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Rajs

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  1. Dear All, I guess, my posts are being taken in the wrong context. Lot of accusations are flying left, right and centre. As per advice, I am taking everything with a “pinch of salt,†I hope the favour could be returned! 1. Being condescending: My faith only allows room for Jesus and none other. Your faith allows room for Ram, Krishan, Mohammed, Buddha, Mahavir, etc, etc. Perhaps, conviction of my belief that “Jesus is the only way for salvation†comes across too strong for your liking. However, I make no apology for it. 2. Pathetic debater: I wasn’t aware that forum was for debate only! I only wanted to tender my views and personal experience from an ex-Sikh’s perspective. Thinking, perhaps, there are other Sikhs, who struggle with similar questions. As for my lack of skill to engage in debate - guilty as charged. 3. Christian Missionary: I am not a Jehovah witnesser, Baba Nijjar, or someone under pressure to “spread†the Word. I do not belong to any Christian institute of Sikh studies. I do not need to get to a higher spiritual stage or feel guilty about leaving Sikhism. I sincerely do not recall asking any of you to convert to Christianity, individually, or collectively. I am making a truth known at the forum not enforcing it upon anyone. 4. Insulting Gurus: I have not insulted any Gurus only presented my opinion about them. My opinion on Gurus is no more insulting than your views on Jesus. Just like you do not believe in Jesus or some things about him, in the same way, I feel about the Gurus. The difference is that you see it as an insult, I do not. Furthermore, Moderators are not sleeping but aware of the contents of my posts. Sincerely Rajs
  2. Dear Mekhane, "why do you not believe the myth of Adam and Eve being the first man and women on Earth, if they were the first of Gods creation what about dinosaurs. Do you believe there was a Garden of Eden? Do you believe heaven is an actual place?" - Mekhane I never said I do not believe in Adam and Eve being the first man and woman on earth. Yes, I believe there is Garden of Eden. Yes, I believe Heaven is an actual place. Regards Rajs
  3. Dear Mekhane, First of all, the Bible is a spiritual book representing God’s relationship with his creation, specifically mankind. It is not a thesis on dinosaurs or a chronological history of human race. It tells us about the saviour, Jesus Christ, God in incognito (if you will), how He came to redeem us from the sinful nature and reconcile us back to God, God who is Holy and without sin. Whatever little the Bible tells us about the creation and the world in general, is immensely more than what Guru Granth has to offer in this matter. Your view that “The difference between Judaeo-Christian and Indian ways of looking at texts is that indians do not apply the test of historicity to prove that a text is true. the question of truth does not occur.†is indeed regrettable. To begin with, you cannot speak on behalf of “all†the Indians. Additionally, if the question of truth does not apply to text in historical sense then, Sir, I'm afraid you are reading fiction. Kind regards Rajs
  4. Dear Mekhane, 1. There is nothing wrong with suffering, Jesus, the only person without sin, also suffered. "Those who suffer according to God's will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good." (The Bible) 2. God is the Creator - "Through Him all things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been made." (The Bible) 3. God is Eternal - there is no such time as "before" God. 4. What is true does not need to be assumed. There is more proof available that Jesus did rise from dead than there is that Guru Nanak spent three days submerged in a river or Baba Deep Singh carried on the battle with his head in his left-hand! 5. If you find Joseph Cambell a great authority on religious matters than please have him verify the Sikh religion; it's theology, history, and events. 6. Sansa ihu sansaar hei sitiya raind vihard (Guru Amar Das) Sahssa ihu sansaar hei mar jammai aiah jaiah (Guru Nanak) Regards Rajs
  5. Dear All, I have great news that can set you on a path to know what truth is. Our very existence, our feelings, our desires, our emotions are as real, as God is real. They are not “maya†or illusion. We are not in some transitional abyss or living in figment of our imagination. We are real and living in a real world. God created us for a reason, and with feelings, desires, and emotions. We did not develop these sentiments through some cosmic mishap or grew them out of our own intelligence. We are not descendants of apes, not a freak accident of nature, and we are definitely not in a web of birth-death-rebirth cycle. According to the Bible, God created man, from the dust of the ground, to rule over the earth, i.e., rest of