Religious conversion is the adoption of a set of beliefs identified with one particular religious denomination to the exclusion of others. Thus "religious conversion" would describe the abandoning of adherence to one denomination and affiliating with another. This might be from one to another denomination within the same religion, for example, from Protestant Christianity to Roman Catholicism or from Sunnī Islam to Shīʿa Islam. In some cases, religious conversion "marks a transformation of religious identity and is symbolized by special rituals".
The Conversion of Saint Paul, a 1600 painting by Italian artist Caravaggio (1571–1610)
A yajna initiation to Hinduism ceremony in progress
A deathbed conversion is the adoption of a particular religious faith shortly before dying. Making a conversion on one's deathbed may reflect an immediate change of belief, a desire to formalize longer-term beliefs, or a desire to complete a process of conversion already underway. Claims of the deathbed conversion of famous or influential figures have also been used in history as rhetorical devices.
Russian Orthodox icon of The Good Thief in Paradise (Moscow School, c. 1560)
The Baptism of Constantine, as imagined by students of Raphael
Charles II of England, the penultimate Catholic monarch of England.
Oscar Wilde