Cultural Hindus
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A Cultural Hindu is a religiously unobservant individual who identifies with Hinduism, usually due to family background.[1]
Definition
[edit]Emory University professor John Y. Fenton defines the locution as follows:[1]
The term "cultural Hindu" generally refers to Desis with a Hindu family background who have low observance of religious practices and whose identification with the Hindu religious tradition is primarily cultural or communal.[1]
The term has come into vogue as a result of secularization.[2] Cultural Hindus, while not religiously devout, may still observe Hindu festivals, such as Diwali.[3] For these individuals, this commemoration of Hindu festivals, as well as occasional temple attendance, serve as a celebration of their heritage.[4]
See also
[edit]
- Hindu atheism
- Cultural Christians, Christian culture
- Cultural Jews, Jewish culture
- Cultural Muslims, Islamic culture
References
[edit]- ^ a b c Fenton, John Y. (1988). Transplanting Religious Traditions: Asian Indians in America. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 59. ISBN 9780275926762.
The term "cultural Hindu" refers to Indians with a Hindu family background who have low observance of religious practices and whose identification with the Hindu religious tradition is primarily cultural or communal.
- ^ Beit-Hallahmi, Benjamin (21 August 2014). Psychological Perspectives on Religion and Religiosity. Taylor & Francis. p. 307. ISBN 9781317610366.
Terms such as "cultural Christian," "cultural Moslem," or "cultural Hindu" express the reality of seculariztion, where labels imply family descent, but not any practices.
- ^ "The Hindu Youth Research Project" (PDF). The Oxford Center for Hindu Studies. 2001. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 November 2016. Retrieved 20 July 2017.
- ^ Brosius, Christiane (12 June 2012). India’s Middle Class: New Forms of Urban Leisure, Consumption and Prosperity. Taylor & Francis. p. 240. ISBN 9781136704833.
