VIEW OF OTHER RELIGIONS
Q: What is the Sikh view of other religions?
The Sikh Gurus have provided humanity a remarkably universal lifestyle. The essence of all great religions is considered the same...becoming a universal being by overcoming a self-centered lifestyle. This is reflected in the Christian principle of love for all, in Muslim principles of universal brotherhood, in the Jewish view of one God, and so on. Sikhism does, however, reject literal interpretations of myths and legends which are asociated with many ancient religions. These myths and stories of miracles are to be interpreted as a high level of communication between humans and the Creator. To treat them literally demeans their origin and their value, and creates conflicts among different faiths. Sikh Gurus have pointed out that the literal interpretation of such miracles and the associated rituals distract from a spiritual life and defeats the very purpose of a religion.

Sikhs also find it unacceptable that humans, no matter how enlightened, be equated to the Creator. Thus, the concept of special incarnations of God, Saviors, etc., are not part of the Sikh faith.

Q: It is often said that Sikhism is a sect of Hinduism. Is this an accurate statement?
This statement is usually made by Hindus. In some sense this is a credit to Sikhism, since Hindus want to claim it as their own. Since there is no one definition or text that can claim to describe a Hindu, it is possible to claim anybody and nobody is a Hindu, depending upon which text is quoted.

The fact is that Guru Nanak provided an original light to human existence. While one can debate indefinately on how Sikhism is different from Hinduism on a theoretical basis, here are some key practical differences...and the differences are enourmous:

Hindus pray to a multitude of gods...each with his or her own deities. Sikhs believe in the concept of Ik Om Kaur...One Creator. Not the trinity of Brahma, Vishnu, Mahesh, or the multitude of Gods.

Karma at Birth. Hindus attach a heavy karma (positive or negative) at birth. This is based on caste and sex. Brahmin is the upper caste with all the privileges that go along with it. Of course, in secular India it is now against the law to enjoy these privileges. But in real life this Hindu principle is hard to abandon. The Kshatriyas...soldiers, Kayasthas...traders, and the lowest of the low, Shudras...or untouchables. One can only imagine the depravity of the society that created these castes.

Recently there has been a movement among Hindu intellectuals to say that the caste system was not really intrinsic to Hinuism...that it was an allegorical representation of some abstract concept. But this system is woven into the very fabric of Hindu society. Epics like Ramayan and Mahabharat weave intricate stories on the role of caste system in a person's life.

Sikhism rejects any karma-at-birth theory.

Sikh Gurus have equated men and women as far as their potential is concerned. Both can be enlightened and both can degrade themselves. While in modern India laws exist against discrimination based on sex, in ancient Hindu texts the roles of women are usually unfortunate.

Women's role.

At birth you are the Father's property
At marriage you are the Husband's property
At widowhood the Son's

This is Manu's law of Hindu code written thousands of years ago. While it may be argued that Sati...burning of widows...was not part of Hindu religion, it is very difficult to separate this practice from Hinduism. Hindu mythology has presented woman as seductress, spoiler of purity, and as a burden. Of course, it is laudable that many Hindu reformers have tried and are trying to eliminate the sad discrimination against women. However, discrimination is woven into mythic tales of Ramayan and Mahabharat, and it has been difficult to alter their influence.

Pilgrimages and Rituals. Sikhism rejects pilgrimages and sacred readings by Pundits as anything to do with spiritual enlightenment.

Salvation by abandoning material and social worlds. Hindu philosophy describes the final stages of life as one where a man abandons the family and household (the Sanyasi stage) to seek Truth. Sikhism recommends seeking Truth within the milieu of family and work.

The points listed above are not to suggest that there is nothing in common between Hinduism and Sikhism. The goal of the two paths are quite similar...happiness through universality. The actual paths are very different.

Q: In the West Asian religions of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam there is a central theme of original sin at birth. How does the Sikh faith view this concept?
The Sikh faith rejects the concept of original sin (the term is not present in Sikh spiritual doctrine) or "karma at birth" originated by the Hindu religion. Guru Nanak assures us that indeed, while this life's journey is often very painful, the reason is not that this is God's law, but because the human is often unable to see and follow Truth. the world, according to Sikh faith, is a place where we can be in a state of bliss. Truth is indeed revealed when one realizes that each of us is part and parcel of the Infinite Creator. When duality is removed one loses the sense of continuous comparison and competition with others which is the source of sorrow.

Q: How does the Sikh faith view other great men like Gautam, Buddha, Jesus Christ, Mohammad, etc.?
Sikhs have utmost respect for these great men. They have enlightened humanity. The Sikh Gurus have shown their respect for Universal Truth by including works of other enlightened souls (Kabir, Namder, etc.) in the Guru Granth Sahib. Of course, the Sikhs cannot accept any human as a Savior or the only intermediary to the Creator.

Q: In what way is the Sikh faith organized differently from other major religions?
Sikhs are fortunate that the Guru Granth Sahib was handed to us by the Gurus themselves. The Bible, the Koran, the Gita, etc., were all written by persons other than the enlightened souls. As a result there are some important differences between the Sikh faith and other religions.

Organized religions have the following common features:

Creation Theories: A theory of how the world was created by God. There are many different Creation stories. The Hindus have one, the Native Americans have several versions, and the Jewish-Christainity-Islam version is different. The Creation theory tries to capture an essentially infinite concept in a simple form.

Miracles:A leap of faith is demanded from the believer...a leap that totally violates any normal experience that he or she may have. For example, in Christianity a virgin Mary gives birth to Jesus. In every religion there are similar miraculous stories. By accepting this leap of faith the believer commits his or her intellect to the faith.

Code of Daily Living: A list of dos and don'ts is then established,. The Sikh faith discards this standard approach. It presents no theory of Creation. Instead the Gurus reply, "How can a small fish describe the ocean?" In Japji Sahib Guru Nanak uses the term Infinite or Infinity 31 times. How indeed can one capture infinity by a human mind?

In Guru Granth Sahib there is no mention of any miracles carried out by the Gurus. The Gurus continually remind the Sikh...everything operates according to the Creator's laws. One sees these laws being broken only in ignorance. From time to time the Gurus have used stories from Indian mythology to convey complex concepts. However, it is quite clear that the Gurus never presented themselves as creating any miracles. Their humility is utmost. The Sikh derives his or her faith not from miracles, but from the fact that His laws are unchanging and impartial.

Finally the Gurus don't present us with a detailed list of dos and don'ts. Foods should be health-giving. Thoughts should be enlightened, social interactions should be based on humility and spiritual choices should reduce ego. Many of the detailed dos and don'ts evolve and change as societies develop and science and technology progresses. Sikhs follow a "Rahitnama" or code of conduct which is separate from the Guru Granth Sahib. It has evolved and can accomodate changing social needs.