Page:An Essay On Hinduism.pdf/106

adoption thereof should open the doors of the community. This principle has not been accepted by Hindu society to any large extent. Mohamedans have followed this principle zealously, Christians are following it to a large extent, though nowadays they are showing a tendency to give this principle up. As Hindus do not uphold this principle generally, the question of a formal conversion to Hinduism does not exist.

Membership of Hindu society is not dependent on the opinion which a person may hold. It is a privilege restricted to those who are born of members. No amount of similarity of opinion would make an Englishman or a Frenchman a Hindu.

It should not be supposed that Hindus do not have a missionary zeal. They have it, and they display it. The missionary zeal of a Hindu is directed to propagate the ideas which they hold. If conversion simply means making other people hold the same ideas as one may hold, Hindus have made converts, are anxious to make converts, and will continue to make converts. But if conversion means extension of the membership of one's own social group, Hindus have not shown any great zeal, and are not likely to show such zeal for years to come.

Though Hindus have closed the doors of their own society to non-Hindus, there are many exceptions to that rule. The fact is that Hindus do not let anybody come in by the front door, but they do not have an objection if anybody comes in by the back door.

Under the empire of Hinduism there are a number of sampradāyas (religions) like Sikhism, Mahānubhāva sect, Ārya-samāja, Brāhmō-samāja and others, which make proselytes from peoples who are considered as outside the