Whitehorse

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How do you reconcile your concerns about this time of kalyug with having a profile picture of Led Zeppelin - a band who in the 1970s were renowned for their drug use and interest in the Occult? I am not criticising you - I am just interested.

My praise for Balait da sher was for the fact that he was able to articulate (in writing) two different viewpoints in a concise and clear fashion. Judging by your comments, I assume 'Only Five' refers to your IQ?

Firstly, they look terrible. The place has been damaged enough already through shoddy construction work. Secondly, the last thing the committee there needs is funds. The place is rolling in money. I know these overseas sikhs want to 'big up' their name in their own towns and cities - but this is not the way to do it.

Really?? I didn't realise. Thanks for pointing it out. You are so 'on the ball.'

Even if i don't agree with you.....well done for puting forward a coherent set of arguments and not resorting to religous dogma.

Only Five - you appear to have a very pessimistic view of human nature. Whatever is missing in your life, I hope you find it. Perhaps when you have a better understanding of this issue, we can discuss it again. Also if I can just humbly clarify one point. Temple does not refer to Mandir. It simply means a Place of Worship (it was a word of Latin origin). So the phrase 'Sikh temple' simply means a Sikh Place of Worship. Mandir is a Hindi word (of sanskrit origin) which has a similar meaning. A Mosque (derived from the word Masjid) is specifically an Islamic place of worship. ...And Judaism is a monotheistic faith (i.e. jews worship one god).

As is often the case, the discussion descends into simple generalisations with examples to suit one or another point of view. Mentioning harmandir sahib as an example, is like using Mecca as an example of a mosque and St Peter's in the Vatican as an example of a church. I am not disputing the importance of langar. I think it is an extremely important aspect of sikhism in what it symbolises and also what it means for sikhs in everyday life. This discussion was started by someone criticising the fact that sangat (in many gurdwaras) are made to form a queue for langar. My view (and of course, other views are available), is that this is a very trivial issue with respect to what langar is. Two years ago people were discussing whether to have chairs in langar halls and now it is queuing. What will it be next?? Perhaps, whether their should be a quota for roti?? The substantive issue with langar is that it has gone from a simple meal that the community share to an extravagant feast....and for some people, it has now become the main reason why they attend. and to Mr Bundha....a temple is a place of worship/house of God. Is that not what a gurdwara is?? MentalSingh - apology accepted.Thanks and yes, if in a professional capacity I did work for a gurdwara, I would invoice them.

Mentalsingh and Bundha Just because two simple minded, mistaken people agree on something - it doesn't make it true. If you have ever been to India, you will see that langar is generally some dal and roti... that can be managed relatively easily with people sitting in lines on the floor and the flow of people into langar halls during the day is relatively smooth. In developed countries, the langar is now so over the top with at least 4 dishes and sweets in most temples - that the idea of serving it like 'Mata Ji' is impossible... and there is always a mad rush at weekday lunchtimes and Sundays, which is difficult to manage with limited resources. Don't try to recreate some medieval form of langar distribution!! What is important about langar is not the process or method of distribution - it is the principle of langar and what it symbolises. ...and yes, any self respecting, decent person would assist an old or special needs person in a langar hall. This is what frustrates me about some 'very religous' people - they are obsessed with the process and minutiae of religous practice - they can not see the wood for the trees.

That is so ridiculous. Could it be that the queueing system allows large numbers of people to be served quickly in langar halls which can get very crowded?? Could it be that from a food hygiene perspective (an issue that was perhaps less important many hundreds of years ago), serving food from one position (by as few people as possible) means there is less chance of contamination with germs, etc? Using your principle, why doesn't the gurdwara set up a home delivery service for langar!! Why make people travel to the gurdwara. Wouldn't that be the ultimate form of sewa!

Hi I am not that familiar with Sikh Channel, and had a question. Is it a Limited company that aims to make a profit and has shareholders or is it non-profit, charity?

A key question is who told you that they said bad things about you and your family. Can you trust what that person said? Once you have addressed that question - and if the answer is that you can trust that person - then, I think you should not break off being polite to these people - but don't spend much time with them either. It is smarter in life to keep your friends close, but your enemies closer...