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Religious Studies & Theology vocabulary · Study of Religion

Convert

Meaning in religious studies & theology, with examples

/kənˈvɜːt/verbCommon term

In religious studies & theology, convert means: To change from one religion or belief to another, or to cause someone else to make this change.

In Turkish: din değiştirmek, (bir dine) geçmek, ihtida etmek

How it is used

Use convert to (convert to Islam, convert to Catholicism) and convert from. The noun is conversion (religious conversion, conversion narratives), and a person who has converted is a convert. Trying actively to convert others is proselytizing.

Example sentences

  1. He converted to Buddhism after several years of living in Japan.

  2. Historians debate how quickly the population of Anatolia converted to Islam after the eleventh century.

Common collocations

  • convert to Islam
  • convert to Christianity
  • religious conversion
  • a recent convert
  • religious freedomThe right of individuals and communities to hold, practise, change or leave a religion or belief, or to have none, without coercion.
  • sociology of religionThe branch of sociology that studies religion as a social phenomenon: how it shapes, and is shaped by, groups, institutions, power and social change.
  • faithTrust and commitment to God or to religious teachings, often held without proof; also used as another word for a whole religion or religious community.
  • interfaith dialogueOrganized conversation and cooperation between people of different religions, aimed at mutual understanding rather than at converting one another.

More terms: Study of Religion

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