What is the Sikh religion?
Sikhism is a religion with roots in Hinduism. Followers of Sikh believe in One God, however, they also believe that all Attributes of God (the entirety of Creation) are themselves divine.
In this way, the Sikh religion is a combination of Monotheism and Polytheism, believing that God is One, and still manifests Himself in every particle of creation.
In my opinion, Hinduism is also a combination of Mono and Polytheism. However, Sikh has taken the idea further, emphasizing that their adherents worship the One God, rather than his Creation.
From Wiki:
In the Gurū Graṅth Sāhib, the Sikh scripture, the concept of the supreme reality is dynamic.
The many pluralities represented by concepts such as nirguṇa-saguṇa or the transcendent-immanent are subsumed in it. God is nirguṇa or without attributes. Yet God is saguṇa or with attributes, too, because in the manifested state all attributes are divine.
At the same time the ultimate reality of God never binds itself to any specific forms of image. Sikhism clearly rejects avatārvād or belief in divine incarnation and idol worship.Sikhism is, simultaneously, a mystical and practical religion. The mysticism is evidenced by it's belief that all things are infused with God essence. It's pragmatic approach is evidenced by it's emphasis on service:
Sikhs are not required to renounce the world.[30] They aspire to live the life of a householder. Seva (selfless service) is an integral part of Sikh worship, very easily observed in the Gurdwara. Visitors of any religious or socio-economic background are welcomed, where langar (food for all) is always served to people of all origins, the same (vegetarian) food, while sitting together on the same level of the floor.Additionally, Sikhism places an emphasis on the acceptance of other religions and means of self-expression. This has led adherents of Sikhism into the inevitable conflict with Islam:
Protecting the religious and political rights of all people and preventing discrimination is an integral part of the Sikh faith. The 5th Guru Arjan Dev was martyred by the Mughal ruler Jahangir on 16 May 1606 for refusing to convert to Islam. The martyrdom of Sri Guru Teg Bahadur Ji 9th Guru to protect Hindus from religious persecution, in Delhi, on 11 November 1675 AD, is another example of upholding minority religious freedom; he gave his life to protect the right of Kashmiri Hindus to practise their own religion when they were being forced to convert to Islam by Aurangzeb, the Mughal emperor at the time.Sikhs do not cut their hair. For this reason, the beards of Sikh men tend to be very long. They wrap their long hair in a turban.
This is what a Sikh man looks like:
Islam, on the other hand, stipulates that the Muslim man ought to trim his mustache and let his beard grow. Some Muslim men shave their moustache entirely and let the beard grow, others only trim the moustache.
Many Muslim men believe their beard should be long enough to grasp in their hand, and no longer. This is supported by a Hadith regarding Mohammed's way of shaving:
Ibn 'Umar relates from the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) that he said: "Do otherwise than those who ascribe partners to Allah (al-mushrikin): leave beards be, and trim mustaches." And ibn 'Umar, when he went on hajj or 'umra, grasped his beard with his hand, and removed what was in excess of it (Sahih al-Bukhari. 9 vols. Cairo 1313/1895. Reprint (9 vols. in 3). Beirut: Dar al-Jil, n.d., 7.206: 5892 and Sahih Muslim, 5 vols. Cairo 1376/1956. Reprint. Beirut: Dar al-Fikr, 1403/1983, 1.222: 259).Muslim men vary greatly in their appearance, but here is what a Muslim man (who is following the Koran and Hadith with regard to shaving) tends to look like:
However, many Muslim men shave their beard and moustache entirely, or have some combination of both, or leave themselves fashionably, and partially, unshaven at all times.
In general, there is not a lot of consistency in the appearance of Muslim men.
Sikhs on the other hand are very consistent in their appearance.
Learn more about Sikhism.
There also exists a non-traditional branch of Sikhism which believes that there is always at least one living master on the planet at any given time. These Sikhs, seekers of truth (Satsangis), study and practice "the science of the soul" (Surat Shabd Yoga) which doesn't ask the disciple to take anything on faith or hearsay, but gives them practical spiritual experience which can only be transmitted by God through his living representative.
ReplyDeletePresident Obama has led us well, hasn’t he ! No he hasn’t!
ReplyDeleteWhich leads me to Obama’s school records. You know, the ones they’ve never released. Hmmm….wonder what they’re hiding over there, huh? I wonder if Dingy Harry McMoron has an “unnamed source" for that!
My husband works at an international market and gets a discount there, so I have had the opportunity to run into quite a few Sihks. (There is a Sikh church not far from me.)
ReplyDeleteThey have always been very polite, even to the point of being demure.
