I NEED YOUR INPUT

[idontknow]

wow, i didnt think that so many people would reply in such a short time

let me start by saying to all those who wrote about how many more gurus sacraficed thier lives, but what makes jesus's sacrafice so unique was that he rose again from the dead three days later, and then accended into heaven.

i also dont agree that when all else fails then you have to result to voilence. Voilence has never resulted into anything positive. I believe that you treat your neighbor as yourself and turn the other cheek.

Another thing that i dont get is when in sikhism, idol worship is considerd wrong, but you still bow down to the guru granth sahib. just like the bible. its just a book. whats holy is the message but the book is just a material thing.

please kindly take this test run - for the next two weeks try to become a Gursikh and if you are still not interested in the Sikh way of life, then post again and we will talk more

Ive been looking at the pros and cons of both religions for about 3 or 4 years, and i feel that christianity is right for me.

im really sorry if ive offended anyone

[idontknow]

think you are judging Sikhi by punjabi culture, and other outside things.

In order to truly experience the essence of Sikhi, I humbly advise that before you make any decision to change your Guru and become a Lutheran Christian, you should try to be a Gursikh. Try to read the translations of Guru granth Sahib jee, do paat, do naam sirman with all your heart. Say "Waheguru" (Wonderful enlightener) from the bottom of your heart and say it many times with devotion. Most importantly, go to a smagam. Whether that is a saadh sangat smagam (www.samagams.org) or an akhand keertanee jathaa smagam (www.akj.org) or some other sangat's smagam - make sure you absorb yourself in an experience of Saadh Sangat.

There are a few traditions of Sikhi that I have not seen replicated in any faith. Saadh sangat, langar, chardee kalaa, sarbat da bhalla are some unique foundations of Sikhi and I humbly suggest you first explore these - then make your decision. The famous saying is "don't knock it til you try it."

And let me say here - dont' mix your parents Sikhi with yours. Just practice your Sikhi and if you see them doing anything stereotypical or something you think is wrong, do not judge them for it - practice what comes to your heart

some things i may have forgotten to mention are that i have been amrit dhari for about 5 years, and im not judging anyone. i had the chance to go to india recently and we visited harmande

r sahib and i saw so many people devoted to thier faith, and i saw people form all over the world who converted into sikhism. but i am not judging sikhism on the punjabi culture either. ive also done alot of reading translations, (my sister does kirtan so i help her sometimes) so i feel that all that soul searching lead me to christianity.

This post was looking for some insight, not for people trying to convert me back to sikhism

but thanks anyway

[Balwinder Singh]

I will try to give u some quick answers accord to my understanding.

i also dont agree that when all else fails then you have to result to voilence. Voilence has never resulted into anything positive. I believe that you treat your neighbor as yourself and turn the other cheek.

If somebdy juss start cutting down ur heads for no reason then u have to tackle that situation with force.Remember guru ji said "LAST RESORT"...not the very first thing.If u cant understand guru jis time then think abt the time of hitler.....Hitler was juss cutting jews like anything...do u think ur non-voilence idea wud have worked there?

Also Gandhi got a little success becoz british were not like hitler or moguls.They were law abiding people to some extent.Thats why gandhi thing worked.Otherwise non-voilence never works.Do u think Hitler wud have stopped if russians and other guys used non-voilence?Guru ji never told us to kill the innocent and told us that it is the last resort.Read sikh history u will find many things like Bhai Kaniyya ji...who gave water to enemy also out of love.Read sikh history its matchless...u can't compare it with any other history.

Another thing that i dont get is when in sikhism, idol worship is considerd wrong,

but you still bow down to the guru granth sahib. just like the bible. its just a book. whats holy is the message but the book is just a material thing

Plz try to understand it with a little more understanding into it.Hndus worshiped idols assuming that it is the GOD, but Guru ji told umm that u cannot limit God ...He is infinte.He is limitless.U canot even think abt His limits...so makin God out of a shape is foolishness.

We dont consider Sri Guru Granth ji as God.SGGS is our guru ji not God ...so we are not limiting God into a book...which makes idol different frm SGGS ji.I hope I made it clear.

I m sorry i m out of time...but I encourage to ask questions like these.

Thnx

[Singh132]

I don't understand what part of reincarnation seems so hard to believe.

