Can I convert just for one day to get married?

Ankur says @June 3, 2011 at 1:15 am

I have a christian girl friend and I am a hindu. we want to get married but the problem is that her family is asking me to convert to baptism by taking a dip in holy water. I am fine with it but i want to know that once we get married we both will follow our own religion and the girl’s family would not come to know about it. My question is that if I convert my self and from the next day I start following my own religion so that my god is happy and she will follow her own religion so that her god is also happy. Is it possible? I hope its not a sin to get married to a person u cant live without and converting just for one day to get married? Please help!

admin’s reply:

Dear Ankur,

“Conversion to Christianity for just one day” is an absolute sin. Christ and Krishna will never forgive you. You will be lying and insulting to Jesus, the Church, girl’s parents, your all Hindu relatives and the most important, to yourself. Unless other Christians tell us other way, the Baptism is not a hollow ritual devoid of meaning. Would you convert to Islam (for one day!) if she is a Muslim? If you are the one with some self-esteem, why would you do something that you do not believe in? Why will you start your married life journey in a wrong direction? Why would you make “lies and deception” foundation of your marriage?

Instead of “Baptism for One Day” option above, we recommend one of three below:

1) Go to her church and learn more on Christianity. If you find out that Christianity is a better religion than Hinduism, yes, then convert and proudly announce it to all.

2) Alternative is to take the Christian girl to a Swamiji or guru or give her Holy Geeta and teach her about Hinduism. May be she will find Hinduism is a better religion (like Julia Roberts) and may want to convert. At least let her taste the pain of love proselytism and religious conversion.
OR…

3) Forget about this conversion business (#1 and 2 above). You remain 100% what you are and let her be 100% what she is. Go to a court and get married (like Rhithik Roshan and Fardeen Khan. Make sure you do exactly the same for your children too. Teach them about both faiths without any formal religious label on them. At children’s age 21, let them pick one of two religions by their own choice.

Baptism may be a 10 minutes ritual, but may have major legal implications for you: A) Lets say something happen to you the next day after Baptism. Now your parents may want to give you Hindu cremation final rites while your wife wants you to have a Christian burial. Most probably, the court will approve the Christian burial because you are (were) legally a Christian. B) The church may ask you to sign a prenuptial agreement for your children, meaning you are ending your Hindu heritage now. Is that your intention? C) Lets say after 10 years of marriage, now you have a divorce. For children custody battle, the court may give a judgment in favor of the Christian spouse and may ban you from teaching them Hindu religion, because these children are Christians and both parents are (were) also Christians.

Ankur, you seem to be educated and intelligent, and hope the Christian fiancée is the same. Make a decision today that will make you proud of yourself even when you reach to 80 years old. Take sufficient time to read all these… Religious Conversion for Marriage, FAQ on Interfaith Marriage, Ten points of Interfaith Dating, A message to Dharmic youths, Saif and Kareena: Religion and Marriage, Will Gandhi go to Hell since he was not Baptized? Do all Christian go to heaven?, diva, Anu, My parents want her to convert for a church marriage and watch VIDEOS: Gurumaa, Namastey London, Jodhaa Akbar, Molly.…and come back for other questions or tell us what you have decided.

Readers, what would you recommend to Ankur?
Is Baptism a hollow ritual devoid of meaning? Should Ankur get Baptized if he does not mean it?
How would you define Interfaith Marriage with Equality?

Return to www.InterfaithShaadi.org

9 Comments

  • merab
    August 27, 2011 4:54 pm

    ….both become Muslims.

  • Chandra Sekhar
    August 25, 2011 3:11 am

    Hey friends..i am Chandrasekhar..I am cool guy..I have some problem about my marriage issue..I am hindu but i trust christianity only..my parents trust hindu gods..i dont trust hindu..i am looking for a girl who is in my same situation just like my parents are trusting hindu and i’m trusting christianity purely..so i am hoping that girl should be in the same situation..anyway my problem seems like peculiar from what you have seen till now in your life..So please kindly help me on this without misguiding me..thnx..

    • August 26, 2011 6:41 am

      Chandra Sekhar,

      Your situation is simple. Just join one of churches and get Baptized. They will also help you find a girl from the same church. You are an adult and you can make your own choice. What is the problem doing so?

      I understood that you don’t trust Hindu Gods. What do you mean by … you trust Christianity only? Do you believe non-Christians, like Gandhiji, will not achieve salvation? Do you trust in the Christian God, the LORD God of Abraham, Israel and Isaac? Or do you believe that His son, Jesus, is the God? Is Allah the God? How about Mahavir and Buddha? So which one of these gods do you trust in? Alternatively, you don’t trust in any god, but simply believe in humanity and good karma (nothing wrong with that!)? Please explain what is your thought process or what are you looking for?

      If you are in search of the God or a religion, I would recommend you to read the Bible, Koran and Geeta. If you don’t have time for all these, at least read first 100 pages of these three. Later, please spend equal time with a priest, Guru and Imaam to help you pick a religion.

      Please don’t settle for a girl before your settle for the God!!!

  • August 10, 2011 3:40 pm

    THIS MADE ME LAUGH SO HARD on a serious note, you guys are fu king crazy fanatics. your parents lied to you as they got lied to by your grandparents. There is no gods or god or whatever. Become a man and realize the truth about the world. live a life without judgement towards others and live a life of moral. no god need to tell you this.

  • atreya chopra
    July 26, 2011 6:45 am

    @ankur if u honestly understand hinduism and u know and actually read about krishnaji n buddha n brahmaji u understand that they believe ur path to god end with god and if that path is hindu or baptist then it is but u end with god and all the other devas n devi’s i assume ur indian so im sure u know the siddarji n ik onkar babaji right? well yeah just google n research ull understand ……..its the oldest religion on earth, pehle for a reason..
    next time u have questions like this go to panditji older better or gurudwara panditji ull get a better answer

  • Admin
    July 13, 2011 7:47 pm

    Dear Stranger,

    You will get lots more by converting, you could wipe all your sins by converting. Gandhiji made a mistake and will pay on the judgement day!! Gandhiji has to say this to your question.

    Check this cartoon and it will explain all to you.

  • Stranger(name withheld)
    July 13, 2011 2:58 am

    What would i get upon converting to christanity?
    Do i get a job in some foriegn country?
    Can i be financially supported?
    Can i get permanent citizenship abroad? plz reply 2 my mail

  • Dwito Sotta
    June 20, 2011 10:02 am

    Oh boy! did u read the story of michel Madhusudan Dutta? Many other’s who converted to christianity for love or otherwise, have met the same fate. Try to learn from history.

    And above all, why do you surrender to a blind demand that rates your love? ask, is that love at all?

  • mohan K Muju
    June 16, 2011 11:25 am

    If U TWO have decided to get married WHY BRING RELIGION FAITH IN THE MIDDLE JUST BE TWO GOOD HUMAN BEINGS GOOD TO EACH OTHER.

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