Black Sheep wrote on this a few days back, pointing out that most Americans —idiots that they are, think of Sikhs as part of the Islamic faith. I have to say how odd it is that an unemployed construction worker, dishonorably discharged veteran, proponent of heavy metal hate music somehow made Middle Eastern religion the focus of his derangements. Add to this puzzle the fact that all of his neighbors are claiming Wade Page was “a wonderful neighbor.” Gad, we are such dolts … as Black Sheep said.
ReplyDeleteThere are quite a few Sikhs and Hindus in my area of town. They've very nice and industrious people.
ReplyDeleteRegarding the shootings
ReplyDeleteIt was written after Aurora but it's applicable. One of the better essays I've read on the matter.
This guy may well have targeted Sikhs because they are "foreign" rather than confusing them with Muslims.
... because if the were Muslims this horror would be understandable. Just ask Robert Spencer, Pam Geller or any of the other haters.
ReplyDeleteTo my knowledge, Spencer and Geller and "the others" haven't called for homicide. They HAVE called for preserving Western civilization and the ceasing of voluntary dhimmitude.
ReplyDeleteIt is my opinion that Page, the man who attacked the Sikh temple, was a member of Stormfront or the like. I'm guessing that he hated all "brown skins."
Also, his actions seem to have been sudden -- more so than the actions of the Aurora murderer. I can't help but wonder if something triggered Page. It is POSSIBLE that the trigger was the Aurora mass murder -- something along the lines of Page's wanting fame for himself and for his perverted cause.
I listened online to some of Page's so-called music. I couldn't understand the words, but the music itself sounded demonic.
Ducky should know what he's talking about. Few people are as hate consumed as he is.
ReplyDeleteSam,
ReplyDeleteI have to say how odd it is that an unemployed construction worker, dishonorably discharged veteran, proponent of heavy metal hate music somehow made Middle Eastern religion the focus of his derangements.
And how could this man, formerly in psyops, not have known the Sikh isn't the same as Muslim? There was a big sign in front of the Sikh temple, BTW.
Add to this puzzle the fact that all of his neighbors are claiming Wade Page was “a wonderful neighbor.”
A couple of things come to my mind about the puzzle with regard to possible triggers:
1. Neurological something (as in a brain tumor)?
2. Drugs?
3. Some kind of PTSD?
4. Blaming foreigners for having lost his job?
An autopsy should provide any such information about items 1-3.
Duck brought up Muslims.
ReplyDeleteIs it out of the range of possibility that Muslims wouldn't slaughter Sikhs much as Page did? video on the topic (At this point, I don't vouch for its veracity) and the 2000 Chittisinghpura massacre.
Brooke,
ReplyDeleteI have known several Sikhs. In fact, I had the granddaughter of one their most prominent teachers in my class years ago in a Christian school. The entire family were delightful people!
We have a Sikh librarian here in Northern Virginia. Again, a very nice and helpful man.
All the Sikhs whom I personally know radiate an inner peace.
Jack,
ReplyDeleteZing!
To my knowledge, the Sikh's don't try to force their religion on others; they don't commit acts of terrorism; they are not trying to infiltrate our government in order to spread their beliefs. It was a terrible thing that happened to these people.
ReplyDeleteHate is a terrible thing. Hate mixed with ignorance is is a double whammy.
Debbie
Right Truth
http://www.righttruth.typepad.com
AOW … working in psychological operations could include something as trivial as hooking up tiny speakers Ducky’s headboard. I doubt if Page had a doctorate in psychology. Many Americans think all foreigners look the same; Page was no genius.
ReplyDeleteMuslims have been slaughtering Sikhs since the beginning …
Back in the early eighties, I was a General manager of a gold mine south of SantFe, New Mexico. To the North of Santa Fe there was a commune of American Sikhs. Dy that i mean they were all white Americans that had taken up the Sikh religionI know about them because I employed their security guard service at the mine. They were very much capitalistic in that they owned and operated several businesses.
ReplyDeleteI got to know the head of security service business quite well. He explained to me that "marshalling" was a part of Sikh history for centuries. The two biggest business of this Sikh commune was 2.) providing security guard services to banks, businesses and bars, and 2.) providing hand-to-hand combat training and fire arms training to the State Polices and to local poliin Northern New Mexico. Sikhs do have their own form of martial arts.
I'm wondering how many of the Sikhs in Wisconsin are actually Americans rather than Indian-
I see that Debbie has two postings today about the massacre at the Sikh temple. These postings are well worth your time!
ReplyDeleteGo HERE and HERE. The second one is entitled "Neo-Nazi White Supremacist does not equal Conservative Right-Wing."
Sikh and Ye Shall Find.
ReplyDeleteYour description their beliefs is interesting. They seem quite intelligent to me and are not that far from my own conception of God.
