R.E Coursework - Sikh Marriage
R.E Coursework - Sikh Marriage Introduction Expect among some westernised subgroups in the larger Indian cities social mixing between the sexes is restricted, even in co-educational schools. Also, the joint or extended family system is still the Indian norm. It is in this context, which can only be referred to in passing in this piece of coursework, that Sikh marriage must be understood. Marriage, traditionally, is not a private matter between two persons. Through the couple two families become closely connected and into one family comes a stranger, the wife. She has therefore to be compatible not only with her husband but with his parents, brothers, their wives and his unmarried sisters. Ideally the marriage is based upon love, the love of both families for their offspring. Social status and monetary advantage, if they play a part, should be subordinate considerations. Assisted marriage rather than arranged marriage is the phrase Sikhs would prefer to describe the procedure of choosing a husband or wife. The decision to marry is itself a joint one, though custom also plays its part. Among some groups there may be a tradition of marriage at fourteen or fifteen. Child marriage in the traditional Indian sense has always been repudiated by Sikhs and a 14-year-old in India can be shouldering considerable adult responsibilities. The legal limit in India now is eighteen for women
A Gurdwara is a Sikh place of worship.
A Gurdwara is a Sikh place of worship, and it has one distinguishing feature from the outside, the Nishan Sahib, or Sikh religious and national flag. This serves a similar purpose to a church steeple, or the minaret on a mosque - it guides the worshipper to the place of worship. Gurdwara means 'the door or house of the Guru'. Guru means spiritual teacher or guide in religious Sikh language. When the tenth and last Sikh Guru, Guru Gobind Singh, was about to die, he decreed that the Sikh Holy Scripture should form then on be their Guru, and it became the Guru Granth Sahib. There are Gurdwaras in most of Britain's major cities. When you go inside a Gurdwara, the most striking feature is the palki, or canopy, over the place where the Guru Granth Sahib is kept during the day. The Guru Granth Sahib is placed on a specially designed wooden stool, on a raised platform called a takht. The reader sits cross legged on the takht behind the Guru Granth Sahib and a chauri, a whisk of animal hair which is a symbol of regal dignity, is waved over the Guru Granth Sahib as a mark of respect. There are no chairs in the Gurdwara so worshippers sit cross legged on the floor facing the Guru Granth Sahib. This emphasizes the importance of the Guru Granth Sahib; on its raised takht and stool, it is above everyone else and reminds Sikhs of one of their basic beliefs - that everyone, whatever
Explain the importance of a Gurdwara in the life of a Sikh today.
Explain the importance of a Gurdwara in the life of a Sikh today. The Gurdwara is the Sikh place of worship. Gurdwara means 'the doorway to the Guru'. A Gurdwara has three main functions, these are: * Religious importance * Social importance and * Emotional importance In this section I will be writing about the three main functions of a Gurdwara and its importance to a Sikh today. Religious importance Sikhs believe in only one God. In a Gurdwara they can be in a room with God, thank God e.g. for a baby and sing to God. Basically they go to be close to God. This is a sign of respect and is a Sikh tradition. Sikhs respect the holy book the Guru Granth Sahib, as it is to the last of the Gurus, they show respect by: a Chauri (fan), a palki, dais (type of throne), a Manji sahib (a small bed) etc, being in the presence of the Guru Granth Sahib is important to a Sikh because the Guru Granth Sahib is a Guru (teacher) and is there fore treated like a living Guru. The Guru Granth Sahib is central in the public worship of Sikhs and is the central importance to a Sikh life, work and worship. A Gurdwara is also a place to celebrate rites of passage including birth, marriage and funeral services, this is to do them in front of God and the Guru as it shows respect to all. Sikhs can demonstrate SEWA, which is a religious duty by attending the Gurdwara, there are 3 types of SEWA,
