The topic of this paper was originally going to touch exclusively upon the Sikh faith, but as research on the religion progressed, some sources raised an interesting, albeit insensitive argument. These biased sources, using the history of Sikhism as their evidence, argued that Sikhism was, and still is a corrupt sect of another religion. Some of these arguments proclaimed Sikhism to be a heretical sect of Hinduism, while others claimed the same but of Islam instead. Moreover, some even argued that, rather than a heretical sect of one faith or the other, Sikhism is a bridging of the two faiths, creating a unique sect of both. But is Sikhism really a hybrid sect of two separate religions or is it a unique religion in of itself? Modern theologians …show more content…
Having no previous knowledge on the Druze religion, curiosity lead to an investigation of the Druze faith as well. Further research exposed this author to a number of equally unique religious movements that are currently considered to be heretical sects. Among these many heresies, this author will investigate the Waldensians (Christianity) and Sufis (Islam). Overall, this paper will give an overview of each faith's scripture and history as well as how it compares to the faiths they have either derived from or share similarities to. From there, we will be able to determine what exactly the differences are between a heretical sect and a religion that bares similarities to other …show more content…
Sikhism was founded by the prophet Guru Nanak in 1500 CE in the Punjab region of South Asia. Prophet Nanak began to teach a faith that, while very distinct from Islam and Hinduism, was not yet the Sikh faith. Sikhism as it is currently known was formed by the nine gurus that followed Guru Nanak, with the faith becoming more militant in response to increasing by the time of the sixth guru. The tenth Guru, Gobind Singh, would go on to recreate the Sikhs as a military group of men and women called the Khalsa in 1699. The reason for this was so that Sikh followers would be ever-ready to defend the faith at a moments notice. Guru Singh then established khandey di pahul, the Sikh rite of initiation as well as the five k's which all Sikhs much adhere to. These five k's are: Kesh (uncut hair for holiness), Kara (a steel bracelet for restraint), Kanga (a wooden comb for a clean mind and body), Kaccha (cotton underwear for chastity) and Kirpan (steel sword for defense of good and spirituality). Guru Gobind Singh would be the last of the human gurus in the Sikh
members.home.net - Locus of resources for this Indian religion and philosophy features QuickTime movies of important events in Sikh culture.
Brian. A Catlos’ novel, Infidel Kings and Unholy Warriors: Faith, Power, and Violence in the Age of Crusade and Jihad, provides a detailed account of various sites of inter-religious interaction throughout the medieval Mediterranean from the 10th to 12th centuries. Throughout the novel, Catlos illustrates the influence of religion on the relationships and coexistence between the three Abrahamic religions - Christianity, Judaism, and Islam - and the role it plays in the immense violence of the period. The varying perspectives demonstrate how religion acted more as a bridge between cultures than a barrier, and how conflicts deemed as of religious origin were oftentimes driven predominantly by the mundane factor of greed and self-interest rather than existential resentment of opposing groups.
Sufism is often described as being the mystical branch of Islam – a spiritual path that speaks to the very heart of the believer and brings to the fore, a very real sense of God’s immediacy within the context of daily life and religious practice. As a mystical tradition, it propositions a God that has shared His divine essence with mankind – a God who is available to address and dwell within the human condition. By discussing Sufi practice and its development of traditional Islamic precepts including prayer and fasting, this essay will place it within the context of Islam with a look at how its mystical notions contribute towards a more immediate understanding of God. Furthermore, the practice of dikhr s well as the Sufi path of divine love as a journey towards divine unity will be discussed in showing how Sufism involves a sense of self-denial in favour of comprehending the divine nature of God. Sufism’s intersection with Greek science and philosophy will also be outlined in illustrating the all-encompassing nature of the Sufi God. Comparing different viewpoints, this essay includes critical commentary that will suggest that as a progression of the Islamic faith, Sufism indeed makes a substantial contribution to an understanding of the Islamic God – one that is relevant within the context of modern day society.
Islam has a deep history, beginning with ideas originating before Muhammad and spanning to the present day. Before Islam, the Bedouin people’s faith contained a belief in supreme beings alongside animism. They also put a large emphasis on ancestor worship (Swartz 15). Some groups...
