What our religion states?

[gina87]

I dont know if i am totally correct about this statement but i grew up learning this:

Guru Nanak Dev ji said that everyone is equal there is no hindu no muslim. Basically what i am trying to say is that our sikh religion is based on humanity. So there is no racism in it, we believe there is one god just different ways of worshipping him.

However, still i see people discriminating. Is it right to do so? I mean arent we basically not following our religion?
I dont know what other people have to say about this.

[singh]

You're totally right about this. We shouldnt discriminate, against others but that would mean that we would be following our religion. Looking at society today no one really follows their religion as Ranjeesh Osho (indian Philosopher) once said if everyone in the world followed the true teaching of their religion and focused on the humanitarian message that they all provide the world would be a better place. The main problem in India and to certain extent in the western world is the this whole caste issue which has been around for 1000's of years and the Portuguese tried to eliminate, Guru Nanak Dev Ji tired to elimnate it, he successed with his generation, however there is a huge influence in society, economics, and politically not to change the system. Discrimination can be eliminated but we have to change first ourselves and also spread the message of Guru Nanak Dev Ji who like you stated that there is no hindu no muslim but all are humans. If everyone treated each other like humans we would so easly follow the guru's teaching and the world could be a better place.

Ours and other religions say alot of things that are lead us to be inhuman things and attracted to materialistic objects that move us away from the true message of the teachers of the religion. We have a tendancy not to respect authority, or give it the ligitimate power that would bound the religion together.

[Pally]

There lies a difference between religion and culture. Although different things, confusion occurs when people start "mixing" the two.

Sikhi is founded upon equality of all people; however, it is our culture that has tainted our views and develops the discrimination we see today. We should never see culture and religion to be the same thing.

Pally

[gina87]

Yeah i know wat you mean but where did our culture develop from? It basically orginated because of our religion didnt it?
For our culture to develop we had to have a base and didnt our religion provide that base?

[Pally]

Hey Gina,

Yeah you are right, I guess culture did evolve from religion. But, during that process, cultural ideas tend to be transmitted from prior generations that pass on particular traits and ideas to their children. It is that process in which the ideas are changed and tainted to step away from religion.

It's like the telephone game. It starts off as one statement but the next person may have interpreted it wrong and so on and son on. In the end, the first statement is never the same as the last (well usually). Does that make any sense? (I'm so tired right now, it probably doesnt!!)

Pally

[Jaspreet]

I agree with Pally about how the information passed down the generations becomes into urban legends which changes and redefines our culture and that is why our culture has grown far apart from religion.
Our culture was not necessarily derived from religion, it could have formed from the assimilation of other culture which created a new culture of ours.

[virk]

I disagree completely. Culture has been around for a lot longer then religion, culture is the fabric of society, whether we think so or not. Religion is obviously a major part, but only for those that actually want it to be, many people may think that what they're doing is part of the religion but is completely against it (i.e. Caste system). Some things in Punjab transcend religion, Muslims in Pakistan (which is majority punjabi) have a simliar culture as Punjabi Sikhs in India, as in the classical stories and old school Punjabi songs.

Yes, people discriminate, maybe even Sikhs, but to think that the religion discriminates is false. If you blame discriminating on religion, then you'd prob also argue that drinking is a part of Sikhism too, since most "Sikhs" drink quite heavily.

[gina87]

I have been to the villages in india and people there tell me dont talk to her shes not jatt shes a churi or whatever. How is that culture does it not involve religion?
Besides when you hear discriminating words out of peoples mouths its not directed towards the other persons culture its mostly like you are a *** "muslim" or a "hindu". That isnt really directing it towards the persons culture its directed to their beliefs of the persons religion.

Also a culture is created by a group of individuals who have something in common. e.g religion. they have same belief etc....
So you cannot say our religion is not associated with our culture. It has a major role in its development.

[sharon.k™]

virk said:

I disagree completely. Culture has been around for a lot longer then religion, culture is the fabric of society, whether we think so or not. Religion is obviously a major part, but only for those that actually want it to be, many people may think that what they're doing is part of the religion but is completely against it (i.e. Caste system). Some things in Punjab transcend religion, Muslims in Pakistan (which is majority punjabi) have a simliar culture as Punjabi Sikhs in India, as in the classical stories and old school Punjabi songs.

Yes, people discriminate, maybe even Sikhs, but to think that the religion discriminates is false. If you blame discriminating on religion, then you'd prob also argue that drinking is a part of Sikhism too, since most "Sikhs" drink quite heavily.

[ravi]

I completely agree with virk. Couldn't have said it better.