- List of people who converted to Christianity
-
Converts to Christianity 
C. S. Lewis • M. Fuchida • C. Soong • B. Jindal • M. Oufkir A. Gbaja-Biamila • G. K. Skanderbeg • E. N. Kusturica • C. S. Menem • Chamillionaire R. A. Yousef • G. Jellinek • The Apostle Paul • B. Dylan • T. Y. Boni F. P. B. Bok • Pocahontas • H. W. H. Pokai • L. Eiríksson • C. F. V. A. C. Augustus Total population 2,501,396 every year, according to the World Christian Encyclopedia[1]
Another estimate says in Africa, every year, 6 million people convert to Christianity[2].The following is a list of notable people who converted to Christianity from a different religion or no religion. This article addresses only past voluntary professions of faith by the individuals listed, and is not intended to address ethnic, cultural, or other considerations such as Marriage. Certain people listed here may be lapsed or former converts, or their current religious identity may be ambiguous, uncertain or disputed. Such cases are noted in their list entries.
From Abrahamic religions
From Islam
Mohammed Hegazy the first Egyptian Muslim convert to Christianity to seek official recognition of his conversion from the Egyptian Government.[6]
Italian journalist Magdi Allam converted to Roman Catholicism during the Vatican's 2008 Easter vigil service presided over by Pope Benedict XVI.[7]
Born into a Muslim Batak family, Indonesian Prime Minister Amir Sjarifuddin converted to Christianity in 1931, upon which his fervently Islamic mother committed suicide.[8]
A- Aslan Abashidze - leader of the Ajarian Autonomous Republic in western Georgia. Abashidze was born into a renowned Muslim Ajarian family, a branch of the Abashidze princely house.
- Mohammed Sheikh Abdiraman - a Somali convert to Christianity who was shot by al Shabaab members.[9]
- Ibrahim Abdullah - American former PLO terrorist.[10]
- Abo of Tiflis - Christian activist and the Patron Saint of the city of Tbilisi, Georgia.[3]
- Taysir Abu Saada - a former member of the PLO and the founder of the christian ministry Hope For Ishmael after he converted to christianity. He was Yasir Arafat's personal driver.[11][12]
- Abraham of Bulgaria - Martyr and saint of the Russian Orthodox Church.[13]
- Rotimi Adebari - a Nigerian-born Irish politician and the first black mayor in Ireland.
- St. Adolphus - Christian martyr who was put to death along with his brother, John, by Abd ar-Rahman II, Caliph of Córdoba for apostasy.[14]
- Mehmet Ali Ağca - Turkish born who attempt to murder Pope John Paul II in 1981. He became a Catholic during his time in prison.
- Bashir Musa Ahmed - a prominent leader for Christian-Muslim understanding in eastern Ethiopia, was arrested and jailed May 23, 2009 for "malicious" distribution of Bibles, but still has not been formally charged.[15]
- Al-Mu'eiyyad - Abbasid prince and third son of Abbasid caliph, Al-Mutawakkil. He was converted to Christianity along with his three confidants by St. Theodore of Edessa, accepting the name "John" upon baptism.[16][17]
- Jabalah ibn al-Aiham - last ruler of the Ghassanid state in Syria and Jordan in the seventh century AD. After the Islamic conquest of Levant he converted to Islam in AD 638. He reverted to Christianity later on and lived in Anatolia until he died in AD 645.[18]
- Daniel Ali- Iraqi Kurdish Christian author, speaker and Islamic scholar; evangelizes in Catholic, Protestant and Messianic Jewish circles.[19][20]
- Ibrahim Ben Ali - a soldier, physician and one of the earliest American settlers of Turkish origin.
- Amina Muse Ali - a Somali convert to Christianity who were shot by al Shabaab members.[9]
- Mohammed Ahmed Ali - a Somali convert to Christianity who were murdered by al Shabaab members.[21]
- Magdi Allam (baptized as Magdi Cristiano Allam) - Italy's most famous Islamic affairs journalist.[7]
- Zachariah Anani - former Sunni Muslim Lebanese militia fighter [22]
- Hussain Andaryas - Afghan Christian activist and tele-evangelist.[23]
- Matthew Ashimolowo - Nigerian-born British pastor and evangelist.[24]
- Aurelius and Natalia - Christian martyrs who were put to death during the reign of Abd ar-Rahman II, Caliph of Córdoba for apostasy.[25]
- Maria Aurora of Spiegel - born as Fatima, mistress of Augustus II of Saxony
- Johannes Avetaranian - (born Muhammad Shukri Efendi), Christian missionary and Turkish descendant of Prophet Muhammad.[26]
B
- Josephine Bakhita - Roman Catholic saint from Darfur, Sudan.[27]
- Sarah Balabagan - a Filipina prisoner in the United Arab Emirates during 1994 - 96 whose case caused a good deal of controversy.
- Fathima Rifqa Bary - a young woman of Sri Lankan descent who drew international attention in 2009 when, at age 16, she ran away from her Ohio home saying that her Muslim parents are going to kill her for becoming a Christian.
- Sheikh Ahmed Barzani - Head of Barzani Tribe in Iraqi Kurdistan and older brother of Mustafa Barzani, Kurdish nationalist leader. He announced his conversion to Christianity in 1931 during the anti-government uprising.[28]
- Simeon Bekbulatovich - Khan of Qasim Khanate.[29]
- Alexander Bekovich-Cherkassky - Russian officer of Circassian origin who led the first Russian military expedition into Central Asia.[30]
- Francis Bok - Sudanese-American activist, convert to Islam from Christianity; but later returned to his Christian faith.[31]
- Jean-Bédel Bokassa - Central African Republic Emperor (from Christianity to Islam back to Christianity).[32]
- Dr.Thomas Yayi Boni - President of Benin.[33]
- Sayed Borhan khan - Khan of Qasim Khanate from 1627 to 1679.[29]
C
- Casilda of Toledo - venerated as a saint of the Catholic Church. According to her legend, St. Casilda, a daughter of a Muslim king of Toledo (called Almacrin or Almamun), showed special kindness to Christian prisoners by carrying bread hidden in her clothes to feed them.
- George XI of Kartli - ruled Kartli, eastern Georgia.
- Djibril Cissé - French soccer player of Ivorian descent.[34]
- Hansen Clarke - the U.S. Representative for Michigan's 13th congressional district.[35]
- Eldridge Cleaver - Author, prominent American civil rights leader, and key member of the Black Panther Party. He converted to Mormonism.[36][37]
- Constantine the African - Baghdad-educated Muslim who died in 1087 as a Christian monk at Monte Cassino.[38][39]
D
- Nonie Darwish - Egyptian American writer and public speaker.[4]
- Sedar Dedeoglu - a Turk who claims to be a descendant of Islam's prophet Muhammad has converted to Christianity while living in Germany.[40]
- Hassan Dehqani-Tafti - Anglican Bishop of Iran from 1961 to 1990.[41]
- Mehdi Dibaj - Iranian pastor and Christian activist.[42]
- Momolu Dukuly - politician in Liberia. He left Islam and embraced Christianity before he became foreign minister [37].
E
- Bahaa el-Din Ahmed Hussein el-Akkad - an Egyptian former Muslim sheikh. For more than 20 years, el-Akkad was a member of the fundamentalist Islamic group Da'wa el Tabligh, which actively proselytized non-Muslims but strictly opposed violence. He also led a mosque community in Al-Haram, in the Giza area adjacent to Cairo. In 1994, he published, Islam: the Religion, a 500-page book reviewing the traditional beliefs and dogmas of Islam. He late became disillusioned with Islam and began to question certain Islamic tenets. A theological discourse with a Christian led him to conduct an intensive study of Christian Scripture, after which he converted to Christianity in January 2005.[citation needed]
- Estevanico - Berber originally from Morocco and one of the early explorers of the Southwestern United States.[43]
- Gulshan Esther - Pakistani convert from Islam to Christianity.[44]
F
- Nurta Mohamed Farah - A 17-year-old girl in Somalia who converted to Christianity from Islam was shot to death in an apparent "honor killing," possibly by her own relatives.[45]
- Donald Fareed - Iranian Christian tele-evangelist and minister.[46]
- Jacob Frank - 18th century Jewish religious leader who claimed to be the reincarnation of the self-proclaimed messiah Sabbatai Zevi, and also of King David. Frank publicly converted to Islam in 1757 and later to Christianity at Poland in 1759, but actually presented himself as the Messiah of a syncretic derivation of Shabbatai Zevi's Messianism now referred to as Frankism.[47]
G
- Mark A. Gabriel- Egyptian Islamic scholar and writer[48]
- Daveed Gartenstein-Ross- Counter-terrorism expert and attorney (from Judaism to Islam to Christianity).[49][50]
- Akbar Gbaja-Biamila - American football player.[5][51]
- Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila - an American football defensive end who was drafted by the Green Bay Packers and is currently a free agent.
