RE: Why does anyone convert to Islam?
August 29, 2023 at 7:31 am
(This post was last modified: August 29, 2023 at 7:31 am by FrustratedFool.)
I'm not convinced conversion in general is because people want to feel special. It seems that most actually believe in the ideology they convert to, for various complex reasons.
And yes, there's definitely a desire for many practical and psychological benefits which likely undergirds the emotional conversion aspects (removal of fear, guilt, hope, community and so on) but being special seems low down on the list for many.
Given the cognitive dissonance cost for believing many other religions is usually either less or equal to Islam, and given the psychological benefits are likely the same, it seems odd for someone outside of a dominant Islamic culture to end up following a much harder path for no obvious benefit.
It seems to me that there must be something else driving some folk in secular post-Christian countries to convert to Islam rather than to Christianity or neo-paganism or some 'easier' faith.
And yes, there's definitely a desire for many practical and psychological benefits which likely undergirds the emotional conversion aspects (removal of fear, guilt, hope, community and so on) but being special seems low down on the list for many.
Given the cognitive dissonance cost for believing many other religions is usually either less or equal to Islam, and given the psychological benefits are likely the same, it seems odd for someone outside of a dominant Islamic culture to end up following a much harder path for no obvious benefit.
It seems to me that there must be something else driving some folk in secular post-Christian countries to convert to Islam rather than to Christianity or neo-paganism or some 'easier' faith.
