Conversion

The change or transformation in a person's way of acting or thinking with reference to a particular object, which presupposes a prior attitude of opposition, hostility or indifference. This is usually considered in terms of conversion to a particular way or religion and implies a change in moral or spiritual direction, the experience of which will depend on the psychological constitution of each individual. It may be very sudden (as with St Paul's conversion on the road to Damascus) or happen in a gradual process; it may be predominantly in accordance with intellectual motives (such as the need for truth), with a desire for a moral ideal of purity or goodness, or in response to an emotional appeal (as in mass conversions).

Conversion may be considered in the context of: (1) the traditional social and cultural background of the individual; (2) the transformation or process of the change taking place (conversion is often preceded by a period of anguish, despair and other difficulties), leading to richer self realization; and (3) transcendence, the encounter with the sacred that many believe is both the source and the goal of conversion. Although conversion is apparently an individual process, it has been argued that it is interactive, with consequences for the community, and thus part of an overall evolving process. The church recognizes: [moral]

conversion - in response to conscience and the fundamental knowledge of good, evil and natural law; [religious]

conversion - based on a consciousness of one's existence as a creature and dependence on a supreme being; and [confessional]

conversion - turning from one religious life to another.

However conversion takes place, the individual is fully aware that a radical change has occurred which results in a deliberate turning of the will and commitment to the new way. That person is fully convinced of a calling and of an obligation to respond with faith. He is assisted if his intellectual, emotional and practical needs are met by the new way of life and if its belief system and way of life can be modified to fit his individual needs and aspirations. The new way of life to which the individual is converted is often spoken of in terms of rebirth, regeneration, these terms indicating the fundamental change that has taken place.