12 Rulers Who Converted Their Empires

History is full of powerful rulers who altered the trajectory of their nations by converting to a new faith. When a monarch converted, their subjects—either through top-down edicts, social pressure, or military enforcement—usually followed.

1. Pharaoh Akhenaten (14th Century BC): abolished Egypt's traditional polytheism to enforce the worship of a single sun god, Aten.

2. Ashoka converted India to Buddhism in 250 BC.

3. Constantine converted the Roman Empire to Christianity in 312 AD.

4. Vladimir the Great converted Russia to Orthodox Christianity in 988 AD.

5. Tiridates III converted Armenia to Christianity in the 4th Century.

6. King Ezana of Axum converted Ethiopia from Paganism to Christianity in the 4th Century.

7. Khan Bulan converted Khazaria from Shamanism to Judaism in the 9th Century.

8. King Boris I converted Bulgaria from Slavik Paganism to Christianity in the 9th century.

9. Olaf Tryggvason of Norway and Harald Bluetooth of Denmark converted from Norse paganism to Christianity around the late 10th century.

10. Ghazan Khan converted Persia from Shamanism to Islam in the 13th century.

11. Shah Ismail I converted Iran from Sunni Islam to Shia Islam in the 16th Century.

12. Henry VIII converted England from Catholicism to Anglicanism in 1534.

In the ancient pagan and shamanistic world religious life seems to have been organic and bottom up. But as soon as you have centralized government, religions are top-down. An emperor or king changes religion and has his whole nation do the same. This means people basically just do what they are told. This is true for Egyptian religion, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Christianity, and Judaism. Even many pagan religions were enforced from above with religious rules and edicts such as mandatory participation in animal sacrifices in Greece and Rome. These were government mandated practices. So out modern idea that “the people” come up with their own morality does not conform with reality. They do and think what they are instructed to do and think.

This makes me feel that people will have to have Baba’s teaching ‘taught’ to them by a mandate one day. And rules like being a vegetarian and not torturing being laws. Here is a quote by Baba to this effect about vegetarianism. 

“I have abstained from fish, eggs and meat not for my benefit but to create and impress upon humanity an example which later, when I speak, will become an established law.” (source)