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60-570: Wu converted to the Catholic Church in China , and, after being widowed, joined the Society of Jesus . In 1688, after seven years of education at St. Paul's College, Macau , Wu was ordained at Nanjing as one of the three first Chinese Jesuit priests , taking the name Simon-Xavier a Cunha . He spent the remaining 30 years of his life serving tirelessly as priest in rural villages. Wu

120-462: A Hindu have variously included a period where the interested person gets an informal ardha-Hindu name and studies ancient literature on spiritual path and practices (English translations of Upanishads , Agama , Itihasa , ethics in Sutra , Hindu festivals, yoga ). If after a period of study, the individual still wants to convert, a Namakarana Samskara ceremony is held, where the individual adopts

180-489: A Jesuit, a missionary and a priest totally devoted to his flock. Wu died at age 86 after serving 30 years as a priest. He composed many poems reflecting his own preaching career and religious feelings, which are collected in an anthology, San Yi Ji . His sermons from 15 Aug 1696 to 25 Dec 1697 and other religious activities were compiled by Zhao Lun , a convert in Jiading , in a book, Kou Duo (Record of Word and Deeds),

240-660: A campus in downtown Jiading, which is where SILC is based. The Shanghai International Circuit is located in Jiading. Each year in April, the Shanghai International Circuit holds the Chinese Grand Prix . The hotel company H World Group Limited has its headquarters in Jiading. Shanghai Jiading F.C. is the district's local soccer club. There are numerous international hotels within

300-624: A card stating a declaration of belief. This includes acknowledgement of Bahá'u'llah – the Founder of the Faith – as the Messenger of God for this age, awareness and acceptance of his teachings, and intention to be obedient to the institutions and laws he established. Conversion to the Baháʼí Faith carries with it an explicit belief in the common foundation of all revealed religion, a commitment to

360-415: A divine plan (see Progressive revelation ), with each new revelation superseding and fulfilling that of its predecessors. Baháʼís regard their own faith as the most recent (but not the last), and believe its teachings – which are centered around the principle of the oneness of humanity – are most suited to meeting the needs of a global community. In most countries conversion is a simple matter of filling out

420-491: A guarantee of recognition by another denomination. A formal conversion is also sometimes undertaken by individuals whose Jewish ancestry is questioned, even if they were raised Jewish, but may not actually be considered Jews according to traditional Jewish law . As late as the 6th century, the Eastern Roman empire and Caliph Umar ibn Khattab were issuing decrees against conversion to Judaism , implying that this

480-489: A hearing" – meaning to make sure the person they are proposing to teach is open to hearing what they have to say. " Baháʼí pioneers ", rather than attempting to supplant the cultural underpinnings of the people in their adopted communities, are encouraged to integrate into the society and apply Baháʼí principles in living and working with their neighbors. Baháʼís recognize the divine origins of all revealed religion, and believe that these religions occurred sequentially as part of

540-495: A lecture given by Max Müller in 1873, and is based on whether or not a religion seeks to gain new converts. The three main religions classified as missionary religions are Buddhism , Christianity , and Islam , while the non-missionary religions include Judaism , Zoroastrianism , and Hinduism . Other religions, such as Primal Religions, Confucianism , and Taoism , may also be considered non-missionary religions. In sharing their faith with others, Baháʼís are cautioned to "obtain

600-644: A legal waiver which covers their relationship with the Church of Scientology before engaging in Scientology services. Research in the United States and in the Netherlands has shown a positive correlation between areas lacking mainstream churches and the percentage of people who are members of a new religious movement. This applies also for the presence of New Age centres. On the other end of

660-591: A person becoming Christian who was previously not Christian; a Christian moving from one Christian denomination to another; a particular spiritual development, sometimes called the "second conversion", or "the conversion of the baptised". Conversion to Christianity is the religious conversion of a previously non-Christian person to some form of Christianity. Some Christian sects require full conversion for new members regardless of any history in other Christian sects, or from certain other sects. The exact requirements vary between different churches and denominations . Baptism

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720-468: A person has been raised in the church. Latter Day Saint churches do not recognize baptisms of other faiths as valid because they believe baptisms must be performed under the church's unique authority. Thus, all who come into one of the Latter Day Saint faiths as converts are baptized, even if they have previously received baptism in another faith. When performing a Baptism, Latter Day Saints say

780-517: A religion. Allan Kardec 's codification of Spiritism occurred between the years 1857 and 1868. Currently there are 25 to 60 million people studying Spiritism in various countries, mainly in Brazil, through its essential books , which include The Spirits Book , The Book on Mediums , The Gospel According to Spiritism , Heaven and Hell and The Genesis According to Spiritism . Chico Xavier wrote over 490 additional books, which expand on