You cling to this idea of forced dhimmitude, AOW. Somehow that justifies the hatred that people like Geller and Spencer push.
ReplyDeleteI saw an article about a thief sentenced to have his hand cut off in a north African nation. The local population (Muslim) came out and stopped it. There is an entrenched resistance to the extremists.
Meanwhile in Texass (sic) a profoundly retarded man is executed. He was part of a drug deal gone bad but the only evidence against him was the testimony of the girl friend of the accomplice who claims this man with a 60 I.Q. confessed to the killing.
No forensic evidence, no murder weapon, nothing else.
In defiance of the Supreme Court edict that it is not permissible to execute the profoundly retarded the appeal was handled by "Tough Tony" Scalia in a piece of sophistry that would make Sam Huntington proud.
Since we do not know what the founders meant by "idiot" when they banned those executions this one could go through.
Makes the nation proud and tell me which story reflects the presence of the Taliban in our culture.
Dhimmitude? Only from the Domininionists, who are prevailing in some regions.
How do you see dhimmitude being enacted?
Meanwhile, the pig people like Spencer and Geller are part of this latest massacre. I'm sure they don't have the moral compass to admit it.
FJ, the shooter is dead. He died by shooting himself in the head. The problem is that he was too late.
ReplyDeleteOhhh Ducky, PLEASE!!!!!
ReplyDeleteThat "profoundly retarded" guy who was just executed in Florida was faking it and IT WAS PROVEN!.
The problem with you is that you only read and hear what fits your twisted world view. All the rest fades to black.
Ummm, I mean Texas.
ReplyDeleteHe told others besides his girl friend that he did the killing. He had a history of criminal behavior. That "edict" left it entirely up to the states to determine whether someone was intellectualy impaired or not. On and on, more and more. You take the bits and pieces that you like, throw out all the rest, and then post inane and misleading crap on peoples blogs instead of giving all the known truth. If you were a prosecuter doing that to defendants, you'd be out of a job after your first case for withholding of evidence.
ReplyDeleteDuck,
ReplyDeleteNot so much forced dhimmitude, but rather voluntary dhimmitude. That link is a search index and not terribly specific. I'm typing in this comment in between printing sessions for students' portfolio sheets.
Duck,
ReplyDeleteAnd one more thing.
You said: Meanwhile, the pig people like Spencer and Geller are part of this latest massacre.
To my knowledge, there is zero connection between Page and the so-called counterjihad. If you have a link to show otherwise, please leave that link in a comment.
Now, back to those portfolios. Tedious task, but I have to wait of the printer to cool down some of the time.
Thanks for the correction Black Sheep. :)
ReplyDeleteThe accounts manager in my practice is a Sikh. She and her husband are wonderful people and with probably the most amount of self-respect that I have ever witnessed.
ReplyDeleteThey commented to me just yesterday something that I found interesting and suprising.
They said that in general Sikhs are like anyone else whom puts a spiritual value to life. They said that Sikhs also can have all the problems and emotions of any other group but deal with them uniquely. They do not push others to join their faith and they usually do not condemn those that leave thier faith like say Muslims and many Hindus do. When angry they first wonder, discuss and pray but when they are really upset they can behave like anyone else and it should not be forgotten that they killed Indira Ghandi out of vengance, but it was nevertheless a decision they made.
They said that what makes them most different is not their turbins or that every man carries a knife (these days a ceremonial one or an image of one), but that they always do things in three steps. 1. Think about it, 2. Pray about it and lastly 3. Act on what they decide. Sikhism dislikes hesitance and doubt and considers them to be amongst the main barriers to personal improvement.
Lovely people.
Damien Charles
The tenets of Sikhism resonate very well with me and are very close to my own understanding of who and what God really is. Except for all the fuss about "hair," etc. Sikhism sounds eminently sane and absolutely benign to me.
ReplyDeleteTerrible what happened in Wisconsin, but there are always a very few dangerous lunatics lurking here, there and everywhere -- just one of those unpleasant facts of life we must accept.
The chances of being shot down by a madman on therampage are probably even more minute than being struck by lightning.
I believe we have more to fear from impatient, overly-aggressive or inattentive drivers taking on cell phones than we do from armed assassins -- or Muslim extremists for that matter.
It may sound fatalistic, even cynical, but I truly believe that "When your number's up, your number's up," and there isn't a thing you could do to prevent it.
Like Mr. AOW's stroke these things are due to bad luck more than anything else. I think it's stupid for us to go around wringing our hands crying, "Oh! Oh! Oh! If ONLY I had KNOWN, this NEVER would have HAPPENED!
Baloney!
