Religion and Social Change

Introduction
Simple to Complex Forms
Complex to Simple Form
Mixing of Multiple Forms
Sects and Cults
Conversion

Introduction

A living thing must constantly undergo change. A living religion must develop, progress, and alter. Every religion has its ups and downs. The change might be gradual and minor in some circumstances, or it might be major and relatively quick. Every religion insists that its founding doctrine is supreme, unique, and eternal. As a result, there is also some criticism of change. Religion can evolve just like a tree does. The tree's dead branches deteriorate and are replaced by fresh sap-filled new growth. The process of changing one's religion, however, is completely different. It suggests accepting the new form while rejecting the old. Technically speaking, it is conversion.

In terms of religious change, there are three general categories: (i) from simple to complex; (ii) from complex to simple; and (iii) mixing of forms.

Simple to Complex Form

The simple form of tribal religion, for instance, gains a lot of new components as a result of contact with complex forms of religion. The Oraons, a local tribe, started to reorganize their traditional faith as Vaisnavism gradually spread throughout Chotanagpur.

The consequences were as follows:

The Oraons lost faith in the powers of their old spirits. , ..
A few of the spirits such as the ancestor spirits and the clan-spirits, came to be shorn of much of their maleficence and came to be regarded as ordinarily beneficent.
The original conception of the Spirit of Good developed into a small pantheon, which in turn evolved elaborate rites and ceremonies, actions and observations to please different grades of supernatural powers.
The Oraons aspiring for a higher spiritual life imposed upon themselves the restrictions against the use of alcoholic liquors as drink or libation, and of fowls, pigs and oxen as food or sacrifice.
The institutions of temple and guru or spiritual guide, and loving adoration of a personal deity (bhakti) became acceptable.
Religious life began to find expressions through different denominations. Some turned into Bhuiput Bhagat, some into Nemha Bhagat, some into Visnu Bhagat, some into Kabirpanthi Bhagat, and some into Tana Bhagat.

As another illustration, Vaisnavism has had a much more profound influence on the Meitei religion in Manipur. The three distinct phases that made up Vaisnavism's entry into Manipur are listed below. The Nimbarka school produced the first emissaries of the new religion, who arrived in 704. Following the Ramanadi's arrival in the second quarter of the 18th century, the earlier schools were finally replaced by the school of Chaitanya. Old and new religious traditions have coexisted in an amazing way. Illustrations are required.

Some of the tribal gods, called lai, which were not very significant, disappeared from the scene. Household lai continue to be worshipped; but the public lai, those which were the common property of all the Meitei, became fewer.
New Brahmanical gods became identified with the traditional deities. Panthoibi, the Meitei goddess, has become identified with Durga; Nongpok Ningthou with Shiva.
Traditional lai came to be worshipped according to Brahmanic ritual prescription (for example in the substitution of bloodless offerings of animal sacrifice).
The worship of the Vaisnava deities has developed and deepened. Krishna, in his cowherd aspect of Sri Govind, has become the dominant deity. This has caused strong emphasis on cow protection.
Growth in the Radha cult. Introduction of the Ras Lila, enacting the relationship of Krishna and the Gopis. This has caused the development of the most beautiful form of religious dancing; generally known as Manipuri dance.
Reading of the Bhagavat Purana and the Mahabharata, and singing Kirtana.
Emphasis on Brahmanic purification rites, and puritanical sexual ethics.

Complex to Simple Form

There are also instances of religion, particularly its intricate system of rituals and ceremonies, being spelled out simply. Buddhism, for instance, emerged in response to Vedic ritual that was both intricate and pricey, as well as being out of the reach of common people. Sanskrit proficiency and the assistance of experts were also necessary. The path modeled by the Buddha was much less complicated. He explained the Eightfold Noble Path to the populace in plain language. It is a different story that over time, his followers, particularly the Mahayanists, gave themselves over to the ethereal Tantric branch of sophisticated religion. Later, the Brahmo Samaj made another attempt to deconstruct the intricate nature of Brahmanic Hinduism. Bengal has been the only place where it has had an impact. Similarly, the Arya Samaj had undertaken a project. It rejected Pauranic rites and attempted to establish a straightforward Vedic fire sacrifice. Arya Samaj's influence can still be felt, primarily in northern India's western regions.

Mixing of Multiple Form

New religious organizations have emerged as a result of the blending of various forms. Sufism is the most excellent example. Persian Zoroastrianism and Arab Islamism both influenced its development. The sublimity of this faith lies in its conception of the unity of Eternal Spirit and the intimate association of the Divine with the manifest. The Arab Muslims believe in a personal God. They also believe that people and the entire world are merely tools used to carry out God's will. The Christian sentiment embodied in the phrase "Christ in us" was approached more closely by the Sufis.