Sikh’s and Conflict
Kelly Alexander 11YA Coursework One - Sikh's and Conflict Part 1 In 1606 Guru Arjan, the fifth Guru was tortured to death. The Mughal ruler had ordered the Guru's arrest and said he would only be allowed to go if he agreed to stop preaching his religion and paid a large fine of 200 000 rupees. To this the Guru said that he could never stop preaching his religion and if he had such a large sum of money he would give it to the poor. The Mughal leader responded by locking the Guru in a cell for three days in the hottest month of May without any food or water. As the Guru had still yet to agree to the demands on the fourth day he was put on a barrel of hot water. This was still not enough to break his resolve so on the fifth day hot sand was poured onto his naked body. On the sixth day he was made to sit on a red-hot iron plate, he still would not give up his belief in religious tolerance. Eventually he was pushed in a river where he drowned. The whole time he was being tortured he did not ask for mercy once, he only repeated God's name and said, "Your will is sweet to me" This is one example of the persecution Sikhs suffered at the time of the Mughal emperors. The Guru believed in tolerance of religions, that all people should have the right to worship as they chose and that no religion is the one and only path to God. Sikh's today mark the anniversary of his death by
Is religion responsible for the inferiority of women
Is religion responsible for the inferiority of women? Withinn the old testament and the book of genesis it is said that God created the woman as a "helper" for the man: The LORD God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him." (NIV, Genesis 2:18) However, being a "helper" does not imply that the woman was inferior or subservient to the man; the same Hebrew word, `ezer, translated as "helper," is used to describe God, Himself, in Psalms 33:20, 70:5, 115:9-11. In fact, God created both men and women in His own image and made them equal custodians of all His creation: So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground." (NRSV, Genesis 2:27-28) When God created man, he made him in the likeness of God. He created them male and female and blessed them. And when they were created, he called them "man." (NIV, Genesis 5:1-2) But the man and woman, Adam and Eve, disobeyed God in the Garden of Eden. God gave each of them punishments before evicting them from the Garden: To the woman he said, "I will greatly increase your pains in childbearing; with pain you will give birth to
Sikh and Christian marriage.
Sikh and Christian marriage. In any Sikh wedding the couple would probably have a traditional arranged wedding. This is when the Sikh parents find a suitable partner for their for there daughter or son. When the couples are consulted fully and meet but not alone this means that everyone can be sure the partners are suitable. The marriage cannot take place if the couple or families do not agree to it. In the past the wedding would still be arranged by both families but the couple would not be allowed to meet until the actual wedding day. ``Happy girl, now awakened to love, when the matchmaker comes with his news``. This verse is from the guru granth sahib, I think this is evidence that in the early days of the Sikh religion it was useful for parents to use a matchmaker to find a suitable partner for there daughter or son. Today young people may a suggest person they know, or leave the decision to their parents because they trust there parents and know they love them very much. In arranged wedding families would find a partner for their daughter or son by focusing on the family background, wealth, education, and cast. Unlike many marriages, many Sikh and Asian families do not see love as very important, but is something, which may develop after marriage. As long as they know they are marring their son or daughter into a stable background. Sometimes they're maybe problems
Sikhs believe that, “All believers are equal” - Do you agree?
