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Proselytizing ( /ˈprɒsɨlɨtaɪzɨŋ/) is the act of attempting to convert people to another opinion and, particularly, another religion. The word proselytize is derived ultimately from the Greek language prefix προσ- (toward) and the verb ἔρχομαι (to come) in the form of προσήλυτος (a new comer).^[1] Historically in the Koine Greek Septuagint and New Testament, the word proselyte denoted a gentile who was considering conversion to Judaism. Though the word proselytism originally referred to Early Christianity (and earlier Gentiles), it also refers to other religions' attempts to convert people to their beliefs or even any attempt to convert people to another point of view, religious or not.

Christianity[link]

Statue of St. Patrick of the Celtic Church, who was famous for proselytizing.

Many Christians consider it their obligation to follow what is often termed the Great Commission of Jesus, recorded in the final verses of the Gospel of Matthew: "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen." The Acts of the Apostles and other sources contain several accounts of early Christians following this directive by engaging in individual conversations and mass sermons to spread the "good news". Evangelical Christians often use the term "witnessing" to mean discussing one's faith with another person with the intent of proselytism.

Most self-described Christian groups have organizations devoted to missionary work which in whole or in part includes proselytism of people of other faiths (including sometimes other variants of Christianity).

Some Christians define "proselytism" more narrowly as the attempt to convert people from one Christian tradition to another; those who use the term in this way generally view the practice as illegitimate and in contrast to evangelism, which is converting non-Christians to Christianity. An Eastern Orthodox writer, Stephen Methodius Hayes has written: "If people talk about the need for evangelism, they meet with the response, 'the Orthodox church does not proselytize' as if evangelizing and proselytism were the same thing." However the boundary varies from group to group. For instance the Moscow Patriarchate has repeatedly strongly condemned what it describes as Catholic proselytism of Orthodox Christians within Russia and has therefore opposed a Catholic construction project in an area of Russia where the Catholic community is small. The Catholic Church claims that it is supporting the existing Catholic community within Russia and is not proselytizing.^[2][3][4] Recently, the Balamand declaration on proselytism was released between the Roman Catholic Church and Orthodox Churches.

Groups noted for proselytism include:

• Anglican
• Jehovah's Witnesses
• Jews for Jesus
• Roman Catholic^[5][6]
• Southern Baptist Convention
• The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
• Seventh Day Adventists

Indian religions[link]

Buddhist proselytism at the time of king Ashoka (260-218 BC), according to the Edicts of Ashoka.

Indian religions such as Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism are largely pluralistic. Hinduism places faith in a Vedic proclamation which states that "Truth is One, though the sages know it by many names"; Hinduism has no conversion/reconversion rituals whatsoever—one is free to choose any religion he/she wants, follow any philosophy or belief one fancies and worship any god in a manner he/she deems fit. Religion for a Hindu is merely a path to a universal destination. This is inherently due to the karmic nature of the religion: you will reap what you sow (irrespective of how you sow it); also, Hinduism's sense of evil/suffering is solely due to ignorance of the Reality, not the work of an adversary, nor is the result of God's anger. It is also not uncommon for Hindus to visit holy men of other religions.

One group that takes in willing converts in Hinduism, but without calumniating^{[citation needed]} other religions, is the International Society for Krishna Consciousness also known as Hare Krishnas^{[original research?]}.

Ethnocentrism of any sort (including the idea of belonging to a 'school of Buddhism' as well as evangelism and religious supremacism) is, according to Buddhist thought, rooted in self-grasping and reified thought - the cause of Samsara itself. The current Dalai Lama has repeatedly argued that any attempt to convert individuals from their beliefs is not only non-Buddhist, but abusive: the identification of evangelism as an expression of compassion is considered to be false.

Mahavira (599-527 BC), the 24th Tirthankara of Jainism, developed an early philosophy regarding relativism and subjectivism known as Anekantavada. As a result of this acceptance of alternate religious practices, the phenomenon of proselytisation is largely absent in these religions but not unknown.

