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To illustrate being a Christian means, I have faith that Jesus is the son of God is our saviour, put my faith in Lord the Father, Lord the Christ and the Holy Ghost. Rest all are historic developments.

in a similar fashion, what makes one a Hindu? And if somebody becomes a Hindu can he be practise without being labeled to any particular Caste or Varna?

  • A good question! It is difficult to define a Hindu. A person who claims to be a Hindu, is not following any other religion, and is not doing anything to hurt Hindus or Hinduism is accepted as a Hindu. The answer is yes, a Hindu does not have to have a caste. A caste is not even a Vedic concept. All human beings not just Hindus belong to one of 4 varnas. Varna is a psychological concept. Many westerners who converted to Hinduism do not belong to any caste. Even Hindus who are atheists do not accept caste. – Pradip Gangopadhyay Aug 27 '18 at 05:54
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    All orthodox Hindus have 3 assertions in common, no matter what their particular sect. First, all believe in God (different schools and sects have different concepts as to what God is, but all believe in God). Second, all believe that the Vedas are the words of God directly from God. Third, all believe that the universe is projected from God (there is no 'creation' out of nothing) and in cycles and as a subnote to that, reincarnation. All assert this whether they are Monotheists, Qualified Monists (similar to western 'pantheism'), or monists. There is no polytheism in Hinduism. – Swami Vishwananda Aug 27 '18 at 06:30
  • Caste is a social custom. Sadhus (monks) do not belong to any caste. There are sects also that do not recognize caste distinctions. – Swami Vishwananda Aug 27 '18 at 06:32

1 Answers1

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what makes one a Hindu?

To be a Hindu, One must learn and understand its very concept. There is no conversion ceremony in Hinduism like in Christianity. However Hinduism follows pluralism. Hence Hinduism has many rituals and practices to follow. One is open to choose any among them.

References:

  1. https://www.wikihow.com/Be-a-Hindu
  2. https://www.wikihow.com/Convert-to-Hinduism

And if somebody becomes a Hindu can he be practise without being labeled to any particular Caste or Varna?

Yes, you don't have to belong to any caste or varna when you become a Hindu.

To know more, You can also go through all the answer posts of this question: Is it true that one can not convert to Hinduism from any other religion or vice versa?

TheLittleNaruto
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