Truth Magazine

By Randy Pickup

Sikhism (pronounced “seek-ism”) is one of five major religions to be linked to the greatly populated country of India. Islam (the Muslim or Mohammedan faith) has the second largest number of followers in India, while Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism, like Silkhism, all originated in the country. According to the most recent account I could find, it is estimated that there are 15 million Sikhs in India, which is roughly two per cent of the country’s 800-million population.(1) While there are adherents to the religion in other parts of the world, Sikhism is not a religion of universal appeal as are Buddhism, Islam and Christianity. Sikhism and its followers are mostly confined to one state in India called the Punjab.

As you study Sikhism and come to understand its close identity to the people of the Punjab, you soon realize the social, political and even militaristic connections with the religion. Though this article is to deal specifically with the “religion” of Sikhism, I think it necessary to consider, at least briefly, the internationally newsworthy events of nationalism and even terrorism associated with the Sikh faith. These things, I believe, just cannot be overlooked.

Especially in recent years, militant Sikhs have engaged in terrorist killings and other violent campaigns “to back their demand for the creation of an independent country – which they call Khalistan – in Punjab.”(2) In 1984, Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi ordered troops to attack these radical Sikhs at the Golden Temple in the city of Amritsar, Sikhism’s holiest shrine. The siege resulted in an estimated 1500 deaths, sparked protests and riots around the world with many more killings, and four months later led to the assassination of Gandhi by her Sikh bodyguards.(3)

Of course many devout Sikhs denounce the terrorism of their extremist “brethren,” but this has, in many cases at least, only “fueled the fire” of fear and extreme tension in India – Punjab in particular. Because these “terrorists have killed scores of moderates who dared to speak out, and those who survived have been pushed aside” from Sikh politics in favor of the radicals, few Sikh leaders are willing to publicly criticize them.(4) Also, because other Sikhs have “backed” (in political rallies, etc.) these violent actions in the name of their religion, Sikh terrorism has grown at such an alarming rate that it is being considered as among the most devastating in history.(5) But now, with these facts in mind, let us turn our attention to the “religious” history and aspects of Sikhism, showing not only the reasons behind some of the aforementioned religious and social/political, etc. ties, but also its interesting similarities and of course differences with the true religion of Jesus Christ.

The word sikh means “disciple,” and connotes specificaII3 the followers of ten religious leaders – called “gurus” who flourished from the fifteenth to the eighteenth century in the Punjab. The basic teachings of these gurus are found in the “Granth Sahib,” the bible of Sikhism.(6)

A Punjab native named Nanak (1469 to 1539 A.D.) was the first of these ten gurus and is unquestionably aknowledged as the founder of the Sikh faith and its most revered historical character. Nanak was considered an especially gifted child, and grew up in the Punjab under both Hindu and Muslim influences. Eventually however, Nanak’s independent personality and deep religious study and devotion led him to conclusions that were, in a very real sense, both a combination of, and yet at the same time distinct from Hindu and Islamic beliefs.

While still at a relatively young age (some say 29), and supposedly because of a mystical or miraculous “experience” with God, Nanak began preaching the simple but bold message – “There is no Hindu and no Muslim” meaning that both, and all people, were to be united under the One True God. As a result Nanak began extensive voyages throughout India (and beyond some say), visiting many religious shrines, preaching this new “gospel” and converting many. Because these journeys were so successful in impressing many religious and political leaders and making great numbers of faithful disciples, the Sikh religion began to thrive.(7)

While the tenet “there is no Hindu and no Muslim” was certainly the distinctive feature of Nanak’s message, becoming its “hallmark” as a new faith for mankind, it was of course only the foundation of other things he taught. As has already been implied, the doctrines of Nanak manifested both Hindu and Islamic influences, thus causing many to suggest that Sikhism was only a combination of the most attractive features (to Nanak) of India’s two main religions. Keep in mind however that Nanak constantly and publicly would denounce what he believed to be errors of both religions, always boldly proclaiming the will of his newly found true God, who he believed had directly called him to be his special servant and messenger.

