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Religious conversion is the adoption of new religious beliefs that differ from the convert's previous beliefs; in some cultures (e.g. Judaism) conversion also signifies joining an ethnic group as well as adopting that group's religious beliefs. Conversion requires internalization of the new belief system.1 The Convert, the Proselyte
A person who has undergone conversion is called a convert or proselyte.
A proselyte (from the Latin word proselytus which in turn comes from the Greek word πϱοσήλυτος, proselytos meaning "someone who has found his/her place") is in general a title given to a person who has switched totally to embrace a certain religion, world view, ideology, metaphysics, ontology et cetera. It is used especially to signify people who try to convert others to his/her cause in an obtrusive and irritating manner.
In the traditional sense like in Proselytism this word signified people who have converted to Judaism, but is nowadays used in a wider meaning.
2 Conversion to Judaism
See also the main article ger tzedek
2.1 Procedure
Jewish law has strict guidelines for accepting new converts to Judaism (a process called " giur"). According to Jewish law, which is still followed as normative by Orthodox Judaism and most of Conservative Judaism, potential converts must want to convert to Judaism for its own sake, and for no ulterior motives. A male convert needs to undergo a ritual circumcision, and there has to be a commitment to observe the 613 commandmentsThe Talmud (tractate Makkoth 23b) states that the Torah contains 613 mitzvot Mitzvah precept, plural Mitzvot from , tzavah command), of which 248 are mitzvot aseh (positive commandments) equal to the number of bones in the human body and 365 mitzvot lo ta and Jewish law. A convert must accept Jewish principles of faithJudaism affirms a number of basic principles of faith that one is expected to uphold in order to be said to be in consonance with the Jewish faith. However, unlike most Christian denominations, the Jewish community has never developed any one binding cate, and reject the previous theology that he or she had prior to the conversion. Ritual immersion in a small pool of water known as a mikvahA Mikvah (or Mikveh ) is a Jewish ritual bath used for immersion in a purification ceremony. Its main use nowadays is by women to achieve ritual purity after menstruation or childbirth. Immersion in a mikvah is also required for completion of a traditiona is required , and the convert takes a new Jewish name and is considered to be a son or daughter (in spirit) of the biblical patriarch AbrahamAbraham "Father/Leader of many", Standard Hebrew Avraham Tiberian Hebrew Arhm Arabic Ibrhim is the patriarch of Judaism, Islam, and Christianity. His story is told in the Book of Genesis. Islam also regards him as the ancestor of the Bedouins, through Ish, and a male is called up in that way to the TorahTorah [] is a Hebrew word meaning teaching instruction or especially Law''. It primarily refers to the first section of the Tanakh, i. the first five books of the Hebrew Bible. These books are Genesis Bereishit []), Exodus Shemot []), Leviticus Vayikra [].
The Reform JudaismReform Judaism (also known as Progressive Judaism while in the U. Reform Judaism and Liberal Judaism together make up Progressive Judaism) is a branch of Judaism characterized by: The belief that an individual's personal autonomy overrides traditional Jew and Conservative Judaism movements are lenient in their acceptance of converts. Many of their members are married to non-Jews, and these movements make an effort to welcome the spouses of Jews who seek to convert. This issue is a lightning rod in modern day Israel as many immigrants from the former Soviet Union are technically not Jewish.
