide tussles.
Thus, Hinduism is essentially an anti-missionary religion.
[Of course organizations like the Arya Samaj and ISKON which convert non-Hindus to their particular sects are exceptions and a later day phenomenon; but the mainstream Hindu does not ideally support conversion from any religion to any other.]
@headhunter525 (3548)
• India
21 Oct 09
I wonder if RSS also engages in conversion. For example, I hear of cases where tribals are being converted into Hinduism. You will as well agree that many tribals are not Hindus (Hindus being defined as the who subscribe to the authority of the Vedas). If RSS is doing such activity then not only Arya Samaj and ISKON would be doing such coversion work.
I am not sure if most Christians or Muslims would say that followers of other religion are infested with the Devil! Anyway, thanks for sharing.
@headhunter525 (3548)
• India
22 Oct 09
That is thought of about RSS. But since they don't contest during elections I have my reservation about labeling them as a political organisation. The Sangh Parivar website says that RSS is a Hindu nationalist organisation. But it may be difficult to put in black and white term about their objective. I think it's both.
I think many tribals who converted to Islam or Christianity were not Hindus in the first place. Again I define 'Hinduism' as one who subscribes to the authority of the Vedas. If 'Hindu' means the one who lives on the other side of Indus river, then all Indian are Hindus. I don't think anyone would have problem in identifying oneself as a Hindu in that sense, but I think many would have problem with identifying oneself as a Hindu in the definition I give. Even Buddhist and Jains and Sikhs would agree with that. And in that sense many tribals were not Hindu when they converted; so when RSS brings them into Hindu religion by doing all the puja and so on from Islam or Christianity, I think they are engaging in conversion activities.
I am sorry to hear that you have been slandered by Christians for having followed your own religion.
@cannibal (650)
• India
21 Oct 09
RSS is a more political organization than religious.
Besides, if you notice they generally don't convert; they make provisions that neo-Christians/Muslims/Buddhists (formerly Hindus) could revert to their original faith. They do not involve people who've been non-Hindu since generations.
Going by the strict version of Hinduism, it is not possible to formally convert to it; except by marriage.
Regarding the issue of devilishness, well I've been slandered to on the face by many Christians. (I follow the monistic mode of Hinduism which is quasi-atheistic) And the basis of Islam lies in the claim that all previous scriptures have been tampered by Shaitaanic agents.
@wisdomsky (56)
• Nepal
20 Oct 09
this is all a childish play i think, religion is not the ultimate truth of life its an easy answer to all the complexicities of our very existance.
@headhunter525 (3548)
• India
20 Oct 09
I think religion is one enterprise that tries to answer the complexities of our existence. Whether that is the best enterprise or not is not as easy answer. I think there are some people who think that religion is not needed to answer the questions of life. But I wonder what discipline/enterprise would such people employ to explore the complexities of human life. For I would like to call that discipline which explores the meaning and the questions of human life religion. Someone may disagree with me though!
@headhunter525 (3548)
• India
21 Oct 09
Oh yes. I agree with you on the matter. I don't think for that matter anyone should impose on others about politics, science etc too. I think we can engage in discussion to get enlightened on various matters. But imposition should never be done.
@wisdomsky (56)
• Nepal
20 Oct 09
ok i agree with you that religion should be developed as such but religion or religious leaders have no right to conclude things and impose upon peole like the very concept of god,heaven,hell.
@coolcat123 (4387)
• India
20 Oct 09
I have many friends from this religion but such case never came in front of me. They are very possessive about their religion but never try converting others to their religion.
Instead the other religions are practicing these from a very long time. Many people convert due to lack of money or due to marriage reasons too.
@headhunter525 (3548)
• India
21 Oct 09
What religion do you follow? I have also never come across a Hindu trying to convert others. But I have come across some ISKON monks distributing pamphlets to people walking in the streets. I don't know whether they are trying to convert or not. Anyway, thanks for sharing your experience.
@sanjana_aslam (4187)
• Malaysia
24 Oct 09
hi headhunter ..
well .. all the pros have responded to you i see ..
for me
.. being a Hindu, i welcome myself into all religion as for me GOD is one and only one ..
.. being a Hindu, nothing stops me from learning about another religion or having a photo of "Jesus" or "Buddha" in my alter
..
But i guess if I was in another religion, i wont be able to know the beauty of Hinduism as it is a "restriction" to believe in another ..
Hindu is not a religion one can convert into or out - I believe, Hindus spread the teaching of God but not the religion
cheers
@headhunter525 (3548)
• India
24 Oct 09
Thanks you for responding. I don't think even other religions will have problem learning about Hinduism. In fact, I think Christians and Muslims have more interest in learning about Hinduism than Hindus learning about Christianity or Islam. I say so because I have seen many well researched books on Hinduism written by Christians whereas I have not seen any well researched by Hindus on either Islam or Christianity. Correct me if I am mistaken. I am just sharing my observation. Cheers!
@sanjana_aslam (4187)
• Malaysia
25 Oct 09
as far as i know, muslim and christianity teaches that their "religion" provides the only path to heaven
in cristianity - "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." refers
in Muslim - Whoever seeks as Religion other than Islam, (which is the standard Religion conveyed by all the Prophets during history, and is based on complete submission to God,) it will never be accepted from him, and in the Hereafter, he will be among the losers. refers
for hinduism - Hindus declare that there is only one Supreme Being and He is the God of all religions. This union with god can be sought in many ways, all requiring sincerity of purpose, self-sacrifice and discipline.
there is no scriptures in hinduism which says "no" to another religion because none other existed before it ..