I have a question actually: I always ask it and maybe you can reply. A baby is born. It screams a single scream and then dies. Where does it go? Why was it born? It had no purpose in its life so how will it be judged?

Does christianity have an answer? Will this baby go to heaven? If so, why?

A Sikh can answer very easily that it was based on that soul's karma that it was born as a human and based on its karma that it lived for only so long and to receive this karma it had such a short life. It will be born again.

As for violence: Guru Arjan and Guru Tegh Bahadur were the image of non-violence. A Sikh will not use violence unless there is no other option. Not using the sword to defend the meek and defenceless is a much bigger sin.

SGGS and Bowing: When we bow, we prostrate before the message and it is a symbol of our internal submission. An idol is that which cannot teach anything. Guru Granth Sahib can teach all divine qualities.

At any rate, like everyoen else here, I encourage you to understand the profound nature of Sikhi. Its concept of SachKhand is so much more profound than any heaven. The Guru's teachings are first hand and divine inspiration. There is no legends/mythology there.

check out www.whyichosesikhism.com for more information on your doubts.

Good luck.

www.whyichosesikhism.com

[ms514]

Sat Sri Akal:

The Sangat has been answering your question admirably ( ). I will give you this important suggestion.

BEFORE making any such decision, PLEASE PLEASE read the WHOLE Bible cover to cover (including the Old Testament and the New Testament) and then read the WHOLE Guru Granth Sahib Ji (translation available at http://www.gurbanifiles.org/ if you need one). You owe the religion that you committed to at least that much.

This will allow you to see what you are getting yourself into and what you are going to be giving up. THEN AND ONLY THEN, make a decision. Do not make your decision on just Jesus Sahib's sacrifice.

So I urge you...please take my advice.

[kaur_khalistani_lioness]

vaheguru ji kakhalsa waheguru jiki fateh

awesome replys..vaheguroo

sis/veer jio

u need help right..and u said u been thinking about the other path for about 4 years...then what is it thats stoppin u ji?...im jus askin

is it really ur parents?

if u scared of ur parents( scared/afraid or whateva) of ur worldy parents ji..then i dont know, how wuld u face our real father? u are amritdhari hana, so u is khalsa, part of khalsa family...so u wana leave ur family, but yet u are scared?..scared or in delimma..why?

i read a sakhi on sikhs...that in old times..when someone used to become sikh..the family of that person used to think he/she was dead ..no more..and sorta didnt talk about that person no more.

for example, if someone had 5 sons, and someone asked how many children u got, they would say..i had 5. one died of illness, and 1 became sikh, so now we only have 3 sons. meaning they considered the one who became sikh=dead!and didn't talk about him/her no more....

and those waheguru jis soulz(beloved ones) took the path of sikhi leaving everything behind, becuse of what they experinced, what they found out....they were ready to leave everything, and did leave every thing(material t

hings) to become SIKH! why?

whats are ur real reasons behind taking the other path and telling our father that u want to(or are) leave the home?

im jus not getting it.

if u are amritshak, did u take amrit out of love? or were u pressured by someone?

if u took amrit out of love, ask ur self why?..and do let us know too why u took amrit!

but if u were pressured...then u should think about it... (as far as i know) u(applies to all) shoud not call ur self amritdhari, cuz taking amrit is a commitment made form inside, its out of love..and when there is true love, one would never leave it!its that kindof love!(its a rus/amrit..nam amrit that one jus can't leave)

but maya, kaljug will try to take us away from the right path for sure when we start gettin close to teh truth..

...read about the "kaljuh/maya" or devil...

as kaur panji said..be in sangat of God's beloved ones

what kind of sangat do u have jio?

:H:

i dont knw if im jus wasting ur time by posting this ..since u told us u did soul searchin..i would like to know what kind of questions did u ask ur self!

i dont know how soul searchin is done! i think its by askin ur self question init?would someone pls let me know!

and last ...when u took amrit, after that did u keep full rahet? did u do what Guru sahib ji intructed u(us) to do?

im sorry about so many questions jio...i jus really dont knw what to say since u only provided little info.

we all have differnt experinces, different thinking, and by ur post im sure mos

t of us have made our own conclusions about u, the way u live, and the way u think ...and according to that they/we have asnwerd or tried to help ji.