840-683: A traditional Hindu name. The initiation ceremony may also include Yajna (i.e., fire ritual with Sanskrit hymns) under guidance of a local Hindu priest. Some of these places are mathas and asramas (hermitage, monastery), where one or more gurus (spiritual guide) conduct the conversion and offer spiritual discussions. Some schools encourage the new convert to learn and participate in community activities such as festivals ( Diwali etc.), read and discuss ancient literature, learn and engage in rites of passages (ceremonies of birth, first feeding, first learning day, age of majority, wedding, cremation and others). Jainism accepts anyone who wants to embrace

900-518: Is 1,139.8 mm (44.87 in) with July as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in July, at around 28.2 °C (82.8 °F), and lowest in January, at around 4.0 °C (39.2 °F). Jiading District administers several subdistricts towns, including Jiading , Anting , Nanxiang , Huating , Xuhang , Waigang , Huangdu , Malu and Jiangqiao . Shanghai University has

960-679: Is a convert. Different factors and circumstances may operate and interact to persuade individuals of groups to convert and adopt a new set of religious doctrines and habits. Religious enthusiasm for proselytism can play a role. For example, the New Testament chronicles the personal activities of the Apostles and their followers in inspired preaching , miracle -working and the subsequent gathering of followers. Freshly-converted Irish and Anglo-Saxon priests spread their new-found faith among pagan British and Germanic peoples. Missions of

1020-456: Is defined as the age of eight years. The theology thus rejects infant baptism . In addition, Latter Day Saint theology requires that baptism may only be performed with one who has been called and ordained by God with priesthood authority. Because the churches of the Latter Day Saint movement operate under a lay priesthood, children raised in a Mormon family are usually baptized by a father or close male friend or family member who has achieved

1080-452: Is not known to openly proselytize conversions, however it is open and accepting to anyone wanting to take on the Sikh faith. In the second half of the 20th century, the rapid growth of new religious movements (NRMs) led some psychologists and other scholars to propose that these groups were using " brainwashing " or " mind control " techniques to gain converts. This theory was publicized by

1140-813: Is now identified as one of the Six Masters of the early Qing period . The dramatic decline and fall of the Ming Dynasty and the coming to power of the Manchu Qing Dynasty caused the crisis of a number of intellectuals, who looked for new directions for them and for the country. The philosophical and ethical teaching of the Jesuits' learned missionaries, based out of Macau, appealed to them. Several literati , steeped in Confucianism and Buddhism , sought widening religious horizons, accepting

1200-447: Is the act of attempting to convert by persuasion another individual from a different religion or belief system. Apostate is a term used by members of a religion or denomination to refer to someone who has left that religion or denomination. The religions of the world are divided into two groups: those that actively seek new followers (missionary religions) and those that do not (non-missionary religions). This classification dates back to

1260-562: Is traditionally seen as a sacrament of admission to Christianity. Christian baptism has some parallels with Jewish immersion by mikvah . In the New Testament , Jesus commanded his disciples in the Great Commission to "go and make disciples of all nations". Evangelization – sharing the Gospel message or "Good News" in deed and word, is an expectation of Christians. This table summarizes three Protestant beliefs. Much of

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1320-644: The Shahadah ( first pillar ) is the only obligatory statement of faith in Islam ; however, over time a list of six items evolved, the essentials of faith ( Iman Mufassal ), namely: belief in God, in God's angels, scriptures, messengers, day of judgment, and God's power. In the Islamic religion, it is believed that everyone is Muslim at birth . Due to this, those who convert are typically referred to as reverts. In Islam,

1380-528: The shahādah , the Muslim profession of faith ("there is no god but God ; Muhammad is the messenger of God"). According to Clinton Bennett , British–American scholar of Religious studies , one's declaration of the Muslim profession of faith does not imply faith in God alone, since the conversion to Islam includes other distinct Islamic beliefs as well as part of the Muslim creed ( ʿaqīdah ): Technically,

1440-598: The Bhakti schools began seeking or accepting converts in early to mid 20th century. For example, groups like the International Society for Krishna Consciousness accept those who have a desire to follow their sects of Hinduism and have their own religious conversion procedure. Since 1800 CE, religious conversion from and to Hinduism has been a controversial subject within Hinduism. Some have suggested that

1500-502: The Mālikī and Ḥanafī schools regard it as non-binding and only recommended for both sexes. Conversion to Judaism is the religious conversion of non-Jews to become members of the Jewish religion and Jewish ethnoreligious community . The procedure and requirements for conversion depend on the sponsoring denomination . A conversion in accordance with the process of a denomination is not