Religious Studies coursework R3: Sikhs believe that, "All believers are equal" - Do you agree? I personally agree with the statement. This is because, one of the main beliefs of Sikhism is that everybody should be treated equally. They believe that all religions are just different paths to the same religious enlightenment, which is unlike some other religions who believe that their religion is the only right one. Sikhism teaches that all people are equal in the eyes of God. This is why worship in the Sikh place, the Gurdwara, is open to everyone. This is because Sikhs believe that since God is the creator of all and humanity is the supreme form of created life, human beings should be all equally and with respect. There are many entries in the Adi Granth that teach about equality. One example is: "We are God's own people and are neither high nor low nor in between." - Adi Granth 504. No-one is ever refused admission to the Gurdwara. Even if a person is not allowed to stay, because they are under the influence of alcohol or they are being disruptive, they do not leave empty handed, as everyone is fed in the Gurdwara. During the service, all "same sex" worshippers sit together (i.e. all the women sit together and the men sit together). This is not discrimination, but it is so that everyone feels comfortable during the service, as some people might feel uncomfortable if
Besakhi - the Sikh Perspective
Besakhi - the Sikh Perspective It is well known fact that Guru Amar Das had extensively travelled to the places of the pilgrimage, both before and after the attainment of the Gurudom. He came across thousands of people, as well, who were, proceeding on such sojourns. They had to travel hundreds of miles through arduous circumstance; some never reached their destinations and some never returned home to see their loved ones. There is no dearth of stories of innocent people being exploited and plundered by the so-called priests at such `tirath asthans'. The pilgrims were harassed and expropriated by the officials of Mughal Sarkar's Tax (Jaziya) Collectors. On top of all that Guru Amar Das observed thousands dying of cholera and other diseases by having dip in and drinking the polluted and contaminated water. Guru Amar Das wanted people to be emancipated of such miseries. His ever-innovative mind thought of providing people with facilities to attain peace and solitude, and such places he wanted easily approachable with clean environments. The erection of the Baoli at Goindwal Sahib was the first in this venture. Guru Amar Das laid stress on the fitness of the human body. With this in mind he arranged and flourished the wrestling and very often sponsored periodic meets. Baisakhi had been celebrated in the Punjab, probably, since the advent of Aryans. Such bouts were held there
A) Describe and explain the main features of a Gurdwara?
A) Describe and explain the main features of a Gurdwara? A Gurdwara is the Sikh place of worship, Gurdwara means "the doorway to the Guru". In every Gurdwara there is a Guru Granth Sahib, as well as a Nishan Sahib, which is the Sikh flag. The Nishan Sahib is the first main feature of a Gurdwara you see. The Nishan Sahib can be seen outside every Gurdwara to show a Sikh place of worship. The flag is a triangular shape and is a saffron-coloured. The colour stands for courage and sacrifice. The flag is usually on a long steel pole which is also covered in the same saffron coloured cloth. The saffron coloured cloth is changed as part of Baisakhi, the celebration in April, also on other special occasions. On the flag is the Khanda, the Khanda is the main symbol of the Sikh faith, it symbolies Gods power. The Khanda consists of four weapons in the centre is a double edged sword called a Khanda, The Khanda represents knowledge of divinity and the power of God. Surrounding the Khanda is a circular quoit, called a Chakkar which symbolies the unity of God. On either side are crossed daggers which are called Kirpans, or Piri and Miri which are named after the personal weapons of Guru Hargobind, which symbolies spiritual and temporal, power in balance. The name Khanda is taken from the double edged sword, Khanda that was used by Guru Gobind Singh when preparing Amrit for the Panj
Guru Gobind Singh
Guru Gobind Singh Gobind Rai was born to Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji, the ninth guru of the Sikhs, and Mata Gujar Kaur Ji on the 22nd December 1666 at Patna Sahib, Bihar, India. Gobind Rai grew up in Anandpur and started his early education, learning to read and write in Punjabi, Braj, Sanskrit and Persian. He was barely nine years when a sudden turn came in his life. The local Hill Rajas, or leaders, were being forced to convert to Islam. They came to Guru Tegh Bahadur for his guidance. Young Gobind Rai saw his father looking preoccupied. He asked the Guru why he looked so distressed. His father replied "Grave are the burdens the earth bears. She will be redeemed only if a truly worthy person comes forward to lay down his head. Distress will then be expunged and happiness ushered in." Gobind Rai remarked that none but his father could be worthier to make such a sacrifice. Guru Tegh Bahadur made his way to Delhi, the imperial capital, and was beheaded due to his refusal to embrace Islam. This happened on the 11th November 1675. Gobind Rai was formally named Guru on Vaisakhi 1676 and was then known as Guru Gobind Rai. Guru Gobind Rai became interested in the mastery of physical skills and literary accomplishment. He himself was an excellent poet and wrote many compositions in different languages. He continued to engage in the concerns of the community. On the 13th April