how do u veiw the parttaking of amrit? what do u think goal of life is?

i wana know the answer to all these questions from u, cuz i not make my own conclusions about ur life and teh way u should lead it. if u asnwer or provide more info..im sure someone with Guru sahib jis kirpa be able to help u...

bhul chuk muaff karni

plzz do asnwer the question for me...(if not here then jus leave a message;e-mail or anything)

thanks,and again forgive me if i have offended u or anyone else!

waheguru ji kakhalsa waheguru jiki fateh

~(rakh rakh mayrey bittla jan sharrna tumhari)~

[S1ngh]

Some real amazing replies

If you wanna be christian then be a good christian ! Everyone is on their own Im sikh cauz i know sikhi is real deal for me ! and i feel lucky to be born into sikh family and most important im following it correctly

--- Some non-sikhs thought on our guru sahib SGGSJ ---

"I have studied the scriptures of the great religions, but I do not find elsewhere the same power of appeal to the heart and mind as I find here in these volumes ... There is something strangely modern about these scriptures and this puzzled me until I learned that they are in fact comparatively modern, compiled as late as the 16th century ...They speak to a person of any religion or of none. They speak for the human heart and the searching mind."

Miss Pearl S. Buck, Nobel Laureate

------------

Rev. H. L. Bradshaw

After thoroughly studying the philosophy of Sikhism, Rev. H. L. Bradshaw observed:

Sikhism is a Universal world Faith, a message for all men. This is amply illustrated in the writings of the Gurus. Sikhs must cease to think of their faith as just another good religion and must begin to think in terms of Sikhism being the religion for this New Age … It

completely supplants and fulfils all the former dispensations of older religions. Books must be written proving this. The other religions contain the truth, but Sikhism contains the fullness of truth.

Bradshaw also writes:

The Guru Granth Sahib of all the world religious scriptures, alone states that there are innumerable worlds and universes other than our own. The previous scriptures were all concerned only with this world and its spiritual counterpart. To imply that they spoke of other worlds, as does the Guru Granth Sahib, is to stretch their obvious meanings out of context. The Sikh religion is truly the answer to the problems of the modern man.

------------

Archer

Archer, in his book on the Sikh faith comments:

The religion of the Guru Granth is a universal and practical religion … Due to ancient prejudices of the Sikhs it could not spread in the world. The world needs today its message of peace and love.

--------

Dorothy Field

Another scholar, Dorothy Field in her book, "The Sikh Religion," writes:

Pure Sikhism is far above dependence on Hindu rituals and is capable of a distinct position as a world religion so long as Sikhs maintain their distinctiveness. The religion is also one which should appeal to the occidental mind. It is essentially a practical religion. If judged from the pragmatical standpoint which is a favorite point of view in some quarters, IT WOULD RANK ALMOST FIRST IN THE WORLD. (Emphasis by the author). Of no other religion can it be said that it has made a nation in so short a time.

[>Bikramjit Singh<]

Waheguroo Jee Ka Khalsa!

Waheguroo Jee Kee Fateh!!

Bhaji

The fact that you have posted on here asking for input shows that you are not 100% sure that converting to Christianity is for you. I am not doubting what you said, that you believe that Christianity is right for you but I hope you will allow some constructive input into your situation. Here are a few comments.

Jesus rising from his grave

This is one of the main reasons that I cannot even imagine becoming a Christian. I cannot believe that Jesus died to clear the sins of humanity. To believe this you must believe in original sin, that humanity has been born in sin and that we are all sinners and only Jesus can clear our sins. The Gurus said that human life is a precious opportunity that is given only after we have gone through numerous other life forms. Being born a human does not make you a sinner that you automatically require Jesus to clear you sins for you. Our sins are what keeps us away from God.

Karmi Aaapo Apni Ke Nehre Ke Door

Our actions keep us near to or away from Waheguru.

Gurbani teaches us that in the end we are the only ones responsible for our actions. It will be up to us to justify them before Waheguru. Can any rational person believe that all one has to do is to believe in Jesus and all the sins he has ever done will be cleared.