1560-584: The Shanghai Museum of the Imperial Examination System . Jiading district is located in the northwestern part of Shanghai. It stretches across 463.9 km (179.1 sq mi). It is located about 20 km (12 mi) from downtown Shanghai. Jiading has a humid subtropical climate ( Köppen climate classification Cfa). The average annual temperature in Jiading is 16.3 °C (61.3 °F). The average annual rainfall

1620-467: The Southern Ming , the municipality was infamous for the "Jiading Massacre" carried out by invading Qing forces led by the general Li Chengdong  [ zh ] , who had defected from the bandits. Jiading was also known for banditry: in a 1853 rebellion caused by taxation, bandits captured the city and then Shanghai. In 2005, the Jiading district government invested CN¥10 million to build

1680-565: The Three Jewels – Buddha , Dhamma , and Sangha ) before a monk , nun , or similar representative, with often the sangha, the community of practitioners, also in ritual attendance. Throughout the timeline of Buddhism , conversions of entire countries and regions to Buddhism were frequent, as Buddhism spread throughout Asia. For example, in the 11th century in Burma , king Anoratha converted his entire country to Theravada Buddhism . At

1740-605: The Vedic age . The six Astika and two Nastika schools of Hindu philosophy , in its history, did not develop a missionary or proselytization methodology, and they co-existed with each other. Most Hindu sub-schools and sects do not actively seek converts. Individuals have had a choice to enter, leave or change their god(s), spiritual convictions, accept or discard any rituals and practices, and pursue spiritual knowledge and liberation ( moksha ) in different ways. However, various schools of Hinduism do have some core common beliefs, such as

1800-540: The Zealots . Jiading District Jiading is a suburban district of Shanghai . As of the 2020 Chinese census , it had a population of 1,834,258. Jiading was historically a separate polity from Shanghai until it came under the administration of Shanghai in 1958. In 1993, Jiading's designation was changed from a county to a district within Shanghai. During the early Qing dynasty , which overlapped with

1860-652: The current Dalai Lama discourages active attempts to win converts. Hinduism is a diverse system of thought with beliefs spanning monotheism , polytheism , panentheism , pantheism , pandeism , monism , and atheism among others. Hinduism has no traditional ecclesiastical order, no centralized religious authorities, no universally accepted governing body, no binding holy book nor any mandatory prayer attendance requirements. In its diffuse and open structure, numerous schools and sects of Hinduism have developed and spun off in India with help from its ascetic scholars, since

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1920-543: The laying on of hands of a Melchizedek Priesthood holder. Latter Day Saints hold that one may be baptized after death through the vicarious act of a living individual, and holders of the Melchezidek Priesthood practice baptism for the dead as a missionary ritual. This doctrine answers the question of the righteous non-believer and the unevangelized by providing a post-mortem means of repentance and salvation. Converting to Islam requires one to declare

1980-740: The spiritualist doctrine . As explained in the first of the 1,019 questions and answers in The Spirits Book : 1. What is God? Answer: "God is the Supreme Intelligence-First Cause of all things." The consensus in Spiritism is that God, the Great Creator, is above everything, including all human things such as rituals, dogmas, denominations or any other thing. Persons newly adhering to Buddhism traditionally " Taking Three Refuge " (express faith in

2040-598: The 'Western Teaching'. Conversion to Christianity was for them the arrival point of a spiritual and personal journey toward religious fulfillment. The converts saw in the Christian teaching an opportunity to revitalize, morally and scientifically, a country in crisis. Wu often went to the Xing Fu Buddhist convent in Suzhou during his middle-age years and was a close friend of monk Mo Yong , but from 1675 on he

2100-600: The 'heavenly learning' and the Roman Catholic priesthood . There he strenuously searched 'the Western Lantern', struggling to learn a new language ( Ecclesiastical Latin ) and to acquire a new religious dimension, on the lines of the ' Spiritual Exercises ', as a son of Saint Ignatius of Loyola . He was ordained a priest on 1 Aug 1688 in Nanjing by Chinese bishop Luo Wenzao . His first pastoral assignment

2160-423: The 19th century spread against a background of North Atlantic revivalism with its emotionalism and mass-meeting crowd psychological behaviours. Messianism may prepare groups for the coming of a Messiah or of a saviour . Thus the 1st-century Levant , steeped in expectations of overturning the political situation , provided fertile ground for nascent Christianity and other Jewish messianic sects, such as

