Sikhism is the faith of the modern age. How long would it take
to be that from what it is now? If our religion is so great, then why do
people ask me, What is your religion? and say, I have never heard of
that religion before.
(i) The Sikh religion has already been recognized to be a faith for the modern age. If
some persons ask you about your religion it is because of their simple ignorance. There is so
much in this world to keep the minds of the people occupied that they do not even know where
London is or who Budha was. We should do whatever we can to remove their ignorance of the
people (we may be equally ignorant about others), rather, we should do whatever we can to
remove their ignorance.
The World Conference of Religions for Peace, in 1979, was actually endorsing the basic
principles of the Sikh faith when they, in their meeting at New Jersey, concluded.
Too often the names and practices of our religions have been associated with warfare
and strife.
Now we must reverse this by:
(a) Breaking down barriers of prejudice and hostility between religious communities and
institutions.
(b) Confronting the powers of the world with the teachings of our religions rather than conforming
to them when they act contrary to the well-being of humanity.
(c) Building inter-religious understanding in our local communities particularly where prejudices
run strong.
The above statements are the basic principles of the Sikh faith reworded in modern
language. The Gurus preached these principles of religious tolerance and brotherhood of
humanity five hundred years ago when they said:
The whole humanity is one brotherhood and God is the only Father for us all. (Page 611 Guru Granth Sahib)
The Gurus remembered God by many names, e.g., Ram, Gobind, Hari, Allah, Rahim,
Karim, etc., then used by the followers of different religions. The Guru Granth Sahib is the only
Holy Scripture which mentions with respect all such names and which includes the writings of
holy people born in different religions. Kabir is a so-called low caste weaver, Farid is a Muslim,
Ravidas is a shoe-maker and considered an untouchable by Hindus, Nam Dev is a calico printer,
a low caste, and Dhanna is a simple farmer. The hymns of more than 2 dozen such holy men are
included in the Adi Guru Granth Sahib in addition to the hymns of the Gurus.
Guru Nanak preached that there is one God, one humanity and one faith. His founding of
the institution of Sangat (praying together as equals) and Pangat (eating together as equals
without any discrimination or favor to anyone, whatever ones faith, caste, color, etc.) to educate
people regarding the brotherhood of man, makes the Sikh faith the religion for the modern age.
Five hundred years earlier the followers of different religions were quarreling (some are doing so
even today) to prove their religion to be better than that of the others. Guru Nanak preached that
not hollow rituals but sincere actions benefit a person here and after his death. He declared that
it is futile to argue which religion or which name of god is better than the other. All names,
whether God, Ram, or Allah, are equally good. What matters is ones love for Him and His
children. In the same way, a child can address his father as dad, papa, or daddy, but it is the
love and respect for the father which matters and not the name the child uses to address him.
The opinion of the World Conference of Religions for Peace, quoted above, shows a
U-turn from the old stand of the religious leaders. Earlier the leaders believed (some even
believe now) that their religion is the only true religion and unless a person accepts that religion,
he will not be saved. Now, they have come to realize that their old beliefs do not fit with the
modern thinking and will not be accepted in the future. Human equality and non-insistence on a
particular way of worshiping God were preached by Guru Nanak to release the masses from the clutches of pseudo-religious people. These Sikh principles have now been accepted by religious leaders and scholars as a faith for the modern age and a hope for peace.
(ii) Here are some of the comments of modern scholars regarding the Sikh philosophy.
The opinions of Professor Toynbee, Pearl S. Buck, a Nobel Laureate, and H.L. Bradshaw have
already been given. (see introduction)
According to another scholar, John C. Archer,
The religion of the Adi Granth is a universal and practical
religion.......Due to ancient prejudices of the Sikhs it could
not spread in the world. The world needs today its message of peace and love.
Dorothy Field in her book, The religion of the Sikhs, writes:
Pure Sikhism is far above dependence on Hindu rituals
and is capable of a distinct position as a world religion so
long as the Sikhs maintain their distinctiveness. The relig-
ion is also one which should appeal to the occidental mind.
It is essentially a practical religion. If judged from the pra-
gmatic stand point which is a favorite point of view in some
quarters, it would rank almost first in the world.
