The ever-popular and often cliché “mission trip” can be a noble endeavor. Traveling to a foreign land, immersing oneself in the culture and humanitarian work are all noble things to be encouraged and praised. But tossing in one other goal can make this loving endeavor slightly less generous.Proselytizing — or aiming to convert others — is an evil ambition at its core. Before defending this, allow me to make a distinction. Conveying that one’s respective faith is important and valuable is one thing — cramming the absoluteness of one’s own faith down another’s heathen soul is quite another. The latter will be the focus of this column.So why is aiming for mass conversion so bad? For starters, its primary goal could be translated as such: Everyone should be just like me. Nevermind their worldview, theology, culture — all are inferior to my own true faith. I don’t doubt the sincerity of those who believe their faith to be superior to all others, but I propose this realization can only be genuine after living in and practicing every faith deemed inferior. In simpler words, one must walk in other’s shoes before telling them the inferiority of their own path to God. And Googling “world religions” and reading the Wikipedia articles on each does not count as cultural immersion. Secondly, in a secular sense, most would agree diversity is a good thing. If a group set out to make every person in the world the same, they would be one Holocaust short of the Third Reich. Putting the veil of religion over this motive does not change things — it’s still the same bigotry that ignorantly assumes superiority over all others. Finally, focus needs to be given to the delusions that accompany an idea of a single supreme faith. When people truly believe their own faith to be the only means to the divine, they forget the diversity of their own respective faith. There is not a single major world religion that does not have, as Westerners like to call them, denominations. I believe there are as many sects in a religion as there are believers. Everyone deviates in some way from the major tenants of a faith. This is not a bad thing, but rather shows independent thought — something of which religion needs more. Thus, what are people really saying when they are convinced their own faith is the only “real” or “true” way to the divine? I interpret this message as nothing more than a feeble attempt to establish superiority in the name of ignorance. And what are the implications of such a belief? The best example is the actions of The Southern Baptist Convention. The SBC has published, on numerous occasions, its intentions to convert all Jews to Southern Baptist Christianity. Suppose the plan succeeded — there would be a world with no practicing Jews. How, in any way, is this to be considered commendable? Nevermind the consideration that one could learn anything from a culture or religion that has survived numerous tests of time and annihilation — Judaism is, according to this group, inferior to its own version of Christianity by default. But if not centered on conversion, what else is one to do with his or her faith? Comparative religion has been the focus of my academic life for the past four years. It has been a magnificent journey through the tribalism of the Ancient Near East, the development of monotheism in the Abrahamic faiths, the great questions posed by the Dharmic faiths and the cumulative mysteries of the divine exhibited the world. An undergraduate degree in this field won’t give me much authority on matters of faith, but I would like to share a bit of knowledge that has enabled me to appreciate the beauty of nearly all religions, regardless of their adherence to my own beliefs. Life is indeed a great mystery. Where did we come from? For that matter — where are we going? We all answer these questions differently. It’s the diversity of these answers that makes different religions valuable. If someone wants my attempt at an answer — I’ll oblige. When someone crams their own views down my proverbial throat and threatens damnation, I sit amazed at the power of ignorant delusion bearing the name of love.Andrew Robertson is a 23-year-old religious studies major from Baton Rouge. Follow him on Twitter @TDR_arobertson.—-Contact Andrew Robertson at [email protected]