What exactly does it mean to convert to a new religion and why do so many people choose to do it? Seeking the answer to this very question, about 20 Penn students and Philadelphia residents came to the Newman Center Thursday night to hear Anthropology Professor Igor Kopytoff lecture on the varieties of religious conversion. Kopytoff, who received his doctorate from the University in 1960, mentioned some of the differences between the literature published about conversion and the real-life experiences of people who have actually converted. "[The literature I have been reading says that] conversion is something that occurs among individuals," Kopytoff said. "There is a change in some internal state." He added that he believes this approach is based on the modern state of thinking and Protestantism. "We are shrinking more and more into individualism," he said. "We tend to see religion as an individual choice. This view of religion? is much different than the view of religion in the world. "In Africa, they had somehow converted. They had converted from X to Y, from one thing to another," he added. Kopytoff also discussed the evolving role of prophets --or diviners -- throughout time. For example, diviners were once thought to be able to detect the presence of witches by using techniques as seemingly bizarre as forcing the suspects to drink poison. If the women threw it up, they were innocent. If they swallowed it, then they were found guilty. During the colonial period, Kopytoff said, "diviners were considered accessories to murder. The traditional system became unworkable. The diviner that was key is not believed any more. People look for a new system." The lecture was the last in a series of four sponsored by the Orthodox Christian Fellowship this semester. The OCF was formed three years ago in order to facilitate a receptive environment for the life of Orthodox Christian students, faculty and staff members. The lecture series brought various religious experts to speak to the Orthodox Christian community during the third Thursday of every month.
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