"The adoption of a set of beliefs identified with one particular religious denomination to the exclusion of others."
The process of adopting a new religion or belief system.
Conversion process: The study of the process of religious conversion, including the motivations, experiences, and consequences of both individual and communal conversions.
Religious identity: The formation and maintenance of religious identities, and how these are impacted by conversion.
Cultural transmission: The ways in which religious beliefs and practices are transmitted between individuals and across generations.
Belief systems: The analysis of religious beliefs and their role in shaping individuals' lives and interactions with others.
Rituals: The study of religious rituals, their meaning, and their function in shaping religious identity and community.
Social structures: The examination of the social structures that are created by religious communities and the roles they play in shaping religious identities and practices.
Power dynamics: The analysis of power dynamics within religious communities, including the roles of leaders and followers, and the impact of conversion on power dynamics.
Gender: The study of the impact of gender on religious identity and religious conversion.
Ethnicity: The examination of the intersection of ethnicity and religious conversion, including the role of ethnicity in shaping religious identity and the impact of religious conversion on ethnic identity.
Globalization: The analysis of the impact of globalization on religious conversion and religious identity, including the emergence of global religions and the changing nature of local religious traditions.
Forced Conversion: This type of conversion happens when an individual or a group is coerced or threatened to abandon their original faith or belief system and accept a new one. This may occur due to political, economic, or social reasons.
Voluntary Conversion: In this type of conversion, a person chooses to abandon their original faith or belief system and embrace a new one. The reasons for such conversions may vary, from a sense of spirituality to a desire for social and cultural inclusion.
Secular Conversion: This type of conversion happens when an individual or a group moves from a religious or spiritual perspective to a secular one. This could include instances where they adopt a more humanistic or scientific worldview.
Ideological Conversion: In this type of conversion, individuals or groups adopt a particular ideology or belief system. This could include political ideologies or movements, including communism, socialism, and liberalism.
Syncretic Conversion: This type of conversion involves the blending of two or more belief systems to create a hybrid worldview. This often happens when a religious faith incorporates elements of other religions or spiritual practices.
Reversion Conversion: This type of conversion occurs when an individual or group returns to a previous belief system after having been a part of another religion or worldview.
Ethnic Conversion: This type of conversion happens when an individual or group adopts a new religion or belief system because it is culturally or ethnically appropriate. The conversion may happen to assimilate into a new culture or to reclaim lost traditions lost through colonization or forced assimilation.
Spiritual Conversion: This type of conversion happens when individuals or groups have a profound spiritual experience that leads them to adopt a new belief system or religious faith.
"The abandoning of adherence to one denomination and affiliating with another."
"Yes, from one denomination to another within the same religion."
"For example, from Protestant Christianity to Roman Catholicism or from Sunnī Islam to Shīʿa Islam."
"A transformation of religious identity and is symbolized by special rituals."
"Various reasons, including active conversion by free choice due to a change in beliefs, secondary conversion, deathbed conversion, conversion for convenience, marital conversion, and forced conversion."
"The act of attempting to convert by persuasion another individual from a different religion or belief system."
"A term used by members of a religion or denomination to refer to someone who has left that religion or denomination."
"Some conversions are done by free choice, but others may be forced."
"Secondary conversion refers to converting to a different religion due to marriage, convenience, or other external factors."
"Not all religious conversions involve special rituals, but some do symbolize the transformation of religious identity through specific rituals."
"Yes, religious conversion can occur within the same religion or between different religions."
"It marks a change in beliefs and affiliations, and for some, it represents a shift in religious identity."
"Yes, proselytism involves actively attempting to convert individuals from different religions or belief systems through persuasion."
"The term 'apostate' is used to refer to someone who has left a religion or denomination, suggesting potential negative judgment from former religious peers."
"Deathbed conversions refer to conversions that take place when someone is approaching the end of their life."
"Yes, conversion for convenience refers to converting to a different religion due to marriage or relationship factors."
"Yes, forced religious conversion can occur when individuals are compelled to convert against their will."
"A change in beliefs can lead individuals to actively choose religious conversion based on their newfound convictions."
"Religious conversion can symbolize a transformation in religious identity and faith, indicating a significant change in beliefs and affiliations."