1. The Essential Religious Practices (ERP) test, as applied by the Indian Supreme Court in matters involving protection of religious practices and institutions under Articles 25 and 26 of the Constitution, may be traced to the Christian colonial distinction between essential tenets of a religion and its non-essential aspects; and 2. The application of the Christian concept of ‘religion’ to Indic OET gave rise to the debate as to whether Hinduism was a ‘religion’ or ‘a way of life’.
