Faith can be changed

Expressions researched:
"faith can be changed"

Nectar of Devotion

The neophyte's faith can be changed by someone else with strong arguments or by an opposite decision.

Nectar of Devotion 3: The neophyte or third-class devotee is one whose faith is not strong and who, at the same time, does not recognize the decision of the revealed scripture. The neophyte's faith can be changed by someone else with strong arguments or by an opposite decision. Unlike the second-class devotee, who also cannot put forward arguments and evidences from the scripture, but who still has all faith in the objective, the neophyte has no firm faith in the objective. Thus he is called the neophyte devotee.

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

Faith can be changed. But dharma is a word which cannot be changed.

Lecture on BG 1.21-22 -- London, July 18, 1973: Kṛṣṇa says that "I appear when there is discrepancies in the, I mean to say, occupational duties of the living entities." Dharmasya glānir bhavati. We don't translate dharma as "religion." Religion in the English dictionary, it is "a kind of faith." Faith can be changed. But dharma is a word which cannot be changed. If it is changed, it is to be understood artificial. Just like the water. Water is liquid, everyone knows. But sometimes water becomes hard, very hard, ice. So that is not the natural position of water. Artificially, on account of excessive cold or by artificial means the water becomes solid. But the real position of water is liquidity.

You can become, I mean to say, Hindu or Muslim tomorrow. So this faith can be changed...

Lecture on BG 4.7 -- Montreal, June 13, 1968: Today I am Hindu. I can become tomorrow a Christian. You are Christian today. You can become, I mean to say, Hindu or Muslim tomorrow. So this faith can be changed, but this dharma, as I explain, that natural sequence, natural occupation or natural intimately connection... Just like the fire, heat and light. This cannot be changed. Either the fire is in America or the fire is in India or a fire is in Russia, the heat and light is there. That is actually the dharma.

Dharma is not a kind of faith. Faith can be changed, but dharma cannot be changed.

Lecture on BG 4.7-9 -- New York, July 22, 1966: Why the Lord comes as incarnation. This point we have been discussing last meeting. And what is dharma, what is religion? Perhaps you'll remember that the translation in the English language, dharma, is a description of certain kind of faith, but according to the Vedic literature, dharma is not a kind of faith. Faith can be changed, but dharma cannot be changed.

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

So faith can be changed. But the characteristics cannot be changed. Just like water is liquid.

Lecture on SB 1.1.3 -- Caracas, February 24, 1975: Faith, I have got faith today in something; tomorrow I may have faith in some other thing. And actually we see. Sometimes a person called a Hindu, he is changing his faith to Muslim or Christian. Or a Christian is changing his faith to another way. So faith can be changed. But the characteristics cannot be changed. Just like water is liquid. The liquidity cannot be changed of water. So in Sanskrit language or in Vedic literature, dharma means the characteristics which cannot be changed. Now let us consider what is the characteristic of the living being. The characteristic is that every one of us is serving somebody superior.

The dictionary meaning is: "Religion is faith." So faith can be changed.

Lecture on SB 1.2.5 -- Melbourne, April 3, 1972, Lecture at Christian Monastery: Suppose I am Hindu and somebody is Christian. This is called faith. The dictionary meaning is: "Religion is faith." So faith can be changed. "I believe in Christian religion." So it can be changed next day—I accept Hindu religion or Muslim religion. But actually, dharma cannot be changed.

So this kind of faith can be changed. So this is not actually dharma.

Lecture on SB 1.2.5 -- New Vrindaban, September 4, 1972: Dharma, the Sanskrit word, it is translated into English as "religion," but this is not perfect translation. Dharma is different from religion. Religion is mentioned in the dictionary as "a kind of faith." So dharma is not like that. Faith can be changed. You can change your faith. Today you are Hindu; tomorrow you can become Muslim. Today you are Muslim; you can become Christian. So this kind of faith can be changed. So this is not actually dharma. Dharma means which you cannot change. That is called dharma.

Religion, I have already said, it is a kind of faith. Faith can be changed, but our constitutional position, occupational duty, that cannot be changed.

Lecture on SB 1.2.6 -- New Vrindaban, September 5, 1972: Actually dharma means occupational duty. Religion, I have already said, it is a kind of faith. Faith can be changed, but our constitutional position, occupational duty, that cannot be changed. We are eternal servant of Kṛṣṇa, but without serving Kṛṣṇa we are serving māyā. We have accepted a false occupational duty, therefore it is called māyā. Māyā means false.

Faith can be changed. I like this faith today. Tomorrow I may like another faith.

Lecture on SB 2.1.1-5 -- Melbourne, June 26, 1974: The exact meaning of dharma is "occupational duty." People are... In English they translate dharma as "faith." Faith can be changed. I like this faith today. Tomorrow I may like another faith. So actually the translation of dharma is not "faith." It is "occupational duty."

Nectar of Devotion Lectures

The neophyte's faith can be changed by someone else with strong arguments or by an opposite decision.

The Nectar of Devotion -- Calcutta, January 27, 1973: The neophyte, or third-class devotee, is one whose faith is not strong and, at the same time, does not recognize the decision of the revealed scripture. The neophyte's faith can be changed by someone else with strong arguments or by an opposite decision. Unlike the second-class devotee, who also cannot put forward arguments and evidences from the scriptures, but who has still, has all faith in the objective, the neophyte has no firm faith in the objective. Thus he is called a neophyte devotee.

Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Lectures

They have got some, I mean to say, faith. That's all. But faith can be changed.

Lecture on CC Adi-lila 7.113-17 -- San Francisco, February 22, 1967: Kaniṣṭha-adhikārī means neophytes, neophytes who are not conversant with the conclusion of the Vedas. They have got some, I mean to say, faith. That's all. But faith can be changed. Any... If a person, strong in arguments and strong in presenting things in jugglery of words, oh, the neophyte, his idea can be changed.

General Lectures

So religion is a kind of faith, but faith can be changed.

Lecture -- Tokyo, April 29, 1972, (with interpreter): So religion is a kind of faith, but faith can be changed. But the knowledge which is essential in life, that cannot be changed. Therefore this culture, although it appears like a religious system, but it is the essential knowledge of life. Religion or faith, you can change from one to another, but you must know the essential value of your life. And because we have no, I mean to say, connection at the present moment with the essential knowledge of life, we are thinking that you are separate from me, I am separate from you.

Faith can be changed, but my character is still that I am servant.

Lecture -- Jakarta, February 28, 1973: It cannot be changed. Just like faith. Today I am Muslim and tomorrow I may become Hindu. Today I am Christian and tomorrow I may become Muslim. Faith can be changed, but my character is still that I am servant. That cannot be changed.

1971 Conversations and Morning Walks

They are simply sticking to a particular kind of faith. Faith can be changed, faith can be given up but real religion, that cannot be given up. It may be perverted.

Room Conversation -- December 12, 1971, Delhi: Prabhupāda: Hear and narrate. So, whatever you have heard, you can speak. [break] So, in your country also they do not like this organized Christian religion (indistinct). The difficulty is that either Hindu religion or Christian religion, religion is one. So what is that one religion nobody knows perfectly, and it was not presented because they did not know what is religion. They are simply sticking to a particular kind of faith. Faith can be changed, faith can be given up but real religion, that cannot be given up. It may be perverted. Real religion is to render service to the Supreme Lord. That cannot be changed. We are serving, if not to the Lord, we are serving māyā. But my, that characteristic to serve is continued. So religion is presented simply on formulas and stereo-typed ideas, but actual religion is this surrender.