Sikhism bans proselytism "through force or inducement" out of the belief that each person has a fundamental right to practice their religion freely.^[7] Although Sikhs freely share their faith with others, offending other religions is against the tenets of Sikhism.^[8] However, Sikhism does accept voluntary converts.

Islam[link]

In Islam, (see dawah and Islamic missionary activity) inviting people to the religion is a meritorious activity. The Qur'an states "Let there be no compulsion in the religion: Surely the Right Path is clearly distinct from the crooked path." (Al-Baqarah, 2:256) which is taken by Muslim scholars that force is not to be used to convert someone to Islam.

Judaism[link]

Unlike in the Hellenistic era, in the modern era most branches of Judaism do not actively proselytize to non-Jews, instead non-Jews are encouraged to follow Noahide Law which is said to assure a place in the World to Come. Some groups, however, will encourage nonobservant Jews to be observant, such as Aish HaTorah or Chabad. Reform Judaism has been known to welcome the non-Jewish spouses of already existing mixed marriages to convert to Judaism.^[9] Orthodox Judaism usually discourages conversion, but persistent and sincere requests for conversion are conducted.^[10]

Strictly-inherited membership[link]

Some religions do not accept converts at all (membership is inherited), such as the Druze and some Zoroastrians.

Views on proselytism[link]

Propriety of proselytism[link]

Views on the propriety of different types of proselytism differ radically. Some feel that freedom of speech should have no limits and that virtually anyone, anywhere should have the right to talk about anything they see fit. Others see all sorts of proselytism as a nuisance and an intrusion and would like to see them restricted (either completely or to a limited arena). Thus, Prof. Natan Lerner of Tel Aviv University observes that the issue is one of a clash of rights—the perceived right of a person to express his or her views versus the perceived right of a person not to be exposed to views that he or she does not wish to hear.

Some don't mind preaching but are concerned if the speech is accompanied by physical benefits (e.g., a soup kitchen that provides food, but only under the condition that the recipients listen to an evangelical discourse) or new converts are given physical benefits not available to those who don't convert. Others are concerned if the preaching is aimed at children without the knowledge and consent of the parents.

Exclusivity of membership[link]

Many religions, including Abrahamic religions such as Christianity and Islam, doctrinally claim a sole ideological propriety over their members which forbids them from maintaining a simultaneous adherence to other religions. However, while Judaism discourages active proselytism in other religious communities and maintains an exclusivist doctrine on adherence, Christianity and Islam both doctrinally advocate for active proselytism while discouraging converts from maintaining multiple adherences or, worse, apostasy; this stance by Christianity and Islam regarding proselytism is further reinforced by a doctrinal belief in post-mortal, eternal punishment for non-believers, thus justifying proselytism as a means of humanitarian outreach for "salvation" and condemning non-adherence or multi-adherence as sinful behavior.

This view, however, is countered by the alternate doctrine of universalism, which emphasizes universal reconciliation of all non-believers by default. Such a stance would functionally invalidate the concept of proselytism as a humanitarian gesture or duty for adherents, but it also technically maintains the ultimate "incompletion" of other religious traditions in their understanding of divinity.

Legal standpoint[link]

From a legal standpoint (international, as well the European Union, or nationally India, Canada and United States), there do appear to be certain criteria in distinguishing licit from illicit proselytism. The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights Article 18 states,

1. Everyone shall have the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion. This right shall include freedom to have or to adopt a religion or belief of his choice, and freedom, either individually or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in worship, observance, practice and teaching.
2. No one shall be subject to coercion which would impair his freedom to have or to adopt a religion or belief of his choice.
3. Freedom to manifest one's religion or beliefs may be subject only to such limitations as are prescribed by law and are necessary to protect public safety, order, health, or morals or the fundamental rights and freedoms of others.
4. The States Parties to the present Covenant undertake to have respect for the liberty of parents and, when applicable, legal guardians to ensure the religious and moral education of their children in conformity with their own convictions.

