Questions In Regards To Sikhism..

[Guest Seeker]

Hi, Im a non-sikh thats interested in the religion but have questions that Im too shy about asking in person because Im not a 100% sure I should be asking being of a diffrent faith...

Could someone please enlightne me in regards to the follwing...

Is it possible to be sikh but have a godson?

Like the bible and Torah, Quran and other holy books and scriptures - Can the Guru Granth Sahib be brought and kept at home and read by anyone who can read it at anytime or does it have to stay in the Gurdwara Sahib and be read too people by someonelse?

How strict is sikhism in regards to a sikh marrying out of his religion and what is the punjabi culture take on this? For example - Its extremely un-common for the most part to have a muslim marry out of his faith if the partner hasnt embraced the religion and is strongly frowned upon by the community culture wise.

Does sikhs do anything like fast? Is it obligatory to give some money in charity within nthe religion or is it a act of good will if chosen to be done?

Mnay thanks for your time in advance.

[neemaana]

Hi, Im a non-sikh thats interested in the religion but have questions that Im too shy about asking in person because Im not a 100% sure I should be asking being of a diffrent faith...

Could someone please enlightne me in regards to the follwing...

Is it possible to be sikh but have a godson?

Like the bible and Torah, Quran and other holy books and scriptures - Can the Guru Granth Sahib be brought and kept at home and read by anyone who can read it at anytime or does it have to stay in the Gurdwara Sahib and be read too people by someonelse?

How strict is sikhism in regards to a sikh marrying out of his religion and what is the punjabi culture take on this? For example - Its extremely un-common for the most part to have a muslim marry out of his faith if the partner hasnt embraced the religion and is strongly frowned upon by the community culture wise.

Does sikhs do anything like fast? Is it obligatory to give some money in charity within nthe religion or is it a act of good will if chosen to be done?

Mnay thanks for your time in advance.

Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa, Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh,

I will try to answer you questions with my meagre knowledge of Sikhism

Traditionally, godparents were informally responsible for ensuring the child's religious education was carried out, and for caring for the child should they be orphaned. Today, the word "godparent" might not have explicitly religious overtones. The modern view of a godparent tends to be an individual chosen by the parents to take an interest in the child's upbringing and personal development. However, godparent is not a legal position, and should the parents seriously intend the godparents to act as foster parents in case of their death, this must be legally specified through the usual means (such as a will).

Therefore, going by this definition I do not think there should be any issue here.

Guru Granth Sahib Ji preaches universal truth and therefore is not only Guru of the Sikhs (religion term) but for any one seeking truth (this how the Sanskrit word sikh (disciple/seeker) was called). Any person who wants to walk on the path of spirituality can be disciple of Guru Granth Sahib ji.

As Guru Granth Sahib Ji is living Guru it is requires a lot of dedication and effort to do Parkash at home. To start with you will need a room which is higher in alivation than the rest of the house, ensuring that no one can walk directly above where Maharaj's sroop is placed. Then some one has to do sewa daily for Prakash and Sukhasan etc. I would suggest you to learn and arrange the requirements before doing Parkash at home.

First of all there is a huge difference in "Punjabi culture" and "Sikh Rahitmaryada"(Culture). All Rahatmaryadas say that a Sikh should marry another Sikh only, the reason behind this is that if both the partners are following the same path then the spiritual development of both of them is a lot more faster, rather than one going to do satsangat (Gurdwara) and other going for clubbing etc. I am not sure what your situation is but if you follow this path and try to understand it you will get your answers from with in.

Fasting for religious reasons is strictly prohibited in Sikhism. However, if you are medically required to do fasting then that is different thing.

As per Guru's command a Sikh should give 10% of his disposable income as charity. It can be given to any person who is in need whether Sikh or non-Sikh. So it is entirely up to you who the beneficiary is going to be.

I hope it may have answered your queries. I will also request other members of Sangat to add/edit.