The principal feature of Islam is that there is one eternal God who “has no companion or son (and) needs no helper in his rulership.”(8) In the Hindu faith there are many gods, some lesser, some greater. The Muslim name for God is Allah, while in Hinduism the name of the chief deity is Brahma. In Sikhism however, the one God who is possessed of all virtues is nameless; therefore it is improper “to think of Brahma . . . or of Allah . . . as adequate names for god. . . In this manner the deity of Sikhism is intended to supplant the gods of all other religions. The . . . god of Sikhism is absolute.”(9)

While the Sikh concept of God comes from Islamic beliefs, the new faith also accepted several key elements from Hinduism. First of all, Sikhs accepted a form of “maya” or illusion. This involves the belief that God is real, beyond all realities, but the creation or world as we know it is unreal. Actually, it seems Nanak might have only meant by maya that the world was “delusion” – i.e., not that it didn’t really exist, but that it is impermanent and full of evils, lusts and affections that were opposed to Truth, and would “delude” man, causing his separation from God.(10) (Shades of I Jn. 2, Col. 3, etc.!)

Nanak also taught the Hindu idea of “karma,” where supposedly every thought and action of this life leaves a definite impression upon the soul which affects one’s life beyond the present. This of course is directly connected with the Hindu notion of the “transmigration of the soul,” where the “individual is not obliterated at his physical death but proceeds from one bodily form to another.” Nanak accepted this doctrine, but taught “that . . . the believer is able to break through the bondage of karma and the transmigration of souls and attain a blissful existence . . . not like the worldly paradise of the Muslim . . . (but) rather . . . like the ‘nirvana’ of Hinduism by which the liberated soul is absorbed in god himself.”(11) (And you thought Shirley McClain started all this stuff!)

Tied to the above, one other Hindu related tradition that no doubt influenced Nanak and became part of the Sikh faith is the 11bhakti” – or devotion. The Bhakti involved some of the things already mentioned about the nature of God, etc., but it also contains the main elements to salvation and the worship of God. Basically, these elements are the need of having a spiritual guide, a guru, to help in the finding of God’s will, and that the best way of approaching God and having salvation is by meditation and repetition of His “Nam” (Name). As already noted, to Nanak and his followers, God was nameless, in the sense of a personal name like “Allah” (or “Jehovah”), but according to Sikhism, “The Name is the total expression of all that God is, and this is Truth. Meditate on this and you shall be saved. “(12)

As we mentioned before, Nanak also publicly criticized many Hindu and Muslim beliefs and practices. He opposed the various rituals of both faiths, and was strongly critical of Hindu pilgrimages, idolatry and the Indian caste system (social classes). Because Nanak believed these caste divisions were foolish contradictions to God’s will that all people are equal, to this day “Sikh women have . . . enjoyed rights similar to men through centuries, in direct contrast to” Hindu and Muslim practices.(13)

Considering some of the above facts, it should not be surprising that the religious services of the Sikhs are fairly simple. Osually the repetition (or meditation) of the name of God, the reciting or singing the scripture hymns, and the reading from the Adi Granth, the most sacred scriptures, are the main activities of worship. Similarly, the lives of the orthodox, devout Sikh are characterized by simple, honest virtues like hard work (farming is the main industry of the Sikhs in the Punjab) and sharing with and protecting the poor and oppressed. In fact these virtues are considered by the normal, anti-terrorist Sikh as fundamental and inseparable to his religion.(14)

But now this brings us back to the social, political and militaristic aspects of Sikhism discussed at the beginning of this article. Although Nanak’s teachings stressed individual virtues and piety related to one’s relationship to the True God, the religion after Nanak grew more and more nationalistic with an emphasis on military might.

