"Conversions" is the second episode of the second part of the fourth season and the thirty-fourth overall episode of the HBO television series Oz.
Plot:[]
Narrations:[]
Every person on the planet was raised to believe some version of the truth. About God, about morality, mortality, about the purpose of life. We usually call those beliefs "religion". And, if over the course of living, those beliefs break down, if they prove themselves not to be true, we search for a new religion to follow and we convert. Now, that conversion can be traumatic. Not only for ourselves, our souls, but for those around us
When Christopher Columbus landed in the new world, a Catholic priest was right alongside him. From then on, priests kept coming over to this continent trying to convert the Indians, trying to get them to kiss the crucifix, to stop smoking peyote, to cover up their nakedness. The Indians responded with great enthusiasm. They maimed, tortured and burned the priests. And then offered the bodies up to their own gods..
Saul was a soldier riding his horse to Damascus when all of a sudden he saw a huge cross in the sky. Instantly, he changed the first letter of his name to "P", becoming "Paul". Why? I don't know. Most of us ain't that lucky, seeing a cross in the sky. For most of us, signs from God aren't quite that clear.
Prisoner number 00C966, Jeremiah Cloutier. Convicted December 27th, 2000. Embezzlement and petty larceny. Sentence: 9 years. Up for parole in 5.
Prisoner number 01B784, Ronald Barlog. Convicted January 12th, 2001. Car theft. Sentence: 13 years. Up for parole in 6.
Prisoner number 01R289, Burr Redding. Convicted January 11th, 2001. Murder in the first degree, seven counts of attempted murder. Sentence: Life without the possibility of parole.
Any convert, whether he goes from communist to capitalist, or from six packs a day to smoke-free, ends up condemning his former practices. Because those beliefs didn't work for him, they can't work for anybody. His vision becomes narrow, blinded by the light. Whether he's transformed into a Hindu or joins A.A., he becomes a fanatic. If you ask me, it's the fanatics who fuck up the world. It's the fanatics who think they've got God on their side. The rest of us? We don't need divine light. In the dark of night, all we want is enough light, so that we don't stub our toe on the way to the toilet.
Deaths:[]
3 unnamed rival Latino gang members (Flashback)- Shot by Burr Redding
3 unnamed police officers (Flashback)- Shot by Burr Redding
1 unnamed Latino gang member (Flashback)- Shot by Police
2 unnamed Black gang members (Flashback)- Shot by Police
Bian Yixhue- Head stapled repeatedly by Enrique Morales
Crime Flashbacks:[]
Jeremiah Cloutier: Embezzlement, petty larceny
Ronald Barlog: Car theft
Burr Redding: Murder in the first degree, seven counts attempted murder