Francis C. Assisi and Elizabeth Pothen of Indolink.com decide to delve into Bobby Jindal’s life-story to see what makes him tick when it comes to his oft maligned religious beliefs:

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The question that intrigues most Indian Americans is this: How and why did Bobby Jindal abandon the faith of his forebears to embrace Christ and the Catholic faith.

As it turns out, the story of Piyush Bobby Jindal’s transformation from a devout young Hindu to a zealous Catholic offers an intriguing glimpse into the struggle, often traumatic, of a young Indian American caught between his heritage and his parents on the one hand and his intellectual and emotional turmoil in America.

The first part reveals the background and the struggle towards his conversion, while the second part examines his involvement with two young women whom he has acknowledged as being key to his spiritual re-birth.

Beginning with his Junior year (1991) at Brown, and for seven years thereafter - including his two years on Rhodes Scholarship at Oxford, and while Secretary, Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals - Jindal revealed details of his conversion and its aftermath, in a series of first person accounts.

Much of those writings reveal an agonizing spiritual quest.

Ooooh, juicy! This sounds like an even more interesting read than the journey of the Buddha.

“…when a childhood friend, intent on converting the world, first introduced him to Christianity by warning him “you and your parents are going to hell,” he recalls that he “was hardly convinced.” Jindal was also “angered by the arrogance of my Southern Baptist friend who claimed his faith was the one true path to God.” That’s because he realized that his friend sought to “deny the experience of billions of people who have never seen a copy of the Bible.”

Nevertheless the event did succeed in motivating him to “examine Hinduism on its own merits and doctrines” even as he was “searching for an objectively true faith that would lead me to God.” Simultaneously he began reading the Bible “to disprove the Christian faith I was learning both to admire and despise.” That was also a time when he “was touched by the love and simplicity of a Christian girl who dreamt of becoming a Supreme Court justice so she could stop her country from “killing unborn babies.”

As he delved deeper into the Bible, says Jindal, “I saw myself in many of the parables and felt as if the Bible had been written especially for me. After reading every book I could find on the historical accuracy of the Bible and Christianity, I was convinced that the Bible had remained unaltered throughout the centuries and that circumstances surrounding Christ’s death led to the conversions of thousands.”

Sigh. The “crazy” things we do over a girl :)
And of course, as you’d expect, Bobby’s parents aren’t feelin’ this whole conversion thingy.

Jindal recalls, “My parents were infuriated by my conversion and have yet to fully forgive me.” He even steeled himself for the worst by becoming financially independent. But that hardly prepared him for the emotional battles that ensued.

As Jindal explains, “My parents went through different phases of anger and disappointment. They blamed themselves for being bad parents, blamed me for being a bad son and blamed evangelists for spreading dissension. There were heated discussions, many of them invoking family loyalty and national identity.”

He elaborates: “My parents have never truly accepted my conversion and still see my faith as a negative that overshadows my accomplishments. They were hurt and felt I was rejecting them by accepting Christianity. According to Jindal, his parents resorted to “ethnic loyalty” to counter his new faith

In his 1993 article, Jindal says wistfully, “I long for the day when my parents understand, respect and possibly accept my faith. For now I am satisfied that they accept me.”

The article concludes by interviewing writer Ramesh Rao who asks,

One-third of the money Jindal has raised, we are told, was contributed by Indian-Americans. Should they not be wondering what made Jindal convert to Catholicism? None seemed to have bothered to ask. He tells the usual story of how Jesus came into his life: more or less the standard spiel that every Campus Christian Crusader spouts. What was missing in his Hindu faith and background that made him convert? We don’t get any insight from the simple mention of how a high school friend gave him a Bible, and how he read it, and how it changed his life.”

Ramesh Rao goes on to explain: “I have very, very high regard for Bobby Jindal for his accomplishments, and for his ability to articulate ideas. I am very, very concerned, however, about his far right views. When Indian-American supporters assert that Jindal is “One of us”, I really donÂŽt know what is meant by that except that he is a son of Indian immigrants. 
 It is almost as if his Indian supporters and Indian-American newspapers want to ignore what he truly is: an ultra-conservative Christian politician.

Apparently this is the first of multiple articles on Jindal’s religious transformation. I’ll be sure to give readers the heads up when the follow-up(s) come out.