Doctrines and Beliefs

1) Eschatology: Sikhs believe in a divine spirit or part of them that can be passed along through different physical bodies. This soul is caught in samsara, the act of birth, death, and rebirth, which is escaped only through good karma and internal self-improvement. Ones actions in one life dictate the spiritual density of their birth in the next, until finally, mukti is achieved. Mukti is used to describe the time when an individual’s soul or what is known as the Brahman in Hinduism achieves mukti, a concept similar to the Hindu nirvana. A soul that has achieved mukti is in the realm of truth and present with God. This belief is similar to that of Hinduism but with the distinct difference of specification. Hindus classify nirvana as an ambiguous goal. It is not specific as in Sikhism, where one is aiming for unity and clarification with God through meditation and understanding. This specific belief unites the faith in the pursuit of a specific goal.

2) The Three Golden Rules: Sikhs believe in three golden rules that will help them achieve mukti. These actions are ones that promote the faith through philanthropic awareness and respect for other humans as divine and equal to all. First, Nam Japo is the repetition of the name of God. It is a form of meditation on the essence of God and the meaning and connection of all things. Kirat Karo is about being honest in ones earnings and life in general. One is to not cheat, lie, or deceive in the pursuit of prosperity, but rather labor for humble earnings honestly. Vand Chakko states that Sikhs should share with those in need. They are to donate 10% of their money, and time to philanthropy to help better themselves through the betterment of humanity. These are moral standards that apply to many many religions around the world, and help devotees stay connected and concerned with God and faith primarily.

3) Cosmology: The Guru Granth Sahib dictates that the universe, and everything it pertains is created directly by God. He is that which generates the perpetual cycle of creation and destruction. Everything we see and discover stemmed from his will. Sikhs are not opposed to science. It is a means of discovering and learning about the universe, wondering at the amazing creations of God. Sikhs do not act as to know the true nature of the universe, just that it is a beautiful creation, conception, and mirror of god and his will. I think this is very interesting because many other religions have conflicts with science because they are so sure of the way things are and they are so sure of the truth of the universe, but Sikhs accept that there are things outside of their ability to understand and they revel in scientific advances that display His power and will.

Religious Experience

1) Group/Individual Experience: Sikhism is a largely personal religion, focusing on internal conflict and the journey towards the concept of unity and God. Individuals meditate on the name of God and ponder the connections between divine and physical reality. There is much intrapersonal struggle in Sikhism stemming from the battle for control over ones every thought. Sikhs practice this control every day, and expand their minds with more and more abstract thoughts throughout their life. This individual and somewhat private aspect is essential to Sikhism in that one is always trying to be conscious of God and his name. It is this struggle, however, from which the Sikhs reap rewards such as focused mental clarity and deep insight. The group aspect of Sikhism is less than in other religions for this reason, but there are still definite places of worship, celebrations, and festivals that help the group aspect.

2) The Role of Gender: Sikhs are a faith adopted from many others around the world. They are not exclusivist, which allows them to take the best parts of every faith and combine them into an ultimate wisdom. A major emphasis of Sikh religion is the equality with which everybody and everything is created. This comes from the social scenario of the time. When Sikhism started the Hindu caste system was a major problem in India and a lot of Asia. It created massive social gaps and separation amongst classes. Sikhism worked to reverse this through acceptance and equality. Radical as it was at the time, they did treat women as equals to men. Women are held to the same standards, but are also allowed every right a man is allowed. She can read the Guru Granth Sahib to the congregation, worship in the same temple, and practice the same religion. This could come from the fact that Sikhs are more concerned with their bond with God then the differences amongst humans. This position on gender equality is today seen as morally just, and many religions have had to officially change their doctrines due to public opinion. This, to me, seems falsified and hollow. If they really believed it in the first place, and are devoted t their religion, then why alter themselves to help their public image? Sikhism has never had that problem as they recognized the injustice in the beginning, and worked to change it.

Ethics and Moral Conduct – What are the core ethical teachings of the religion, and what significant interpretations of them exist?

Moral guidance in Sikhism is often inferred or directly learned from the Guru Granth Sahib, where one can find many direct explanations on the basic moral principles every human should have. Sikhs use the Three Golden Rules to guide them general in life, and when they need help on a subject, they have multiple sources. First, they can consult the teachings of the Guru Granth Sahib. If the specific dilemma is not explained directly, the moral answer can often be inferred. This, however, brings in the concept of interpretation. Ones interpretation of the Guru Granth Sahib is truly personal and reflects ones past experiences and understanding of God. This could be how it was intended, because there may be many different answers to the same question depending on the person, but all are a creation of God, and all might be equally right. It could be that moral instinct is part of the path towards mukti, something to be conquered and understood through meditation, and that will in the end lead to a higher state of unity. Sikhs can always go to their friends or religious leaders for advice to help them on their way to the best path for a particular situation.

Gospels

World Religions Gospel Summaries

Part 1: Summaries

1. Jesus is giving his last supper speech and he is telling his disciples that he will always be with them, no matter if it be physically. He wants them to know that he is headed to the kingdom of God where he will live eternal life with the Father.

2. Jesus goes to pray in the Garden, and he talks to his three most trusted disciples, telling them to watch or guard him as he prays. He tells his disciples that one of them will betray him tonight, and he is filled with sorrow of the fact that “the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners.”

3. In this section Judas comes to betray Jesus to the Romans. Judas gives Jesus a kiss, possibly saying that he was really trying to help. They then lead Jesus away. Jesus remarks on the fact that they are treating his as a robber.