- Maher el-Gowhary and Dina el-Gowhary - an Egyptian and his 15 year old daughter Dina who were constantly under threat, always on the run because they converted to Christianity in a largely Muslim country. Born Muslims they chose to convert to the Christian Church after both claim they had religious visions.[52]
- Ruffa Gutierrez - Filipina actress, model and former beauty queen (from Christianity to Islam back to Christianity)[53]
H
- Umar ibn Hafsun - Leader of anti-Ummayad dynasty forces in southern Iberia. Hafsun converted to Christianity with his sons and ruled over several mountain valleys for nearly forty years, having the castle Bobastro as his residence.[54]
- Naveed Afzal Haq - Pakistani American charged for the July 2006 Seattle Jewish Federation shooting. He converted to Christianity in December, 2005 but reverted to Islam by the time of the shooting.[55]
- Mohammed Hegazy - First Egyptian Muslim convert to Christianity to seek official recognition of his conversion from the Egyptian Government. Threats force Egyptian convert to hide, MAGGIE MICHAEL, Associated Press Writer Sat August 11,[6]
- Aben Humeya - (born Fernando de Valor) Morisco Chief who was crowned the Emir of Andalusia by his followers and led the Morisco Revolt against Philip II of Spain.[56]
- Mariam Muhina Hussein - a Somali convert to Christianity who was murdered by al Shabaab members after discovering she had six Bibles.[9]
I
- Tunch Ilkin - former American football player.[57]
- Nagla al-Imam - the prominent Egyptian lawyer and women's rights activist who announced her conversion to Christianity in Cairo. The announcement brought shock waves in and beyond Egypt. This is perhaps the first case ever of its kind, where a Muslim woman, who is also a Sharia expert, has openly challenged Islamic apostasy laws from within the Muslim world. [58]
- Qadry Ismail - former American football player.[59]
- Raghib Ismail - former American football player.[60]
J
- Ubayd-Allah ibn Jahsh - Brother of Zaynab bint Jahsh, the wife of Prophet Muhammad and one of the male Sahaba (companions of the Prophet).[61]
- Esther John - a Pakistani Christian nurse.[62] She is counted in ten most famous Christian martyrs of the present day.
- Lina Joy - Malaysian convert to Christianity. The desire to have her conversion recognized was the subject of a court case in Malaysia.[63]
- Don Juan of Persia - a late 16th and early 17th century figure in Iran and Spain. He settled in Spain where he became a Roman Catholic.
K
- Alexander Kazembek - Russian Orientalist, historian and philologist of Azeri origin .[64]
- Mathieu Kérékou- President of Benin (from Christianity to Islam back to Christianity).[65]
- Omar Khalafe - a Somali convert to Christianity who was shot by al Shabaab members.[9]
- Kitty Kirkpatrick - born in India and brought up as Shia Muslim.
- Emir Kusturica - Bosnian Serb filmmaker and actor.[66][67]
L
- Imad ud-din Lahiz - Prolific Islamic writer, preacher and Qur'anic translator.[68]
- Fernão Lopez - first known permanent inhabitant of the remote Island of Saint Helena in the South Atlantic Ocean.
- Dr. Nur Luke - Uyghur Bible translator.[69]
- Kazi Quamrunnessa Luna - a Bangladeshi convert to Christianity after she attended Hindu temples and several churches. Luna met Pastor James Roy – of the Missouri Lutheran Church – with whom she embarked on a spiritual path. [70]
M
- Fadhma Aït Mansour - Mother of French writers Jean Amrouche and Taos Amrouche.[71]
- Sake Dean Mahomed - an Indian traveller, surgeon and entrepreneur who introduced the Indian take-away curry house restaurant in Britain, and was the first Indian to have written a book in the English language.
- Josef Mässrur - (born Ghäsim Khan) missionary to Chinese Turkestan with the Mission Union of Sweden.[72]
- Ahmed Matan - a Somali convert to Christianity who was shot by al Shabaab members.[9]
- Carlos Menem - former President of Argentina. Raised a Muslim but converted to Roman Catholicism, a constitutional requirement for accessing the presidency until 1994.[73]
- Majeed Rashid Mohammed - a Kurdish Christian convert from Islam. He established a network with former Kurdish Muslims with about 2,000 members today.[74]
- Issa Motamedi Mojdehi - an Iranian converted to Christianity who was jailed for abandoning Islam but officially charged with illegal drug trafficking.[75]
- St. George El Mozahem - A coptic saint[76][77][78]
- Yadegar Mokhammad of Kazan - was the last khan of Kazan Khanate (1552).
- Yadegar Moxammat of Kazan - Last khan of Kazan Khanate.[29]
- Muhsin Muhammad - current American football player for the Carolina Panthers, raised in a Muslim household, later converted to Christianity.[79]
- Paul Mulla - Turkish scholar and professor of Islamic Studies at the Pontifical Oriental Institute.[80]
- Shoaib Assadullah Musawi - an Afghan convert to Christianity who was jailed since November 2010 after being accused of giving the New Testament to a friend, who then turned him in.[81]
- Sayed Mussa - an Afghan convert to Christianity who had his journey from Islam to Christianity: his secret baptism nine years earlier, his faith in Jesus Christ and the promise of heaven. He was arrested in May 2010 for apostasy secretly but was released in Kabul on February 21, 2011 after the judges had found that there was insufficient material to pursue the charges.[82]
N
- Marina Nemat - Canadian author of Iranian descent and former political prisoner of the Iranian government. Born into a Christian family, she converted to Islam in order to avoid execution but later reverted to Christianity.[83]
- Noor Nishan - a Sri Lankan American woman who under a fatwa, a public threat of death pronounced by the father, escaped and successfully won a decision in a state court against a forced arranged marriage by her parents.[84]
- Nunilo and Alodia - a pair of child martyrs from Huesca. Born of a mixed marriage, they eschewed the Islam of their father in favour of their mother's Christianity.
O
- Malika Oufkir - Moroccan writer, daughter of General Mohamed Oufkir, and former prisoner of King Hassan II of Morocco.
P
- Shams Pahlavi - Iranian princess and the elder sister of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, Shah of Iran.[85]
- Hamid Pourmand - former Iranian army colonel and lay leader of the Jama'at-e Rabbani, the Iranian branch of the Assemblies of God church in Iran.[86]
R
- Abdul Rahman - Afghan convert to Christianity who escaped the death penalty because of foreign pressure.[87]
- Dr. Muhammed Rahoumy (now Dr. Samuel Paul) - A former President of Suzanne Mubarak Center for Culture, Arts and teacher at the University of Minya. He was accused of theft and embezzlement and was sentenced to life with hard labor by Minya Criminal Court in 17/11/2001 [88]
- Stefan Razvan - Gypsy prince who ruled Moldavia for six months in 1595.[89]
- Emily Ruete - (born Sayyida Salme) Princess of Zanzibar and Oman.[90][91][92]
- Ibrahim Rugova - an Albanian politician who was the first President of Kosovo and of its leading political party, the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) is rumored to have converted to Christianity just before his death in January 2006.[93]
S
- Nazli Sabri - Queen consort of Egypt.[94][95]
- Begum Samru - Powerful lady of north India, ruling a large area from Sardhana, Uttar Pradesh.[96]
- Shaymaa Muhammad al-Sayed - now known as Maryan Eleya Saleeb, an Egyptian woman whose family members openly threatened to kill her for leaving Islam to become a Christian. [97]
- James Scurry - a British soldier and statesman.
- Mohamed Alí Seineldín - a former Argentine army colonel who participated in two failed coup attempts against the democratically elected governments of both President Raúl Alfonsín and President Carlos Menem in 1988 and 1990.[98]
- Hakeem Seriki (AKA Chamillionaire) - American rapper[99][100]
- The Sibirsky family - The foremost of many Genghisid (Shaybanid) noble families formerly living in Russia.[101]
- The Shihab family - prominent Lebanese noble family who originally belonged to Sunni Islam and converted to Christianity at the end of the 18th century[102]
- Walid Shoebat - American author and former member of the PLO.[103]
- Nasir Siddiki - Canadian evangelist, author, and business consultant.[104]
- Amir Sjarifuddin - Indonesian socialist leader who later became the prime minister of Indonesia during its National Revolution.[8]
- Skanderbeg - Albanian military leader. Skanderbeg converted to Islam from Christianity but reverted back to Christianity later in life.[105]
- Rudolf Carl von Slatin - Anglo-Austrian soldier and administrator in the Sudan.[106]
- Hossein Soodmand - executed for apostasy. Although born a Muslim, by 1989 Hossein had been a Christian for 25 years.
- Patrick Sookhdeo - British Anglican canon[107]
T
- Hakan Tastan and Turan Topal - Two Turkish Christian converts who went on trial in 2006, on charges of "allegedly insulting 'Turkishness' and inciting religious hatred against Islam".[108]
- Maria Temryukovna - a Circassian princess, and second wife to Ivan IV of Russia who was born in a Muslim upbringing, and baptised into the Russian Orthodox Church on August 21, 1561.[109]
- Ghorban Tourani - former Iranian Sunni Muslim who became a Christian minister. Following multiple murder threats, he was abducted and murdered on November 22, 2005.[110]
U
- Utameshgaray of Kazan - Khan of Kazan Khanate.[29]
W
- George Weah - Liberian soccer player (from Christianity to Islam back to Christianity).[111]
- George Weah, Jr. - Liberian American footballer who plays for FC Wohlen.[112]
Y
- Mosab Hassan Yousef - son of a Hamas leader.[113]
- Mumin Abdikarim Yusuf - a Somali convert to Christianity.[9]
- Ramzi Yousef - Al Qaeda member and the main participant in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing and The Bojinka plot.[114][115]
Z
- Zaida of Seville - a refugee Muslim princess who became queen of Alfonso VI of Castile.
