Sri Prasad1 clarifies:-
They used to bash Hinduism.
My question was whether they were, believer, agnostic, or atheist.
I translated atheist as Nastik, and Believer to Astik.
Really depends on what we mean by "Hinduism".
In UK, USA and elsewhere enormous luxurious edifices in wide and well-maintained gardens are erected to "Swami Narayan".
Nothing to do with Sree Mahaa Vishnu or any of His avathaarams. The central figures worshipped in these magnificently-designed "Hindu temples" is a shudra hunter couple elevated to divinity. Not to be confused with any semblance however remote to Radha/Krishna.
In some parts of South India and in some countries to which Tamil uneducated "indented labourers" were mass-transported by the British during their Empire hey-days, one finds temples erected to sword-wielding Ayyanaar, Muniyaandy, Maari-aathaa, Periyaatchi, Chinna-aatchi, Theraupathi-Amman, Karu-maayee, Madurai Veeran, Karuppan, Chinna Karuppan, Periya Karuppan, a giant-sized severed head fixed to the ground, and other "village gods".
The present-day descendants of these ex-labourers worship these deities by cymbal music, song and dance, often entering into screaming trances, and uttering prophesies. Food and drink offered to these deities (and later consumed by devotees as prasaadam) consist of cooked and raw fish, chicken, goat-meat, plus toddy, beer, brandy, whisky, "chaaraayam", and "beedi", cheroots, cigars, cigarettes which are all lighted. Those entranced also wave machetes, long knives, and swords during their dances. The weapons are deemed to contain the spirit of their gods and goddesses.
When questioned, the worshippers confirm they do not go to "regular" Hindu temples or accept the gods and goddesses there, and that E V Ramasamy is their "thalaivar". They have vowed to wipe off all "aiyyars" from the face of the Earth, or at least from Kashmir to Kanyakumaari, from the Arabian Sea to the Bay of Bengal. Some prosperous worshippers also own successful businesses such as operating lorry transport, recruiting untrained workers for construction jobs, owning sari and veshti shops, provision shops, grocery shops, Tamil bookshops.
To strangers, these are all "Hindus" though they do not wear forehead marks. They do dress in thundu and mel-thundu, and wear leathern chappals.
To answer Sri Prsad1's clarified question, can we perhaps say that these are not Hindus but believers in goddesses and gods of their own creation, i.e. gods not in the Hindu pantheon?
S Narayanaswamy Iyer