4. The testimonies of the witnesses in Jesus’ hearing did not agree. They accuse him of trying to destroy the temple. When asked if he as any answers, Jesus just remains silent. He does, however, profess that he is the Son of man.

5. Pilates starts to realize the truth and recognize the wrongdoing that is going on. The crowd that had gathered demanded him crucified and so that is how it was. The crowd was given the option to release Jesus or the common criminal. The crowd called for the criminal to be released. The soldiers mocked Jesus and led him to be crucified.

6. As he was being crucified, the passersby called for him to prove that he is the ‘King of Jews’ and come down from the cross with the power of God. He did not do so, in a way showing his disciples his power and love.

7. Upon Jesus’ death, it is said that the ‘curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom.’ This means that it was clear to those that saw the passion that this man was the Son of man.

8. A member of the council, Joseph, asked Pilate for the body of Jesus, and was granted the body after Pilate was told that Jesus was dead. Joseph laid the body in a stone tomb and rolled a boulder against it to guard the body.

9. After the Sabbath, the mother of Jesus, and Mary Mag’dalene, and Salo’me go to anoint Jesus with spices. When they arrive at the place of burial, his tomb has been disturbed, and the boulder rolled away. They saw what might be an angel in the tomb. This is very interesting because it does not specify who rolled back the boulder. It also does not talk about how amazing it is that somebody was able to enter the tomb while it was being guarded. They went to tell Peter and the disciples that the Son of man has risen. Jesus appeared to Mary Magdalene first, which is odd because it seems that he should appear to his mother or disciples first.

10. Once his disciples had gathered, Jesus appeared to them and scolded them for not believing that he had risen. Some of his disciples had not believed those who claimed to have seen him. Jesus states that he will protect those who believe him forever. After he had told them the new, Jesus returned to heaven, and the disciples went to preach his word.

Compare and Contrast:

1. The Garden Scene from Luke and Mark:

a. Gethsemane (Luke)

i. Jesus asks for God to allow him to live, but also says that if it must be so, to kill him. Jesus finds his three disciples sleeping ‘for sorrow.’ Judas comes to kiss Jesus and Jesus asks if he betrays the Son of man with a kiss. A follower of Jesus cuts off Judas’ ear, and Jesus heals it for he recognizes the pain already in his disciple. The romans take Jesus and Peter follows. Peter denies knowing Jesus three times because he is scared for his life. When the priest asks Jesus if he is the Christ, Jesus says If I tell you, you will not believe.

b. Compare and contrast: The Luke section is much longer than that of Mark, this is because the passage from luke combines three passages from Mark. In Mark, there is clearly a progression of events that show his emotions from sorrow about his death and fear, to resentment with the High priest. The Gospel of Luke emphasizes Peter’s denials. Also, in the Gospel of Luck, Jesus does not say that he is the Christ, whereas in the Gospel of Mark, he does confirm this.

c. This is interesting because in Luke, Jesus uses the people to show that he is the Christ, whereas in Mar, Jesus simply states it himself, and the people bear false witness. This could be because of a differing audience. If Luke is writing for the Romans themselves, they would not want to hear that it was they who betrayed Jesus.

2. The crucifixion scene

a. John

i. Jesus carries his cross as he is being mocked for the claim that he is the King of Jews. It emphasizes that Jesus is from Nazareth, and the King of Jews was written in multiple languages, showing how many people Jesus affected. This gospel does at talk at all about the actual crucifixion, just about his being mocked. It is a very short section.

b. In Mark, there is a detailed section on the actual crucifixion of Jesus. It shows the suffering and Jesus’ willingness to die for his beliefs and his people. He still has many supporters in Mark that stay with him as he dies, but in John, he doesn’t appear to have anybody speak for him or support him. He is being mocked by everyone, and is isolated. It is a scene that shows the sins of everybody who participated instead of showing Jesus’ sacrifice for their sins.

3. The Burial

a. John

i. In the Gospel of John, Jesus’ followers beg Pilate to bury the body for it must not hang on the Sabbath. Joseph goes to Pilate, who allows him to take the body away. They anoint the body with spices and wrap it in linen. They laid Jesus in the garden of his crucifixion.

b. These two Gospels are relatively similar, with one main distinction. In the Gospel of John, There is an emphasis on the happenings when they go to check if Jesus is dead. They are to break the legs of those crucified, but instead they do not break Jesus’ legs for he is already dead. They pierce his side from which comes blood.

4. The Commission

a. Matthew

i. In the Gospel of Matthew, the disciples went to Galilee, where they saw Jesus on the mountain where he appointed them. They worshipped him, and Jesus told them to go baptize people into the name of the father.

b. This is interesting because in the Gospel of Mark, Jesus does not tell them to go and spread his word and baptize people, but the disciples do this of their own accord. This could be where the differences in policies on conversion come from among sects of Christians.

5. The resurrection

a. John

i. In John, Mary Magdalene comes to the tomb and sees the rock is rolled away. She goes to Peter to tell him that the stone was rolled away. The disciples come and see that the body has disappeared and decide that he has risen. Mary then sees two angels laying where the body of Jesus had been. Jesus then appears and asks here why she is weeping. He says not to touch him because he has not yet ascended to heaven. Mary then goes and tells the disciples about what she had seen.

b. In Mark, three had gone to see Jesus and saw the angel sitting there. The angel told them to go and summon the disciples. When the go, the disciples do not originally believe them, but in John, they come to see his body is gone and they don’t see him at all. It does not talk about their reaction to the fact that Mary saw Jesus, but instead just states matter of factly that they saw he had risen.