Coverting Hindu

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What’s a good way to help a Hindu become Catholic? I have a Hindu friend who admires much of the Catholic faith, but also is Hindu. Any tips for bringing her to conversion?
 
Has she expressed intrest in converting? Being Hindu is more than just a religion to the Indian people, it is also a part of their national identity and culture.
 
Catholic1954 said:
Has she expressed intrest in converting? Being Hindu is more than just a religion to the Indian people, it is also a part of their national identity and culture.
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I agree. Stay out of it. You may lose a friend. Hinduism has many gods and they include Jesus and Mary among their gods. She can incorporate ‘elements’ of Catholicism and remain Hindu.
 
phil8888 said:
What about the Great Commission?
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In cases like this if you actively proselytize you may drive her AWAY from Christ. The best thing to do is show her you are a Christian by your love. Be there, be available, answer what questions she has with no attempt to veil the truth or to couch it in a “soft” kind of way. But you cannot push, since people will take this as you “forcing your belief system” on them. Trust me on this point, I have learned the hard way.

Mother Teresa has a great quote “There is only one God and He is God to all; therefore it is important that everyone is seen as equal before God. I’ve always said we should help a Hindu become a better Hindu, a Muslim become a better Muslim, a Catholic become a better Catholic. We believe our work should be our example to people. We have among us 475 souls - 30 families are Catholics and the rest are all Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs—all different religions. But they all come to our prayers.” lots of people on CAF here dont like that quote, and to a certain extent I am one of them. The thing about her that called so very many people to follow her (and such a great number to convert) was that in this modern age of everyone cramming their personal way on everyone else, she showered them with love. Just that, love. Her example was one of the few in our modern day to show how to live out the new commandment.

So try to be as Mother Teresa was and allow her to come to YOUR prayers. “Give yourself fully to God. He will use you to accomplish great things on the condition that you believe much more in His love than in your own weakness.” “Speak tenderly to them. Let there be kindness in your face, in your eyes, in your smile, in the warmth of your greeting. Always have a cheerful smile. Don’t only give your care, but give your heart as well.”

Dominus vobiscum,

FSC
 
My suggestion is to be as good and loving a friend as you can be, and be careful to be as holy as possible when you are with her (being kind to others in your speech and actions, being responsible and hard-working at your job (or in your studies, as appropriate), and so forth). Also pray for her, and learn a bit about Hinduism. Also there are a couple of conversion stories of Hindus at this link:

catholic-convert.com/community/conversion-stories/

Also keep in mind that religious conversion is a bit of a tricky issue in India itself–I’m not sure how much that affects Indian immigrants and/or people of Indian descent in the US.

I wouldn’t start any conversations about conversion, but be as ready as possible to answer any questions she might have, and don’t be afraid to say you don’t know if she asks a question you don’t know the answer to.

Good luck!

–Jen
 
phil8888 said:
What’s a good way to help a Hindu become Catholic? I have a Hindu friend who admires much of the Catholic faith, but also is Hindu. Any tips for bringing her to conversion?
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Show her by your good works your faith as a christian catholic… perhaps talk with her about the faith… invite her to read the Gospels as a starter

In Christ,
Zachary
 
I was a Hindu for 30 years, so let me say a few things.

First of all Christianity has had a stakehold in India since the first century. The cheished legend is that St. Thomas the Apostle traveled to India and that his bones are enshrined there, too. Hindus are aware of the long history of Christianity in their country and respect it and are proud to point out its early roots in their homeland. After all, there have been Catholics in India long before there were Catholics in the western world.

I would try to find out what branch of Hinduism your friend feels affinity toward. If they are devotees of Krishna, then you might point out that some sects of Vishnu include teaching about Jesus whom they consider to be one of their holy men.

If they are Shaivite as I was, you might mention how the Bible talks about Jesus going up to the mountain to pray, as it’s similar to how Shiva practiced his devotions in the Himalayas (and still does, many believe.)

One author whose books you might direct your friend to read is Eknath Easwaran, who was own my spiritual teacher.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eknath_Easwaran

The Indian Catholic priest who was instrumental in my becoming a Catholic grew up in Kerala, which is also where Eknath Easwaran was form. Fr. Sunny John is a Carmelite priest and last time I caught up with him he was in New York City.

newyorksunny.blogspot.com/

And finally, Indians have a great devotion to Our Lady and even Hindus honor her. In fact, Hindus have been known to go to great lengths to show their devotion to Our Lady of Vailankanni.

sbolv.com/

vailankannichurch.org/about-vailankanni.htm

One more tip: Hindus love their beads. If your friend is enthusiastic about devotion to Our Lady, you might teach him or her the rosary and let Our Blessed Mother do the rest. 😉
 
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