Why do people convert?

[Dawnofhope]

I notice there are many people who switch religions for whatever reason... But what makes anyone think that their new religion will not become old news like the last one?

...What are you looking for?

I grew up Christian and became a Baha'i about 30 years ago. The problem I had with Christianity was its exclusivity. There were many Christians who believed Jesus was the only way to Salvation and so there was an inherent superiority of Christian over other religions. I moved to a religion that was more inclusive. I have no regrets.

 

[74x12]

I notice there are many people who switch religions for whatever reason... But what makes anyone think that their new religion will not become old news like the last one?

...What are you looking for?

They're only looking for Jesus among the tombs but He's already risen.

 

[IAMinyou]

You and I have a very different experience of religious people.

All of us have a different life experience from each other. A few of us have actually been used to speak for our CREATOR.

 

[TagliatelliMonster]

Nothing wrong to say about Falun Gong from my part, but i realized i was not practicing the way that i was supposed to do, so no matter what i tried to do, ended up to nothing at all, i was probably failing from every i did. And i certainly was not gaining the wisdom i thought i was. So in a sense i was fooling my selg and others by claiming to be a practitioner. So not to damage their path i chose to leave it and searched again. And when reading the Qur'an it was like i realized my own fault on a massive scale.

Honest question.

What was the role of your muslim girlfriend in all of this?
I understand that you had that girlfriend before you converted (or "reverted" like some muslims like to say). If I'm wrong about that timing, then nevermind the question.

But I got the impression that you first hooked up with that girl, and only afterwards converted to islam.

 

[TagliatelliMonster]

If he knew that, would he still be missing his Keys

ha, i know right.

It's like when you look for something and then check all pockets and all places and it ends up being in the "last place" you looked. And then people ask "why is it always in the last place you look??".

Well... because you stop looking after you found them.

 

[Spirit of Light]

Honest question.

What was the role of your muslim girlfriend in all of this?
I understand that you had that girlfriend before you converted (or "reverted" like some muslims like to say). If I'm wrong about that timing, then nevermind the question.

But I got the impression that you first hooked up with that girl, and only afterwards converted to islam.

I have for a good amount of time gotten more and more interessted in Islam, so even i did not speak about it a lot i had started to read the quran efore i met her, so what has she done for me toward my convertion? She and her family was open to answer some questions i had about Islam. But non of them ever asked me or hinted they wanted me to convert, that desision was all my own.

But as i said in a past answer in RF, she might have made the desision more easy for me to do the convertion

 

[TagliatelliMonster]

I have for a good amount of time gotten more and more interessted in Islam, so even i did not speak about it a lot i had started to read the quran efore i met her, so what has she done for me toward my convertion? She and her family was open to answer some questions i had about Islam. But non of them ever asked me or hinted they wanted me to convert, that desision was all my own.

But as i said in a past answer in RF, she might have made the desision more easy for me to do the convertion

Ok, thanks.

It's just that I frequently hear stories about people not part of religion X, hooking up with someone that is follower of X and a week later they are converted.
And then they break up and another week later, they deconvert.

 

[Spirit of Light]

Ok, thanks.

It's just that I frequently hear stories about people not part of religion X, hooking up with someone that is follower of X and a week later they are converted.
And then they break up and another week later, they deconvert.

My intention is not to leave Islam, or my girlfriend for that matter

 

[Vee]

I notice there are many people who switch religions for whatever reason... But what makes anyone think that their new religion will not become old news like the last one?

...What are you looking for?

From my experience, people convert either because they have a particular interest in converting (pleasing someone in particular, marrying into that religion, etc) or because deep down they weren't satisfied with what they had before and found a religion that makes them feel better, answers their questions, gives them hope, makes them happy.
For example I didn't have a religion most of my life and a few years ago I started studying the Bible and became a JW because after everything I learned I figured it was the right thing to do, and so far I don't regret my decision.

 

[ecco]

Because if it's new you never had a chance to look at it before because it's....new.

The evidence that gods are the creation of man's imaginings has been obvious for at least all of the 20th and 21st Centuries. Did people not know about Zeus and Athena? Did people not know that Native Americans believed in hundreds of different gods.

Yes, and believe it or not, a lot of people do believe that there is a God based on what they see as evidence.

Yes, and believe it or not, a lot of people do believe that there is a God based on their early childhood indoctrination.

Hence there are Pentacostolists, Mormons, Roman Catholics, Methodists, Jehovah's Witnesses, Sunni, Shiites.

