Letters from Davanand Bhagwan and Shawn Michael Samaroo recently in your columns prompted me to ask myself a few questions on what makes an individual change his religion from being a Hindu to become a Christian.

As much as I searched within and without, I could not come up with any good reason to change religion but on the contrary, I found it wiser to remain in the old belief system.

Looking at the two religions, you will find similarities as well as those parts of the scripture that do not make sense to our present day civilisation.

a. For instance, why would you stop believing in the trilogy of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva to adopt Father, Son and Holy Ghost ? In both instances the Three are supposed to be the embodiment of the one Supreme Deity.

b. You change your belief in a myriad of demi-gods to believe in a host of angelic beings. In my mind archangels and the power they possess are on the same footing as the demi-gods of Hunduism. Just different names, same qualities.

c. You don't accept a talking monkey (Hanuman) as being real but you readily accept a talking snake without question (Eden)!

d. You discard the elephant head, demi-god, and immediately embraces a being with four different heads and feet " like the sole of a calf's foot. "as in the book of Ezekiel.

e. You trash your belief in what must have been a nuclear war of the Mahabarata and Vimanas of the Ramayana to rigorous acceptance of the fire and brimstone of Sodom and Gomorrha and the "wheel in the middle of a wheel " apparatus of the old testament.

This list could go on and on but the above was just to illustrate briefly that if you think Hinduism is complicated or fanciful then the same can be said of Christianity.

Christianity has more than a fair share of contradictions and interpretations. The bible itself was only canonised after some rather questionable and controversial debates by guess who -- a pagan Emperor by the name of Constantine, some time in the fourth century. And though a Christian loves to say he accepted Christ, we all know of his heinous crimes. Yes ,he had a great track record.

This reminds me that reincarnation was once part of the belief of the early Christians. That is ,before the year 325 A.D. when that age old belief was replaced by the newest unverifiable phenomena of resurrection. And this draws me to another point. How can someone abandon the food and fruits offerings at the sacrificial fires of Yagnas and Hawan to accepting human sacrifice with the blood that was shed at Calvary ? Isn't that supposed to be a pagan thing ?

I can't help but agree with Balwant that many Indians change their religion to Christianity because they are either ashamed or do not understand Hinduism and generally want to fit into the scheme of things in western society. But do they know what they are getting themselves into ? I doubt it.

Someone may want to say they heard a voice speaking to them and that was the turning point. Well the last time someone heard a voice from heaven, that person was burnt at the stake somewhere in France a few centuries ago. Today, they wouldn't be burnt at the stake. There is a special branch of science that deals with voices. It's called psychiatry. Or are we bordering on the psychic and the occult which the bible so roundly condemns ? After all, hearing voices that no one else hear is called Extra Sensory Perception.

In looking for answers about life, many disillusioned westerners have been turning to eastern religion and thought to give them the answers that Christianity can never provide. Frustrated with Christianity ,more and more professed Christians have been turning up at the regressionist to find answers and give more meaning to their lives, something that Christianity has failed its' followers. Millions are now involved in some form of eastern discipline, living a more purposeful and meaningful life with the new found wisdom that has been eluding them all the while. No longer are they afraid of the raging fires of a biblical hell. No longer are they fearful of the wrath of an angry and jealous God.

So much more can be said, but really, there is no rhyme or reason for a Hindu to convert to Christianity. When I hear about converts, I always shake my head with wonderment and ask myself ,What is it you are running from, my friend? What is it you don't understand? What is it you are looking for that you don't have already?
R.Singh,
po box 305098,
00801.U.S.V.I.