Religious Conversion as a Resolution of Cognitive Dissonance Joshua Russo Written at Brown University, 2005 Conversion is a difficult topic to address. However, tackling conversion with an explanation through the theory of cognitive dissonance has not been adequately studied. Conversion, while undertaken for various reasons, will prove to successfully reduce the levels of dissonance of particular individuals. Using theory and case studies, inter-religious conversion truly will be seen as a complex method for effectively reducing the dissonance aroused by conflicting beliefs. A Definition of Conversion Conversion, in the sense we are using, is not the dramatic religious experience that is so often equated with an intense state of emotionalism. Often these experiences occur within the framework of one particular religion; or intra-religious conversion experiences. For the sake of this essay, we will focus solely on inter-religion conversions. We will operate under one set definition, with two working parts. While indeed this is the definition we employ, in no way is it a comprehensive definition of conversion. There are multiple types and forms of conversion and limited by the confines of this paper, we simply address one. Our definition, following the inclinations of W. H. Clark views conversion as a “break with a person’s past ideas, attitudes, values, or behavior, more generally all four of these, accompanied by intense feeling…” 1 Conversion, according to Clark, is simply the act of parting with one’s religion. While this point is indeed not contentious, it only provides a jumping point. According to George Coe, Clark’s definition of conversion is only half complete. Conversion is not only a renunciation of one’s religion, but also the acceptance of another religion. 2 Coe adds the second half of the moment of conversion to Clark’s definition. This is the focal point on which we center our definition of conversion; the moment when an individual leaves one faith and adheres to another. Conversion must involve both a renunciation of one set of beliefs and an acceptance of another. This bifurcated definition of conversion is backed by a steady interpretation of the concept of conversion in both the Old and New Testaments. Paul Tillich actively argues that the ancient Hebrew conception of conversion is to be translated as a “turning around”. Conversion is in essence “a reversal from to a turning to something”. It derives from the Hebrew word shub, and is found in over a thousand passages of the Old Testament including Psalm 19:7 (“the law of the Lord is perfect in converting the soul”) and Isaiah 1:27 (“Zion shall be redeemed with 1 W.H.Clark, “Intense Religious Experience”, pg. 531 2 George Coe, The Psychology of Religion, 152; 1917 1