Those converted by force sometimes later become fanatical followers of that religion. How then is such conversion inconsequential?

Transcript

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You mentioned in the Gita Daily article that conversion by force doesn’t expand faith, it reduces, it shrinks faith. But then often when people convert forcibly, later on those converted people do accept that religion and then they become often fanatically followers of those religions. So for example, many centuries ago, some Hindus may have been forcibly converted to Islam and after they were converted to Islam, at that time a thread of light, later on as they live for one generation, two generations, then they become naturalized Muslims and sometimes they may even become Hinduators afterwards.
So, can we say that forcible conversion is futile entirely? Answer. No. The point of this was forcible conversion is, when you say it reduces faith, it is not meant to say that it reduces or nullifies the impact of that religion as a political force in this world, as a political or social force in this world.
We are talking about its capacity for spiritual elevation. Faith ultimately is meant to take us closer to God. So, when somebody say there are some followers of religion A, they force followers of religion B to get converted and then they think now our faith is expanded because we have got more followers.
But actually, the followers of faith B are not gone closer to God by that because that is something which has to be done from within the heart. Now, the followers of faith B, they are forced to become followers of faith A and then after a generation or two, they become naturalized members of faith A and they may also become fanatical. Now, they become fanatical but their fanaticism is not a sign that they have gone closer to God.
It’s simply an indication that they are, they have also just adopted the socio-cultural atmosphere in which they were born and brought up. That may, rightly said, it may increase the influence of fanatical religions and especially in a democratic world, the number of people belonging to a particular religion matters. So, the point of saying that conversion by force does not expand faith, it reduces faith, that is not to say that conversion by force doesn’t matter at all.
It is spiritually unproductive. That was the whole point of it. So, there is no, there are, there is no doubt that many people use religion as a socio-political force for expanding their own powers and forcible conversion can be a valid tool for that purpose.
So, when that happens, you have to recognize that it is, it is religion being abused for socio-political gains. It is not religion being used as a means for one’s own spiritual elevation or other spiritual elevation. So, the point when we say it reduces faith is that it actually does not take either the converter or the converted closer to God.
The converter, by thinking that, oh, by delighting in external definitions of success, stays away from a deepening of faith, does not go closer to God. And the converted, by also staying at a similar definition of faith, whether the person maybe just nominally get converted or eventually becomes fanatical, still that, that nominally and fanaticalism and fanaticism are both at the external level. One has not gone deeper in one’s connection with God.
And that’s why from that point of view of faith as a force by which one goes closer to God, faith is reduced. It is reduced because the converter stays at the superficial conception of faith and the converted also acquires a superficial conception of faith. So, from that perspective, at the point of that Gita Delhi article is to contrast authentic transmission of faith with superficial transmission of faith.
So, when there is forcible conversion, there is no authentic transmission of faith. But as far as socio-political, socio-cultural consequences of conversion are concerned, yes, they are, there are consequences and they do matter and that’s why the conversion is not an unimportant issue. In fact, I have written a full article on conversions on this, on this site, the spiritual scientist, conversion to what? Indolence or transcendence, where I have addressed the issue of concern, which is also a matter of serious concern.
I have addressed that issue. But the point of this article is that faith is something which is going to take us closer to God and forcing a person to adopt a faith takes neither the converter nor the converted closer to God. Thank you.
Hare Krishna.