- Saye Zerbo - President of the republic of Upper Volta (now Burkina Faso) [116]
From Judaism
The Jewish Encyclopedia gives some statistics on conversion of Jews to Protestantism, Roman Catholicism, and Orthodox Christianity (which it calls "Greek Catholicism").[117] Some 2,000 European Jews converted to Christianity every year during the 19th century, but in the 1890s the number was running closer to 3,000 per year, — 1,000 in Austria Hungary (Galizian Poland), 1,000 in Russia (Poland, Belarus, Ukraine, and Lithuania), 500 in Germany (Posen), and the remainder in the English world.
- The Apostle Paul - As a Pharisee (a Judaic leader), Saul of Tarsus was an enemy of the Church and a persecutor of its believers. A vision while traveling left him temporarily blind and led him to become one of the most prominent Christians (Act 9:5) and author of many New Testament epistles.[118]
- Abd-al-Masih (martyr) - a convert martyred for his faith [119]
- Michael Solomon Alexander - first Anglican Bishop of Jerusalem[120]
- Petrus Alphonsi - physician in ordinary to King Alfonso VI of Castile[121]
- Juan Alfonso de Baena - medieval Castilian troubadour[122]
- Lovisa Augusti- opera singer and actress.[123]
- Eduard Bendemann - German painter[124]
- Sir Julius Benedict - English composer[124]
- Leo de Benedicto Christiano - medieval financier[125]
- Theodor Benfey - German philologist[124]
- David Berkowitz - American serial killer [126]
- Michael Bernays - German professor of literature[124]
- Gottfried Bernhardy - German philologist and literary historian[124]
- Ludwig Börne - German political writer and satirist[124]
- John Braham - English tenor opera star[124]
- Moritz Wilhelm August Breidenbach - German jurist[124]
- Julius Friedrich Cohnheim - German pathologist[124]
- Isaac da Costa - Dutch language poet[124]
- Abraham Capadose - Dutch physician and writer; friend of Isaac da Costa[124]
- Carl Paul Caspari - Norwegian theologian[124]
- Jehuda Cresques - Catalan cartographer[127]
- Ferdinand David - German virtuoso violinist and composer[124]
- Ludwig Dessoir - German actor[124]
- Benjamin Disraeli - British Prime Minister and leader of the Conservative Party in the 19th century[128]
- Alfred Döblin - German expressionist novelist[129]
- Bob Dylan - popular musician who converted to Christianity in 1979.[130] He later began studying with Chabad, a branch of Hasidic Judaism,[131] though his current religious affiliation is uncertain. See also information on Dylan's Conversion to Christianity, Born-again period and Religious beliefs.
- Alfred Edersheim - Biblical scholar[124]
- Rachel Felix - French-Swiss theatre actress[124]
- Pero Ferrús - Castilian poet[132]
- Achille Fould - French financier and politician[124]
- Jacob Frank - 18th century Jewish reformer[133]
- The Reverend Canon Dr Giles Fraser - Christian minister and former Canon Chancellor of St Paul's Cathedral
- Heinrich von Friedberg - German jurist and statesman[134]
- Ludwig Friedländer - German philologist[124]
- Arnold Fruchtenbaum - Founder of Ariel Ministries [135]
- Eduard Gans - German philosopher and jurist, exponent of the conservative Right Hegelians[136]
- Hermann Mayer Salomon Goldschmidt - German astronomer and painter[124]
- Heinrich Heine - German writer[124]
- Friedrich Gustav Jakob Henle - German physician, pathologist and anatomist[124]
- Jorge Isaacs - Colombian writer, politician and soldier[137]
- Heinrich Jacoby - German educator[124]
- Georg Jellinek - German legal philosopher[138]
- Paul S. L. Johnson - American scholar and pastor[139]
- David Kalisch - German playwright and humorist[124]
- Felix Philipp Kanitz - Austro-Hungarian naturalist, geographer, ethnographer, archaeologist and author of travel notes[140]
- Andrew Klavan - filmmaker and novelist [141]
- Leopold Kronecker - German mathematician and logician[124]
- Hermann Lebert - German physician[124]
- Karl Lehrs - German classical scholar[142]
- Osip Mikhailovich Lerner - 19th century Russian intellectual and lawyer[143]
- Fanny Lewald - German author[124]
- Tsaritsa Theodora of Bulgaria - Wife of tsar Ivan Alexander, tsaritsa in the late Second Bulgarian Empire
- Jean-Marie Lustiger- Cardinal, former Archbishop of Paris [144]
- Heinrich Gustav Magnus - German chemist and physicist[124]
- Ludwig Immanuel Magnus - German mathematician[124]
- Gustav Mahler - Composer (1860–1911)[145]
- Hugh Montefiore - Anglican Bishop of Birmingham from 1977 to 1987
- Robert Moses - politician and "master builder" of 20th century New York City
- Felix Mendelssohn - composer (1809–1847)[124]
- Karl Friedrich Neumann - German orientalist[124]
- Robert Novak - Raised in secular Jewish culture,[146] he converted to Catholicism in May 1998 after his prolific career as a journalist, columnist, and political commentator.[147]
- Harry Frederick Oppenheimer - South African businessman[148]
- Francis Palgrave - English historian[124]
- Corey Pavin - PGA golfer[149]
- Johannes Pfefferkorn - German theologian and writer[124]
- Friedrich Adolf Philippi - German Lutheran theologian[124]
- Howard Phillips - Prominent American conservative leader and former presidential candidate
- Lorenzo Da Ponte - Italian librettist[124]
- Harry Reems - Adult film actor.[150]
- David Ricardo - English political economist[124]
- Hyman Rickover - a former admiral in USA navy
- Gillian Rose - British philosopher and sociologist[151]
- Moishe Rosen — Founder of Jews for Jesus[152]
- Anton Rubinstein — Russian pianist, composer, and conductor[124]
- Samuel Isaac Joseph Schereschewsky — Episcopal Bishop of Shanghai, founder of Saint John's University, Shanghai, bible translator[153]
- Martin Eduard von Simson — German jurist and politician[124]
- Dan Spitz - lead guitarist of the heavy metal band Anthrax[154]
- Friedrich Julius Stahl — Prussian jurist and conservative thinker[124]
- Edith Stein - Nun, martyr, saint.[155]
- Siegbert Tarrasch — Challenger for the World Chess Championship [156]
- Mordechai Vanunu — considered a whistle-blower on Israel's nuclear programme who was subsequently kidnapped, tried and imprisoned by Israel.[157]
- Rahel Varnhagen (born Rahel Levin) - writer and saloniste[158]
- Simone Weil — French philosopher and activist [159]
- Otto Weininger — Austrian philosopher[160]
- Joseph Wolff — German missionary[124]
- Sir Moses Ximenes — 18th century English merchant[124]
- David Levy Yulee - United States Senator from Florida[161]
- Efrem Zimbalist, Jr. - American actor[162][163][164]
- Israel Zolli - former Chief Rabbi of Rome[165]
From Rastafari movement
- Bob Marley - Jamaican reggae singer[166][167]
- Judy Mowatt - Jamaican reggae singer [168]
- Papa San - Jamaican reggae singer [169]
From Dharmic religions
From Buddhism
- David Yonggi Cho - Korean Christian leader; Senior Pastor of the Yoido Full Gospel Church.[170]
- Mitsuo Fuchida - Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service Captain noted for involvement in the attack on Pearl Harbor. He later became a Christian evangelist.[171][172]
- Jaruvan Maintaka - Auditor-General of the Kingdom of Thailand[173]
- Chieko N. Okazaki - Relief Society counselor (convert to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints)[174]
- Talduwe Somarama - former Buddhist monk and assassin.[175]
- Charlie Soong - Chinese missionary[176]
- Paul Williams - a professor in Indian Religions at the University of Bristol, England. Williams was a Buddhist for many years but has since converted to Roman Catholicism.[177]
From Hinduism
- Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy - former CM of Andhra Pradesh.
- Tal Brooke (former follower of Sathya Sai Baba)- Christian apologist[178]
- Jayasudha - South Indian actress.[179]
- Sister Nirmala - succeeded Mother Teresa as Superior General of the Missionaries of Charity in March 1997.[180]
- Pandita Ramabai - Indian Social Reformer[181]
- Krishna Pal - First Indian convert to Christianity due to the missionary activity of William Carey; Subsequently preached the gospel for 20 years, before his passing [38]
- Ramesh Ponuru - Writer and Editor for conservative magazine National Review [182]
- Michael Madhusudan Dutt - Great Bengali poet [39]
- Gnanendramohan Tagore - First Asian to be called to the bar in England
- Krishna Mohan Banerjee - Prominent educator, linguist, and missionary
- Lal Behari Dey - Highly respected Bengali journalist and writer; author of the award-winning tract The falsity of the Hindu Religion
- Anak Agung Pandji Tisna - A novelist, writer, former king of Buleleng, Bali [183]
- Rabi Maharaj - former Brahmin guru; Founder of East/West Gospel Ministries and bestselling author of Death of a Guru: A Remarkable True Story of one Man's Search for Truth[184] [40]
- Bobby Jindal - Current Louisiana governor[185]
- Anand Mahadevan - Editor of Outlook Business[186]
From Sikhism
- Nimrata Nikki Randhawa Haley - Governor of South Carolina [187]
- Bakht Singh - Indian Christian [188]
- Duleep Singh - Maharajah of Punjab (later re-initiated into Sikhism in 1886).[189]
- Gurmit Singh – Singaporean actor of Indian, Chinese and Japanese descent known for his role in Phua Chu Kang as the title character.
