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In your case I think it is because your command of English is excellent . Right or wrong, my expectation of someone steeped in Hinduism would be that they were an Indian , and that English would be a second language to them. You also come across at times as sort of “New Agey”, for lack of a better way to put it . This isn’t meant as an insult. This combination made me think convert
What I presume about posters comes only from what they write, how they write , and so on. Sometimes I am wrong, quite often I find out I am right . More often than not I presume the gender correctly , simply from their posting style . It’s just hints that come out automatically after reading posters for a while, not a deliberate attempt to pigeonhole people .
There is no conversion to Hinduism. I dont have trouble identifying males from female writers. Generally most Indian immigrants with advanced degrees do have a good command of English, and are quite comfortable speaking in it as well. Accents are a different matter. Something like 85% of Indians who identify as Hindu are religious. 95% of Indian scientists everywhere are religious. Indian Americans on the other hand are just Americans, speak American. Do you live in the US?
There is no conversion to Hinduism. I dont have trouble identifying males from female writers. Generally most Indian immigrants with advanced degrees do have a good command of English, and are quite comfortable speaking in it as well. Accents are a different matter. Something like 85% of Indians who identify as Hindu are religious. 95% of Indian scientists everywhere are religious. Indian Americans on the other hand are just Americans, speak American. Do you live in the US?
Yes, I live in the US.
If there is no conversion to Hinduism, what then do you call people previously of other faiths that choose to follow the Hindu religion?
Well, of course you got your beliefs from your "life experiences" - - like we thought you might have gotten them from your "death experiences"? The OP asks a sincere question that merits something more than a throwaway line.
If there is no conversion to Hinduism, what then do you call people previously of other faiths that choose to follow the Hindu religion?
Good question I don't know. Why should they call themselves anything? If they think they are Hindus, well, they are. They can change their name if they want to. Hindu itself is a foreign word, I think a Persian misnomer, although it has been adopted into the vernacular. I have never met any Hindu converts as such although many non-Indians attend Vedanta centers, prayer meetings and such. You know the Hare Krishnas, right? I don't know what to make of that, seems a fad to me.
This may be hard to understand because Hinduism is not organized like other religions and so there is no system as such to do a conversion. There is a ritual to return to Hinduism if one converted, but not the other way around. It is called purification
I know non-Indians who have studied in an Ashram and become teachers/swamis and founders of Ashrams. They teach and conduct classes. They have been given new Sanskrit names by their Guru. So there is a process for that if one is interested.
The present Indian government is ruled by militant Indian Hindu Right wing political party and is trying to define who is a Hindu and who is not. This is a very nasty political movement, not unlike the right wing evangelical Republican party, but the religion is wide open to any one. Everything is in the texts and anyone can read them and follow it per their desire. Just dont name it anything, it is yours.
More precisely, how did you come to be where you are now? Were you raised in the same faith or non belief as you hold now?
If not, how have they changed, and why have they changed? What was the impetus for change and the path to the current status?
I grew up a nominal S Baptist. When getting more serious as a young adult raising a new family, I returned to that. For decades I was an every Sunday Christian, SS teacher, and at the last a deacon. Eventually the concept of hell and the church's rejection of evolution caused me to look elsewhere ( along with some other minor stuff ) . I went looking for "original Christianity" , and ended up attending, but never joining, an Eastern Orthodox church for about 2 years. That didnt fully work out, plus the church disbanded, so I started attending an Anglican church for about a year. We moved to another town, and I just didnt bother looking anymore in the new location. Eventually became more or less agnostic. That didnt really satisfy either, something felt like it was missing, so I turned to the one sure thing. Nature. Its indisputable. Through some twists and turns I have come to consider myself a nature mystic who believes in non duality, and who (sort of) uses Druidry as a way to ritualize and express my spirituality.
At this point ( 3-4 years in) I am at peace with my methodology towards growing spiritually. Nature exists, science teaches us that non duality is valid at the physical level ( we are all made of star stuff, as astronomers like to say), and I am exploring whether this physical Oneness is also experienceable at the spiritual level. What many teachers call non duality or Oneness, Awareness, satori, whatever.
My story is similar. I was raised Southern Baptist, ended up realizing I didn't really believe the Christian narrative, and spent several years learning about different religions. Decided to "get back to basics", and that led me to Judaism.
After about two years of working with a rabbi, I officially converted. That was close to 10 years ago.
I was born and raised a Baptist. As a teen in the 70s I became what they called a Jesus freak back then. Became entrenched in the faith teaching, went to bible school, worked for a televangelist, etc. Came back down to earth a bit, but remained churched for the most part. Then in my 50s I slowly extricated myself from religion and became mostly a pantheist, with a smattering of Buddhism and the teachings of Jesus thrown in. It's much more simple for me nowadays. I try to treat others as I would be treated and to have compassion on people and help those less fortunate as much as I can.
My story is similar. I was raised Southern Baptist, ended up realizing I didn't really believe the Christian narrative, and spent several years learning about different religions. Decided to "get back to basics", and that led me to Judaism.
After about two years of working with a rabbi, I officially converted. That was close to 10 years ago.
I was under the impression that there is no conversion into Judaism, that Jewishness is inherited from the mother. Can you talk about your process?
I was under the impression that there is no conversion into Judaism, that Jewishness is inherited from the mother. Can you talk about your process?
While those with a Jewish mother are automatically Jewish, there has always been people who convert to Judaism from other religions. Whatever gave you the impression otherwise?
As for the process, it requires circumcision for males (or a symbolic drop of blood for those who already are), immersion in a mikvah, and approval by a beit din. It typically takes anywhere between 1 and 3 years of study with a rabbi and living through the Jewish rituals and holidays before you get to that point.
The list of converts to Judaism is long, and includes celebrities like Sammy Davis Jr, Scott Glenn, Dr Laura, Helen Reddy.
Convert Judaism is an admirable faith. Basically love God, live your life with decency, treat others right . Judaism for natural Jews seem a very rule laden religion .
The list of converts to Judaism is long, and includes celebrities like Sammy Davis Jr, Scott Glenn, Dr Laura, Helen Reddy.
Did Madonna convert?
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