The fifth guru Arjan challenged the validity of the then reigning Mogul Empire, and before dying a martyr’s death it is said he told his son, “Sit fully armed on the throne and maintain an army to the best of your ability.” Arj an’s son Hargobind did continue this military path, formal uniting the religion and politics of Sikhism when he assumed the title “Miri Piri Da Malik” – Lord of the Secular and the Spiritual. The tenth and last guru, Govind Singh (1675-1708), reaffirmed the political aspects of Sikhism and extended Sikh military power, proclaiming “the sword was God and God was the Sword!”(15) 

When comparing Sikhism with the teaching of Christ in the Bible, it is hard not to focus on the differences manifested in the last references to the militarism associated with the Sikh faith. Clearly the terrorism of recent years is extreme, to say the least, but just as clearly, it has arisen (and is justified) from the teachings of these militant Sikh gurus. And yet even more clear is this fact: this “teaching” and these “practices” are against Christ, the true ruler in heaven and earth. (Matt. 28:18)

However, there are, of course, in spite of the obvious similarities, other differences. Nanak taught one true God, but that God is not the gocl of Sikhism, but the Uod of the Bible, not only of the Jews, but of “all nations of men . ~ . For in him we (all) live, and move, and have our being” (Acts 17:22-31). This one true and living God is not nameless; he is Jehovah, God Almighty, the great “I Am” (Exod. 6:3; Gen. 28:3; Exod. 3:14). The Lord God does not speak through gurus who are needed to guide men to finding him; he speaks to all men today through the word of his Son which is understandable, perfect and final (Heb. 1:1,2; 2 Tim. 3:16, 17; Jude 3; Eph. 3:1-6). Salvation from God is not found in the constant repetitious meditation of his “name,” but in the name of Jesus Christ, through faith and obedience to his will (Acts 4:10-12; Jn. 14:6; Rom. 1:16; Jas. 2:24; Mk. 16:15,16; etc.). The saving grace of the Lord is not some abstract, subjective “idea” that will release man from the “bondage of karma,” but is objective Truth that frees us from sin and eternal death (Tit. 2:11, 12; Jn. 8:31, 32; 1 Jn. 2:3; 2 Pet. 1:3-11; 1 Pet. 1:3-5; Heb. 9:27).

There is much more we could mention (perhaps it is good to let you do some of your own thinking here), but one final thought that goes back to the “military” aspects that are, whether some Sikhs like it or not, intertwined in Sikhism: Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world: if (it) were of this world, then would my servants fight . . . but now is my kingdom not from hence” (Jn. 18:36). What a wonderful and joyous privilege to be in the spiritual kingdom of God’s Son, the only “kingdom which cannot be moved” (Col. 1:13; Heb. 12:28). God forbid that “we at any time should let these things slip” (Heb. 2:1).

Bibliography

1. “Surrender at the Temple,” McCleans, May 30, 1988, p. 32.

2. Ibid.

3. Ibid.

4. “The Battle for Punjab,” McCleans, May 23, 1988, p. 19.

5. “Holy War Against India,” Atlantic Monthly, August 1988, p. 55.

6. Ibid., p. 57.

7. The Sacred Writings of the World’s Great Religions, S.E. Frost, Jr., p. 355.

8. Founders of Living Religions, Herbert Stroup, p. 83.

9. Ibid., p. 102-103.

10. Ibid., p. 103.

11. Guru Nanak and the Sikh Religion, W.H. McLeod, pp. 185-186.

12. Ibid., p. 196.

13. “The Sikh Way of Life,” Ecumenism, June, 1988, p. 19.

14. Ibid., p. 20.

15. “Holy War. . .” pp. 57-58.

Other Sources Used or Consulted

Encyclopedia Britannica.

U.S. News and World Report.

Bulletin of the Christian Institute of Sikh Studies.

Guardian of Truth XXXIV: 10, pp. 303-305
May 17, 1990

By Larry Ray Hafley

Later in the life of Paul, we will find the road to Rome fraught with doubt and danger, but the road to Troas was a first perplexity. Troas was the threshold of the “Macedonian call.” It was the prelude to the planting of the gospel seed in Europe. It was the Spirit’s summons to the side of lady Lydia. It was the introduction to perils and pitfalls leading to the house of the jailer in Philippi. From the riverside to the comforts of Lydia’s domicile to the dark dungeon of suffering, songs and salvation, Paul was led on the road to Troas.

