The Hindu faith calls for praise and devotion to Bramhma, Durga, Ganesh, Krishna and other gods. It is a polytheistic religion references many gods represented by nature and other things in the earth. By comparison Sikhism teaches there is only one God. The purpose of Sikhism is to exist in God or be absorbed by Him. He did not believe in a place of Paradise but of Nirvana which was an individual who becomes a part of the One True Name (God).
In the 21st century three main sects of Sikhism remain along with other denominations. First there is Udasis representing the holy men totally devoted to teaching and spreading the religion. These wear long beards and shave off their heads. The next order is the Sahajdharis that are against violence and reject the need for militarism, they are clean shaven. (What does hair have to do with anything?). Today there are three main branches of Sikhism and many minor groups. The first sect is called the Udasis which is basically an order of ascetics and holy men. They frequently shave their heads and beards and are often active as missionaries. The second sect is the Sahajdharis who reject militarism and prefer to be clean shaven (Sprunger, 2010). These were pacifists in their worship of the religion. The third sect is the Singhs which came about following the fifth Guru Arjan Des (Sprunger, 2010). He decided that the religion needed a militarists sect. The Sikhs had suffered persecution from Islam and as a result the Sighs were established. Later Guru Gobin Singh added a ritualistic ’baptism by sword’ that would teach Sikhs how to defend themselves in times of war. These grew their hair long, wore beards, and carried knives or daggers. The Singhs are known for their military skill and often served as police in India and some became soldiers of the British (Sprunger, 2010).
Some say the religion came to existence due to the differences of Islam to Hinduism in India and the irreconcilable tenets of each faith. Hindus believe in worshipping idols and visible objects or entities. Sikhism is a belief that worship is exclusive to God and no other created entity.
Hinduism teachers the caste system as the social construct of society. The Hindu people have four levels within the caste system and are given a ranking based on superiority or inferiority. In comparison Sikhism does not have such a ranking of people and consider all humans equal no matter what background, race, color or gender. Muslims believe in marrying up to four wives which is the practice of polygamy. Muslim men can have up to 4 wives. Sikhism believes that marriage is the union of two souls and denounces polygamy.
Muslim faith teaches sacrificing animals to Allah. While Sikhism does not. The Guru Nanke Dev Ji taught that this was murder and should not be done to God’s creations (RealSikhism.com, 2010).
The Muslim faith teaches that women are inferior to men. In Sikhism both men and women are to be treated equal and there is no deference to one gender over the other.
Both Hindus and Muslims have a time of fasting and pilgrimage to what is considered a Holy Land or Site to worship their gods. Hindus have holy days throughout the year. Muslims fast for an entire month called Ramadan.
Sikhism on the other hand do not hold fasts saying that physical suffering cannot bring you any closer to God. They esteem meditation and prayer over all other forms of worship. They believe worship is a part of everyday life and followers are not to cut their hair in honor to God. The pursuit of God is directed inside rather than outside for Sikhs.
While Hindus and Muslim followers believe their religion superior, Sikhism has the primary focus on God rather than religiosity. The Guru Nanek Dev Ji taught that the main objective in Sikhism is to attain a relationship with God or become one with God, not follow the traditions and rules set forth in a religion. The only way to cleanse oneself is to love God and desire Him with the whole being. Another Guru, Granth Sahib Ji said that those that are God’s bound servants are totally dedicated to seeing God (Guru Granth Sahib Ji, 465). Sikhs believed that the pursuit of God did not interfere with family life and the Gurus also married and had families. The Sikh faith consisted of praying, meditating the scripture, and living a simple life. A life free of ego, emotional trauma caused by greed, money, and other human emotions. They believed God would reward those that worshipped him above all material goods.
References
Hopfe, L. M. & Woodward, M.R. (2009). Religions of the world: religions originating in
India. P. 75-76.
RealSikhism.com (2010). Sikhism is an individual religion. Retrieved September 12,
2010 from
at=7
Sprunger, M. (2010). The religion of syncretism. Retrieved September 12, 2010 from
http://urantiabook.org/archive/readers/601_sikhism.htm
