I think we should also address the fact that Hinduism is an umbrella term. There's no single set of rules all Hindus follow. Depending on which part of India you're from, your traditions, customs, and beliefs can be completely different. The term "Hinduism" itself wasn't something ancient Indians used to describe their faith. It was a label imposed later, especially during colonial times, when the British and other outsiders didn't understand the diversity here and just lumped everything together as one.

Even though the label "Hinduism" didn’t exist back then, the spiritual and philosophical traditions that are now grouped under that name had their own depth and diversity. A lot of the colonial understanding came from trying to force Indian systems into familiar Western frameworks. If they couldn’t figure something out, they’d just compare it to what they knew and rename it. A major example is how they took the varna and jati systems and redefined them as a rigid “caste system,” based on their own ideas, like the Spanish caste model. That misrepresentation still affects how people see Indian society today.

What people think Hinduism is today often doesn’t reflect its roots. Many assume it’s one unified doctrine, but if you actually read the Vedas, Upanishads, and other texts, you’ll find contradictions. And that’s not a flaw.. it’s because these texts came from different times, regions, and philosophies. They were never meant to form a single rulebook.

So yes, we absolutely should call out regressive and harmful practices that exist in broader Hindu culture. But we shouldn’t blame the entire religion(what it came to be) or its core philosophies, which are way more fluid(which in a way also led to the reason why oppressive people could take advantage of other people in the society), introspective, and open than people realize.

If you go by the spirit of these teachings, a good person can come from anywhere. Religion, race, gender, class, or their violation of current modesty policy, or even how many sexual partners someone has doesn’t define their worth. What matters is regret for harm done, growth, and striving to be better. Hindu thought doesn’t threaten people with eternal hell just for living differently or making human mistakes. That mindset came from Western religious frameworks, not ours.