List of world religions and founders, religious books. If one defines the term religion very inclusively, it is the ninth largest religion in the world, being fewer in numbers than secularists, and followers of chinese traditional religion, african traditional religions and aboriginal faiths. Sikhism beliefs that all humans are equal and so are men and women. Three duties that should be fulfilled during a sikhs lifetime can be identified as pray, work give. Sikhism was founded by guru nanak who shaped a new, unique and distinct religion during his lifetime. Sikhism advocates equality for men and women of every race and religion.
In addition to the orthodox, there are several sikh sects, four of which are particularly important. Sikhism is more of an ethnic religion, which lacks this trait, even though it is principally open to converts. Private worship sikhs can pray at any time and any place. The holy book of the sikh religion is the guru granth sahib. People appointed to special positions do not have a job for life. It would not be until a character by the name of guru arjan 15631606 would officially give sikhism its religious status. A sikh sitting behind the guru granth selects a random verse called a hukam, which is believed to be the gurus divine command. Sikhism believes more inversion than conversion of others.
Unlike members of many other religions they worship god in his true abstract form, and dont. This book is one of a series to world religions, which allow the reader to understand the worlds great religions and informality, and to gain valuable. Both religions are strictly monotheistic at their cores. It is a religion that has the sixth largest following in the world. At that time, the dominant religion of the country, hinduism, was in conflict with one of the newest religions from the west, islam.
Great importance is in repeating prescribed prayers, a devotion to the founder, and an extreme reverence for sacred writings, even to the point of daily repetition by all followers. First book the sacred scripture of sikhism, a religion of india. Sikhs consider the granth to be a spiritual guide for mankind, and it plays a central role in guiding the sikhs way of life. When nanak began sikhism it was merely a movement and not a religion. Sikhism resources for 5 lessons teaching resources. However, events such as the verbal and physical attacks on sikhs just after september 11 indicated that they were being mistaken for muslims, and suggests that the raising of sufficient and. Sikhs worshiping at the gurdwara bow before guru granth before sitting down. Sikhism is one of the youngest world religions in the eastern world. Worship is through repetition of the name of the deity. Sikhism is one of the worlds youngest religions being founded just over 500 years ago. Key issues in healthcare practice paper prepared by the uk sikh healthcare chaplaincy group edited september 2011 abstract sikhism was founded in the punjab by guru nanak in the 15th century ce and is a monotheistic religion. Other important religious items include the chauri a a ritual whisk used with the scriptures, the five ks wearable items representing ones membership in the sikh community, and the nishan sahib the.
In every gurdwara, the sikh place of worship, the guru granth is kept on a platform in a prominent place. The gurus emphasise that a sikh should lead a disciplined life engaged in naam simran, meditation on gods name, kirat karni, living an honest life of a householder, and wand kay shako, sharing what one has with the community. It is treated with great reverance and strict procedures. Under the stewardship of the ten gurus sikhism was able to gather many followers from other religions. The name sikh signifies disciple, and in later times the strict observants or elect were called the khalsa. The sikhs had ten gurus in human form and after the tenth guru it was decided that henceforth the guru granth sahib would become the eleventh guru and would remain so for. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. This practice apparently started in the early years of the religion, and was a reflection of the sikhs absolute rejection of the hindu practice of caste. The adi granth is the central object of worship in all. Introduction to sikhism by dr zakir naik sikhism is a nonsemitic, aryan, nonvedic religion. What are the similarities between sikhism and hinduism for. Sikhism library read gurbani and books on sikhism in punjabi hindi english urdu and spanish.
Muslims, the followers of islam, believe in allah or god being the one and only god who is the essence of everything. The punjab is the centre of sikh culture and tradition, and most gurdwaras sikh places of worship linked with the lives of the gurus or famous sikhs are to be found in the punjab. Branches of sikhism originating from the pujab regon in india, sikhism is an indian religion with a great impact. It is the worlds fifth largest religion, with approximately 27 million adherents. Beliefs of sikhism sikhs believe that the way to lead a good life is to keep god in heart and mind at all times, live honestly and work hard, treat everyone equally, be generous to the less fortunate, serve others. Sikhism arose essentially as a prophetic religion with a divine mission to usher a new, progressive valuesystem, social order, economic pattern and political setup, characterized by the ideals of justice, equality, democracy, republicanism and secularism. Tauris introductions to religion by nikkyguninder kaur singh isbn. The religion of nanak christian apologetics project. Sikh practices are simple, unprecise and practical guidelines laid out by the gurus for the practice of the sikh way of life. The sikh scripture is guru granth sahib, a book that sikhs consider a living guru. Originating from indias punjab region, sikhism was founded by guru nanak in the 16th century and focused on the worship of god in an abstract form. It defies the existence of an anthropomorphic god and idol worship, rather interprets god as unfathomable, yet not.
