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Re: Converting to Christianity



In article <44cd74$sa8@babbage.ece.uc.edu>,

>antu@alpha1.csd.uwm.edu (Antariksh Seetharam) wrote:
>>
>> 
>> Hello,
>> 
>> I have a hypothetical question to ask.  I know I should know the answer
>> to this but well here goes,  If a person who is born a Hindu, suddenly
>> for whatever reason decides to "accept" Jesus Christ
>> (deleted)


My belief is that acceptance back into Hinduism etc.. is a social thing.
There isn't a religious figure etc.. who throws out and/or accepts a person
back into the religion. I have heard of excommunicating from the caste and not
from the religion -- except about a 100 years ago when people were forbidden
from crossing the sea and those who did were expelled so to say -- but this 
is a very rare practise. 
 The exact dynamics of what would happen to a person who accepted Jesus Christ
are like this: His immedeate family would try to prevent it. If his immedeate
 family also converts, his extended family would try to dissuade him. His
social and familial contact would reduce to those people who don't mind the
conversion. Slowly they would stop calling him for functions etc.. I don't
 think a religious authority figure would get involved at any stage. Ofcourse
people wouldn't marry into/out of his family especially if he is the head of
the family, less so if he is perceived as an errant sibling.

If he chooses to come back into hinduism, his social acceptance would again
be gradual but never be complete. 

Custom and religion are so clearly interwoven that it is hard to say where one
stops and the other starts.
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