The first amendments to the constitutions of United States and India, the European Union Charter of Human Rights and the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms provide that all people have:

• the right to have religious beliefs (or to not have religious beliefs) (Freedom of Religion);
• the right to form organizations for the purpose of worship, as well as for promoting their cause (Freedom of Association); and
• the right to speak to others about their convictions, with the purpose of influencing the others. (Freedom of Speech).

By the same token, these very rights exercise a limiting influence on the freedoms of others. For instance, the right to have one's religious (or non-religious) beliefs presumably includes the right not to be coerced by the government into changing these beliefs by threats, discrimination, or similar inducements.^{[citation needed]}

Limits[link]

Proselytism is considered inappropriate and not protected in certain environments open to the public or are owned privately: government buildings, public education (grade schools and college campuses), the workplace and private properties like ones' home or front yard.

Limits on proselytism is a combination of what is considered legal (and this varies from country to country) and what is considered moral (and this varies from person to person).

Some countries such as Greece^[11] prohibit all proselytism, some such as Morocco prohibit it except for Islam and in Canada or certain parts of the USA, sociocultural norms suggest proselytism is improper.^{[citation needed]} Some restrict it in various ways such as prohibiting attempts to convert children or prohibit offering physical benefits to new converts.

Religious groups also draw lines between what they are willing to do or not do to convert people. For instance the Catholic Church in Ad Gentes states that "The Church strictly forbids forcing anyone to embrace the Faith, or alluring or enticing people by worrisome wiles." The World Council of Churches in The Challenge of Proselytism and the Calling to Common Witness states the following: (Note: this document uses proselytism in the negative sense only.)

19. Proselytism as described in this document stands in opposition to all ecumenical effort. It includes certain activities which often aim at having people change their church affiliation and which we believe must be avoided, such as the following:

• making unjust or uncharitable references to other churches’ beliefs and practices and even ridiculing them;
• comparing two Christian communities by emphasizing the achievements and ideals of one, and the weaknesses and practical problems of the other;
• employing any kind of physical violence, moral compulsion and psychological pressure e.g. the use of certain advertising techniques in mass media that might bring undue pressure on readers/viewers;
• using political, social and economic power as a means of winning new members for one’s own church;
• extending explicit or implicit offers of education, health care or material inducements or using financial resources with the intent of making converts;
• manipulative attitudes and practices that exploit people’s needs, weaknesses or lack of education especially in situations of distress, and fail to respect their freedom and human dignity.

History of proselytism[link]

The examples and perspective in this article may not represent a worldwide view of the subject. Please improve this article and discuss the issue on the talk page. (August 2010)

Since the collapse of the former Soviet Union the Russian Orthodox Church has enjoyed a revival. However, it takes exception to what it considers illegitimate proselytising by the Catholic Church (even though the Catholic Church had been set up in Russia before the Soviet Block severely limited the contacts of Catholics with the outside world), the Salvation Army, Jehovah's Witnesses and other religious movements in what it refers to as its canonical territory. [3]

Greece has a long history of conflict, mostly with Jehovah's Witnesses but also with some Pentecostals over its laws on proselytism. This situation stems from a law passed in the 1930s by the dictator Ioannis Metaxas. A Jehovah's Witness, Minos Kokkinakis, won 3,189,500 drachmas (US $10,600) in damages from the Greek state after being arrested repeatedly for preaching his faith from door to door. In another case, Larissis vs. Greece, a member of the Pentecostal church also won a case in the European Court of Human Rights.