With this in mind, the objective of this essay is to focus on the main ideas of each theologian, and discuss how each theologian’s ideas are compensatory to the other. This is important because even though each theologian’s writings were inspired by the harsh realities of the societies, and also by the effect each writer experienced in their moment in history, their critiques specifically of Christian institutions remain a consistent amongst all three writings. Furthermore, not only are their critiques consistent, but their goals for providing new frameworks for the future of the Church and Christian discipleship are consistent as well.
Sikhism is the 5th largest religion in the world, but many people don’t know about Sikhism. Many people mistake Sikhs for terrorists due to their turbans. Sikhism is a monotheistic religion originating from Punjab, India. Sikhs do not cut their hair, and proudly wear turban as part of their religious and cultural heritage. It’s been about 13 years since 9/11 attack happened, but its affects can still be seen in modern USA. There are still many cases reported every year of killing of innocent people that are mistaken as terrorists. The Sikh Coalition, the group created after the ill-fated 9/11, said that almost 900 incidents have been reported in which American Sikhs are bullied and killed since 9/11. Just after an hour of 9/11 attack, Sikhs in New York were harassed, assaulted and beaten with bats. In fact, Muslims and Hindus were also tortured and killed after 9/11, and till today there are cases of bullying Muslims, Hindus and Sikhs in almost the whole America. During the weekend of ill-fated 9/11, Balbir Singh Sodhi, an Arizona Sikh, was gunned down wh...
Since the beginning of time, religion has played one of the most significant roles within human existence and has been believed to be the source whereby our governing laws have been derived. However, dating back to as early as the 3rd to 6th century, Greek philosophers inclusive of Diagoras of Melos, Euhemerus, alongside the schools of Hindu philosophy, Samkhya and the Greek Cyrenaic School were all amongst some of the first who did not accept the idea of God (Friedrich, 1942, 25). In the 7th century and during the Early Middle Ages, undergoing the Golden Age, the idea of knowledge was emphasised amongst the Muslim world, translating and collaborating knowledge from all over the world, giving rise to a group of people known as the Dahriyya who were the ‘holders of materialistic opinions of vari...
"God Willed that as a true Sikh I should look upon all religions with one eye".
Throughout history it is evident that many religions have been tried, tested, and, for some, radically changed. Many religions have gone through periods of time in which the way they were run or enforced underwent changes in practice and leadership. In many cases disagreements and differing outlooks among members of certain religions were to blame for these changes. Christianity and Islam are two examples of religions that have experienced changes over the course of their existence. While these religions seem to have little in common at first glance, both have strikingly similar pasts that consist of radical splits due to disagreements among members of the Christian and Islamic churches, resulting in new branches within each religion.
On the Harmony of Religion and Philosophy gives us insight to the philosophical views of a certain sect of Islam, and how it influenced it 's followers to view the world around them. Although it is helpful, this is written from a very biased position and it cannot be said that the views of the author are the views of Muslim culture as a whole. There is a constant attack on another religious group throughout the article that helps us to understand what this specific sect deems right and wrong through comparison of the groups.
However much Islam and Christianity would seem to share common ground, the discussion is not complete without noting the parallels between this two that have taken center stage. Some of the remarkable differences as they try to answer deep life complexities arise in the areas of religious practices by both their adherents and the clergy (Dorothy 13-28). “There is also a stark contrast to the belief system subscribed to, means of salvation, scriptures”. The most prominent difference present concerns the belief of life after death and practices of depicting the metaphysical
Renard, John. Islam and Christianity: theological themes in comparative perspective. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2011. Print.
Dirks, Jerald. The Abrahamic faiths: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam : similarities & contrasts. Beltsville, Md.: Amana Publications, 2004.
Religion is a big part of our world, as it dictates our beliefs and how we act towards other people. Though all religions have different beliefs, it is the core values of that religion that shape the way we act as people towards other humans, plants and animals. This essay will be looking at Christianity and Sikhism and how the core values of each of these religions compare to each other. Firstly looking at a brief summary of Sikhism and Christianity and a look at their beliefs. Then looking at the core values as protrayed by Christianity and Sikhism. Finally then comparing the core values of Sikhism and the core values of Christianity.
McLeod, W. H. (2004). Sikhs and Sikhism. Oxford India paperbacks. New Delhi: Oxford University Press.