I was just reading at CNN.com that Tony Blair has converted to Catholicism.
I don't remember ever having this discussion before so I thought I'd toss it out.
What's your feeling on conversion? Specifically, conversion brought on by marriage or a reason other than a personal change of heart?]
My feeling is that it's a crock. No offense intended but that's the best way I can put it. While I think there's room for growth and change in a faith, I just don't see how a person can "be" of one faith and then completely cash in those values and beliefs for something new. I especially have a problem with it when it's required or brought on by marriage. A cousin of mine who grew up Lutheran converted to Mormonism so she could marry her husband. They had a wedding at the Temple in Utah and she is very happy so I have an easier time accepting it now, but we truly thought she sold out her own beliefs and were upset about it for a long time especially after she had said she'd never do such a thing. To go from "I believe this" to "Oh I believe this other thing now" and to embrace that new faith as your own newly found personal identity smacks of fraud to me. That's my 50 cents.
What is yours?