After establishing churches in the faith and distributing the decrees of the apostles and elders in Jerusalem, Paul and his companions entered the highlands of Phrygia and Galatia, but were “forbidden” by the Holy Spirit to “preach the word in Asia” (Acts 16:6). Next, by taking a northern road, they determined to go into Bithynia which lay along the shores of the Black Sea. Again, the Spirit “suffered them not.” They could not go west; they could not travel to the northeast. Why not? What now? These questions must have crept into their minds. Not allowed to proceed either to the left or to the right, they went straight ahead. They took the road to Troas.

There they found Luke. That would have been reward enough for their thwarted plans and purposes, but there was more in store. There was, as we previously stated, the continent of Europe, and the future fond fellowship of the faithful Philippians.

Perhaps you are on a road to Troas. Paul could not foresee the matchless, marvelous blessings that would ultimately sustain and support him as he ventured into Philippi, but he often may have reflected on the route and the road to Traos that led him to the brethren who would become his “dearly beloved and longed for, (his) joy and crown” (Phil. 4:1). Likewise, you may be experiencing uncertainties and roadblocks on the path of life. You may feel a sense of consternation, aggravation and frustration as your every effort is stalled. It is time, then, to take the road to Troas. That does not mean that the woes of whippings and the stocks of injustice are past. No, all those things were in Philippi. They waited as surely as did sister Lydia and the comforts of her home. However, the lasting love and support of kindred spirits was to sustain Paul all the rest of his days. Your map may be garbled and confusing, but follow on in faith and prayer. God will direct you as you trust and obey him (Prov. 3:5-7). Only in this way will you find your Philippians who will nourish and cherish you.

First, though, you must take the road to Troas.

Guardian of Truth XXXIV: 9, p. 269
May 3, 1990

By Steve Wolfgang

Footnote 21 “Burnett’s Budget,” Gospel Advocate, XXXV11 (July 4, 1895), 419.

“Last week about a hundred preachers and fashionable women assembled at Gainesville, Texas, in a state convention, and wasted enough of the Lord’s money and time to have held a hundred protracted meetings, and converted a thousand sinners. They also spent enough money on extra fine toggery, to appear in style, to pay the expenses of a half dozen evangelists to preach the gospel in destitute places all summer. What was their business at Gainesville? Principally a good time and a fashionable blowout, and in addition to this, an effort to push forward the furor for societies and fads in religion, and to supplant the Lord’s plan of work and worship in the churches.”

Beneath the wrong practice of establishing a missionary society lay some wrong attitudes. The trap of all institutional reform is its tendency to diminish, rather than increase, the amount of work done. To Burnett, it was sinful to spend money lavishly to hold a convention for the supposed purpose of encouraging missionary work. Why not spend that effort to convert souls? He was right. Religious organizations – whether a missionary society, a church extension board or the Herald of Truth – ultimately use money rather than increase it. Mission money supports administrators and not missionaries.

Burnett also questioned the common sense and the religious integrity of the people involved in such programs. At best, such people missed the point of how the gospel could be spread. The subsequent histories of the Christian Church and the Church of Christ in Texas testify that pioneer preachers holding “protracted meetings” converted many more people than did the state missionary society. At worst, these people made a callous use of the kingdom of God for the gratification of their own ambitions. Disinterested people use the society to excuse themselves of their responsibility to teach. Proud men use the society to gain position and adulation. Of course, such motives are sometimes present in quite proper activities. In modern lectureships, political posturing and social frivolity sometimes absent more serious purposes.