 

[Rival]

The evidence that gods are the creation of man's imaginings has been obvious for at least all of the 20th and 21st Centuries. Did people not know about Zeus and Athena? Did people not know that Native Americans believed in hundreds of different gods.

Um. This has nothing to do with what I was talking about.

Yes, and believe it or not, a lot of people do believe that there is a God based on their early childhood indoctrination.

Hence there are Pentacostolists, Mormons, Roman Catholics, Methodists, Jehovah's Witnesses, Sunni, Shiites.

Yes, and some aren't. Why is it so hard for some atheists to understand that some other atheists become theists? You're happy when it goes the other way, for some reason....

Some people think there are good reasons to believe in God or gods and they discard their atheism because of it. I don't know why this seems to cause so much ire in some folks.

 

[ecco]

The problem I had with Christianity was its exclusivity. There were many Christians who believed Jesus was the only way to Salvation...

Uh, that is what Christianity is all about. Jesus = Christ = Jesus. Do you think some Christians should seek salvation in the lessons of Shiva?

...and so there was an inherent superiority of Christian over other religions.

All religions believe they are superior to all other religions. That goes for Bahia as well. Why would anyone be a member of a religious sect if it was inferior to another religious sect?

 

[Spirit of Light]

The evidence that gods are the creation of man's imaginings has been obvious for at least all of the 20th and 21st Centuries. Did people not know about Zeus and Athena? Did people not know that Native Americans believed in hundreds of different gods.


Yes, and believe it or not, a lot of people do believe that there is a God based on their early childhood indoctrination.

Hence there are Pentacostolists, Mormons, Roman Catholics, Methodists, Jehovah's Witnesses, Sunni, Shiites.

That sound like " you should be ashamed you had parents who was/is religioues, they destroyed your life"
But that is not true at all, yes my parents was christians, but they never forced me and my brother to go to sunday school, or study the bible because they "had to make us Christian"
They even told that to believe in a God or a Buddha is something personal, so we had to choose our self what to believe.

 

[ecco]

That sound like " you should be ashamed you had parents who was/is religioues, they destroyed your life"
But that is not true at all, yes my parents was christians, but they never forced me and my brother to go to sunday school, or study the bible because they "had to make us Christian"
They even told that to believe in a God or a Buddha is something personal, so we had to choose our self what to believe.

That's good. But do you think that is typical? Especially in Muslim countries? Especially in families that are hardcore religious like most Mormons, Evangelicals, and Southern Baptist.

 

[ecco]

That sound like " you should be ashamed you had parents who was/is religioues, they destroyed your life"

I think parents who indoctrinate their children from an early age are evil.

 

[Saint Frankenstein]

They're only looking for Jesus among the tombs but He's already risen.

No, we're not looking for Jesus. Many of us already found him and said no, thanks.

 

[Saint Frankenstein]

Did people not know about Zeus and Athena? Did people not know that Native Americans believed in hundreds of different gods.

How does this follow your claim that it's somehow obvious that deities are made up? There's many people who believe in and worship Greek deities (Athena is one of the most beloved goddesses in modern Western polytheism) and many also still practice indigenous religions.

 

[74x12]

No, we're not looking for Jesus. Many of us already found him and said no, thanks.

You don't know what you're looking for ... But something keeps drawing you back. I know that much. Is it that you have sensed the love of God?

Let the dead bury their own dead as Jesus said. The only thing dead religions will do is bury you in the ground. But what God buries in the earth will burst out of it. It will grow and be watered like a plant it will bear fruit.

 

[Saint Frankenstein]

You don't know what you're looking for ... But something keeps drawing you back. I know that much. Is it that you have sensed the love of God?

Let the dead bury their own dead as Jesus said. The only thing dead religions will do is bury you in the ground. But what God buries in the earth will burst out of it. It will grow and be watered like a plant it will bear fruit.

I've felt love with Jesus. But I've felt love with Zeus and the goddess Kali, too, along with a feeling of peace. There's many gods. Jesus is just one.

It's against the rules to try to convert people from their religion so you might as well drop it.

 

[Dawnofhope]

Uh, that is what Christianity is all about. Jesus = Christ = Jesus. Do you think some Christians should seek salvation in the lessons of Shiva?

Yes

All religions believe they are superior to all other religions. That goes for Bahia as well. Why would anyone be a member of a religious sect if it was inferior to another religious sect?

Familial and cultural allegiances