2220-571: The Jiading district. Among the most famous are Sheraton Shanghai Jiading Hotel and the Crowne Plaza Shanghai Anting, the latter one being the first five star international hotel in Jiading. Jiading district is connected to downtown Shanghai by the Hujia Expressway , the first expressway in China. Jiading district is near Shanghai's Hongqiao Airport , but across town from Pudong International Airport . Jiading

2280-522: The belief that all living beings have Atman (soul), a belief in karma theory, spirituality, ahimsa (non-violence) as the greatest dharma or virtue, and others. Religious conversion to Hinduism has a long history outside India. Merchants and traders of India, particularly from Indian peninsula, carried their religious ideas, which led to religious conversions to Hinduism in Indonesia, Champa, Cambodia and Burma. Some sects of Hindus, particularly of

2340-651: The concept of missionary conversion, either way, is contrary to the precepts of Hinduism. Religious leaders of some of Hinduism sects such as Brahmo Samaj have seen Hinduism as a non-missionary religion yet welcomed new members, while other leaders of Hinduism's diverse schools have stated that with the arrival of missionary Islam and Christianity in India, the view that "there is no such thing as proselytism in Hinduism" must be re-examined. In recent decades, mainstream Hinduism schools have attempted to systematize ways to accept religious converts, with an increase in inter-religious mixed marriages. The steps involved in becoming

2400-531: The end of the 12th century, Jayavarman VII set the stage for conversion of the Khmer people to Theravada Buddhism. Mass conversions of areas and communities to Buddhism occur up to the present day, for example, in the Dalit Buddhist movement in India there have been organized mass conversions . Exceptions to encouraging conversion may occur in some Buddhist movements. In Tibetan Buddhism , for example,

2460-415: The fact that his paintings maintained an autochthonous style, and he signed them with his Chinese name. The extent of Western influence in his figurative art, if any, has been discussed by scholars, with no clear consensus reached. Scholars, however, agree on the exceptionally important value of Wu Li's personal experience. Wu Li was a man of rare qualities: a fine Chinese intellectual, a remarkable artist,

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2520-403: The first collection of sermons by a Chinese priest. Religious conversion Religious conversion is the adoption of a set of beliefs identified with one particular religious denomination to the exclusion of others. Thus "religious conversion" would describe the abandoning of adherence to one denomination and affiliating with another. This might be from one to another denomination within

2580-570: The following prayer before performing the ordinance: Having been commissioned of Jesus Christ, I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen. Baptisms inside and outside the temples are usually done in a baptistry , although they can be performed in any body of water in which the person may be completely immersed. The person administering the baptism must recite

2640-506: The most important and widely cited studies of the process of religious conversion, and one of the first modern sociological studies of a new religious movement. The Church of Scientology attempts to gain converts by offering "free stress tests". It has also used the celebrity status of some of its members (most notably that of the American actor Tom Cruise ) to attract converts. The Church of Scientology requires that all converts sign

2700-479: The obscurity of Jiangsu countryside to serve as an itinerant missionary priest, struggling against tremendous difficulties and with poor results. He was a good shepherd, in imitation of Jesus Christ , totally devoted to the spiritual welfare of peasants. The Chinese poetry he kept writing as a priest illustrate exceptional qualities of his tireless dedication, his faith, his joys and the moments of frustration. Wu Li in no way rejected his Chinese identity, as shown by

2760-481: The office of priest , which is conferred upon worthy male members at least 16 years old in the LDS Church. Baptism is seen as symbolic both of Jesus ' death, burial and resurrection and is also symbolic of the baptized individual putting off of the natural or sinful man and becoming spiritually reborn as a disciple of Jesus. Membership into a Latter Day Saint church is granted only by baptism whether or not

2820-416: The people who joined did so because of personal relationships – often family relationships – with existing members. Lofland summarised his findings in 1964 in a doctoral thesis entitled "The World Savers: A Field Study of Cult Processes", and in 1966 in book form (published by Prentice-Hall ) as Doomsday Cult: A Study of Conversion, Proselytization, and Maintenance of Faith . It is considered to be one of

2880-498: The popular news media but disputed by other scholars, including some sociologists of religion . In the 1960s sociologist John Lofland lived with Unification Church missionary Young Oon Kim and a small group of American church members in California and studied their activities in trying to promote their beliefs and win converts to their church. Lofland noted that most of their efforts were ineffective and that most of

2940-579: The practice of religious circumcision is considered a sunnah custom, not a requirement for conversion, and furthermore it is never mentioned in the Quran . The majority of clerical opinions holds that circumcision is not required upon entering the Muslim faith. In the Sunnī branch of Islam , the Shāfiʿī and Ḥanbalī schools regard both male and female circumcision as legally obligatory for Muslims, while

