Conversion for Money --- Is it ok ???

I was discussing with a friend of mine over the conversion issue. I am posting some posts here where I wrote my views.

XYZ wrote: Whats wrong if a person becomes christ and gets the shelter and a place to live. I don't think his religion or great hindu people like you is going to give him that. Why the hell he cannot change his religion for the sake of food ?

I suggest you to goto pakistan and tell those people that you are a hindu. Then probably they will tell you to convert to muslim. Now which one you prefer dying in the hands of muslim or saving your life?

For every person in this world what matters is food and life. If food is not there who the hell will think about the religion, caste , society and improving culture etc etc.

My Reply:

> I suggest you to goto pakistan and tell those
> people that you are a> hindu. Then probably they will tell you to convert
> to muslim. Now
> which one you prefer dying in the hands of muslim or
> saving your life?

Its intresting. Have you now started to believe that the very nature of Pakistanis is to force one to convert. You find it amusing that I may be forced to change my religion on gun point; but find nothing wrong in the ppl who put the sword on my neck to convert.

This is what I am trying to convey. You are mixing up the mistake of a exploiter from the exploited. While I am saying that a *Muslim* is wrong in forcing me to convert by Sword, you are justifying the whole episode by saying that: but *I* had no choice to do. It is not my acceptance we are talking abt, it is the Muslim's forcing it that we are talking.

I am talking abt the Missionary who is exploiting the poor, and saying he is dangerous, and you are showing me the poverty of the exploited(hindu) to tell that the exploiter(missionary) was correct!!!"(read it again with due emphasis on the exploited and exploiter)

This tendency to say that conversion by money are not bad is a very dangerous trend. Let us take the case of Africa. Everybody knows that last century whole of Africa was converted by Missionaries by fraud and Money. But inspite of all that, Africa is one of the poorest continents and also has very high crime rates.

Why was there such an increase in the crime rates and fall in the quality of living of these ppl who used to have their culture and live peacfully with their surroundings? It is coz of this attitude only. Guys like you saying it is ok to take money and to convert, so as he can do anything for getting money even to the extent of selling his conscience. What is the next eventual outcome? THere wont be any code of ethics or morals left in him. Why will there be? You have only told him accha baba, you are getting money, so convert. He will tommorow come and say I wanted money, so I have robbed, why am I wrong.

While a society in which money is more important than morals may be called stagnant; a society in which it is not just there, but even justified and seen as 'natural' is sure to get doomed.

To Quote Swami Vivekananda: "Our great defect in life is that we are so much drawn to the ideal, the goal is so much more enchanting, so much more alluring, so much bigger in our mental horizon, that we lose sight of the details altogether.

But whenever failure comes, if we analyse it critically, in ninety-nine per cent of cases we shall find that it was because we did not pay attention to the means. Proper attention to the finishing, strengthening, of the means is what we need. With the means all right, the end must come. We forget that it is the cause that produces the effect; the effect cannot come by itself; and unless the causes are exact, proper, and powerful, the effect will not be produced. Once the ideal is chosen and the means determined, we may almost let go the ideal, because we are sure it will be there, when the means are perfected. When the cause is there, there is no more difficulty about the effect, the effect is bound to come. If we take care of the cause, the effect will take care of itself. The realization of the ideal is the effect. The means are the cause: attention to the means, therefore, is the great secret of life."

The aim here of us may be a ideal society, where there is no poverty, no crime, and based on morals and where material requirements are met.

For this to happen, what must be done? We Indians, we Hindus should ourselves know and reaslize our strenght, along with it we should also try to help others realize their strength, whichever manner possible for us: monetarily, culturally, politically, spiritually. This is a must, the sooner the Hindus realize it, the better it is.

But never for a moment begin to think that the aim can SOMEHOW be archived, even by talking money and converting.

If a child is thot to tell lies by the parent for his own purose, why wont the child tell a lie to the father himeself to get his own work done. He did not learn anyting new, he just applied what you told him: Money is more imp than morals.

Once ppl start believing that ppl who are exploiting the hunger of somebody is correct, what we will be left with in the society is not citizens, but oppurunists who can do anything to get the money. Today he will convert for money, tommorow he will kill for money.

This is exactly the reason for the failure of communist countries. They thot that thru violence, one can create equality. But that did not happen, and the landed up having more ppl who can go to any amount of violence to archieve their goal. Why? result of their own lesson: "realise your goals even thru violence or wrong means"

I do not want India to go thru that path which has been repeatedly proved wrong. I have noting against the ppl who convert. They are my own brothers, and I try my best to help them in any way possible. But I surely reserve the right to the question the missionaries who are just EXPLOITING his weakness. Povert HAS to be removed, discrimination HAS to be removed, and lets find ways to do it. But it surely cannot be removed by supporting the Missionaries, who will only make the situation worse.