Why is sikhism a syncretic religion

The rest of the Sikhs, above 70 lakh in Punjab alone and approximately 1 crore worldwide, who have ever touched a scissor to their bodies, are Patits. This also satisfies another question that the Supreme Court has asked in January this year on another admissions-related case : Is Sikhism a minority religion in Punjab? The answer is a resounding yes and SGPC will enjoy the benefits owing to its minority religion status.

Punjab, where a religious minority was a majority, has lost its unique status in the process. The irony of a Sikh community, known much beyond its numbers for its service and egalitarianism, is that it fights its identity battles in the courts of a secular country and ends up losing in the real sense when it thinks it is winning court battles.

In the s, the Akalis agitated for a Punjabi language state and got a Punjab which is one-seventh of the original region. The cartographers of the nation state carved out Haryana and Himachal Pradesh from their territory. Now, the SGPC has hard-defined Sikhs and the courts have given them a third of the community in Punjab and maybe half of the community worldwide. The rest have lost their identity. What can be more self-defeatist than the beauty and magnificence of a religion being reduced to whether its practitioners have unshorn hair — faith being reduced to a bodily artefact.

The reductive logic in both cases and the definition by those who manage one of the most modern religions in the world is galling. Instead of getting court rulings and decisions, fighting and contesting a battle of faith in front of modern law that goes by logic of arguments, if the SGPC has an iota of decency and honesty, let them publicise widely that Patits and Sehajdharis are no longer Sikhs.

That the children born in Sikh families have to keep long hair to qualify as a Sikh and they should not donate to the gurdwaras. Would they ever do that? Your guess is as good as mine. Share your perspective on this article with a post on ScrollStack, and send it to your followers.

Contribute Now. Evolved practices The divide and politics today does not do justice to the religion's origins. Syncretic past It is clear that the SGPC has divided not only the Sikh community, but polarised the rich and immensely meaningful spectrum of Sikh thought by making followers choose between the legacy of Guru Nanak and Guru Gobind.

Split wide open The current controversy dates back to — when the Sikhs celebrated the th anniversary of the formation of Khalsa. Amandeep Sandhu is working on a non-fiction book on Punjab. They recite their prayers many times daily, and their form of worship is through meditation. There are various recitals for different times of the day and the main object used during worship is a copy of the Granth scripture which is held high on a small altar.

The Sikhs are not allowed to worship any objects or idol. They also worship in the temple known as the Gurdwara, and there are over temples in India alone. They are further prohibited from taking any alcoholic drinks or smoke tobacco, and they have a specified dress code. There have been numerous religious conflicts between the conservative Sikh believers and the progressive ones who interpret the Sikh traditions differently.

Adi Granth: The major conflict is over the interpretation of the scripture. The main problem associated with this is the fact the Granth has been written in Punjabi, a language that is not easy to understand especially to the younger generation. Some believers, however, argue that by interpreting the holy book, it will corrupt the original holy nature of the words. Others argue that by failing to interpret the holy book, the young Sikh followers who find it hard to understand Punjabi will go astray.

Sikhs and India: in , the Briton divided the land into India and Pakistan causing conflict between the Hindus and Muslims. This was because they kept pushing for a Sikh community, a factor that resulted in violence with the government. Sikh Calendar: the calendar has also been a major cause of conflict between the Sikhs and the debate over the political and religious aspects in the calendar has never been resolved to date.

Sikhs and Chairs: the use of chairs by the Sikhs may seem odd, but the Sikh community has taken the matter seriously and has even led to many deaths over the issue. It has been estimated that over 22 million Hindus and Muslims are followers of Sikh religion. There are also some members of the Sikh community such as Namdharis, Ravidasis, and Udasis who do not follow the laid down principles of the religion but are considered to belong to the Sikh community.

Religion syncretism, therefore, reunites two religious beliefs, and the concept has been adopted worldwide. Religious studies have shown that numbers of people joining Sikhism are still on the rise and the doctrines of unification being upheld as per the teachings of Nanak. Christopher, S. United Kingdom: Routledge. Gurinder, M. The Making of Sikh Scripture. World Religions. Kaur, S. Amongst the Sikhs: Reaching for the Stars. United States: Hamlyn Publishing Group.

Religious Syncretism: Islam and Hinduism. This paper was written and submitted to our database by a student to assist your with your own studies. You are free to use it to write your own assignment, however you must reference it properly. If you are the original creator of this paper and no longer wish to have it published on StudyCorgi, request the removal.

StudyCorgi Religion. Introduction The principle of Religious Syncretism entails the integration of two religious beliefs into an entirely new system comprising elements of both religions. Learn More. We will write a custom essays specifically for you! Four days of massacre followed in Delhi where more than died.

Sikhism is closer to Hinduism than Islam as it retains Hindi theories of karma and reincarnation, even though Sikhism foundations are closer to Islam as it advocates monotheism. To believe in a unique God who represents the Truth, learn to read and understand the Gurmukhi or protect the poors, the weak and the oppressed by opposing injustice are strong principles of the Sikh religion.

Sikh disciples are invited to lead a true life i. Have a life in conformity with your beliefs mean having a healthy life and healthy eating habits: alcohol, tobacco or lottery games are forbidden. No idols, no goddess, only God, incarnated in everything. The majority of Sikhs still live in Punjabi, their homeland. Sikhism: a religion between Hinduism and Islam. It was developed as an answer to the two majoritarian religions in India: Hinduism and Islam. Learn about this religion of 20 million adepts, advocating equality between men.