Preaching, Proselytizing, And Missionary Work In Sikhism

[prakash.s.bagga]

KNOWLEDGE vis a vis FAITH....We must have very clear view about the concept of Knowledge and concept of Faith about any idiology.
Knowledge enlightens one about the idiology whereasFaith is related to the affection and /or love towards particular idiology.The quantum of faith thus varies from person to person,and for this reason FAITH can not be shared.
It is ultimately the knowledge which can be shared.Thus the proper knowledge if imparted can develop the interest of others and contribute to their faith.The knowledge combined with faith can provide stability to the idiology.
Our Gurus did not share faith with others but they professed knowledge to others faith telling the truth about thier faith.The idiology of SIKHISM is totally knowledge based and it is this knowledge which must be shared.
Surprisingly sikhs themselves seem to be unclear about the knowledge of Gurbaani idiology .The knowledge of Gurbaani idiology is very fierce and it is just not possible
to digest the concept of Gurbaani knowledge so easily.
Once we are able to propagate the basic concept of Gurbaani messages sincerely there would be no need of attracting the people.As a matter of fact people should themselves be attracted to the idiology of Sikhism.
We would find that most of the times we try to make Gurbaani idiology compatible with
that of others whereas it should be reverse.It will happen only when we project our idiolgy in an effective manner
We should always keep inmind that people are always interested in getting good knowledge.So there is need of evolving an effective method which should not put any pressure at the same time simple to accept.
SO at present there is urgent need of proper understanding of GUrbaani knowledge.
Then we must decide a common methodology to spread the True Messages of NANAK since these messages are for the whole of humanity
In this regard I may mention the way Q TV is doing for Islam.I am certainly impressed by the way of their presentation.I wish we may also do something similar way.Rest SATiGURU will bless us.
Prakash.s.Bagga

 

[polpol]

Very interesting discussion. I think one big difference between a sect and a religion is that religion carries a tradition. It perpetuates a history set in a particular geography like Judaism, often a specific language like Punjabi for Sikhs, sometimes even cuisine like Oriental Christians, and all sorts of particular ways of doing things. It is also something shared with family and community. It is the practical, social aspect of converting that I find extremely difficult. For example, if I converted to Sikhism, I would feel phony because there is no way I could feel in my heart and soul what Sikhs went through in 1984 to mention just one year. I can understand and feel sorry for what they went through but it's not the same. Also, conversion is generally an individual decision and that's another difficulty. Embracing a new religion means that one has rejected the one he or she was born in and that is often seen as rejection of one's family and community values. So the danger is that while a religion may win one convert, the result is that the convert's family and community will have very bad feelings about that religion for "stealing" away one of theirs. I'm not saying I'm against proselysing when it's to inform and there are surely lots of converts that have made the right decision but nowadays we see westerners change religion like they change their wardrobe. Someone gave the example of a Christian woman who converted to Islam and who now regrets she didn't chose Sikhism, is it only me or is it not a sign that the woman has other issues than religion, a sort of spiritual emptiness. Some people convert when they want to get married with someone from another religion. To me that's a good motive because the chidren will be educated in harmony at least inside their home and the convert will have the social support needed. Very interesting topic!

 

[Rupinder.Singh]

Dear Ecumenigal ji,


Loved every bit of your thoughts...Thank you very much for sharing ..

Regards

Rupinder Singh

 

[Mai Harinder Kaur]

Commenting on polpol's comment, I think any Sikh "proselytising" show be to inform, not convert.

Let people know that the choice is there, that there is at least one legitimate religion that believes that the Eternal is nairbho, nirvair. It's very difficult to follow Guru ji if you don't know that Guru ji exists. Many people do, indeed, have a spiritual vacuum that possibly Sikhi could heal. But only if they know we exist.

 

[Randip Singh]

Depends by what you mean by missionaty work. If you mean:

1) Go round converting people to Sikhism - then no. We are not a missionary faith. That is how you get religious conflict.

2) If you mean doing sewa for other communities, i.e. helping poor, sick etc, then YES!!

