# Conversion

Explore conversion as the reorientation of desire, from ancient scripture to the age of gene editing and AI—where moral transformation and technological power must advance together.

[Image: Conversion can be interpreted as a reorientation of life, a turning back toward covenantal fidelity and Christ.]

Etymologically, conversion derives from the Hebrew *shuv* and the Greek *epistrephō*, both of which mean "to turn around" or "to face a different direction." Prophets use the word for Israel returning to abandoned covenants; the New Testament applies it to persons reorienting their lives toward Christ. The Book of Mormon describes the result as “a mighty change in us, or in our hearts, that we have no more disposition to do evil, but to do good continually” (Mosiah 5:2). What changes is disposition, which is to say desire.

Conversion is more than mere assent. A person may accept every doctrinal proposition of a religion and remain unconverted, still wanting what he wanted before. Alma accordingly frames his experiment on the word as an experiment on desire itself, beginning with no more than a willingness to believe (Alma 32:27).

## Peter’s Mighty Change of Heart

Jesus told Peter, “when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren” (Luke 22:32). He said it to a disciple who had already abandoned his nets, walked with him for years, and confessed him as the Christ. Conversion in that usage postdates belief and sacrifice. Alma the Younger reports something similar: three days racked with torment, the recollection of his father’s prophecy about the Messiah, and only afterward liberation and joy (Alma 36). Mormon theology maps this paradigm onto eternal progression, treating conversion as an iterative virtuous cycle.

## Desire and the calculus of Power

The doctrine takes on greater urgency as human capability expands. Gene editing, engineered minds, and systems that shape the decisions of billions all inherit the desires of whoever directs them. Mormon transhumanist thought treats conversion and technical competence as mutually dependent. Power without temperance amplifies harm and magnifies consequences. Similarly, a changed heart devoid of knowledge and the power to act permits remediable suffering to persist.

## Safeguards against Compulsion 

Because conversion grows from a place of genuine desire, it cannot be contrived or manufactured. As taught in Doctrine and Covenants 121, legitimate influence demands persuasion, patience, and unfeigned love, recognizing that authority built on compulsion ultimately collapses. Neurotechnology, behavioral design, and predictive systems increasingly make it possible to subversively alter conduct, producing reliable behavior that no one chose. Because such methods circumvent the very agency essential to meaningful conversion, absolute safeguards—namely consent, transparency, and the right of refusal—are imperative wherever technology intersects with human desire.

*See also*: [Agency](/topic-slug), [Baptism](/topic-slug), [Covenant](/topic-slug), [Repent](/topic-slug), [Restoration](/topic-slug), [Revelation](/topic-slug), [Salvation](/topic-slug), [Sanctify](/topic-slug)