News! : Much Ado about Conversion

A woman went to court concerning her religious status. According to her, her former husband registered their marriage with the religious department  without her consent, and she was also registered as a Muslim when she had never recited the Kalima Shahada. Recitation of the Shahada is the only formal step in the conversion to Islam.That there is a formal body to register new converts makes the whole procedure of conversion all so important. As for being a Buddhist, I have read that it is a personal matter. Children born to Buddhist families don't go through baptism, I suppose;  I read that it requires no ritual to become a Buddhist; it is more important to study Buddhist literature, practice compassion, meditate and to ponder over the Four Noble Truths. Yet to be commited and to be Buddhist officially, a qualified teacher may conduct the taking refuge ceremony where a person professes to take refuge in the Triple Gem; that is the Dharma, the Buddha, and the Sangha; followed by a vow to  uphold the Buddhist Five Precepts. Not sure though if there is a central body governing all these.

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