- Sadhu Sundar Singh – Indian Christian [190]
From agnosticism or atheism
- Steve Beren - former member of the Socialist Workers Party (United States) who became a Christian conservative politician.[191]
- Anders Borg - Sweden's Minister for Finance.[192]
- Kirk Cameron - Actor, star of Growing Pains (former atheist)[193]
- Bruce Cockburn - Canadian folk/rock guitarist and singer/songwriter. (former agnostic)[194]
- Francis Collins - physician-geneticist, noted for his landmark discoveries of disease genes, and the director of the National Human Genome Research Institute (former atheist)[195]
- Larry Flynt - American publisher and pornographer; briefly converted under the auspice of Ruth Carter Stapleton.[196]
- Bo Giertz - Swedish Confessional Lutheran Bishop, theologian, and writer (former atheist).[197]
- Joy Gresham - American writer and wife of C. S. Lewis (former atheist)[198]
- Anna Haycraft - Raised in Auguste Comte's atheistic "church of humanity", but became a conservative Catholic in adulthood.[199]
- Ignace Lepp - French psychiatrist whose parents were freethinkers and who joined the Communist party at age fifteen. He broke with the party in 1937 and eventually became a Catholic priest.[200]
- Félix Leseur - Doctor turned priest. His conversion, in part, came by efforts of his wife who was declared a Servant of God by the Catholic Church.[201]
- Khang Khek Leu (also known as Comrade Duch) - Cambodian director of Phnom Penh's infamous Tuol Sleng detention center[202]
- C. S. Lewis - Oxford professor and writer; well known for The Chronicles of Narnia series, and for his apologetic Mere Christianity.[203]
- Shelley Lubben - former pornographic actress, current author and Executive Director of the Pink Cross Foundation, anti-pornography activist.[204]
- Gabriel Marcel - French philosopher and playwright (former agnostic).[205]
- Norma McCorvey - "Jane Roe" in Roe v. Wade[206]
- Alister McGrath - Biochemist and Christian theologian. Founder of 'Scientific theology' and critic of Richard Dawkins in his book Dawkins' God: Genes, Memes, and the Meaning of Life [207]
- Czesław Miłosz - Nobel prize winning poet
- Nina Karin Monsen - a Norwegian moral philosopher and author who grew up in a humanist family, but later convert to Christianity through philosophic thinking.[208]
- The Montagnards - the Vietnamese hill-tribe minorities, traditionally animist, but have been converted to Christianity in large numbers since the mid-20th century. [209]
- Crissy Moran - former pornographic actress and current anti-pornography activist.[210]
- Lacey Mosley - Vocalist and lyricist for Alternative metal band Flyleaf.[211]
- William J. Murray - author and son of atheist activist Madalyn Murray O'Hair[212]
- Bernard Nathanson Medical doctor who was a founding member of NARAL, later becoming a Pro-Life proponent.[213]
- Marvin Olasky - former Marxist turned Christian conservative, he edits the Christian World magazine.[214][215]
- Enoch Powell - Conservative Party (UK) member who converted to Anglicanism.[216]
- George R. Price - Geneticist who became an Evangelical Christian and wrote about the New Testament. Later he moderated his evangelistic tendencies and switched from religious writing to working with the homeless.[217][218]
- Dame Cicely Saunders - Templeton Prize and Conrad N. Hilton Humanitarian Prize winning nurse known for palliative care. She converted to Christianity as a young woman.[219]
- Edith Stein - Phenomenologist philosopher who converted to Catholicism and became a Discalced Carmelite nun; declared a saint by John Paul II.[220]
- Peter Steele - Lead singer of Type O Negative.[221]
- Lee Strobel - Author of The Case for Christ (former atheist)[222]
- Allen Tate - American poet, essayist and social commentator, and Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress.[223]
- Evelyn Waugh - British writer (former agnostic).[224]
- Fay Weldon - British novelist and feminist.[225]
- Monty White - British Young Earth Creationist (former atheist)[226]
- John C. Wright - Science fiction author.[227]
- Nicko McBrain - Michael Henry best known as "Nicko" McBrain, drummer for Iron Maiden heavy metal band.
Other
From Cao Dai
- Phan Thị Kim Phúc - Subject of a Pulitzer Prize winning photograph by "Nick" Ut,[228] she now heads a fund for children victims of war.[229]
From Confucianism or traditional Chinese/East Asian religions
Note: It is debated whether Confucianism is a religion and some Confucians who became Christians considered themselves to remain Confucian in philosophy.
- Hong Sa-ik - a Korean-Japanese World War II General who was executed for war crimes after the war.[230]
- Heup Young Kim - Theologian and member of the International Society for Science and Religion[231]
- Nakamura Masanao - Member of the Meirokusha who was baptized, largely retained the Confucian ideals that were compatible with Christianity.[232]
- Xi Shengmo - Chinese Christian leader.[233]
- Hong Sa-ik - a Korean-Japanese World War II General who was executed for war crimes after the war.[230]
- Heup Young Kim - Theologian and member of the International Society for Science and Religion[231]
- Nakamura Masanao - Member of the Meirokusha who was baptized, largely retained the Confucian ideals that were compatible with Christianity.[232]
- Xi Shengmo - Chinese Christian leader.[233]
From Paganism
Paganism is a term which, from a Western perspective, has come to connote a broad set of spiritual or cultic practices or beliefs of any folk religion, and of historical and contemporary polytheistic religions in particular.
While the term has historically been used to denote adherents of any non-Abrahamic faith, for the purposes of this list, only adherents of non-major polytheistic, shamanistic, pantheistic, or animistic religions will be listed in this section.
British Isles/Celtic/Germanic (excluding Norse) paganism
- Aebbe the Elder - Scottish monastic founder.[234]
- Saint Alban - first Christian martyr in Britain.[235]
- Cenwalh of Wessex - King of Wessex.[236]
- Constantine of Cornwall - 6th century king of Dumnonia.[citation needed]
- Saint Constantine of Strathclyde - King of Strathclyde, and later abbot of Rahan.[237]
- Cynegils - Anglo-Saxon king of the West Saxons.[238]
- Raedwald of East Anglia - King of East Anglia from about AD 599 to about AD 625.[239]
- Sigeberht of East Anglia - King of East Anglia from AD 631 to 634.[240]
- Riderch Hael - King of Strathclyde who established the first See of Strathclyde at Glasgow.[241]
- Ethelbert of Kent - King of Kent.[242]
- Clovis I - early king of the Franks.[243]
- Peada of Mercia - King of southern Mercia; helped found the monastery at Peterborough.[244]
- Leonard of Noblac - Frankish noble in the court of Clovis I.[245]
- Edwin of Northumbria - King of Deira and Bernicia.[citation needed]
- Rumwold - legendary "infant saint".[246]
- Saint Bavo - Frankish eremitic monk who lived during the Dark Ages.[247]
Norse paganism
- Leif Ericson - Icelandic Viking explorer.[248]
- Guthrum of East Anglia - King of the Danish Vikings in the Danelaw.[249]
- Rollo of Normandy - Founder of Viking province of Normandy.[250]
- Saint Olaf - King of Norway.[251]
- Rorik of Dorestad - Danish Viking leader.[252]
Graeco-Roman Paganism
- Saint Apollonius - 2nd century Roman Senator, Christian apologist and martyr.[253]
- Coelia Concordia - last Roman Vestal Virgin.[254]
- Commodianus - Latin poet; first practiced Judaism, and later converted to Christianity.[255]
- Constantine I (the Great) - Roman Emperor who legalized Christianity in the Edict of Milan in 313.[256]
- Pertinax of Byzantium - Bishop of Byzantium from 169 until his death in 187.[257]
- Athenagoras of Athens - philosopher and early Christian apologist.[258]
- Dionysius the Pseudo-Areopagite - judge of the Areopagus and early Bishop of Athens.[259]
- Saint Eustace - early Christian who was martyred, with his family, in a brazen bull.[260]
- Evodius - early Bishop of Antioch who (according to tradition) first called the disciples of Christ "Christians".[261]
- Gaius Marius Victorinus - Roman philosopher.[262]
- Honoratus - former Archbishop of Arles.[263]
- Pancras of Rome - early Roman Christian martyr.[264]
- Saint Pantaleon (Panteleimon) - early Christian physician and martyr.[265]
- Saint Cyriacus - early Christian saint.[266]
- Saint Julius the Veteran - early Christian martyr.[267]
- Sabinian of Troyes - Christian martyr.[268]
- Tertullian - Author and apologist; coined the Latin term for 'Trinity.'
