I do find it fascinating how a converted Dalit is basically freed from the social burdens of their class. I would not have expected that, as most religious groups heap scorn or actual punishments on those who convert to another religion.
Based on what I've read so far in people's responses to my question it makes a kind of sense. If you convert to a different religion, historically speaking, you are now "out of competition" in terms of marriages, allocation of dowry, so on. So since many people historically never married across religion, there's no problem being nice to people who aren't competing for your same economic resources.
Please note that I don't mean to indicate approval for any of these things, just that historically that's how it has played out.
Hearing about a benefit of apostasy, from members of ones former religion no less, is quite surprising.
The perceived threat is from the claim that all other gods are false, which is one of the major factors in the anti Muslim/anti Christian sentiments playing out currently in India.
However, the attitude of muslims & Christians towards nonbelievers, idol worship and the historical violence and destruction wrought on them plays a bigger role.
A modern western atheist might carry the same "all gods are false", the vast majority of the Hindus will not have any problem with that.
I wouldn't take that statement at face value. They are definitely not freed from the social burdens of their station of birth.
They might achieve some sort of better treatment through their association with a larger group of Christians who together wield some political power and influence, but in matters of marriage and other aspects of domestic life, they will likely face the same discrimination that they did before conversion. Consider, for example, the caste system of Roman Catholic Indians in Goa:
Converting is the only way to get rid of your caste. It's common amongst Hindus to ask each other's caste and the only way to say that you have none is to not be a Hindu. If you are a hindu then people will figure out your caste from your last name.
You would end up without a caste, but with higher or lower social status depending on your original country.
A better off dalit is still a dalit. Thats the point. The society will discriminate against you in all ways possible. Right from job applications to finding a partner
There used to be some kind of exclusivity in being a christian in India. This might no longer true.
I am from Chennai where Christianity has spread rapidly in recent years, a christian doctor who died of covid had to be cremated in a Hindu cemetery because of conflicts between the different christian denominations.
This has been the case in the North-east of India for several years now, since they are more than 80% christian.
Christianity doesn't seem like a great choice then since it teaches God will burn all non-Christians eternally in Hell.
I'm an atheist myself but I don't see many things in Christianity that are particularly bad (...I just don't believe in the supernatural).
I respect your personal choice, of course, but curious why people choose to convert to a different religion instead of just shunning the Hindu identity, given Christianity also tends to have problematic beliefs. Is it because sharing religious beliefs makes it easier to share a common identity?