Sikhism: A Monotheistic Religion

Attack on the heart of Sikhism, the militaristic and political values over the lives of the innocent shook the entire Sikh religion to its knees. In June 1984, rising tension between the Damdami Taksal led by Jarnail Singh Bhindranwal and Indian Army, lead to an assault on the Golden Temple located in Amritsar, where the nationalist group was headquartered. Lasting ten days, the Operation and overall fighting left the death toll to an estimated of 490. The damage to the Golden Temple complex and Sikh community was catastrophic. Battles in the surrounding areas, in the streets where innocents where kept and the involvement of tanks made for the operation to be very chaotic and horrific. In the months following the operation, Indira Gandhi,

The Sikh people do not practice many examples of outward, external worship i especially those that may be troubling. They do practice one outward tradition, though, the wearing of the Five K's. The symbolism behind the five K's remains the focus of their practice. This tradition remains acceptable because it points the Sikh people to their worship, and reinforces the ethics of their religion. The five K's are consistent reminders of God and their devotion to Him. These five symbols include the Kesh, Kangha, Kara, Kachera and Kirpan. The five K's is a tradition that dates back centuries and remain an important part of the Sikh tradition. The pieces help the people reflect on their religion, and focus on righteous living. They view wearing the five K's as a practice necessary for achieving union with God and displaying their devotion. Sikh people do not have to wear all 5 of the K's. Some may wear all of them, and some may only wear one. Many will try to wear as many as possible, although the practicality of the five K's has varied over time. The Kesh is uncut, or natural hair that is not styled. The Kesh is a style for both men and women. Usually, a turban or another fabric cloth that covers a topknot guards the hair. Sikh people recognize their creation by God, and aim to remain as natural as they were made. They believe one should not interfere with their God given form. This supports their belief that everyone is a creation of God, and acknowledges his creations should remain. The Kangha is a small comb that is worn to keep the hair neat. It is more of a practical piece rather than symbolic. The Kangha is mostly a tool that allows the Sikh people to wear their hair naturally and acknowledge their natural appearance and being. The Kara is an iron or steel bracelet that is worn by the Sikh people. It is worn always on the right wrist. The Kara represents both community and unity. The sense of community the Kara brings, is that of the Sikh people. When wearing the Kara, the people believe they are all unified as a singular community. It is an important aspect of the religion to serve each other and remain a unified body. The Kara represents a constant contact and unity with God, and a tool of

One of the youngest amongst the major world religions, is a monotheistic religion that originated in South Asia (sub-continental India) during the 15th century. Founded by by the first guru Nanuk

My purpose to write this essay on Hinduism and sikhism is because the two religions Sikhism and Hinduism is believed to be very similar if not same and the temples is told be almost identical this is ignorance of some people. The two religion have different gods and they represent their gods differently in the place of worship so my question is “how do hinduism and Sikhism represent gods in their places of worship” Which allows me to talk about that they are similar and different and there's individuality in the religion and aren't the same and representing gods in temple is always very important for every religion not just these two.

Religion plays a crucial role in the daily lives of millions of people. This is even more evident in India. Hinduism and Sikhism are two very prominent religions in this nation (Pinkham, 1967). These two religions are closely linked but also have many distinct practices. Issues of the position of women in society, attitudes towards the caste system, and methods of worship are critical aspects of both religions. Among the many distinct practices that are shared between the religions of Hinduism and Sikhism is the status of women. In Hinduism, women can attain a certain status in that they can either become a nun or

            Sikhism was founded over 500 years ago, and now has over 20 million members around the world; it is the fifth largest world religion.  Founded by Guru Nanak he believed in a single creator of the world and that there is only one God (Sikhs.org, 2011).  Followers of this religion believe that there are different ways to follow God’s will and that

Those who are raised within one religious tradition may find it difficult to understand the traditions of another religion. It is not until one is educated in the basics of the other major world religions, that it is possible to see the many similarities between them. Just as there are many similarities between the countries culturally, the major religions share more things than they are different. In viewing Hinduism, Buddhism, and Sikhism with an open mind, it is easy to see the differences, similarities and ideals that make these religions as widespread as they are.

