Religion – Sikhism

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Religion – Sikhism
Sikhism is a religion that was started around the 15th century in Punjab, India. It was formed by an Indian called Guru Nanak. This is a religion that is unique from other religions present in the world today. Sikhism primarily teaches about showing love to one another. The principles and foundations of this faith are recorded in a book called the Guru Granth Sahib.
Guru Nanak constantly rebuked the rituals of Hindus and Muslims which he considered to be blind and meaningless (Singh and Barrier 29). He passed his Sikhism beliefs to other nine Gurus who succeeded him. The last Guru was Guru Gobind Singh who died in 1708. These gurus laid a foundation for a religion that is currently ranked as the fifth largest in the world today.
Guru Gobind Singh is known for his establishment of the Khalsa Order. The term Khalsa means the pure soldier saints. This movement is tasked with upholding of the religion’s virtues such as dedication and social consciousness. An individual aspiring to join the Khalsa order is required to undergo a Singh’s baptism (24). Members of the order are expected to follow and protect the religion’s doctrines. Men of the Khalsa Order are expected to have long uncut hair that is covered with a turban. They also carry a ceremonial sword called a Kirpan.
During Guru Gobind Singh last days he felt that Sikhism religion would be better without human Gurus. He gave the religion’s followers Sri Guru Granth Sahib to be their guider at all times.

This brought to an end to the governance of Gurus. Sri Guru Granth Sahib is a book that records all the teachings of the Sikhism religion as well as works by saints of other religions that were in agreement with Sikhism teachings. Guru Gobind Singh also abolished the role of priests in Sikhism. He felt that the priests were prone to get corrupted and in the long run misleading the followers.
Sikhs are therefore allowed to read the religious book in a temple or at home. The Sikhs temple is called a Gurdwara. In this temple, people of all spiritual walks are welcome. Every temple has a kitchen from which food is freely served to all those who attend the service even the non-Sikhism believers.
There are many Sikhs temples all over the world. The most significant temple is the Charmander Sahib. This temple is located at Amritsar, Punjab in the northern part of India. The temple serves as a historical and referential center of Sikhism worship (38). However, this temple is not a mandatory place of pilgrimage as in other shrines of prayer such as Mecca for Muslims.
The Sikhs agree that only one God exists in the multiverse (45). They also believe that the soul undergoes numerous transitions before taking a human form. The religion teaches that the sole aim of humans should be to lead a perfect upright life to merge with God ultimately. Sikhism also explains that to unite with God, a human should not strive to renounce the worldly things and take up celibacy. Instead, humans should always live honestly and avoid falling into sin. The religion discourages liturgies such as worshipping the dead, fasting and paying of pilgrimages which it refers to as blind and unnecessary (37). Its philosophies teach that all people are the same before God irrespective of their race, sex, and religion.
Work Cited
Singh, Pashaura, and N. G. Barrier. “Sikhism and history.” Abstract of Sikh Studies. Vol 4. 3 (2004): 102.