 

[findingmyway]

I thought this an entertaining aside:

Jehovah's witnesses came to visit me at home this morning. Rather than closing the door on them I thought I would teach them a bit about Sikhi so each time they said something I would reply with my views. Eventually they came to their masterpiece about how there is only 1 right way so I told them they were very egotistical to think only they knew the right way and they should learn to accept our paths to God as correct too! I wasn't going to be judgmental and say whether my beliefs are better than theirs so they had no right to tell anyone else the same thing. They had no reply cheeringkudi

 

[kds1980]

After maharaja Ranjit singh Sikhs stopped missionary work and that was the biggest blunder sikhs committed.The growth of sikhism stopped and now our numbers are too small in India for any major political impact as a result no party care about sikhs exceopt punjab and some North Indian states

 

[kds1980]

Depends by what you mean by missionaty work. If you mean:

1) Go round converting people to Sikhism - then no. We are not a missionary faith. That is how you get religious conflict.

2) If you mean doing sewa for other communities, i.e. helping poor, sick etc, then YES!!

What about preaching others about sikhism and if they willingly accept sikhism?

 

[findingmyway]

After maharaja Ranjit singh Sikhs stopped missionary work and that was the biggest blunder sikhs committed.The growth of sikhism stopped and now our numbers are too small in India for any major political impact as a result no party care about sikhs exceopt punjab and some North Indian states

Isn't it during Maharaja Ranjit Singh's time that a lot of brahmanical practices crept in? Judging from his lifestyle can we really say he was following a Gursikh jeevan?

 

[Tejwant Singh]

I thought this an entertaining aside:

Jehovah's witnesses came to visit me at home this morning. Rather than closing the door on them I thought I would teach them a bit about Sikhi so each time they said something I would reply with my views. Eventually they came to their masterpiece about how there is only 1 right way so I told them they were very egotistical to think only they knew the right way and they should learn to accept our paths to God as correct too! I wasn't going to be judgmental and say whether my beliefs are better than theirs so they had no right to tell anyone else the same thing. They had no reply cheeringkudi

Jasleen ji,

Guru fateh.

LOL. I love when JW's knock at my door. I invite them in and turn their own Bible verses onto them. They feel bewildered when I can give them the Bible verses by heart and they have to look for them in the Bible. I enjoy every time they knock at my door.

It is amazing how a religion or a cult can brain wash people.

Tejwant Singh

 

[kds1980]

Isn't it during Maharaja Ranjit Singh's time that a lot of brahmanical practices crept in? Judging from his lifestyle can we really say he was following a Gursikh jeevan?

Well Maharaja Ranjit singh was definately not a role model Gursikh,but sikh missionary work reached peak at its time.It was estimated that there were some 8-10 million sikhs at his time.After the ending of his empire many many people left sikhism.Britishers even predicted that this religion is not going to survive.Thanks to singh sabha sikhism again revived but much of missionary work was not done.

Also When I was teenager I was very much interested in knowing when our family embraced sikhism and only one of Dad's cousin brother know about it.
So I asked him When our family embraced it .He said seven generation from you ,at the time of maharaja Ranjit singh.If it was not his time then SPN could had lost one of its mod to Hinduphilosophy.net or islamphilosohy.net
LOL

 

[spnadmin]

Isn't it during Maharaja Ranjit Singh's time that a lot of brahmanical practices crept in? Judging from his lifestyle can we really say he was following a Gursikh jeevan?

Actually that is a good point. Several of his wives went to sati.


But to play the Devil's Advocate, and this is solely my intuition speaking here, from the days of Guru Nanak, it has always been a challenge to keep brahmanical practices from creeping in. Almost from the very beginning attempts to co-sign for Sikhism by sanatans of one stripe or another have been there.

 

[kds1980]

Jasleen here is one of my thread about population of sikhs at time of maharaja Ranjit isngh you may find it interesting to read

http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/histo...ulation-sikhs-time-maharaja-ranjit-singh.html

 

[Mai Harinder Kaur]

Jasleen ji,

Guru fateh.

LOL. I love when JW's knock at my door. I invite them in and turn their own Bible verses onto them. They feel bewildered when I can give them the Bible verses by heart and they have to look for them in the Bible. I enjoy every time they knock at my door.

It is amazing how a religion or a cult can brain wash people.

Tejwant Singh

My best JW story comes from a time they patiently explained to me that at the final judgment, Jesus Christ will separate the sheep from the goats. The sheep are the righteous and will live forever on a paradise earth (only 144,000 go to heaven), and the goats are the unsavable and will be destroyed. The kindly JW looked directly in my eyes and gently asked, "So which are you? A sheep or a goat?"

I, of course, responded, "My dear, I am a lioness. I eat sheep and goats."

JW was not amused.

PS. My experience is that absolutely nothing amuses these people. Nothing!