In this essay I am going compare and contrast the rituals/ practices parts of sikhism and judaism. As we discussed in class, Sikhism is Monotheistic religion that was found in Punjab Pakistan in 1469 AD by Guru Nanak Dv Ji. The worship place for this religion is the Gurdwara. In my site visit to the Gurdwara I learned that this place open 24 hour and anyone may enter it no matter their faith, caste or skin color. I also learned that There are daily prayers and the three pillars of sikhism are to remember god at all time, to live your life honestly/with integrity and to share what you have with those less fortunate. In addition, Every day Sikhs worship the one God at their homes, even with or without a Gurdwara service. As we learned in class that in sikhism statues and pictures are not allowed. Furthermore, there is no prophets in Sikhism, only direct relation with god without mediator. The three jewels in Sikhism are Naam Japna,Kirat Karni and Vand chakna (Living Religions page . Additionally, Skishis do not drink intoxicating drinks and most of them are vegetarian. Also, sikhs wear the 5 KS which are Kangha,Kara,Kachera,Kirpan and Kesh. According to the book Living Religion in Skisham , Men should wear turbans and

What is religion? There is much debate to the exact definition of religion but according to the book Introduction to World Religions, “It is commonly used to refer to those beliefs, behaviors, and social institutions that have something to do with speculations on any, and all of the following: the origin, end and significance of the universe; what happens after death; the existence and wishes of powerful, non-human beings such as spirits, ancestors, angels, demons, and gods; and the manner in which all of this shapes human behavior”(Partridge,10). Sikhism first came about hundreds and hundreds of years ago in a community where religious beliefs were split between Hinduism and Islam.

Gura Nanak born in the mid 15th century unlike Mahavira came to a belief in a single God. In addition, he developed the idea that the separation of Muslim and Hinduism into two religions was wrong. As a result of this experience, Nanak like Mahavira sought to spread his teachings by becoming homeless and wandering from place to place. Nanak’s creation was Sikhism, which is a melding of both Hindu and Muslim practices. One practice adopted from Islam, which is in opposition to Jainism is the practice of eating meat. According to Molloy, Nanak believed animals were created for the use of humans. Another emphasis particular to Sikhism is attention toward helping the poor. Nanak

Unlike other religions, Sikh faith is not dogmatic; it is a distinct and unique religion. The Sikh Scripture is true "Religion of Self" where everyone has a personal relationship with God. It does not place any emphasis on pilgrimage, praying in a particular direction, praying on a particular day, fasting, meaningless rituals, idol worship, superstition, body mutilation, asceticism or celibacy.

He began preaching the way to enlightenment and God after receiving a vision. After his death a series of nine Gurus, regarded as reincarnations of Guru Nanak. Led the movement until 1708. At this time these functions passed to the Panth and the holy text. This text, the Shri Guru Granth Sahib, was finished by the tenth Guru, Gobind Singh. It consists of hymns and writings of the first 10 Gurus, along with texts from different Muslim and Hindu

If a person were to juxtapose the western religions that exist in our society today, a vast amount of people would conclude that a major similarity between them is that they are all monotheistic. There is a multiple amount of religions in this world today, but a few are monotheistic like the western religions and then there are the polytheistic religions, which tend to be more along the eastern side. Monotheism can be straight forward with its definition; however, there are certain concepts that need to be known in order to completely understand the true nature of monotheism in today’s western religions. These concepts can be comprehensible by exploring a few themes within monotheism.

Religion is a combination of beliefs, ceremonies and set of rules used to follow god or group of gods. I myself belong from a monotheistic religion, known as Islam. Islam is second largest religion in the world. Islam is revealed through Mohammad as a prophet of god. Quran is the holy book of Islam. The Quran was first revealed to Prophet Mohammad, being a messenger of god he started telling those teachings to the people of Mecca and Madinah. After that, people started to convert to Islam. I always wanted to know that how Hinduism is a monotheistic religion because Hindus believe in so many gods. I also wanted to know that why Hindu temples have a bell at their entrance. That’s why I choose Hinduism as my experience project.

Sikhism originated in the Punjab region of northwestern India during a time when many religious teachers, known as "Sants," were seeking to reconcile the two opposing dominant faiths, Hinduism and Islam.