HOW DO NON-INDIANS VIEW SIKHISM

How do non-Indians view Sikhism ?

Some facts explained by  Dr. Janet Lant 

 
       Listen my friend, I never got around to telling you some of the things about Sikh religion that convince me of its authenticity.

     One major evidence is the "Holy Book" of Sikh religion known as the "Granth Sahib". The Granth Sahib was complied over a period of 240 years by the hands of the beings that founded Sikh religion. All copies are matched to the original handwritten one. It is scientifically impossible for any known being to write a book with all the qualities found in the Granth Sahib. Below are some of those amazing qualities:

1. It is written using very deeply profound words obtained from over 16 languages. (I would say that its words are more profound than that of any other Book on the planet, but that would not get anywhere, I would be simply dismissed as being biased)

2. The words from over 16 incompatible languages are incorporated in a way that they make perfect sense.

3. The alphabet the Granth Sahib uses was invented by the Supreme Beings that wrote it. The Alphabet is called Gurumukhi, it is impossible to make a spelling mistake using this alphabet because it has logical grammar rules. Every word or sound can only be written one way. Not like English where the k in knife is silent. This is the easiest alphabet to master. I bet the world would be using computers a long time ago to write things using speech recognition programs if Gurumukhi was the business language of the world. 

4. Every sentence is written in poetry of the highest order. (William Shakespeare would have been envious.) 

5. At the same time everything is in music verse form, so that all sorts of musical instruments can be played while it is sung. 

6. Sikh religion believes praying should be a very pleasurable, stress reliving, thought provoking event. Most other religions believe praying should be a act of submission , unquestioningly following rituals, and fear of a jealous Angry God.

7. The God of Sikh religion never gets Jealous because he made all those awesome things that make insecure persons jealous. Sikh religion also says God is without anger. There is a very beautiful song about this in the Granth Sahib!

8. Before the Equal Rights movement, in fact 540 years before , Guru Nanak said many nice Praises about women, instead of condemning them like all the other great religions do. Quotes about Women in Sri Guru Granth Sahib In praise of women. "We are born of woman, we are conceived in the womb of woman, we are engaged and married to woman. We make friendship with woman and the lineage continued because of woman. When one woman dies, we take another one, we are bound with the world through woman. We grow up stronger and wiser having drunk milk from the breast of woman. Why should we talk ill of her, who gives birth to kings? The woman is born from woman; there is none without her. Only the One True Lord is without woman" (Guru Nanak Dev, Var Asa, pg. 473)

9. Marriage is an equal partnership of love and sharing between husband and wife. "They are not husband and wife, who merely sit together. Rather they alone are called husband and wife, who have one spirit in two bodies." (Guru Amar Das, Pauri, pg. 788)

10. Women have an equal right to participate in the congregation. "Come my sisters and dear comrades! Clasp me in thine embrace. Meeting together, let us tell the tales of our Omnipotent Spouse (God). In the True Lord are all merits, in us all demerits." (Guru Nanak Dev, Sri Rag, pg. 17). God is the husband and we are all his brides. "The spouse is but One and all others are His brides. The false bride assumes many religious garbs. When the Lord stops her going into another's home, then is she summoned into her Lord's mansion without any let and hindrance. She is adorned with the Name and is dear to her True Lord. She alone is the true bride and the Lord lends her His support." (Guru Nanak Dev, Ramkali, pg. 933) (note: Lord is one of the names of God)

11. God is our Mother as well as our Father. "Thou O Lord, art my Father and Thou my Mother. Thou art the Giver of peace to my soul and very life." (Guru Arjan Dev, Bhairo, pg. 1144)

12. The rape and brutalities committed against women by the Mughal invader Babar condemned. "Modesty and righteousness both have vanished and falsehood moves about as the leader, O Lalo. The function of the Qazis and the Brahmins is over and the Satan now reads the marriage rites (rape). The Muslim women read the Quran and in suffering call upon God, O Lalo. The Hindu women of high cast and others of low caste, may also be put in the same account, O Lalo." (Guru Nanak Dev, Tilang, pg. 722)

13. The practice of women burning themselves on their husband's funeral pyre (sati) condemned. "They cannot be called satis, who burn themselves with their dead husbands. They can only be called satis, if they bear the shock of separation. They may also be known as satis, who live with character and contentment and always show veneration to their husbands by remembering them." (Guru Amar Das, Var Suhi, pg. 787)

14. The ritual of dowry so prevalent in many societies condemned. "Any other dowry, which the perverse place for show, that is false pride and worthless gilding. O' my Father! give me the Name of Lord God as a gift and dowry." (Guru Ram Das, Sri Rag, pg. 79)

15. First Supreme Being Guru Nanak laid the foundation of Sikhism which believes in a casteless, egalitarian society which guarantees equal rights to Women. Each of the Supreme Being Gurus under authority of God gave women equal status. They gained social and religious freedom at a time when the existing religions and society considered women to be property. The false notion that they were inherently evil and unclean was removed. A woman was regarded as temptation-incarnate. The Gurus exposed the folly of such notions.

16. Sixth Supreme Being Guru Hargobind called Woman "the conscience of man". In religious gatherings, men and women sang and preached without any distinction. The wearing of purdah (women wearing veils to hide the face) was rejected.
17.Ik OnKar: means "One Creator"

18. The circle is a chakram representing the Universe, the double edged sword represents the positive and negative side of the Force, the 2 swords on the outside of the sphere represent the hands of the One Creator protecting and beholding all that exists and beyond.

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