Who said that person is my friend? I am an Atheist since birth; hardly this type of person is a friend.

And who said she is my friend?

But the last name, in my other country, can't be altered / changed.......neither my great-grandparents wanted to do so. ,,,and I am not about quarreling with ignorant people.

@St-Sinner I use both last names. In my other country you can change your last name if it lends itself to insults. I can't give you and example unless you speak Spanish.
BTW married women keep their father last names, In USA it was my choice to use both last names....in my other country is mandatory.

@duchessa1

The traditions are so varied. Children in my state in India use their father's first name as the middle name, wives use husband's first name and last names as the middle and last names, Husbands change wife's first name too. In one state of South India, children take father's first name as the last name. For example, John Smith's daughter will be Elizabeth John. In another state, children take mother's first name as the name. There are matriarchical societies where property rights are in woman's name. In another state, everybody takes the town's name as the last name. They are differentiated and recognized by their middle name.

In Indonesia, every firstborn child is named Wayan, Putu or Gede, the second is named Made or Kadek, the third child goes by Nyoman or Komang, and the fourth is named Ketut. If a family has more than four children, the cycle repeats itself, and the next 'Wayan' may be called Wayan Balik, which loosely translates to 'another Wayan'

@St-Sinner In my other country has nothing to do with traditions but with the rights of the women. In Brazil, for instance, the children carry the mother last name BEFORE the father's ....also for the rights of the women.

BTW: Recently I was told India is an extremely religious country. If I am no mistaken Hinduism is not a religion but a philosophy. Am I correct?

@duchessa1

I was born Hindu, practiced Hinduism, had all Hindu rites including the sacred thread ceremony and I can tell you from first hand experience that Hinduism is a religion, is a primitive religion, is practiced as a religion and arguments given to support that it is not have to do with how it is not centrally organized. That does not make it a non-religion and just a philosophy. I have heard this argument all my life and accepting that is denying all facts and realities and practices on the ground in daily life of Hindu.

Hinduism is not organized and it has thousands of sects, castes, sub-castes and tons of discrimination. For example, I was born in the top priest (Brahmin) caste, got all social privileges but within my caste there were hundreds of sub-castes and all claimed that they were superior to others. Inter-sub caste marriages were prohibited, let alone inter-caste and inter-religion marriages.

The claim that Hinduism is a philosophy can apply to all religions and cults around the world. Every religion and cult have a philosophy. Hinduism is the most primitive, diarrayed, cultist, superstitious and backward religion among all religions and possibly at par with primitive African and Amazonian jungle religions.

@St-Sinner Thanks a lot. I am printing your answer for further discussions. Thanks.

@duchessa1

Thanks. Please include this, I tried to include but the site kept crashing.

If it was just a philosophy, it would not have bizarre, scary, animal, half-animal, and half human and jungle gods. Philosophy does not have superstitions, atrocious traditions, and bizarre practices.

And is anyone tries to tell you Buddhism is not a religion, it is a just a philosophy, that is completely false too. Go to Bodhigaya in Bihar state of India (most backward in India) and see for yourself how Buddhism is practiced. It is as bizarre, superstitious as Hinduism is.

@St-Sinner Thakns again. Already printed.

Indeed...but ignorant people think they have the right to tell others what to do / be. You don't want to know my answer to that person.