See also[link]

• Deprogramming
• Evangelism
• Fate of the unlearned
• Lists of proselytes
• Missionary
• Religious conversion

References[link]

• C. Davis (1996). "Joining a Cult: Religious Choice or Psychological Aberration?". Cleveland-Marshall Journal of Law and Health 11. http://www.religioustolerance.org/cult_art.htm. 
• "Russian Canonical Territory". http://www.catholic-church.org/church-unity/r_c_t_e.htm. 
• "Human Rights Without Frontiers Int.". European Court Final Judgments on Religious Freedom Issues 1964-2001. http://www.hrwf.net/html/0804courtfinal.htm. 
• YouTube Gets Religion
• Rabbi Asher Meza's Jewish outreach organization http://www.BeJewish.org

External links[link]

Look up proselytism in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

• For a discussion of some of the legal aspects of defining illicit proselytism, see the article Proselytism, Change of Religion, and International Human Rights, by Natan Lerner, PhD

This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page. This biography of a living person needs additional citations for verification. Tagged since January 2010. It may need to be rewritten entirely to comply with Wikipedia's quality standards. Tagged since May 2009.

Alexander Britton "Brit" Hume (born June 22, 1943) is an American political commentator and television journalist. For twenty years he was a correspondent for the American Broadcasting Company, including Chief White House Correspondent. He then spent ten years as the Washington, D.C. managing editor of the Fox News Channel and the anchor of Special Report with Brit Hume. Since 2008, he has been the senior political analyst for Fox News and a regular public affairs panelist on Fox News Sunday.

Early life[link]

Alexander Britton Hume was born in Washington, D.C., the son of Virginia Powell (née Minnigerode) Hume and George Graham Hume. He attended St. Albans School at the same time as Al Gore and graduated from the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Virginia, with a Bachelor of Arts in English in 1965.^[1][2]

Career[link]

Hume first worked for The Hartford Times, and later for United Press International and the Baltimore Evening Sun.^[3] He then worked for syndicated columnist Jack Anderson from 1970 to 1972,^[4] and later for Richard Pollak, founding editor of [MORE] (a monthly media review published in the 1970s), as a Washington Editor during the mid-1970s.

Hume reported a story for Anderson's "Washington Merry-Go-Round" column that after ITT Corporation had contributed $400,000 to the 1972 Republican National Convention the Nixon Department of Justice had settled the antitrust case against ITT. Anderson published a series of classified documents indicating the Nixon administration, contrary to its public pronouncements, had tilted in favor of Pakistan during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971. After those revelations, Anderson and his staff, including Hume and his family were briefly under surveillance by the Central Intelligence Agency in 1972.^[5][6] The agents code-named Hume "eggnog" and observed his family going about their daily business. These documents came to light during the Ford administration during Congressional hearings, and more recently as the result of a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit and the so-called 'Family Jewels' revelations.

Hume started working for ABC News in 1973 as a consultant and in 1976 was offered a job as a correspondent, covering the House for 11 years. He was assigned to cover Walter Mondale's presidential campaign in 1984 and Vice President George H.W. Bush's 1988 presidential campaign. In 1989, he became ABC's chief White House correspondent,^[3] covering the administrations of Bush and Bill Clinton and working closely with Peter Jennings and Charlie Gibson.^[7]

In January 1997, he left ABC for Fox News, where his wife had recently become the chief of the network's Washington bureau.^[3] At his last news conference as ABC's chief White House correspondent, President Clinton told him, "I think all of us think you have done an extraordinary, professional job under Republican and Democratic administrations alike."^[7] Hume became Fox News's Washington managing editor and was in discussions about starting a Washington-based news show in the 6 p.m. timeslot. The Lewinsky scandal broke in January 1998, and Hume's wife told him the story was so hot that he should start the show immediately; Special Report with Brit Hume was launched that evening.^[7]

On December 16, 2008, Hume appeared as a guest on The O'Reilly Factor and announced his retirement from the anchor position. When asked how he would spend his time in retirement, Hume stated "Three Gs: God, granddaughters and golf."

On December 23, 2008, he hosted his final episode as anchor of Special Report, announcing that Bret Baier, then the chief White House correspondent for Fox News, would be his replacement. Hume also announced that he would remain with Fox News as a senior political analyst and regular panelist on Fox News Sunday.

