Why I Chose Hinduism Over Christianity – Biola Ige
Biola Ige is one of Nigeria’s top actresses. During her interview, she discussed how she has converted from Christianity to Hinduism. Something that Julia Roberts announced some time back as well. Here is her interview where she discusses her thoughts.
Biola is Nigerian from Ilesha in Osun state of Nigeria. Her first movie was Blindfold. Her main movies are Holy City, Shakira, My Fantasy, and Pregnant Hawkers. Some years back, she had nearly lost her life due to a malignant growth of thyroid. She was carried off to India for treatment. This interview refers to that experience.
Here are some questions from the interview that refer to her choice of Hinduism.
What do you mean, you had a thyroid problem?
Having a thyroid problem is a grave disorder and illness. It is as a result of the expansion of the neck. It occurs when your thyroid gland over works itself or under works itself because of lack of the nutrient known as iodine.
When you said to worship, what do you mean by that?
It was an avenue for me to worship my God and yes, l worship as an Hindu. I know what you may want to say. I do not see anything wrong with following any religion of your choice. It is a free world. And I choose Hinduism.
Did you become an Hindu when you travelled to India or while you were in Nigeria?
I was a Hinduist before I travelled to India. I was a Christian before I changed my faith and I must tell you I have found peace in Hinduism. And in India, I felt at home. I didn’t feel like returning to Nigeria again because everyone was so nice to me.
One thing that stands out for me in these answers is that she says “I was a Hinduist before I travelled to India”. This is very similar to the experiences of many others like Sadhvi Saraswati – How a Jewish Stanford Graduate from California Became Sadhvi Bhagawati Sarasvati. No one makes you a Hindu. It is an internal way of being. Either you are or not. And, that is not so in terms of how people approach religion. Religion is a belief, while Dharma is an internal state of being.
That is what Biola is referring to here.
Conclusion
Many may keep converting from one belief system to another. Kind of like playing favorites with the most prominent “brand” out there. The truth is that the Divine cannot be approached by beliefs or opinions. Divine is the primordial state of consciousness. It is approached from within where nothing else remains.
That is where the foundation of Hinduism starts. And it is that which Biola Ige connected with presumably.