A great majority of Hindus are not in contact with their religious history therefore, they believe their inherited beliefs as the ultimate truth.+

A great majority of Hindus are not in contact with their religious history; therefore, they believe their inherited beliefs as the ultimate truth.

The word Hinduism was first used by British writers in the year 1830 to describe the multiplicity of the faiths of the people of India.

In Encyclopaedia Britannica, it says: - The word Hinduism was first used by the British writers in the year 1830 to describe the multiplicity of the faiths of the people of India, excluding the converted Christians. (Volume- -20, Reference -581)

That is the reason today, the majority of scholars say that the word Hinduism is a misnomer.

The correct word should be Santana Dharma, the eternal religion, or the Vedic Dharma, the religion of the Vedas.

Swami Vivekananda says: - The word Hindu is a misnomer; the correct word should be a Vedantin, a person who follows the Vedas.

Hinduism incorporates a vast pantheon of deities, some of whom are manifestations or combinations of others. Most of the deities mentioned in the Vedas are no longer worshipped; much of today's popular devotion centres around the major deities of Shiva, Vishnu, and the Goddess.

Hinduism is not the Ancient Vedic religion or the Santana Dharma. And all Hindus indulge in non-Vedic practices barred by the Vedas introduced by the different founders of the different sects of Hinduism at different times, whereas the Vedic religion, or Santana Dharma, is ancient and has no founder.

Thus, to acquire Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana, the seeker has to realize that his inherited religion is adulterated in the past, and it becomes a great obstacle in realizing the ultimate truth or Brahman.

While they do not accept texts past the Vedas, they are still monists and uphold other Hindu views. In their reformations, they rejected Brahminical control, and they are open to all castes and women.

Hinduism is based on myths, and thus, the people of India are unaware of the facts of their inherited religious history. The Vedic Culture and Vedas are complete in themselves, but Hinduism, which is a non-Vedic belief system with all rituals and conduct-oriented practices, has been largely contributed to by the orthodox priests to suit their convenience!

Supreme Court of India:~ Hinduism, as a religion, incorporates all forms of belief without mandating the selection or elimination of any one single belief. “ It is a religion that has no single founder, no single scripture, and no single set of teachings. It has been described as Santana Dharma, namely, eternal faith, as it is the collective wisdom and inspiration of the centuries that Hinduism seeks to preach and propagate,” ---Hinduism has no single founder or scripture: SC, The Times of India (Delhi) Dec 17, 2015

Hindus are idol worshipers of a large number of Gods and Goddesses, whereas in the Vedas God has been described as:-

Max Müller says ~ "The religion of the Veda knows no idols; the worship of idols in India is a secondary formation, a degradation of the more primitive worship of ideal Gods."

In the Vedas, God has been described as:~

Yajurveda – chapter- 32:~God is the Supreme Spirit, has no ‘Pratima’ (idol) or material shape. He cannot be seen directly by anyone. He pervades all beings and all directions.

Thus, Idolatry does not find any support from the Vedas.

Rig Veda: ~ 'Prajnanam Brahma'- Consciousness is the ultimate reality or Brahman or God in truth.

Do not accept any other God other than the Soul. The Soul is God in truth. Nothing is real but the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness. Nothing matters but realizing God in truth. God in truth is everywhere and in everything. Let these words be inscribed in your subconscious.

God in truth, is hidden by the illusory universe. God in truth alone is real and eternal, and all else is an illusion.

Brahman is merely a word to indicate the ultimate truth or God in truth. The ultimate truth itself is God in truth.

Rig Veda: ~ The Atman (Soul or Spirit) is the cause; Atman is the support of all that exists in this universe. May ye never turn away from the Atman, the Self. May ye never accept another God in place of the Atman nor worship other than the Atman?" (10:48, 5)

The Vedas, as a body of scripture, contain many contradictions, and they are fragmentary in nature. For Hindus, scriptures like the Bhagavad-Gita, Ramayana, Mahabharata, and Puranas are more attractive and appealing than the Vedas. And also the Gods and Goddesses they worship differ considerably from the Vedic ones.

The collection of hymns in the Vedas, which is written in praise of certain deities by poets over several centuries, does not seem to have much significance for the Hindus. :~Santthosh Kumaar