It will not be out of place to mention the comments of a Hindu mystic. Swami Nitya Nand (expired at the age of 135 years) writes in his book, Gur Gian:
I, in the company of my guru, Brahma Nand Ji went to
Mathra while on a pilgrimage tour..., we reached Punjab
and there we met Swami Stya Nand Udasi. He explained
the philosophy and religious practices of Nanak in such
a way that Swami Brahma Nand Hi enjoyed a mystic lore.
During the visit to the Golden Temple, Amritsar his soul
was affected so much that he became a devotee of the
Guru. After spending some time in Punjab he went to
Hardwar. Though he was hale and hearty, one day I saw
sifted sand for the whole of my life. The truth was in the
House of Nanak. I will have to take one more birth in
that House, only then will I attain Kalyan. After saying
that the soul left his body.
I also constantly meditate on Waheguru revealed
by Nanak. First, I practiced Yoga Asnas under the guid-
ance of Yogis and did that for many years. The bliss and
peace which I enjoy now, were never obtained earlier.
When the world religions are named today, Sikhism is named among the top six, they
are Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Judaism, Hinduism, and Sikhism. Sikhs do not form even 2%
of the population of the country of their origin - India. The basic principles of the Sikh philosophy
and contributions of the Sikhs to society have raised the status of their faith to that of a unique
universal world religion. Unparalleled sacrifices were made by them to fight against state
terrorism for protecting human rights and religious freedom of common people.
Having mentioned the opinions of some world scholars and mystics, the reader is left to
decide himself/herself regarding the ranking of Sikhism among the world faiths. He/she also has
to decide what his/her part is in educating society about these basic principles of the faith and
the history of the Sikhs.
(iii) If a person asks you What is your religion? it reveals his ignorance about the Sikh
faith while it shows indifference on the part of the Sikhs themselves towards their faith. Many
Sikhs themselves are not clear about the basic principles of their faith, its philosophy and its
contributions to human rights. If the Sikhs themselves know this and explain it to their friends by
living according to the Sikh principles, (not just knowing and talking about them) the world will
know within a short period of time about Sikhism and its greatness.
All humans are born illiterate and ignorant. We have schools to teach people languages,
art, science, etc. Parents also spend a lot of time at home to educate their children. Even then,
(there should be no surprise) many American youth don't know where the headquarters of the
United Nations are. People do not know about Sikhs because there is too much to be known and
they are too busy in other pursuits of life. It is we who have to tell them about Sikhism, they are
going to learn about it themselves, but very slowly. A few have already found it as mentioned
above. Their writings are going to influence many more to know about the Sikh faith and guide
their lives accordingly.
Think of the Christians who are all around us. Not just millions or billions, but trillions of
dollars are being spend to preach Christianity. Christians are the rulers holding political power in
their hands. They were once virtual rulers of the whole world. National holidays and social
events are chosen according to Christian holy days. BUT STILL many youth are not accepting
and are not attracted towards it. In his recently published book, For Christs Sake, Tom Harper of the Toronto Star has the following to say.
Christianity may well be thriving in parts of Africa and Asia
today, but in the West Christian faith is eroding at an
alarming rate. Secular humanism is fast becoming the
prevailing religion of the Western world. For instance, it
is no longer true to describe either Canada or England as a
Christian country, since the vast majority of their respective
populations have no traditional ties with any religious body
(the Church of England has closed nine hundred churches
since 1974). Added to this the fact that only a small fraction
of children and young people now receive any religious inst-
ruction whatever, and the prognosis for the year 2000 looks
very bleak indeed. The so-called mainline churches have
much to learn about the use of mass media in communicating
their message, but no amount of technical sophistication
will avail unless the message itself is one that makes sense.
The last sentence is very significant. The above reference has been given here to tell
the readers that the correct message is very important for the new generation. Along with this,
the method of education is also very important. Sikhs have the correct message but they have not developed the correct educational system. This is the responsibility which falls on the shoulders of the Sikh youth. It is they who have to learn the basic principles of Sikhism, practice them in their life, and be a model for the rest of the youth. They have to adopt the modern methods to explain Sikhism to the youth of the modern age.
Harjinder Singh Kukreja
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