- Lactantius - early Christian author.[269]
- Theophilus of Antioch - early Patriarch of Antioch.[270]
- Justin Martyr - early Christian apologist.[271]
- Polycarp - early Christian bishop.[272]
Egyptian paganism
- Horapollo - leader of the few remaining pagan schools of Menouthis during Emperor Zeno's reign (474-491) who converted to Christianity after being tortured.[273]
Mideastern and Arabian paganism
- Waraqah ibn Nawfal - Parental cousin of Khadija, Prophet Muhammad's first wife.[274]
- Rabbula - early Bishop of Edessa.[275]
African traditional religions
- Charles Atangana - paramount chief of the Ewondo and Bane ethnic groups in Cameroon; first Ewondo to be baptised.[276]
- Francis Arinze - Nigerian Roman Catholic cardinal.[277]
- Félix Houphouët-Boigny - first President of Côte d'Ivoire.
- Samuel Ajayi Crowther - first African Anglican bishop in Nigeria.[278]
- Jomo Kenyatta - first Prime Minister and President of Kenya.[279]
- Bernard Mizeki - African Christian missionary and martyr.[280]
- Nzinga of Ndongo and Matamba - Queen of Ndongo and Matamba in the 16th century.[281]
- Ranavalona II - Queen of Madagascar.[282]
- Joseph Shabalala - lead singer, founder and musical director of Ladysmith Black Mambazo.[283]
North American or Inuit
- Gelelemend - A prominent Lenape convert to the Moravian Church.
- Samson Occom - Mohegan minister.[284]
- Pocahontas - Native American celebrity in 17th century London.[285]
- Helen Kalvak - Inuit artist from Ulukhaktok, Northwest Territories, Canada.[286]
New Zealand and Pacific Islands traditional religions
- Hone Heke - Māori chief and war leader in New Zealand.[287]
- Queen Kaʻahumanu - Hawaiian monarch, wife of Kamehameha I.[288]
- Tāmati Wāka Nene - Māori chief who fought as an ally of the British in the Flagstaff War.[289]
European paganism (generic)
- Saint Barbara - Orthodox Christian martyr.[119]
Eastern European/ Slavic paganism
- Borivoj I of Bohemia - Duke of Bohemia (852/853 - 888/889).[290]
- Boris I of Bulgaria - Bulgarian ruler and monk.[291]
- Saint Ludmila - Orthodox Christian saint and martyr.[292]
- Jogaila - former King of Poland and Duke of Lithuania.[293]
- Vladimir I of Kiev - Grand Prince of Kiev.[294], the Baptiser of Russian Lands, Equal to Apostles
From Manichaeism
From Zoroastrianism
- Mar Abba I, Metropolitan bishop and saint of the Assyrian Church of the East[119]
From Satanism
- Bartolo Longo - Italian satanic priest who converted to Catholicism, became a lay Dominican and founded a lay prayer society. On October 26, 1980 he was beatified by Pope John Paul II, who called him the "Apostle of the Rosary" and mentioned him specifically in his encyclical letter "Rosarium Virginis Mariae" (The Rosary of the Virgin Mary).
- Jeffrey Dahmer - American serial killer and cannibal. Dahmer dabbled in Satanism before his arrest,[296] but later converted to Christianity while in prison.[297]
- Sean Sellers - American murderer.[298]
Undetermined former religion
- Jin Au-Yeung - a Chinese-American hip hop rapper, songwriter and actor. Became a born again Christian in 2008.[299]
- Spencer Chamberlain - Lead vocalist of the Christian metalcore band Underoath, was not raised in a religious home.[300]
- Tony Fontane - popular recording artist in the 1940s and 1950s[301]
- René Girard - philosophical anthropologist[302]
- Brian Welch - former Korn guitarist
- Neal Morse - Progressive rock musician
- Nicko McBrain - Iron Maiden drummer.
- Alice Cooper
See also
- List of people by belief
- List of Catholic converts
- List of converts to Hinduism
- List of converts to Islam
- List of converts to Buddhism
- List of converts to Judaism
- List of converts to Sikhism
- List of former Christians
- List of former Muslims
Notes and references
- ^ The Numbers. FastestGrowingReligion.com
- ^ Six Million African Muslims Convert to Christianity Each Year. OrthodoxyToday.org May 6, 2006.
- ^ a b Collected Papers in Greek And Georgian Textual Criticism, pg. 174.[1]; January 8th Saints
- ^ a b Friedman, Lisa. "Ex-Muslim calls on her people to reject hatred", Los Angeles Daily News, 5 June 2005. (reproduced)
- ^ a b Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila
- ^ a b [2]
- ^ a b Pope baptizes one of Italy's most prominent Muslims at Easter vigil service
- ^ a b Vickers (2005), page 86
- ^ a b c d e f Compass Direct News
- ^ Former terrorist trades weapons for olive branch
- ^ http://www.rnw.nl/arabic/article/467965
- ^ http://www.hdhod.com/%D8%B3%D8%A7%D8%A6%D9%82-%D8%B9%D8%B1%D9%81%D8%A7%D8%AA-%D9%8A%D8%B1%D9%88%D8%AC-%D9%81%D9%8A-%D9%83%D8%AA%D8%A7%D8%A8%D8%A9-%D8%B9%D8%B1%D9%81%D8%A7%D8%AA-%D8%A8%D8%B7%D9%84%D9%8A-%D9%84%D9%81%D9%83%D8%B1%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B1%D8%A8-%D8%A3%D8%B9%D8%B7%D9%89-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A3%D8%B1%D8%B6-%D9%84%D9%84%D9%8A%D9%87%D9%88%D8%AF_a34209.html
- ^ Michael Walsh, A New Dictionary of Saints: East and West, Liturgical Press, 2007, ISBN 0-8146-3186-X, Google Print, p. 3.
- ^ Holweck, F. G. (1924). A Biographical Dictionary of the Saints. St. Louis: B. Herder Book Co.. p. 84.
- ^ Christian Convert Held in Ethopian Jail for Distributing Bibles
- ^ "A History of Orthodox Missions Among the Muslims". Yurij Maximov, Russian author and religious studies teacher in the Religious Studies at the Moscow Orthodox Seminary. http://www.orthodoxytoday.org/articles4/MaximovMuslims.shtml. Retrieved 2007-08-17.
- ^ Joseph Patrich, The Sabaite Heritage in the Orthodox Church, Peeters Publishers, 2001, ISBN 90-429-0976-5, Google Print, p. 157.
- ^ The Human Side In The Hajjah Of The Messenger of Allah
- ^ Amazon.com: Inside Islam: A Guide for Catholics: Books: Daniel Ali,Robert Spencer
- ^ [3]
- ^ Compass Direct News
- ^ "CBC Radio – The Current – Whole Show Blow-by-Blow". http://www.cbc.ca/thecurrent/2007/200701/20070116.html.[dead link]
- ^ He saved me - The story of Hussain Andaryas from Afghanistan
- ^ Petre, Jonathan (2005-10-08). "'Wealth' church leader practised what he preached". Telegraph. http://www.rickross.com/reference/general/general772.html. Retrieved 2007-08-04. "the charismatic Mr Ashimolowo, a Nigerian-born convert from Islam"
- ^ Christian Martyrs in Muslim Spain
- ^ Biography of Johannes Aveteranian
- ^ Hutchison, Robert A. (1999). Their Kingdom Come: Inside the Secret World of Opus Dei. St. Martin's Press. p. 7. ISBN 0312193440. - "Sister Josephine Bakhita had been converted by force to Islam and then, freedom restored, had chosen Christianity".
- ^ The Kurdish Minority Problem, p.11, December 1948, ORE 71-48, CIA "The first of the major Barzani revolts took place in 1931 after Sheikh Ahmed Barzani, one of the most prominent Kurdish leaders in Iraqi Kurdistan, announced his conversion to Christianity and succeeded in defeating a number of other Kurdish tribes as well as regular Iraqi troops." [4].
- ^ a b c d (Tatar) "Үтәмешгәрәй". Tatar Encyclopedia. Kazan: Tatarstan Republic Academy of Sciences Institution of the Tatar Encyclopaedia. 2002.
- ^ Massie, Robert K. (1981). Peter the Great. Soviet Union: Ballantine Books. p. 469. ISBN 0345298063.
- ^ Beale, Lewis. "Precious Freedom. USA Weekend Magazine. November 9, 2003.
- ^ I Love Jeddah in the Springtime Time magazine
- ^ Benin's new president announced
- ^ Djibril Cisse - Biography "Cisse, originally a Muslim converted to Christianity."
- ^ Muslim to Catholic Convert Hansen Hashem Clarke Member of US Congress.
- ^ Latter-day Saint (Mormon) character in "Panther" (1997) (Eldridge Cleaver, Latter-day Saint)
- ^ John Clark Hammerback and Richard J. Jensen. "From Muslim to Mormon: Eldridge Cleaver's Rhetorical Crusade", Communication Quarterly, 34 (Winter 1986), 24-40.
