Definition
Religious conversion is the adoption of a new faith, replacing or displacing a previous set of beliefs. It can occur at the level of a single person or across an entire society, and it may be voluntary, the result of persuasion, or imposed by force.
The spread of Christianity, Islam, and Buddhism across continents was driven in large part by waves of conversion over many centuries.
Why it matters
How it works
Religious conversion spread along several channels. Missionaries and traders carried new faiths across long distances, while the conversion of a king or emperor often led whole populations to follow. Conversion could be a sincere change of belief, a response to social or economic incentive, or a survival decision under coercion, as when conquered peoples faced the choice of converting, leaving, or punishment. Over generations the new faith blended with existing customs, producing distinctive regional forms of the religion.