"Also note that the religions we practice today are quite different from those we practiced 1000, 2000 years ago, even if we give them the same "names" (the pra

"Also note that the religions we practice today are quite different from those we practiced 1000, 2000 years ago, even if we give them the same "names" (the practitioners of 2000 years ago would have very different ideas about identity, however). /r/askhistorians is a good source on how religions tend to continuously branch and merge over time." This is not true. Especially in India. There are plenty of families that still practice and live according to scriptures that were in existence thousands of years ago, passed down through generations. Hinduism itself is not a religion. Hinduism is a collective of multiple religions within its fold that follow the Vedic philosophy. The core religion is Sanatana Dharma. The word Hindu itself is not Vedic and was used first by Persians and then by Moghuls who invaded Bharat and renamed it Hindustan.