On January 3, 2010, Hume generated some controversy when on Fox News Sunday he advised embattled golfer Tiger Woods to convert to Christianity to attempt to get his life back on track. Hume's comments came in the wake of the revelation of Woods' habitual adultery and the resulting deterioration of his relationship with his family. Hume stated on the show that:^[8]

Tiger Woods will recover as a golfer. Whether he can recover as a person I think is a very open question, and it's a tragic situation for him. I think he's lost his family, it's not clear to me if he'll be able to have a relationship with his children, but the Tiger Woods that emerges once the news value dies out of this scandal – the extent to which he can recover – seems to me to depend on his faith. He's said to be a Buddhist; I don't think that faith offers the kind of forgiveness and redemption that is offered by the Christian faith. So my message to Tiger would be, 'Tiger, turn to the Christian faith and you can make a total recovery and be a great example to the world.'

Hume reiterated his remarks the following day on The O'Reilly Factor with Bill O'Reilly. Hume insisted to O'Reilly that he never meant to insult Buddhism, and stated that:^[9]

I was really meaning to say in those comments yesterday more about Christianity than I was about anything else. I mentioned the Buddhism only because his mother is a Buddhist and he has apparently said that he is a Buddhist. I’m not sure how seriously he practices that.

Hume gave reason for his strong feelings on Christianity in an interview where he explained how he committed his life to Jesus Christ "in a way that was very meaningful" to him in the aftermath of his son's death by suicide in 1998.^[10]

Political beliefs[link]

Regarding his political beliefs, in 2006 Hume said, "Sure, I'm a conservative, no doubt about it. But I would ask people to look at the work."^[7] In accepting the William F. Buckley, Jr. Award for Media Excellence from the conservative Media Research Center, he expressed his gratitude for

the tremendous amount of material that the Media Research Center provided me for so many years when I was anchoring Special Report. I don't know what we would have done without them. It was a daily, sort of a buffet of material to work from, and we – we – we certainly made tremendous use of it.^[11]

Personal life and religious views[link]

Previously married to and divorced from Clare Jacobs Stoner, Hume is married to Kim Schiller Hume, Fox News vice president and former Washington bureau chief.^[12][13]

His son Washington journalist Sandy Hume was a reporter for The Hill and broke the story of the aborted 1997 coup against Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich. In February 1998, Sandy Hume committed suicide. The National Press Club honors his memory with its annual Sandy Hume Memorial Award for Excellence in Political Journalism.^[7][14][15] Over a decade later, upon his 2008 departure from Special Report, Hume commented on part of the impact of his son's death:^[16]

"I want to pursue my faith more ardently than I have done. I'm not claiming it's impossible to do when you work in this business. I was kind of a nominal Christian for the longest time. When my son died, I came to Christ in a way that was very meaningful to me. If a person is a Christian and tries to face up to the implications of what you say you believe, it's a pretty big thing. If you do it part time, you're not really living it."

Awards[link]

Hume is the recipient of several awards including:^[17]

• Sol Taishoff Award for Excellence in Broadcast Journalist (2003)
• Emmy Award for coverage of the Gulf War (1991)
• American Journalism Review "Best in the Business" award (twice) for White House coverage

Books[link]

• Hume, Brit (1971). Death and the Mines – Rebellion and Murder in the United Mine Workers. New York: Grossman. ISBN 0-670-26105-X. http://lccn.loc.gov/75106294. Retrieved 2008-12-31. 
• Hume, Brit (1974). Inside Story (1st ed.). Garden City, New York: Doubleday. ISBN 0-385-06526-4. http://lccn.loc.gov/73083640. Retrieved 2008-12-31.  (a memoir of his days working with Jack Anderson)

References[link]

Specific references:

General references:

External links[link]

• Biography from Fox News
• C-SPAN Q&A interview with Hume, July 20, 2008