 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
SIKHISM The founder, Guru Nanak Dev, was born into a Hindu family in 1469 in India. The start of his first sermon, "There is no Hindu, there is no Muslim" was a rejection of the castes and conflicts of local religions. Guru Nanak was followed by nine other teachers. The last, Guru Gobind Singh, finished the Sikhs' sacred text. Sikhs worship in temples. The word Sikh means disciple in Punjabi and sounds more like the English "sick" than "seek." Most of the world's 23 million Sikhs live in India. Their faith is the world's sixth-largest. MAJOR BELIEFS • There is one God. Sikhism rejects the multiple deities of Hinduism as well as Christian trinitarianism. It denies that God can take human form. • Life is not inherently sinful. • Souls go through a cycle of birth, death and rebirth until they attain human form. • Enlightenment is not achieved by renouncing the world or through celibacy. God wants people to engage in honorable work and family life. • All people, no matter their race or religion, are equal before God. Men and women are equal. HOW THEY DRESS Observant Sikh men are obligated to have beards and wear turbans over their uncut hair. TO LEARN MORE |