- ^ Constantine the African
- ^ Constantine the African, or Constantinus Africanus (medieval medical scholar)
- ^ FAITH UNDER FIRE - Descendant of Muhammad converts to Christianity - But faces threat to life if forced to return to Turkey
- ^ "The Rt Rev Hassan Dehqani-Tafti, Bishop of Iran who survived an assassination attempt and had to continue his ministry in exile". The Telegraph (London). 2008-05-05. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/1918728/The-Rt-Rev-Hassan-Dehqani-Tafti.html. Retrieved 2008-05-11.
- ^ The Written Defense of the Rev. Mehdi Dibaj Delivered to the Sari Court of Justice - Sari, Iran December 3, 1993
- ^ Estevanico (aka Estevan, Esteban, Estebanico, Black Stephen, Stephen the Moor)
- ^ Gulshan Esther, Alistair Mark Dean, Thelma Sangster, The Torn Veil: The Best-selling Story of Gulshan Esther, Zondervan (1992), pg.46, ISBN 0-551-01153-X
- ^ Somali girl tortured, murdered by her family for leaving Islam
- ^ Donald Fareed's testimony on the Persian ministries website
- ^ Gershom Scholem, 'Shabtai Zvi (1626–1676)', 'Frank, Jacob, and the Frankists', from Encyclopedia Judaica
- ^ Against the Tides in the Middle East, International Academic Centre for Muslim Evangelism in South Africa, 1997 (published under the name "Mustafa").
- ^ Prison Radicalization: Are Terrorist Cells Forming in U.S. Cell Blocks? Government testimony (PDF)
- ^ Daveed Gartenstein-Ross biography on his website
- ^ Akbar Gbaja-Biamila Keeps the Faith - ("In college, Akbar converted to Christianity, while his father remains a Muslim.")
- ^ Egypt's Christian Converts Face A Life On The Run
- ^ Ruffa Gutierrez reaffirms her Christian faith
- ^ Damien Simonis, Sarah Andrews, Spain, Lonely Planet, 2005, ISBN 1-74059-700-1, Google Print, pp. 743.
- ^ "Shooting suspect was baptized". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. http://www.seattlepi.com/local/279424_convert30ww.html. Retrieved 2006-08-01.
- ^ L. P. Harvey, Muslims in Spain, 1500 to 1614: 1500 to 1614, University of Chicago Press, 2005, ISBN 0-226-31963-6, M1 Google Print, pp. 223 Various Christian sources including the Christian historian, Marmol claim that with his dying breath Aben Humeya declared himself a Christian and said that what he had done was in the prosecution of a family feud.
- ^ Faith in Sports
- ^ [5]
- ^ Qadry Ismail's bio on TheGoal.com
- ^ Article on Raghib Ismail: Rocket shows strong path
- ^ Marriages of the Holy Prophet
- ^ in Catholic community
- ^ Time Magazine
- ^ (Russian) Alexander Kazembek: Light from the East by Alexei Pylev. 13 April 2003. Retrieved 9 October 2006
- ^ Okanla, Karim (20 August 2003). "Benin's 'magical' leader". BBC news. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/3166593.stm.
- ^ Article about Kusturica's religion on pionirovglasnik.com
- ^ News of Kusturica's baptism on passagen.se
- ^ Heirs of the Prophets: An account of the clergy and Priests of Islam, Samuel Marinus Zwemer, Moody press, 1946, p. 127 - "There are some examples which could easily be multiplied. Dr. Imad-ud-Din was a leading sufi and theologian in the Punjaub. He was appointed to preach against Dr. Pfander in the royal mosque at Agra; he read the Scriptures, believed and was baptised, and with another great theologian and sufi, Safdar Ali, became a missionary to his people. Afterwards he received a doctorate from Oxford University. His baptism took place New Year's Day, 1868, together with his aged father and brother. Other distinguished converts in the Punjab, such as Imam Shah, were also from the clergy."
- ^ Cryer, Neville Barker (1979). Bibles Across the World. United States of America: Mowbrays. p. 94. ISBN 0264664175.
- ^ Muslim Family Stigmatized Because Their Daughter Converted to Christianity
- ^ Majumdar, Margaret (2002). Francophone Studies: The Essential Glossary. United States of America: Oxford University Press. p. 4. ISBN 0340806966.
- ^ In Tibet and Chinese Turkestan: Being the Record of Three Years' Exploration, Henry Hugh Peter Deasy, pg. 284
- ^ "Carlos Menem" Encyclopædia Britannica
- ^ Norge IDAG - Norwegian language newspaper - Friday May 7, 2010
- ^ Iran ‘Officially’ Charges Ex-Muslim with Drug Trafficking
- ^ http://st-takla.org/zJ/index.php?option=com_icopts&task=&sm=3-2&c=&dbl=en&tht=1309039200
- ^ http://www.wiscopts.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=153&Itemid=97
- ^ http://st-takla.org/Saints/Coptic-Orthodox-Saints-Biography/Coptic-Saints-Story_794.html
- ^ Brad Biggs (May 20, 2005 Friday). "Muhammad all about giving as well as receiving". Chicago Sun-Times: p. 148.
- ^ Jarrett-Kerr, Martin (1972). Patterns of Christian Acceptance. United Kingdom: Oxford University Press. p. 196.
- ^ Christian convert in Afghanistan faces the death penalty for apostasy
- ^ Afghanistan: Christian in prison for apostasy secretly released in Kabul
- ^ Flight from Iran
- ^ The Iconoclast - American-Born Noor Nishan Tells Her Story About Escape from Islam
- ^ Hussein Fardust, The Rise and Fall of the Pahlavi Dynasty:, Motilal Banarsidass, 1999, ISBN 81-208-1642-0, Google Print, pp. 122–123.
- ^ Hamid Pourmand: Imprisonment due to religious belief
- ^ http://english.aljazeera.net/news/archive/archive?ArchiveId=21687
- ^ [6]
- ^ Istoria şi tradiţiile minorităţii rromani, p.28, 2005, Sigma, Bucharest, Delia Grigore, Petre Petcuţ and Mariana Sandu - "Born to a Rom Muslim slave father and a free Romanian Christian mother, Razvan converted to Christianity, thereby, attracting the wrath of the Ottomans."
- ^ Emily Ruete, (1888): Memoirs of an Arabian Princess from Zanzibar
- ^ Emily Ruete, Ulrich Haarmann (Editor), E. Van Donzel (Editor), Leiden, Netherlands, (1992): An Arabian Princess Between Two Worlds: Memoirs, Letters Home, Sequels to the Memoirs, Syrian Customs and Usages. Presents the reader with a picture of life in Zanzibar between 1850 - 1865, and with an intelligent observer's reactions to life in Germany in the Bismarck period. Emily Ruete's writings describe her attempts to recover her Zanzibar inheritance and her homesickness. ISBN 90-04-09615-9
- ^ Publisher's review for Memoirs of an Arabian Princess from Zanzibar - ("Despite strictures confining Islamic women, she trysted with a German who is thought to have impregnated her, fled to Germany where she converted to Christianity")
- ^ Erebara, Gjergj (4 October 2010). "Kosovo's New Cathedral Stirs Muslim Resentment". Balkan Insight. http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/article/albanians-vie-for-religious-sites. Retrieved 14 January 2011.
- ^ Egypt The Muhammed Ali dynasty
- ^ Egypt
- ^ The Indian Mutiny and the British Imagination by Gautam Chakravarty · Cambridge, 242 pp ISBN 0-521-83274-8
- ^ Egypt: Police release convert from Islam to Christianity to her violent Muslim family
- ^ "Argentine ex-army colonel who led uprisings dies". Associated Press. Taiwan News. 2009-09-02. http://www.etaiwannews.com/etn/news_content.php?id=1047903&lang=eng_news&cate_img=logo_world&cate_rss=WORLD_eng. Retrieved 2009-09-15.
- ^ Features : Chamillionaire: Here Comes the Reign
- ^ MuchMusic.com | Artists|Chamillionaire
- ^ Michael Khodarkovsky, Russia's Steppe Frontier, Indiana University Press, 2002, ISBN 0-253-21770-9, M1 Google Print, p. 265.
- ^ Ivan Mannheim, Syria & Lebanon handbook, Footprint Travel Guides, 2001, ISBN 1-900949-90-3, Google Print, p. 567.
- ^ Biography of Walid Shoebat
- ^ Is the 'prosperity gospel' prospering?
- ^ Rendina, Claudio (2000). La grande enciclopedia di Roma. Rome: Newton Compton, 1136. ISBN 88-8289-316-2.
- ^ Schwaner, Birgit (2007-06-01). "Der Abenteurer aus Ober St. Veit" (in German). Weiner Zeitung. http://www.wienerzeitung.at/Desktopdefault.aspx?TabID=3946&Alias=wzo&lexikon=Afrika&letter=A&cob=286780. Retrieved 2008-01-19. ""He was absolved by the Pope for his conversion, which he reversed""
- ^ Islam, the West and the need for honesty
- ^ TURKEY: CONVERTS SUBJECTED TO OFFICIAL HARASSMENT
- ^ Troyat, Henri Ivan le Terrible. Flammarion, Paris, 1982
- ^ Diplomats Concerned About Killing of Iranian Pastor
- ^ You quizzed George Weah - BBC.com
- ^ George Weahs Sohn beim FC Wohlen
- ^ Catherine Elsworth&Carolynne Wheeler (August 24, 2008). "Mosab Hassan Yousef, son of Hamas leader, becomes a Christian". The Daily Telegraph (London). http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/palestinianauthority/2613399/Mosab-Hassan-Yousef-son-of-Hamas-leader-becomes-a-Christian.html. Retrieved 2010-03-04.
