Confused Newcomers

[11Gurus1Jot]

Vaheguru Ji Ka Khalsa, Vaheguru Ji Ki Fateh,

Dear Gursikhs (including the admintrator Gursikhs).

Does anybody else feel that we should, maybe, ask all the Sikhs who leave a post on this wibsite to make it very very very clear when they are posting something to warn us about any anti-sikh cults, agencies and organisations.

For example, if I posted any of the questions listed below, couldn't that give a newcomer sikh, dropping on to this website for the frist time, and maybe exploring Sikhi, deeper, for the first time, a very confusing message. Especially, if we had a few of the anti-sikh agency members, who pose a sikhs on these forums posting a few confusing replies and opinions??

EXAMPLE Bad question to asks.

Why would we need to ask these questions? And more importantly, discuss these questions in a way which made the newcomer think that we were not sure of the answer?

• Can you eat meat in a Gurdwara building?
• Can you drink alcohol in a Gurdwara Building?
• Can Mothers, sisters and daughters, dance in front of their Fathers, brothers and sons in a Gurdwara building?
• Can all of the above be done infront of little children, in a Gurdwara building, to get them confused?
• Can you keep a Saroop of Dhan Dhan Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji over an off licence?
• Can you take a Saroop of Dhan Dhan Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji to a club or any building where smoking, drinking alcohol and eating meat normally takes place?
• Can you be a RSS member and still call yourself a Sikh (I am talking about either RSS i.e. RSS = Rashtriya Sikh Sangat or RSS = Rhadaswami Sat Sangat?
• Or can you worship any man who calls themselves a guru, after 1708, when we all know it is Dhan Dhan Sri Granth Sahib Ji who is the only eternal True Sat Guru?
• Can you learn Shatr Vidiya from that Nidal individual? even though all his club/gang members start to drink alcohol, take drugs, worship Statues (murthia), and disrespect women, and tatoo hindu emblems onto their arms etc etc (once with Nidal, you'll never come back into the fold of Sikhi)?

What I am saying is, by asking the above questions, and then discussing them, sometimes with anti-sikh agency members who pose a sikhs on these forums, could a sikh just getting into sikh get totally confused, thinking that we are actually having a real debate because we don't know the answers to the above questions??? Should we post everything with the view that it will be read by a newcomer Sikh, or Sikh Child?

Might it be better just to block/delete etc anything that could confuse in a suttle way. Otherwise, if somebody got confused by a post on this website, and then joined a cult, instead of Sikhi, who would we then hold responsible for that person being lead away from Sikhi?

I mean, if somebody wants to go from Sikhi, it's up to them. But, if we accidentally confused a person, so that person fell out of Sikhi, wouldn't that be a terrible loss for that Person?

I welcome your comments Gursikhs (and admin Gursikhs)

[VanHelsingh]

I understand your sentiments - and I admit I do get confused by some (good or bad) terms, people and organisations that many Sikhs on this website mention - but censorship is not a route that should be taken.

Personally, I ask the sangat for clarification and then go away and do my own research on whoever (and whatever) I'm unsure about. By editing or deleting even innocuous terms, etc., you're giving the impression that we're insecure about Sikhi, and thus it needs to be "hidden away" from the "big, bad world". Our faith shouldn't have such a huge disservice done to it.

But - like I said - I completely understand your sentiments. There are so many terms used on this website that I'm simply ignorant of. I guess if the individual wants to really learn, he or she will ensure they discover the truth one way or another.