the creation – birds, plants, animals, etc. We are human because God made us so and not due to good or bad karma. The very breath of life that we breathe is not an illusion, but God given breath. The people around you – your parents, brothers, sisters, the trees, the sky, the ocean, the birds and the animals are real, really! Our feelings of love, hate, anger, joy, etc. do have their place in life, God created us with these varying sentiments - they are not an illusion! Our sins are not an illusion either but, transgression against God, who is Holy and without sin. For e.g., when we steal from someone, we sin, it is not an illusion. God’s grace can forgive our sins but cannot justify our sins. This is where Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross, for the sins of the world, redeems us and puts us under God’s divine grace. God’s holy justice requires that sin must be dealt with, and for that purpose, Jesus accepted punishment on our behalf because he alone is without sin. A debtor, without any money, needs someone to pay his debts when due, in the like manner, our morality i.e., “good works,†account is bankrupt before Almighty God. We can never stand before God with a “righteous Me†attitude and expect God to embrace us for the “good†life we have lived. Reading or reciting “Baniâ€, “Kirtanâ€, etc. can never compensate for our sinful nature. We may as well take a dip in the Ganges, visit Mecca and stone the pillars representing devil; but remain sinful as ever. The love of God, expressed through Jesus Christ, is the ultimate gift of eternal life. Gurus died and their bodies returned to dust just the like the rest of mankind. Jesus is the only resurrected one, who did rise from dead and his body did not see decay. Therefore, Jesus alone can unite us to God the Father because he came from God the Father and returned to Him to prepare a place for us, so that we can be where He is today – the King of kings, and the Lord of lords. Rest assured, the world as we know it is on a downward spiral with clock ticking towards its nadir. God, in His unsurpassed wisdom and might, predicted this a long time ago and instigated a plan for the mankind – return of Jesus Christ – to claim back rightfully what is His, the children of God, redeemed by the blood of Christ. Regards Rajs Mod Note: By all means share your views on this Religion and personally I welcome them, but if you care so much about your task here then respond to the replies posted by the users. Do not spam this board, if you are here to 'discuss' 'propogate' your message, then do so replying to the queries and replies posted by other users, or else what you are doing is trolling/spamming. This isn't a warning, just a suggestion....for now.
  6. Hi, God made Adam from the dust of the ground and made him a living soul, says the Bible. The Guru Granth (page 1161 - line 7) refers to Adam, as the†father of mankind.†Does it mean Sikhism accepts biblical view on the origin of man? If so, then the perceived Sikhism concept of reincarnation, taken from Hinduism, with eventual freedom of the soul from cycle of re-births through Guru’s enlightenment is baseless. If Sikhism rejects the biblical origin of man, then in what context, is Adam the father of mankind, as stated in the Guru Granth? Regards Rajs
  7. Hi, Guru Nanak's statement "Na Koi Hindu, Na Koi Mussalman" neither made him a Sikh nor laid down foundation of a new religion. The statement actually belongs to Kabir, anyway, what he probably meant was that in God's eyes there is no Hindu or Muslim. Which could also mean nobody is Budhist, Christian, Jewish, Jain, or Sikh! Furthermore, if Nanak rejected identifying mankind through religion and caste, and preached the universal brotherhood of men, then why would he began a new religion? Regards Rajs
  8. Mehargags, If you were to call Sikhism "Khalsa", then you will have to disqualify the first nine gurus as Sikh gurus because none of them kept 5Ks and none of them were baptized! Regards Rajs
  9. History: It is quite evident from Sikh scriptures, Punjabi culture, customs and traditions that Sikhism is an offshoot of Hinduism with some Islamic theology adaptations, such as the concept of one God and rejection of idol worship. Historically, the ten gurus never ever disassociated themselves from Hinduism but remain within the parameter of Hinduism. What they did do was to speak out against certain practices of Hinduism exploited by the Brahmins. In particular, the caste system and status of women in the society. It was the British, who according to their policy “to divide and rule,†went about severing the umbilical chord and planting the seed of distinction between Sikhs and Hindus. In fact, for over hundred years, while most of the Sikhs were serving the British army, it was the Hindus, who never considered Sikh gurus as non-Hindus, looked after the