- ^ Catholic Online (December 10, 2007). "Did Ramzi Yousef Really Convert to Christianity?". Catholic Online. http://www.catholic.org/national/national_story.php?id=25656. Retrieved 2008-03-19.
- ^ 60 minutes (December 10, 2007). "Supermax: A Clean Version Of Hell". 60 minutes. http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/10/11/60minutes/main3357727_page2.shtml. Retrieved 2008-03-19.
- ^ Saye Zerbo, président of the republic from 1980 to 1982 (article in French) "At once stopped, Saye Zerbo is thrown in prison. Since his imprisonment, the deposed president contemplates and reads the Qu'ran through whole nights. He also asks so that the Bible be brought to him that the archbishop of Ouagadougou, the cardinal Paul Zoungrana, had offered to him at the time of first Christmas following his takeover. At this point in time it will have the revelation which will change its life. In a mystical dash, Saye Zerbo is brought to his knees, returns thanks to God and converts to Christianity. His entire family will do the same thing thereafter."
- ^ JewishEncyclopedia.com - STATISTICS:
- ^ Attwater, Donald and Catherine Rachel John. "The Penguin Dictionary of Saints", 3rd edition. New York:Penguin Group, 1995. ISBN 0-14-051312-4.
- ^ a b c Holweck, F. G. "A Biographical Dictionary of the Saints". St. Louis, Missouri: B. Herder Book Co., 1924.
- ^ Alexander's Apostasy: First Steps to Jerusalem. by Brian Taylor, from the Jewish Genealogical Society of Great Britain
- ^ "Alphonsi, Petrus." Jewish Encyclopedia. Funk and Wagnalls, 1901-1906
- ^ "Baena, Juan Alfonso De." Jewish Encyclopedia. Funk and Wagnalls, 1901-1906
- ^ Nordisk familjebok, vol 1. A - Barograf
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an [7] Jewish Encyclopedia. Funk and Wagnalls, 1901-1906
- ^ Gregorovius, Ferdinand. Rome in the Middle Ages Vol. IV Part 1. 1905.
- ^ http://forgivenforlife.org/
- ^ Hamy, Bulletin de Géographie, 1891, pp. 218-222.
- ^ Robert Blake, Disraeli, 3. Norman Gash, reviewing Blake's work, argued that Benjamin's claim to Spanish ancestry could not be entirely dismissed. Norman Gash, review of Disraeli, by Robert Blake. The English Historical Review, Vol. 83, No. 327. (Apr., 1968), 360-364.
- ^ Simon, John Pursued by Nazis and Other Demons, New York Times, July 12, 1992
- ^ Bob Dylan: Behind the Shades: Revisited, Clinton Heylin, pgs. 491-520; Down the Highway: The Life of Bob Dylan, Howard Sounes, pgs. 324-326, 356; The Rough Guide to Bob Dylan (2nd edition), Nigel Williamson, pgs. 112-113; Jewsweek: Bob Dylan's Unshakeable Monotheism -- Part III: The 1980s; "Bob Dylan" Encyclopædia Britannica; Bob Dylan Finds His Source, from Christianity Today, Noel Paul Stookey, January 4, 1980; [8]; [9]; [10]; [11]; [12]; [13]; [14]; [15]
- ^ Bob Dylan: Tangled Up In Jews
- ^ Brian Dutton, Joaquín González Cuenca (editors), Cancionero de Juan Alfonso de Baena (Madrid: Visor Libros, 1993), 534-544.
- ^ Arthur Mandel: The Militant Messiah: The Story of Jacob Frank and the Frankists: Atlantic Highlands: Humanities Press: 1979: ISBN 0-391-00973-7.
- ^ [16] Friedberg, Heinrich, von) Jewish Encyclopedia
- ^ Online bio - http://www.ariel.org/bioagf.htm
- ^ Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, Gans, Eduard.
- ^ Carvajal, Mario. Vida y pasión de Jorge Isaacs. Manizales, 1937.
- ^ Duncan Kelly, "Revisiting the Rights of Man: Georg Jellinek on Rights and the State". Law and History Review vol. 22, no. 3 (Fall 2004).
- ^ A Brief Biography of Paul S.L. Johnson from the Present Truth Library, which catalogues the works of Paul S.L. Johnson.
- ^ http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=87&letter=K Kanitz, Felix Philipp] Jewish Encyclopedia, Funk and Wagnalls, 1901-1906.
- ^ The World According to Andrew Klavan. Uncommon Knowledge. Filmed on August 28, 2008. Retrieved July 6, 2009.
- ^ Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, Lehrs, Karl.
- ^ Adler, Jacob, A Life on the Stage: A Memoir, translated and with commentary by Lulla Rosenfeld, Knopf, New York, 1999, ISBN 0-679-41351-0. p. 200.
- ^ Duquin, Lorene Hanley, A Century of Catholic Converts, Our Sunday Visitor: Huntington, Indiana, 2003, pp. 114-116.
- ^ Wikipedia Entry
- ^ Terry Teachout (August 18, 2009). "Robert Novak's Memoir". Commentary Magazine. http://www.commentarymagazine.com/blogs/index.php/teachout/76412. Retrieved August 18, 2009.
- ^ Matuswo, Barbara (June 1, 2003). "The Conversion of Bob Novak". The Washingtonian. http://www.washingtonian.com/articles/people/4730.html. Retrieved August 20, 2009.
- ^ Famous Jewish Anglicans
- ^ BPSports.net - U.S. team at Ryder Cup led by believers in Jesus
- ^ The Observer
- ^ "The tragedy of Gillian Rose - Jewish social critic". Judaism. 1997. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0411/is_n4_v46/ai_20583585.
- ^ Online Bio at http://www.jewsforjesus.org/about/headquarters/moishe
- ^ Moffett, Samuel Hugh, History of Christianity in Asia, Vol. 2: 1500-1900, Orbis Books: Maryknoll, New York, 2005, pg. 476.
- ^ Beliefnet.com
- ^ Garcia, Laura. "Edith Stein — Convert, Nun, Martyr." Crisis 15, no. 6 (June 1997): 32-35
- ^ Chess Notes 5997 by Edward Winter (chess historian)
- ^ Long walk to freedom. The Guardian.
- ^ Long walk to freedom
- ^ >[17]
- ^ [18]
- ^ David Levy Yulee
- ^ Trinity Broadcasting Network Interview
- ^ Time on his involvement with PTL
- ^ "Good News for Israel" videos
- ^ Catholic Culture : Missing Page Redirect
- ^ http://www.jamaicans.com/culture/rasta/ethiopian_church.shtml
- ^ http://www.rastafarispeaks.com/cgi-bin/forum/archive1/config.pl?noframes;read=47421
- ^ http://www.musicianguide.com/biographies/1608003963/Judy-Mowatt.html
- ^ http://194.154.164.100/~westbury@westburymusicltd.co.uk/4artisttrackdb/showarticle.php?id=86
- ^ Profile of Rev. David Yonggi Cho
- ^ Christianity Today newsletter
- ^ From Pearl Harbor to Calvary by Mitsuo Fuchida.
- ^ "God's on My Side" at nationmultimedia.com
- ^ LDS.org
- ^ Time Magazine
- ^ The Chinese Revolution and Chinese Communism
- ^ Buddhism: Critical Concepts in Religious Studies Edited and with a new introduction by Paul Williams (London: Routledge, 2005). Eight volumes. ISBN 978-0-415-33226-2
- ^ Spiritual Counterfeits Project page on Tal Brooke
- ^ Rediff
- ^ "Indian-born nun to succeed Mother Teresa" at cnn.com
- ^ "Women Excel"
- ^ On Point : The Party of Death - The Party of Death
- ^ A A Panji Tisna - His Life and Thought
- ^ Maharaj, Rabi R. Death of a Guru: A Remarkable True Story of one Man's Search for Truth.
- ^ Whoriskey, Peter (October 21, 2007). "Jindal Wins Louisiana Race, Becomes First Indian American Governor". washingtonpost.com. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/10/20/AR2007102000528.html?hpid=topnews?hpid=topnews. Retrieved 2009-10-05.
- ^ "I, The Convert". outlookindia.com. October 27, 2008. http://www.outlookindia.com/article.aspx?238770. Retrieved 2011-05-16.
- ^ http://www.nikkihaley.com/truthinfacts/question-is-nikki-a-christian
- ^ Brother Bakht Singh Website
- ^ Anglo Sikh Heritage Trail: Maharajah Duleep Singh.
- ^ A hindu sikh sadhu (Sundar Singh) met by Jesus Christ
- ^ Seattle Times "In 1975, he threw off his atheism and became a Christian."