We need to learn -- and ACCEPT -- that we have no power to control ANYTHING -- except ourselves.
Don't worry about dying, just LIVE until you do die.
There's really no other way.
~ FreeThinke
No AOW, Geller and Spencer and others are full participants in the hate against Muslims (which often translates to acts against Sikhs).
ReplyDeleteI notice that the dhimmis burnt down a mosque in Joplin the other day and the leftist media didn't even bother to report it.
There is no voluntary dhimmitude. Utterly absurd despite what Shoebat (who loves to go on about the end times) or Bridget Gabriel or any of the professional Muslim haters have to say.
In my town Sikhs and Muslims alike keep a low profile. The Sikh center is just a couple miles from me and I went there after the massacre. They are quite frightened. They feel Boston is pretty safe but think it can happen anywhere.
Duck,
ReplyDeleteWe disagree on the matter of Spencer and Geller as well as the others you mentioned. But you already knew that I'd disagree.
As for the mosque that burned down in Joplin, the local news msm here covered that event -- at least, my local NBC channel did.
As for Sikhs being targeted by mistake, just how many such incidents have occurred? None here in the D.C. area, of course, as most here in this diverse area know the difference between Sikhs and Muslims.
Muslims here do not keep a low profile. But, hey, we have the Saudi school and the Saudi Cultural Center as well as mosques and prayer rooms.
FT,
ReplyDeleteWhat is with the state of Wisconsin? That state has spawned Ed Gein and Jeffrey Dahmer, too.
Anyway, I do note that incidents, not tragedies so far except for what happened on Sunday in Wisconsin, are popping up all over the United States since the Aurora Massacre. Frankly, I think that the Aurora Massacre serves as a trigger for nut jobs looking for their 15 minutes of fame or notoriety. Sheesh.
Erratum:
ReplyDelete"What is" should read "What is it."
Not enough coffee, I guess.
Too much cheese, perhaps, AOW? ;-)
ReplyDeleteWisconsin also gave us the Ripon Society, Joe McCarthy and now Paul Ryan, so it can't be all bad.
Funny though! One of my neighbors, who lives down the lane, is from Wisconsin, and she's a bitch on jet-skis, if ever there was one. A typical feminazi. Always trying to stir up trouble, always complaining, always criticizing, always making demands, always carrying tales, and never giving ANYTHING but guff and grief.
I made valiant efforts to be friendly with this creature for eleven years. Every time I thought I was making headway, and began to feel comfortable with her, she started slapping away at me again over some bogus "concern."
I don't believe in hating people, but if I should happen to run across her obituary one day, I shan't mourn her loss.
There are lots of people out there the world would be much better off without.
But not all of them come from Wisconsin.
Cheerio!
~ FT
FT,
ReplyDeleteI personally know only one person from Wisconsin. She's okay.
I've heard that my neighbors from hell are from Nebraska. But maybe they are from Wisconsin after all. I'm sick and tired of their dumping their yard waste in my woods without even asking me for permission.
Yeah, those Christians and Jews in Joplin really hated the Muslims and are glad the mosque burned....
ReplyDelete"JOPLIN, Mo. — Joplin churches are holding a special ceremony for members of a Joplin mosque destroyed in a suspicious fire.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations says Joplin churches will gather Wednesday evening at St. Philip's Episcopal Church as a show of support for the Islamic Society of Joplin. They'll be taking part in an "iftar," which is a meal to break a fast during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
The Islamic Society of Joplin's mosque was destroyed in a fire early Monday. Federal officials have been working to determine whether the fire was arson, but said Wednesday it's unclear when they'll know if the fire was set.
CAIR says the groups participating Wednesday night include the South Joplin Christian Church, United Hebrew Congregation, First Community Church and Peace Lutheran Church."
I personally would not take part in the "Iftar" but would have no trouble rendering other physical aid to help these people. That's the Christian thing to do. As a firefighter, if I had been on the scene I would have done everything in my power to save as much as the building as I could.
Arsons of churches, unless connected with a 'minority' group only make local news, never national. For example, we've had church arsons in Springfield, Buffalo, Poplar Bluff and Independence with minor blips on the newscope. ANY arsonist should be locked up for 20 years regardless of their "motivation." Fire doesn't care if you started it for hate or a thrill up your leg. If someone dies in a fire you set, you should get life - period. Shouldn't matter one whit if the victim is white, brown, black, straight, gay, Christian, Jew, Muslim, Atheist, Republican, Democrat or Communist.
Alligator,
ReplyDeleteThank you for that information.
Paladin,
ReplyDeleteYes, you are correct bout that bombing.
However, I have to say that I've never encountered a problem with Sikhs. Many Muslim -- particularly Saudi males -- are inordinately rude.