Book excerpt: "This study seeks to establish that ancient and modern people talk differently about conversion because they are very different people, constructed differently by their cultures, and are thus prone to experience life --their interactions with each other and with their gods--differently. While we are certainly enriched by noting similarities between different cultures and people, we can be equally enriched by understanding, accepting, and honouring the differences without trying to homogenise everything."--Introd., p. 11.