Zoltan Rajki

Hungary

Conversions in Hungary after the Change of Regime

Summary

Interest in religion increased in Hungary in the years following the change of regime. I collected 75 interviews from people (from 12 churches) being converted during these years. The importance of personal relationship with God in conversions among interviewed people rose compared to the Bible's concept, while the role of repentance reduced. Conversion as getting free from sin or as accepting a dogmatic system is rather characteristic of some free churches. Some people connected their conversion to a concrete event; others described it as a process.

There is a relation between the conversion and upbringing. People educated both at home and in the church religiously did not leave their faith. The religiosity of their environment did not satisfy them; therefore they developed a deeper faith through reading the Bible and through participating in church meetings. Others left their faith but having felt their life empty, they returned to Christianity. People educated only in the church religiously broke off relation with their church after the confirmation and they started to search for "the truth" in their adulthood. Traditional church ceremonies often meant the starting point of returning for them. People brought up without religious education are the most open to make contact with new religious organizations and to change their denomination.

Interviewed peoples' motivation in their decision in favor of Christianity was finding objective truth, good community, high-standard services, recognizing their sinful life and Jesus' role as well as family traditions. Furthermore, there are differences in the ways and motivations of joining different denominations which relate to the character of their religious life and mission activity.

Key word: Conversion, Religiousness, Christianity, Mission