Comparing and contrasting two religions as
diverse as Christianity and Sikhism would require an answer beyond the scope of what we can
provide here. However, Ive tried my best to do a brief comparative analysis of the fundamental
aspects of the two faiths.
To begin with, Sikhism is an Indic religion
founded in the late medieval period (the end of the fifteenth century), while Christianity is an
Abrahamic religion which began 2,000 years ago. Although at first look the religions seem
completely different, there are some interesting similarities between their points of origin.
Both religions are Asian in origin: Sikhism began in Punjab, in undivided pre-independence
India, while Christianity arose in the ancient middle east. The roots of Christianity are
interlinked with a response to the corruption in Judaic society, and Sikhism was a rebuttal to
some of the more dubious practices of Hinduism, such as the caste system. Just like Jesus Christ
was born in the Jewish faith, Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism, was raised a Hindu. Both
Christ and Guru Nanak were revolutionaries in their own way, preaching equality and love that
undercut ossified rituals rampant in their respective societies. Both Jesus Christ and Guru
Nanak were known to mingle with the poor and the needy freely; further neither of the two wrote
down their own teachings. The teachings of Christ were transmitted by his disciples and composed
in the Gospels that make up the New Testament much after his death, while little is known of
Guru Nanaks life. Most of Guru Nanaks teachings were carried forward and compiled by the other
nine Sikh Gurus, the final version of whichcompiled by Guru Gobind Singhis the Sikh holy book,
the Guru Granth Sahib. Unlike the New Testaments focus on Christ, the
Guru Granth Sahib does not recount the life of Guru Nanak. Rather it
focuses on the philosophy and teachings of Sikhism.
Further, Christianity,
like all three Abrahamic faiths, is monotheisticor believes in the existence of one God, as we
can see in this quote from the Bible (emphasis mine):
Jesus answered, "The foremost is, 'HEAR, O ISRAEL! THE LORD OUR GOD IS ONE LORD;
(Gospel of Mark, English Standard Version)
Although
Hinduismthe religion Sikhism rose in response tois polytheistic and pantheistic, that is it
believes in the existence of many gods, and believes God is all material reality or the universe
itself, we must note that Sikhism is a separate faith from Hinduism. Sikhism can be said to be
monotheistic, with pantheistic elements, as we see in the beginning of the first verse of the
Guru Granth Sahib:
There is One and
only One God who is transcendent as well as immanent. His name is true and eternal....(Ek Onkar
Satnam)
Yet, the monotheism of Christianity and Sikhism
has subtle differences. In Christianity, salvation was traditionally possible only for
Christians. However, in Sikhism, salvation is available for people of all faiths, even
non-Sikhs. While in Christianity, Jesus is considered the son of God, and a divinity himself, in
Sikhism, Guru Nanak and all other subsequent Sikh Gurus are divine teachers. The eternal God of
Sikhism is formless and all-pervading. Discussing the Indic concept of the Guru is important in
this respect: in Indian thought, a Guru is extremely important, and a guide to self-realization.
Though the Gurus are revered and respected, we must remember that the God in Sikhism is truly
abstract.
When it comes to the afterlife, Sikhism has more in common with
Indic religions like Hinduism and Buddhism, than Christianity. In Christianity, there is an
afterlife, with heaven and hell being physical realities. The righteous earn eternal life or
salvation, while unrepentant sinners migrate into eternal punishment.
"And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the
righteous into eternal life. (Matthew, English Standard Version)
And
"Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire
prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was
thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I
needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after
me....whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me."
(Matthew, ESV)
However, some contemporary theological
interpretations say Hell is more a state of sinfulness and torment in Christianity, than an
actual place. Similarly, Heaven is the state of being in Gods grace.
In
contrast, Sikhism does not believe in the afterlife, heaven, or hell. It believes in the theory
of reincarnation and the transmigration of souls. Once a person is dead, their bodies perish,
while their soul, the part of the universal spirit which lives in them"like a reflection in
a mirror or fragrance within a flower" in the words of the Gurbaniis reborn into another
body. Life is a persons chance to do good and accumulate enough merits or good karma to attain
mukti or nirvana and unite with the ultimate reality. Significantly, salvation in the Christian
sense, and nirvana in the Sikh sense are not interchangeable. While salvation is eternal life,
nirvana is freedom from the cycle of birth and death. To put a contemporary spin on it, it is
becoming one with the universe. In Sikhism this "one" is the eternal, abstract
God.
To come to themes of works, deeds, and justice, both Sikhism and
Christianity, being iconoclastic in conception, have a keen sense of justice. Both religions
believe in the equality of all humansthough in Christianity, unlike Sikhism, there is a sense of
the chosen people. Yet both religions are egalitarian. Doing good deeds in both is equated
with doing good unto other human beings and the community, rather than performing rituals.
Charity and service are very important virtues in both religions. For instance, distributing
free meals at Sikh temples or gurudwaras is considered an important practice in the faith.
Similarly, in Christianity, tithing, a concept with its roots in Judaism, is considered
important. Tithing or apportioning a percentage of ones income for charity is also practiced in
Sikhism, as what is known as dasvandh or giving away ten percent of your income to the
poor.
Journalist and Sikh historian Khushwant Singh makes an important
observation about this and other similar practices in his book History of the
Sikhs. Singh notes that Sikhism adopted some of the best practices of Hinduism and
Islam. Since Sikhisms founder Guru Nanak lived in fifteenth century India, while Punjab was
under Mughal rule, he was exposed to Islamic influences as well. Strikingly, charity and the One
God are fundamental tenets of Islam as well. However, Singh notes, Sikhism also has several
distinct practices from Hinduism and Islam.