Good luck

Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh

[Kaljug Singh]

Hi, Im a non-sikh thats interested in the religion but have questions that Im too shy about asking in person because Im not a 100% sure I should be asking being of a diffrent faith...

Could someone please enlightne me in regards to the follwing...

Is it possible to be sikh but have a godson?

Like the bible and Torah, Quran and other holy books and scriptures - Can the Guru Granth Sahib be brought and kept at home and read by anyone who can read it at anytime or does it have to stay in the Gurdwara Sahib and be read too people by someonelse?

How strict is sikhism in regards to a sikh marrying out of his religion and what is the punjabi culture take on this? For example - Its extremely un-common for the most part to have a muslim marry out of his faith if the partner hasnt embraced the religion and is strongly frowned upon by the community culture wise.

Does sikhs do anything like fast? Is it obligatory to give some money in charity within nthe religion or is it a act of good will if chosen to be done?

Mnay thanks for your time in advance.

Fateh!

To add to what the previous poster has said, a Sikh will usually keep a gutka (which is a prayer book containing hymns from Guru Granth Sahib and Dasam Granth Sahib) at home and recite hymns from them daily. The gutka does not require the kind of care that keeping bir of Guru Granth Sahib in the house, but one still needs to keep the gutka covered in a clean cloth when it is not being used, stored in a clean place (preferably a place set apart and higher elevation than other books), and one needs at minimum to wash one's hands, face, feet and mouth before reading from it.

One can also keep Guru Granth Sahib at home in the form of pothia (Guru Granth Sahib spread over several volumes) if one cannot maintain full respect for Maharaj's bir. They should not be stored on top of each other in order, otherwise one must give full respect that is shown to Maharj's complete form. Many Sikhs have these in their homes, and have a special stand for the volume on which it is placed while one reads. This is partially out of respect, and partly for practical reasons as the volumes can be too heavy to keep hold in one's hands for extended periods of time.

A true Sikh (a follower of Guru Granth Sahib) will follow no other Guru, however Guru Granth Sahib is for thw whole world, and it is still possible to maintain your personal faith and learn from Guru Granth Sahib at the same time because our Guru is concerned with the very heart of religion - prem bhakti, the path of love - and not necesarily its outward form.

Everything else is as the previous Gursikh has said.

By the way, there is no need to be shy. Sikhs might look intimidating sometimes, but we are generally nice folks and open to honest questions, nor are we likely to be offended easily.

Regards,

K

[Guest kalsingh]

Hi, Im a non-sikh thats interested in the religion but have questions that Im too shy about asking in person because Im not a 100% sure I should be asking being of a diffrent faith...

Could someone please enlightne me in regards to the follwing...

Is it possible to be sikh but have a godson?

Like the bible and Torah, Quran and other holy books and scriptures - Can the Guru Granth Sahib be brought and kept at home and read by anyone who can read it at anytime or does it have to stay in the Gurdwara Sahib and be read too people by someonelse?

How strict is sikhism in regards to a sikh marrying out of his religion and what is the punjabi culture take on this? For example - Its extremely un-common for the most part to have a muslim marry out of his faith if the partner hasnt embraced the religion and is strongly frowned upon by the community culture wise.

Does sikhs do anything like fast? Is it obligatory to give some money in charity within nthe religion or is it a act of good will if chosen to be done?

Mnay thanks for your time in advance.

I will only answer the question in regards to Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji being kept at home, sorry for not answering the others. Sri Guru Granth Sahib ji cannot be kept at home unless the conditions in ones house are identical to those found in a gurdwara. This means prakash (which is the opening of the Guru and a ceremony) has to be done every day and sukhasan too (closing ceremony), there can be no meat and alcohol in the house and there has to be a throne for the Guru (Manji Sahib) and other things too. Quite simply put, no, Sri Guru Granth Sahib ji cannot be treated like the Bible, Quran etc as Guru Granth Sahib is the living Guru for the sikhs. I would be very uncomfortable if Guru Granth Sahib Ji were treated any differently than they are in the Gurudwara.