Religious Conversion - Sociological understanding and implications.

Religious conversion is the process by which a person commits to the beliefs of a new religious tradition and shifts away from thier previously held religious beliefs.

Relative deprivation:- when individuals experience or perceive a lack of social resources such as a lack of financial capital, power, status existing meaning they will join a social group which can include religious groups.

Interactionist perspective :- social contexts individual experience as they search for meaning and progress through conversion.

Feminist perspective:- religious conversion have been historically overlooked throughout centuries of patriarchal norms in social science and broader culture.gender difference are likely to exist for some aspects of conversion and not others.

Causes of religious conversion.

1.Crisis of identity:- cambell- says individuals social and emotional identity is broken down which allows for submission to group beliefs and the adoption of a new identity.

2.Over socialization :- individuas does not find social support for thier childhood beliefs. They may convert to groups that shares some similarity with thier childhood religious system via re- intensification and re-affiliation.

3.Jihadi terrorism :- forced marriage +forced conversions.

4.Legal lag :- the term "love jihad is not defined in law.

5.Revivalist conversion :- mass conversion + ex:suddhi movement by Arya samaja.

6.Deathbed conversion :- conversion shortly before dying.

7.Secondary conversion :- conversion due to a pre-existing relationship with another convert .

8.Conversion for convience :- ex- in india large numbers of religion conversion belong to the lower caste such as hindu dalit who convert to caste-less religion, to escape the caste divide and all the other problems that accompany it .

Religious conversion rate will be higher if

⏺️a country has a higher level of religious pluralism.

⏺️a country lacks legal and religious restrictions an conversion.

⏺️a country shifted recently towards greater religious pluralism.

⏺️a country has higher average educational attainment.

Consequences of religious conversion.

1.Universal disharmony :- conversion are the causes of many an avoidable conflict -mahatma gandhi.

2.Anti national mentality of neo-converts.

3.Complete destruction of culture :- original Nagas forgetten thier Culture and influenced by chrishanity.

4.Conversion lead to change of citizenship

5.lose thier affirmative action benefits :- Hindus Dalits that convert to other religion.

6.Effect on marital rights :- recently allahabad high court says conversion just for the process of marriage is unacceptable.