Coming to suffering, in Sikhism
it is a part of human reality. Belief in God does not give one a free pass from human suffering,
however, through reciting the naam or the name of the One God, suffering is alleviated. We can
understand alleviated to mean easily borne, in this sense. Suffering is often the consequence
of ones own past karma, and through undergoing suffering while doing good deeds, one can hack
away accumulated bad karma. In Christianity, it is important to note that suffering is not a
consequence of past action. Suffering is either a result of circumstance, or an act of Satan, or
the gateway to redemption. The theme of suffering in Christianity is very closely linked with
the suffering of Christ. Bodily suffering is seen as reliving the agony of Jesus, and paves the
way for renewal and eternal life. Some Christians, like author C. S. Lewis, believed that
suffering is a way of reminding Christians that this life is not their final destination, as we
see in the following quote.
The Christian doctrine of
suffering explains, I believe, a very curious fact about the world we live in. The settled
happiness and security which we all desire, God withholds from us by the nature of the world:
but joy, pleasure, and merriment He has scattered broadcast...The security we crave would teach
us to rest our hearts in this world and oppose an obstacle to our return to God...Our Father
refreshes us on the journey with some pleasant inns, but will not encourage us to mistake them
for home.
In Sikhism, justice follows both the Indic
principle of karma, as well as the Sikh rules of ethics, as listed in many rahitnamas or codes
of conduct, the chief among them being The Rehat Maryada. This exhorts
Sikhs to behave fairly and justly towards each other, and comply with the law of the land. It
also gives Sikhs their religious duties, which include reciting the naam of the One God,
abstaining from ritual and idol worship, and participating in hard work. In the Christian
tradition, justice is equated with the Divine Justice of Christ. As Tristin S. Hassell notes in
the Encyclopedia of Global Justice:
The classical conception of justice as suum cique (to each what is due) is redefined by
the Christ-even obstacle to our return to God...Our Father refreshes us on the journey with some
pleasant inns, but will not encourage us to mistake them for home.t, Gods activity in and for
the world. For Christians, all moral, political, and philosophical concepts are revealed and
sustained in their fullness by Jesus Christ.
Tenets like
knowledge and devotion are rooted in the particular milieu of the two religions. In
Christianity, knowledge in the sense of scholarship does not hold the same primacy as it does in
Judaism. Christ and his teachings are the font of all knowledge, indeed epistemology itself, and
realizing the self through Christ is the end-goal of knowledge. In Sikhism, the concept of
knowledge is influences by the Indian medieval bhakti and sufi traditions. A Sikh literally
means a learner. Humility to learn, especially through the Guru Granth Sahib, typifies the
Sikh and reciting the Ik Namthe name of the One Godis paramount. The name of the One God is the
seed of knowledge. The end of knowledge, however, is self-realization, much like in Hinduism and
Buddhism. Devotion in Sikhism involves worship to the abstract, and through Sikhs revere Guru
Nanak and the other Gurus, Nanak himself forbade the fetishization of idol worship:
The ignorant fools pick up stones and worship them,
But
when those stones themselves sink, who will carry you across.
Rather than worship the Gurus, Sikhs worship the signs of God, such as the divine
lamp-flame or jot and the Guru Granth Sahib. Christians, too, do not pray
to idols, but since Jesus Christ, and his Mother Mary are considered deified, they are
worshiped. Here, I must add, that we have so far been deliberately speaking of Christianity as a
blanket term; however the faith is extremely diverse, with branches such as Catholicism and
Protestantism, and denominations, such as the Catholic Church, the Anglican Church, the Lutheran
Church and so on. Although Sikhism has a few sects, it does not have as many diverse branches as
Christianity. This is because of two reasons: One, founded in the late 15th century, Sikhism is
still a relatively new religion, whereas Christianity has been around for 2,000 years. Two,
Sikhism is a deliberately lean religion, since it was a response to the baroque corruption of
the Indian society of its time. Therefore, its tenets are simple and unifying: Pray to the One
God, recite The Name, and Practice Charity. Traditional Sikhs also emphasize wearing the code of
the five €˜k signs: kesh (hair), kada (bracelet), kirpan (sword), kangha (comb), and kaccha
(innerwear). Christianity does not have a comparable code.
Lastly, one major
differentiation between Christianity and Sikhism involves the attitudes of the two religions to
pacifism and martial duties. Even though the spread of Christianity was violent in practice
(through the Crusades), the teachings of Jesus Christ were largely pacifist.
You have heard that it was said, "An eye for an eye and a tooth
for a tooth." But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you
on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. (Matthew, ESV)
There is no reference to the martial duty of Christians in the New Testament.
However, Sikhism has a martial component, as codified by the tenth and last living Sikh
Guru, Guru Gobind Singh. Although Sikhism began as a egalitarian, simple religion, its growing
popularity invited persecution of the Sikh community and the Sikh Gurus in particular, by the
Mughal rulers of India. After the ninth Guru, Guru Tegh Bahadur was beheaded by the Emperor
Aurangzeb for defending non-Muslims from religious persecution, Guru Gobind Singh founded the
Khalsaor the pure ones, the true Sikhs who would carry the kirpan (sword) and defend the
powerless. Thus, martial duty was included in the Sikh code of conduct, which is why traditional
Sikhs still sometimes keep ceremonial swords at home. However, the scope of this ceremonial duty
was purely defensive. Further, it is not actively practiced any more.
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