15th January 2013 - QA 2

Dear Gurudev, how should we answer those who say, ‘What is the problem if people convert when they get better education and healthcare?'
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Mahatma Gandhi has said that it is a crime to convert people by giving them education and some money. This is a big crime and we should never do that.
Every individual has got the right to make his own decision, and you cannot lure someone to change their religion.
Why do you want to convert others and change their religion? It is because you want your numbers to increase. And why do you want your number to increase? This is because you want to have political power.
You are converting people for politics, and to gain power; this is a nasty thing to do. God will not pardon you.
By converting, you are destroying a culture, you are destroying the demography of society. This should not happen, and we must put an end to this.
Saying, ‘My God is better than your God’, is actually another form of terrorism. In fact, it is the seed of terrorism. So, people who are trying to convert others, I would say that they are also doing the same job as a terrorist, but in disguise.