The confusion about conversion: Competing narratives and nationalist violence in India

This essay argues that the confusion surrounding religious conversion arises from how the different motives or methods of conversion are narrativized, especially in contexts heavily influenced by religious nationalism. Is conversion ‘sincere’, or is it coerced or ‘induced’? Sharply diverging perspectives also surround the meaning of religious freedom as a conservative or liberal principle; that is, one that either protects religion from conversion to another faith or one that guarantees freedom to change one’s religion. In India, anti-conversion laws prohibit conversion by ‘inducement’, a term often referring to the offer of humanitarian aid, education, or money in exchange for conversion. But can emotional goods be construed as a form of inducement? This question becomes particularly relevant in connection to the growth of Pentecostalism in India, which engenders a strong sense of affective belonging among its adherents. Will affective or experiential goods offered in Pentecostal contexts fall within the orbit of anti-conversion laws? This article explores these themes by focusing on the plight of India’s Christian minorities in the face of the nationalist agenda to Hinduize India (better known as Hindutva). It then examines the language of sincerity and authenticity in conversion, which finds its origins in missionary discourse but is embraced and deployed by critics of conversion. If conversions are not authentic or sincere, critics argue, they must arise from some form of allurement, such as offering material goods or services or admission into schools in exchange for conversion. But can emotional or affective goods also be viewed as forms of allurement according to the logic of anti-conversion laws? The essay concludes by exploring the gap between current anti-conversion laws and the various factors that explain the appeal of Pentecostalism across gender, class, and caste barriers.