- ^ Wall Street Journal
- ^ Sin: An Honest Mistake?, by Kirk Cameron, Boundless Webzine. From the introduction: "But much more noteworthy than his acting career was his conversion to Christianity. Kirk was not raised in a church-going home and described himself as a devout atheist from a very young age." (Accessed 13 June 2007)
- ^ "I was brought up as an agnostic... and when I first became a Christian in the Seventies I didn't really know what it was I'd adopted." Faith in Practice: Holding on to the Mystery of Love, by Bruce Cockburn as told to Cole Morton, Third Way, September 1994, page 15. (Accessed 13 June 2007)
- ^ "He converted from atheism to Christianity in his twenties after seeing how radically his patients' faith transformed their experience of suffering, and after reading several works by C. S. Lewis." The Question of God: Interview with Francis Collins, WGBH Educational Foundation, 2004 (Accessed 14 June 2007)
- ^ "[Stapleton and Flynt] formed a fast friendship, which resulted in Flynt's surprising and publicized conversion to Christianity." Biography.com: Larry Flynt
- ^ [Bo Giertz, The Hammer of God,revised edition, XIII, Augsburg Fortress, Minneapolis, 2005.
- ^ [19]; [20]
- ^ Telegraph "She reacted strongly against her parents' beliefs and became a Catholic at 19, because she 'no longer found it possible to disbelieve in God.'" (pg 2)
- ^ Time Magazine from July 19, 1963 "Lepp has the credentials to explain the mind of the atheist: he was one himself for 27 years."
- ^ Catholic Net
- ^ "The Killer and the Pastor" article from Time.com
- ^ "Lewis lapsed into atheism in his teens but experienced a reconversion to Christianity in 1931." Lewis, C.S.. (2007). In Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved June 28, 2007, from Encyclopædia Britannica Online
- ^ [21]
- ^ John J. Drummond, Lester E. Embree. Phenomenological Approaches to Moral Philosophy: A Handbook; Sweetman, Brendan. Marcel and phenomenology: Can literature help philosophy?
- ^ http://www.theinterim.com/march98/18colleton.html
- ^ biography on official website
- ^ Norge IDAG - Monsen med bok om sin tro
- ^ Vietnam harsh on hill-tribe minority
- ^ [22]
- ^ Interview for Christianity Today: I was so outspoken about not believing in God. I had real problems with Christians.]
- ^ statement of William J. Murray
- ^ Nathanson, Bernand Aborting America (1981 Pinnacle Books)
- ^ Marxism and Me by Marvin Olasky: My communism was based on atheism, and when I could no longer be an atheist, I resigned from the party.
- ^ Creators Syndicate Profile
- ^ The Guardian's obituary of Powell
- ^ University of Bielefeld
- ^ Chronicle of Higher Education article obituary (Copied by Gametheory.net) has the following "Because George was a fire-spitting atheist and Julia a devout Christian, their relationship was contentious from the beginning. After eight years, the marriage ended in acrimony." "On June 7 [1970] I gave in and admitted that God existed", he explained to friends.
- ^ Article from the University of Wollongong
- ^ University of Chicago "made a spiritual journey from atheism to agnosticism before eventually converting to Catholicism"
- ^ Decibel Magazine
- ^ Strobel's official website calls him an "Atheist-turned-Christian."
- ^ "...he was an atheist arguing for religious values, a man writing an essay on religion 'in a spirit of irreligion.'... He would not convert to Catholicism for two decades, but his need for religious authority was acute even in 1930." Allen Tate: Orphan of the South, p. 167, biographer Thomas A. Underwood, Princeton University Press, 2000, ISBN 0-691-06950-6
- ^ "He was conspicuously bohemian and agnostic..." "Waugh's Catholicism is an organic part of this oneness. In 1930 he was converted..." [23]
- ^ The Guardian Quote: Even though she was raised an atheist, in the past three or four years she has been going to church. In her eighth decade, she has even submitted to being baptised.
- ^ "At that time, I was an atheist." "...I was converted as I repented of my sins and asked God to accept me in Christ." My Spiritual Pilgrimage from Theistic Evolution to Creationism by Monty White
- ^ Advocates for self-government (A Libertarian site) says of him "A lifelong 'vehement, argumentative, proselytizing atheist,' Wright suffered a heart attack in 2003 and soon afterwards had a 'supernatural' religious experience that made him, he wrote, 'aware of a spiritual dimension of reality of which I had hitherto been unaware... I was altered down to the root of my being.' Wright is now a Christian.
- ^ Canadian Christianity.com
- ^ Kim Foundation
- ^ a b Kim, Young-Sik, Ph.D. (2003). The US-Korea relations: 1910–1945: A brief history of the US-Korea relations prior to 1945. Association for Asian Research. http://www.asianresearch.org/articles/1624.html. Retrieved 2006-11-25.
- ^ a b Interview "I had a religious conversion and became a Christian. Before I followed Confucianism"
- ^ a b Portraits of Modern Japanese Historical Figures
- ^ a b One of China's Scholars: The Culture & Conversion of a Confucianist
- ^ The Northern Saints
- ^ Patron Saints Index: Saint Alban
- ^ Bede, Ecclesiastical History of the English People, Book III, chapter 7.
- ^ Britannia EBK Biographies: St. Constantine, King of Strathclyde
- ^ Berkshire History: Biographies: St. Abban of Abingdon
- ^ Raedwald - Britannica Online Encyclopedia
- ^ D.H. Farmer, The Oxford Dictionary of Saints (Oxford 1978). ISBN 0-19-282038-9.
- ^ [24]
- ^ CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA: St. Ethelbert (King of Kent)
- ^ [25]
- ^ Allen, Grant. "Anglo-Saxon Britain".
- ^ Patron Saints Index: Saint Leonard of Noblac
- ^ [26]
- ^ St. Bavo - Catholic Online
- ^ BBC - History - Leif Erikson (11th century)
- ^ Green, John Richard. "A short history of the English people".
- ^ Rollo of Normandy
- ^ Olav Haraldsson
- ^ Viking in the Netherlands
- ^ Saint Patrick's Church: Saints of April 18
- ^ Forum Romanum: the Temple of Vesta and the Vestal Virgins
- ^ CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA: Commodianus
- ^ CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA: Constantine the Great
- ^ Ecumenical Patriarchate
- ^ CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA: Athenagoras
- ^ CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA: Dionysius the Pseudo-Areopagite
- ^ Patron Saints Index: Saint Eustachius
- ^ [27], [28]
- ^ CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA: Caius Marius Victorinus
- ^ CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA: Saint Honoratus
- ^ Patron Saints Index: Saint Pancras
- ^ Body Theology - St. Panteleimon
- ^ Patron Saints Index: Saint Cyriacus
- ^ Patron Saints Index: Saint Julius the Veteran
- ^ Patron Saints Index: Saint Sabinian of Troyes
- ^ CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA: Lucius Caecilius Firmianus Lactantius
- ^ Apologia ad Autolycum i. 14, ii. 24.
- ^ CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA: St. Justin Martyr
- ^ [29], [30]
- ^ Studiolum
- ^ Reading Islam.com: What Really Happened Up There?
- ^ [31]
- ^ Bonaberi.com: A la découverte de Charles Atangana
- ^ God's Invisible Hand: The Life and Work of Francis Cardinal Arinze, an Interview with Gerard O'Connell, pp. 12–21 (Ignatius Press, 2006) ISBN 978-1-58617-135-3
- ^ Crowther, Samuel Ajayi, Nigeria, Anglican
- ^ Jomo Kenyatta
- ^ Bernard Mizeki, Catechist and Martyr in Africa
- ^ [32], [33]
- ^ February 21: Ranavalona II; Christian History Institute
- ^ Rock Paper Scissors - Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Raise Your Spirit Higher (Heads Up) - Concert Preview
- ^ Samson Occom, Christian Convert
- ^ Pocahontas
- ^ [34]
- ^ Biographies
- ^ The Woman Who Changed A Kingdom - Hawaiian Queen Ka'ahumanu
- ^ Dictionary Of New Zealand Biography
- ^ Borivoj I (Borivorius I) Duke of Bohemia\ Saint Ludmila
- ^ Untitled Document
- ^ Catholic Encyclopedia: St. Ludmilla
- ^ Jogaila (1350-1434)
- ^ Patron Saints Index: Saint Vladimir I of Kiev
- ^ [35]; [36]
- ^ Jeffrey Dahmer - Serial killer & Cannibal 12
- ^ Jeffrey Dahmer - Serial killer & Cannibal 22
- ^ Clay and Thornton, "Sellers Executed For 3 Murders", The Daily Oklahoman, February 4, 1999.
- ^ http://www.allhiphop.com/stories/news/archive/2009/09/03/21923200.aspx
- ^ The best interview ever with the lead men of UnderOath Norma Jean As I Lay Dying - Buzznet
- ^ Wonderful Words of Life: Hymns in American Protestant History and Theology By Richard J. Mouw, Mark A. Noll (Accessed 14 June 2007)
- ^ "In the winter of 1959 [René Girard] experienced a conversion to Christian faith which had been preceded by a kind of intellectual conversion while he was working on his first book." René Girard:A Biographical Sketch, by James G. Williams
Categories:- Converts to Christianity
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