Constitutional freedom of religion protects not just belief, but also practice and propagation of faith. It allows individuals to follow any religion, change their religion, or follow none at all. However, this right is not a license to use pressure, fraud or exploitation.
Many legal systems make a clear distinction between voluntary conversion and forced or fraudulent conversion. If someone changes faith out of genuine conviction, that choice is part of their personal liberty. But if conversions happen through threats, deception, abuse of position, or material inducement aimed at vulnerable people, law can step in.
Some regions have specific statutes regulating religious conversions, requiring prior intimation or post-conversion declarations, mainly to ensure that the change is voluntary and informed. These laws are controversial and often challenged, so courts carefully test them against fundamental rights and equality principles.
The balance is delicate. The State cannot interfere with sincere, personal spiritual decisions. At the same time, it can act to prevent coercion, trafficking and exploitation carried out in the name of religion. Ultimately, freedom of religion rests on the idea of personal choice, not pressure.