Hinduism never binds people with rules; it respects individual freedom. Therefore it is hard to define who is a Hindu – the Supreme Court of India recently found it difficult to term who is a Hindu and who is not. This is because there is no single rule book or unified command in Hindu religion. The individual is given the freedom to practice Sanatana Dharma the way he/she wants. Thus we have Hindus who apart from going to temples also offer prayers at Churches, Mosques, etc. We also have Hindus who are atheists. We have Hindus who never go to temples or other organized Hindu religious centers but they practice the religion in their minds and they have their own methods of performing worship and practicing Hinduism.
Can a person with a Christian name be counted as a Hindu? He can be, said the Supreme Court adopting the Shakespearian logic, "what's there in a name", but with two caveats -- he must follow the practices of Hinduism professed in the area and be accepted by the community as a Hindu.
Justice Dattu, writing the judgment for the Bench, said: "Hinduism is not a religion with one God and one Holy Scripture. The practices vary from region to region, place to place. The Gods worshipped, the customs, traditions, practices, rituals etc. they all differ, yet all these people are Hindus."
"The determination of religious acceptance of a person must not be made on his name or his birth. When a person intends to profess Hinduism, and he does all that is required by the practices of Hinduism in the religion or by the caste to which he belongs, and he is accepted as a Hindu by all persons around him," the Bench said.
Quoting from the book "Facets of Hinduism" by Swami Harshananda, Justice Dattu said: "Hinduism appears to be a very complex religion. It is like a centre of gravity doll which always regains its upright position however much it may be upset. Hinduism does not have a single founder, a single book, a single church or even a single way of life."