Sikhism, Kabirpanth and many other Santa-Sampradayas of their kind are Sanatan Hinduism, modified by Buddhism and Sufism. In these forms of religion, the prime object of attainment is not Paradise but the total cessation of individual existence, or what is called Nirvana in Buddhism. Also there is no personal God. The Sufi idea of the unity of God is well-founded in most of the medieval religions. Guru Govind Singh, the last Guru of the Sikh Panth, was a staunch devotee of the goddess Durga. He established khalsa by which he bound his disciples into an army and conferred upon each of them the name Singh, or Lion. He asked his followers that after his death the Granth Sahib or “the Lord of the Book” was to be their guide in every respect. This holy scripture contains the devotional songs sung by practically all the Hindu saints of medieval India. It also contains 142 stanzas composed by Shaikh Baba Farid, the most celebrated Sufi . saint who accompanied Nanak, the illustrious founder of Sikhism, for more than twelve years. The Persian conquerors of India carried ‘with them the mysticism and spirituality of Sufism.

The Bisnois of Rajasthan claim that their religious organisation is composed of twenty Hindu and nine Muslim tenets, and hence “Bisnoi” (Bis = twenty + nau = nine).

Sects and Cults

The different branches of a religious tree are analogous to sects. They are a response to what is wrong with a religion. In actuality, the rise of the sects is a form of resistance to dominant religions. Similar to how Jainism and Buddhism are some of the sects of Hinduism, Protestant Christianity is a subset of Catholic Christianity.

Most frequently, sects substitute beliefs and practices that don't seem to fit with the main religion's standards and values. be unusual to those who don't belong to that sect. They are closed and exclusive to those who have not undergone the required initiation processes for membership. Most sects have a rigid set of rules that their members must abide by. Extreme sect loyalty is required for membership, and it takes over the member's life.

Another aspect of religion is the cult, which is an offshoot but differs from a sect in that it does not start as a protest movement and instead remains a part of the main religion. It is an expression of attitudes, feelings, and connections that serve as their own ends. As an illustration, consider the worship of Krishna or Devi. possess a sizable following of adherents who sing devotional songs, believe in it, etc. for its own sake.

The process-oriented elements of religion are sects and cults. e. a practice of religion that is currently occurring. Cults are merely minor manifestations of variation within a religion, whereas sects are much more formalized and defined.

Conversion

In some religions, the main goal of all teaching and preaching is conversion. Growing older in the spiritual life is a process. The phrase "the rebirth of the soul" is used in protestant theology. Conversion is an ongoing exploration of the true nature of religion and serves as a constant test of faith. But in reality, it's incredibly difficult to achieve such experiential freedom. Because one either adopts the prescribed way by virtue of being born into a religious tradition or by renunciating the inherited tradition. In either scenario, he is not a part of the quest for faith. The goal of religious missions is to persuade people to join their religion. Making disciples from all nations while converting the world is the Christian Church's main goal. That is also the goal of Islam. The moral right to expand one's base of religious adherents is granted by conversion ethics. The missionaries hold that their religion is the best one that God has given them, and it is their religious duty to spread it to those who are not yet practicing it. When this pious motivation is misconstrued, coercion is used solely to recruit more fellow religious adherents. Then, it is not a true conversion anymore.

Numerous Hindus converted to Islam for a variety of reasons. First Indians to convert to Islam were the Mopla fishermen of Kerala. Many Hindus were converted to Islam by Sufi saints and other faqirs or darwesh of various religions. Although they frequently used force, the Muhammadan rulers also played a significant role in conversion. Most Indian tribal groups have converted to Christianity through the efforts of missionaries. Again, the first Christians in India were born in Kerala. Traditions are enduring. Most people who convert to Islam or Christianity continue to practice some of their old beliefs and customs, even though they go against the principles of the new religion. They either carry out this activity in secret or in public. There is nothing a proselytizing religion can do to keep the newcomers or neophytes. Buddhism also engages in conversion, just like Islam and Christianity do. Instead of using logic to persuade their opponents, the Buddha had instructed his mendicants to reduce their opponents to the sublime. As there is no conversion, there is also no reversion, according to Sanatan Hinduism, which rejects proselytizing in favor of the idea that there are numerous, equally valid and worthwhile paths leading to the Ultimate. The orthodox Hindu adherents never agreed with the Arya Samaj theory of conversion.