3000-467: The prayer exactly, and immerse every part, limb, hair and clothing of the person being baptized. If there are any mistakes, or if any part of the person being baptized is not fully immersed, the baptism must be redone. In addition to the baptizer, two members of the church witness the baptism to ensure that it is performed properly. Following baptism, Latter Day Saints receive the Gift of the Holy Ghost by

3060-798: The proselytising scale are religions that do not accept any converts. Often these are relatively small, close-knit minority religions that are ethnically based such as the Yazidis , Druze , and Mandaeans . The Parsis, a Zoroastrianism group based in India, classically does not accept converts, but this issue became controversial in the 20th century due to a rapid decline in membership. Chinese traditional religion lacks clear criteria for membership, and hence for conversion. However, Taoism does have its own religious conversion ceremony which seems to be adopted and modified from Chinese Buddhist refuge-taking ceremonies. The Shakers and some Indian eunuch brotherhoods do not allow procreation, so that every member

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3120-538: The religion. There is no specific ritual for becoming a Jain. One does not need to ask any authorities for admission. One becomes a Jain on one's own by observing the five vows ( vratas ) The five main vows as mentioned in the ancient Jain texts like Tattvarthasutra are: Following the five vows is the main requirement in Jainism. All other aspects such as visiting temples are secondary. Jain monks and nuns are required to observe these five vows strictly. Sikhism

3180-519: The same religion, for example, from Protestant Christianity to Roman Catholicism or from Shi'a Islam to Sunni Islam . In some cases, religious conversion "marks a transformation of religious identity and is symbolized by special rituals". People convert to a different religion for various reasons, including active conversion by free choice due to a change in beliefs, secondary conversion , deathbed conversion , conversion for convenience, marital conversion , and forced conversion . Proselytism

3240-541: The summer of 1682. He returned to Macau in the winter and joined the Society of Jesus. At the age of 50, Wu Li's life took a dramatic turn. After the death of his wife and his masters, obeying to an internal quest for spiritual excellence, fascinated by the Jesuit art and architecture, and after having been a Catholic for seven years, he chose to join the Jesuit priesthood and entered St. Paul's College, Macau to pursue both

3300-537: The theology of Latter Day Saint baptism was established during the early Latter Day Saint movement founded by Joseph Smith, Jr . According to this theology, baptism must be by immersion , for the remission of sins (meaning that through baptism, past sins are forgiven), and occurs after one has shown faith and repentance. Mormon baptism does not purport to remit any sins other than personal ones, as adherents do not believe in original sin . Latter Day Saints baptisms also occur only after an " age of accountability " which

3360-510: The unity of mankind, and active service to the community at large, especially in areas that will foster unity and concord. Since the Baháʼí Faith has no clergy, converts are encouraged to be active in all aspects of community life. Even a recent convert may be elected to serve on a local Spiritual Assembly – the guiding Baháʼí institution at the community level. Within Christianity conversion refers variously to three different phenomena:

3420-512: Was born in Changzhou in the Jiangsu province of China . His style name was 'Yu Shan' and his sobriquet was 'Mojing Daoren'. Wu learned poetry from Qian Qianyi . He was taught painting by Wang Shimin and Wang Jian , and was influenced by the painters Huang Gongwang and Wang Meng . His landscapes utilized dry brush strokes and light colors. His distinctive style elevated him to where he

3480-575: Was in Shanghai . In 1691 he was put in charge of the religious affairs of the Jiading Catholic Church. Wu Li indeed chose for himself a path of self-denial and total dedication to the new faith and to the new ministry. Often disguised as a peasant or fisherman, he traveled for thirty years from village to village to evangelize . Wu Li could have become a rich and famous court painter, as had his friend Wang Hui , but he chose instead

3540-491: Was inclined toward Roman Catholicism through his contact with Jesuit missionaries Lu Rima ( Franciscus de Rougemont ), Bai Yingli ( Phillippe Couplet ), and others. He was converted and baptized (by?) Ximan Sawulue ( Simon Xaverius ). In 1681 Couplet was recalled to Europe. Wu intended to go with him, but his plans did not materialize when they reached Macau. Wu remained in Macau for five months and returned to his hometown in

3600-415: Was still occurring. In some cases, a person may forgo a formal conversion to Judaism and adopt some or all beliefs and practices of Judaism. However, without a formal conversion, many highly observant Jews will reject a convert's Jewish status. There are no rituals or dogmas, nor any sort of procedures in conversion to Spiritism . The doctrine is first considered as science, then philosophy and lastly as

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