Public worship can be lead by any competent member of the sikh community and therefore the notion of priesthood is alien to sikhs. Sikhism is the fifth largest religion in the world. The religion of the sikhs by dorothy field, paperback. Discover book depositorys huge selection of sikhism books online. The majority of sikhs live in the punjab region of india and pakistan. Additionally, he or she must take amrit, the sikh baptism. It is a distinct religion with its own unique, divine scriptures and beliefs.
The text was decreed by guru gobind singh, the tenth guru, as the final guru of the khalsa panth. Sikh aims to get up early, bathe, and then start the day by meditating on god. A guide to sikhism key issues in heathcare practice. Sikhs treat the gurus with the same respect as they would treat the one almighty god. The sikh religion was founded by guru nanak in the 15th century. Start studying world religions symbols, holy book and place of worship. Online shopping for sikhism other religions from a great selection at books store.
Brief history the sikh religion was founded by guru nanak, who was born in 1469 ad in the. The sikh religion originated in the punjab region of india in the 15th century by guru nanak dev. Although sikhs can worship on their own they see congregational worship as having its own special merits. When he did so he had the sikhs build what is known as the golden temple at. The 10th guru, gobind singh, declared that he would have no living successor, and this collection of teachings would become the ultimate guru for the sikh. The real sikhism web site estimates that about 21 million 89% sikhs live in the punjab, india. Macauliffe had extensive access to manuscripts of the sikh sacred writings the granth, as well as support from sikh scholars and leaders of the time. Another belief of the sikhism religion is that god is and can be found in everyone, no matter how evil they appear. Sikhism has a few very unique attributes which distinguish it from the more widely known monotheistic faiths like christianity, judaism, and islam. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. It was founded by guru nanak at the end of the 15th century. Gurdwaras about the sikh temple gurdwara and its protocols. Guru is a sanskrit word for teacher, and within sikhism it is the title given to the 10 spiritual leaders of sikhism dating from 1469 ad to 1708 ad as well as the sri guru granth. The 3 major branches of sikhism spiritual growth guide.
Sikhs believe that god is visible in the sikh congregation or sangat, and that god is pleased by the act of serving the sangat. A sikh is a person who believes in one god and teachings of the ten gurus, enshrined in the guru granth sahib, the sikh holy book. Originally, the religion relied on the teaching of living gurus. Sikhs worship at home and in the sikh temple called the gurdwara gateway to the guru. One unusual feature of sikhism is that all sikh males share the name. Congregational sikh worship takes place in a gurdwara. In a modern gurdwara, the guru is not a person but the book of sikh scriptures. Tauris introductions to religion by nikky guninder kaur singh isbn. World religions symbols, holy book and place of worship. Sikhism, third edition describes the basic tenets of sikhism, tells the engaging story of its growth in india, examines the recent move toward greater political independence within the indian nation, the effects of hindu nationalism on the sikh community, and issues of cultural adaptation, persecution, and subsequent education now taking place. Sikhism believes that there is only one supreme power, ikonkar.
Buy sikhism our places of worship by head, honor isbn. Unlike members of many other religions they worship god in his true abstract form, and dont use images or statues to help them. This is one of the first and still one of the few comprehensive books about the sikh religion in the english language. Adherents of sikhism are known as sikhs students or disciples and number over 23 million across the world. Sikhism s traditions and teachings are distinctively associated with the history, society and culture of the punjab.
The guru granth sahib can be truly called the essence of all religions, since it contains hymns and verses from many sacred books of various religions and sects of hinduism. This volume covers guru nanak, the founder of sikhism. In an effort to diminish the contemporary conflicts between the hindus and the muslims, he ended up becoming the founding patriarch of yet another circle of religious ideologies sikhism a child religion born from the wedlock between hinduism and islam. Sikhs call it shri guru granth sahib ji answer to what is unique about guru granth sahib. During the l960s and l970s, a number of sikhs abandoned the outward form of their faith the long hair, turbans particularly simply in order to get a job and create a life in britain. Its centre is in the holy city of aristae, where their sacred books are preserved and worshipped. The most important ritual object in sikhism is the guru granth sahib, the holy book. This article looks at the sikh place of worship, the gurdwara. Two sects, the nirankaris and the namdharis, or kuka sikhs, emerged in northwestern punjab during the latter part of ranjit singhs reign. Although the gurus were critical of other religions they very strongly believed in religious freedom.
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