Wrong practice is rooted in wrong attitudes. We must never practice our religion to be seen of men, nor make religion only a tool to cultivate our own vanity. Only if our sole purpose is to do God’s work will God’s methods seem best to us, for God’s methods bring glory to God and man’s methods bring glory to man. – Ed Harrell (From Perspectives, December, 1975)

Guardian of Truth XXXIV: 9, p. 270
May 3, 1990

By Jon Quinn

“Likewise as it was also in the days of Lot: They ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built,- but on the day that Lot went out to Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all. . . Remember Lot’s wife. Whoever seeks to save his life shall lose it, and whoever loses his life shall preserve it” (Lk. 17:28-33).

Jesus tells us that there are lessons to remember from the account of the destruction of the cities of the plains found in Genesis 19. As his disciples, we consider his words and seek to discover what application of these ancient events might have in our lives today.

What Signs Will Tell Us That The Final Judgment Is Upon Us?

There will be none! It is true that Jesus told his disciples that there would be signs to precede the destruction of Jerusalem back in the first century. Some have mistakenly applied these signs to Jesus’ final coming, but a reading of Jesus’ words shows that he was talking about first century events that were to transpire. He begins by telling how the buildings of Jerusalem will be torn down (Matt. 24:1,2) and these things were a fulfillment of what Daniel had prophesied when he had talked about Jerusalem’s destruction (Matt. 24:15-16). Finally, Jesus explains that the things of which he spoke would occur in that generation (Matt. 24:34).

The first evidence of Jesus’ second coming will be trumpets blowing, the dead in Christ rising from their graves and those who are alive being changed from corruptible to incorruptible and rising to meet Christ in the air. All this will take place in a twinkling of an eye as the physical heavens and earth are destroyed with intense heat. We then proceed to judgment, so do not wait for some sign before you become what you already ought to be (1 Cor. 15:50-57; 1 Thess. 4:13-18; 2 Pet. 3:10-13).

What Is Meant By “Not Looking Back”?

Lot’s wife had a longing for that which she had left. Consequently, she was overtaken and consumed. Her trust was not in her God but in the things of the world. She could not bring herself to let go. Jesus warns his disciples to remember and learn. The same thing happens to disciples all the time. After fleeing to Jesus for salvation, one will become entangled again in that which he had left. “No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God” (Lk. 9:62).

We must be careful to consider something else just here. We do not “look back” only by partaking in some wickedness. We may also be “looking back” simply by filling our lives up with “good” things to the degree that we cannot render our God what is due him. In fact that is the point that Jesus made in Luke 9:62! Brethren, by the tender mercies of God do not let it happen to you! Don’t look back. There is really nothing there which is worth forfeiting your soul, and perhaps the souls of your loved ones.

Where Should We Be Looking?

Lot’s wife should have felt as if she were in a footrace away from Sodom. We ought to feel the same way; that we are in a race. You cannot run as well if you are looking back. Sometimes it is difficult to keep one’s eyes ahead as he hears the sound of running feet behind him, but still it will only hurt to look back. “Let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has set down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Heb. 12:1,2).

Discipleship has a positive side. It consists not only of “do not look back” but also “run with endurance” and “look to Jesus.” We must fill our lives with God’s purpose realizing that everything we do as we follow Jesus is another step in our race to our eternal victory.

“. . . but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me . . . forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 3:12-14).

The point is this: we need to remember Lot’s wife. We need to remember her when we feel enticed by the world. We certainly need to remember her as we seek to be entertained by the media as it glorifies the things of Sodom. It’s time to turn around and begin running your race in the right direction when those things no longer shock and dismay you!

We need to remember her when we are urged to partake in that which “sparkles in the cup ” and “goes down smoothly” but at the last “bites like a serpent” and “stings like a viper. ” Who came up with the idea that those who drink “socially” are immune from the “bite of the serpent”?

It is not the time to look back. It is the time to run the race. The choices we make each day will determine whether we perish with Sodom or receive the prize which the Lord will award to “all that have loved his appearing.

Guardian of Truth XXXIV: 9, p. 265
May 3, 1990