If god doesn't exist then you must concede that praying is pointless. Why try and communicate with a being that doesn't exist?
hah! if God does exist then it is still pointless praying, not praying is not just an agnostic pursuit! I do not find anything here that is not Sikhi.....
Also a lot of money, why go and Mathadek at the Gurdwara and spend time there when all the money being invested into a Gurdwara can be invested into cancer research or poor countries, im not talking about the few pennies you put in when you mathadek i'm talking about all that money that goes into the heating, construction, etc etc...
Again a very Sikh outlook, I agree. The Gurdwaras today are nothing but social clubs, mostly mired in vedicism and or Abrahamic practice, in fact, the ones I like the best are Gurdwaras specifically for certain castes, brilliant!
The fact that the Sikh establishment, customs and activities such as prayer exist mean that as a Sikh you must believe there is a God, if there was any doubt, if you thought you were taking a gamble on believing in God you wouldn't do any of it, its just too much time and money.
ah now here your actually wrong, you see if people really believed that God existed, they would not pray, they would not have customs, activities or rituals, they would just do as God wished them to, so, by default, those that pray, that follow rituals, customs, they are actually the agnostics, because they are not convinced. Those that have a staunch belief in God will be in connection 24/7. They will not adopt a special time or a position to communicate.
so what proof does Sikhism give that there is a god?
Firstly, you talk of God as an Abrahamic father figure, Sikhism does not see God as such, God is viewed as the ultimate Creator, and in my view, is the Creator energy, you can either be in tune with this energy, or not, that is your choice, but if you want proof that God is sitting on his cloud throwing his thunderbolts, and dishing out rice pudding, your onto a loser. What Sikhism does talk about is a way of life, a take on life if you will, Sikhism gives you the ultimate truths, whether you accept them and make them work for you is a different matter. Can one prove ultimate truths? why of course, take gravity, no one is going to argue with gravity.... or birth, or death, or indeed taxes lol
Iv read some translations of Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji always talking about how we should love God and how we should abandon maya and material things... but where does Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji actually PROVE that god exists?
Ok, translations are a waste of time, so don't put too much weight on that, they try and copy the style of the Abrahamic, which seeing as Sikhism could not be more different, is a shame, please take a look at the lifestyle of the tenth master. Did he abandon maya, did he abandon material things? no, he did not, because Sikhism is not a 'live in poverty and be happy' type of religion, it is one where you concentrate on being in consonance with the Creative energy, if you want material things, if you want maya, fine, but just do not be sucked into it thinking this is all there is, because such things can be lost in the blink of an eye. The time we have here on this earth we rent, and the life we lead, with the right attitude can be very pleasurable, we can sleep in comfortable beds, we can all drive range rovers, we can eat well, but we can also give something back to Creation, and if our bed is uncomortable, or we have to drive a lan cruiser instead, well its not the end of the world, we should not let such minor facets affect our attitude to life, or affect our optimistic view, we should do our best, the best that we can do, but ultimately, whatever happens, we should accept with grace, that does not mean give up, it means try harder, it means realise your goals, no matter what they are. Do you know what the difference is between a Sikh driving a Bentley and a non Sikh driving one is? The Sikh enjoys the Bentley, and is grateful to Creator and Creation for the chance to drive one, but it does not change him, he is not full of pride and ego, he can be the humblest and nicest man on the planet, the Bentley is just a car, a vehicle, however, most drive such cars to impress on others how wealthy they are, they get pleasure from the envious looks, they get pleasure from being envied, now what we are talking here is nothing to do with religion or even God, it is to do with the correct attitude to live a fruitfull and pleasant life, one that is balanced, one that cares.
As for proof, I cannot offer you any proof, but as I believe that when I am dead, I am dust, proof really does not affect me, I am not going to meet God, nor am I going to sit by his side sharing his cloud, I am going to be wormfood, but, the one thing that does interest me, how can I conduct myself on this earth while I am here so that my life is true, so that I am true, and that is by being a Sikh.
Sikhs claim to be rational thinkers, to be a Sikh I guess means to be a "Learner"... if this claim is true then everything that a Sikh does must be built on the foundation that God exists, so lets assume you are rational, you guys must hold the proof, the undeniable proof that God exists...
I could not care less whether God exists or not. Such information will not change my life as I believe God has set the rules and started the game, I am more interested in the game and following the rules. Consonance with Creation is the closest I am ever going to get to the concept of meeting 'God'.