Violence

It is very PC nowadays to claim to believe in non-violence. But most people forget that it is the commitment of others not to follow the 'turn the other cheek' teachings of Jesus that keeps them safe at night. If you house is broken into or you are attacked the P

olice don't turn up and say ' Nah man, it's against my religion to tackle your attacker'. If you country gets invaded, the army doesn't turn tail and turn the other cheek allowing your country to be taken over by another country. Guru Gobind Singh said that violence can only be a last resort. One of the other Bhajis gave a great example of where violence is justified. What if your sister is attacked and you are with her. I pray to Waheguru that this never happens but such a thing is possible. So let's look at the scenario. You are with your sister and some goons attack your sister with the aim of molesting her. You're left with two options. The teachings of Guru Gobind Singh and the teachings of Jesus.

1. Jesus - you try and reason with them, tell them what they are doing is wrong. But if they continue to attack your sister you 'turn the other cheek' and allow your sister to be attacked.

2. Guru Gobind Singh - you try and reason with the attackers and tell them what they are doing is wrong. If they do not take any notice and continue to attack you sister, you have a right to use violence to save her. You stated that you have been Amritdahri for 5 years. In fact the Guru has blessed you with a Kirpan for you to use. Not only has the Guru blessed you with a Kirpan just to save your sister or any other family members but he ahs blessed you with a Kirpan to save the sisters and family members of all other people. I gave the example of something happening with your sister because it makes a good example but as a Khalsa of Guru Gobind Singh it should not matter whether it is your sister that is attacked. We are taught that all women apart from our wife are our sisters or mothers. So if any man, woman or child is attacked the Guru has given you the Kirpan to defend them.

If hope that the above example will show you whose teachings are relevant today. It is good that you do not believe in violence. But as a last resort violence is justified. Look at European histor

y, do you think Christianity would have existed today had not not been for 'Christians' disregarding Jesus's teachings and defending themselves. At one point in the 8th Century the Arabs had attacked France after conquering Spain and it looked likely that they would have overwhelmed France as well. It was because the Franks did not 'turn the other cheek' that Christianity exists today. In fact the right to self defence is an important right in the charter of Human Rights and which is incorporated in the legal system of all countries.

I hope I have given you something to reflect on. It would be great if you could eleborate further on the things that make you inclined towards Christianity and away from Sikhi. The members here aren't seeking to convert you back to Sikhi, what will happen will happen according to the will of waheguru, all they are saying is that you owe it to yourself to reflect on the teachings of Gurbani. We are all here to help.

Finally here is what Bhai Gurdasji says about human birth

maanas janam dhulabh hai safal janam gur saran oudhhaarae Bhai Gurdas 4th Vaar

Among them all, the human birth is the rare one. One should, in this very Birth, liberate himself by surrendering before the Guru.

GurFateh

Bikramjit

[Mkhalsa]

I find it interesting how christians can claim to be pacifists (same with muslims) while their history is rife with blood.

[lakhvir]

GuruFatehJi.

What if the question had been made to the Guru? If a Sikh approached his Guru and told him that he had found interest in another religion, what would the Guru say?

From the little I know of the life of my Gurus, I believe the Guru would not try and convince him to stick to Sikhi. If Sikhi could sacrifice its Sikhs for the protection of religious freedom, the Guru would not stop anyone who had made up his mind to go another way. I would imagine a calm smile on the Guru and blessings given to him. If the Guru's exemplary life will not bind one to the faith that he founded and taught, then nothing else probably will.

Just like the 40 Sikhs left the Guru at his greatest hour of need, the Guru let them go because they were adamant to leave. But look what happened after that. Humliated by their womenfolk for having left their Guru to fight alone, they realised that they had sorely been so selfish. They went back to him and the Guru was waiting to receive them back with open arms. For the wishes of a dying Sikh, the Guru forgave all.

So my advice to whoever wishes to make their decision on what religion to follow would be that you must be sincere to yourself. If you approach people for their advice, come in humility and listen out, reason out. If you already come with a fixed mind, we will be wasting our time and yours too. If it is help you need to make a decision, I'll join in and try and help. But to declare your end intention is of no interest to me because it will help neither of us.

So go ahead and do not feel guilty about anything. As a Sikh, all I can say is that every religion has their reasons for defending themselves, but I am not go

ing to glorify mine over the others because all that matters to me is my relationship with my Guru and myself. We must all make the journey to the One Destination, alone. So make your choices well and if your choice brings you peace of mind, joy of the spirit and love for all, you'll have made a good one.

Blessings.