Gurdwaras. Later, Singh Sabha, in early 20th century began to take control over the Gurdwaras and started to secede from Hindu religion for political reasons. Gurus: Perceived founder of Sikhism, Guru Nanak’s act of rejecting “Janeau†ceremony is always pointed out as an ironclad fact that, Nanak rejected Hinduism. However, what is often overlooked are the facts that Nanak never ever started a new religion; he was born to Hindu parents, married a Hindu and according to Hindu customs. All the gurus were Hindus; one has to just study, the names of all gurus, their wives, and their children to see that names were derived from Hindu gods and goddess. As a religion, Sikhism has no foundation whatsoever. Guru Gobind Singh did start the Khalsa-Panth, however, if you are to take Gobind Singh’s baptism initiation as the beginning for Sikh religion then you will have to disqualify the previous nine gurus as Sikh Gurus because none of them were baptized. You will also have to accept Gobind Singh’s baptism initiation as a failure because the number of Sikhs baptised at any given time in history and at present is pitifully low. The Guru Granth is touted, as the ultimate living Guru for the Sikhs. However, the fact is that Guru Arjun wrote the “Adi Granth“ in 1604 but it wasn’t until another 104 years before it became “Guru Granthâ€! What, may I ask, was the status of Guru Granth between 1604 and 1708? Were Guru Arjun and the rest of the Gurus running a parallel Guruship along the Guru Granth or, for over hundred year period it was just an ordinary book? Among Sikhs, it is believed that when Nanak died, his body turned into flowers, which were distributed among his Hindu and Muslim followers for last rites according to their customs! Why, I mean, where were the Sikhs to take care of his remains or flowers? What about the bodies of later nine gurus? Since they were attributed with same jyote (guru’s spirit) then how come their bodies did not turn into flowers or whatever? Teaching: Nanak was greatly influenced by Sufis and Sants of both religions, Hinduism and Islam. The journeys he undertook were mainly to learn from others, rather than, to dispense his own brand of religion, i.e., Sikhism. In India, he mainly taught against Brahminism and their self-serving practises, but did not, at any stage reject Hinduism. Incorporating teachings of Farid, Ravidas, Surdas, Kabir, Ramanand, and many others, in the Granth is a clear indication of lack of original substance on part of the Gurus. According to nearly all Sikhism literature, there is only one God and is the same God for all people of all religions. Does it mean Sikhs have no problem in walking into a Mosque, a Church, a Mandir, etc. and worshipping along with the people present there. After all, the same God is there as in the Gurdwara? Would Sikhs be willing to praise the name of Allah, meditate on Buddha, and sing Vishnu’s praise? Conclusion: To understand Sikhism, one must see that it is a branch of Hinduism that was cut from the main tree and planted on its own which eventually generated roots and became a separate tree. However, even as a separate tree, it still contains the same characteristics as the original tree from which it was taken. Trees of same species may look different in their outlook, i.e., physical form but they are not different in their inherent nature. After the British, Singh Sabha movement, which took over Nirankari and Namdhari movements of 19th century, began “creating†a unique Sikh identity to be identified with Sikhism, separate from Hinduism. To that effect, new customs and rites were formed, for e.g., a new marriage ceremony for Sikhs – Anand Karaj in early 1900. Change of Hindu names; Hari Mandir (Golden Temple) became Darbar Sahib. Names of gurus, too, began to change – Arjun became Arjan; Hari Govind became Har Gobind, Govind Rai became Gobind Singh, Hari Krishan became Harkrishan. For the past 100 years, Sikh establishment has been “creating†history and concocting stories, in order to separate themselves from the Hindus, a trend originally set by the British to divide-and-rule India. Finally, on a personal level, I found that Sikhism has no answer for the ultimate barrier between God and mankind. In my search for the truth about God, I discovered that what actually separates us from God is sin. God is HOLY and we are sinners. Sikhism can never lead you to a path to God because it doesn't have one. All the Gurus died, and to think that there souls "merged" with God and the same can haapen to you is a fallacy. Gurus, in their lifespan, never did wash anybody's sins and neither can it be done today by reciting the Gurbani - just like going to Mecca or, washing in Ganges does nothing for your sins. Only by accepting Jesus Christ as Saviour, our sins may be forgiven, and salvation attained. Regards Rajs
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