Advice On Religion And Parents?

[Guest Sb]

Hello everyone,

I need some advice from everyone on here, to let me know what is right and what is wrong. So, I have been raised in a Sikh family and for a few years (i am 19, wear turban and has a beard, if that matters) now my aspect/views on religion have changed as i have read about the subject and through life experiences.

I am very critical of religion and i believe it largely divides human beings from one another, although i still do believe in god but not the concept of religion itself. To me, religion causes complexities between human beings and love. I am a true believer of love, that god resides in every human beings heart and by loving every human being (no matter of what race, ethnicity, religion, etc.) you will become closer to god. My religion is the path of love. However, I dont disagree with the concept of religion as a whole, there is lots of good things about it and i find it very interesting, i have read about many major religions, such as Sikhism, Islam, Christianity, Judaism, etc.

I dont want to get much into the religion aspect, because the real problem i have is if i should i tell my parents. I am contemplating on this decision because my dad has cancer (doing very well right now) and i dont want to cause stress on to him or my mother. Also my parents are very conscious about their family image, they are so concerned about how other relatives think about us, which will obviously makes this situation worse. I think what will cause them the most stress is that i wont have the image of a Sikh, as I will cut my hair. On the other hand, for years now i have felt as if im being forced to believe in Sikhism. I want freedom of my beliefs, opinions and views.

So what should i do? Sacrifice my beliefs? Should i tell them or just keep quiet?

Thanks!

[Guest singh23]

y wud u want to cut ur hair , after all of the sacrifices made to protect it . sikhs had so much so much pressure n torture , inhuman torture very bad torture to keep their kesh n religon no one has histroy like the sikhs sikhs s da kings in only 300 years we did so much n why would leave or evn think bout leavn . y wud u leave diamond for iron . read bout sikhi , our guru jis , maharaja ranjit singh n some more kings , sant bhindrawale n more shaheeds read da history n feel PROUD to be sikh these gorah , kalah n everyone else hve nothing we hve everythng

[KhalistaniGunMan]

Hello everyone,

I need some advice from everyone on here, to let me know what is right and what is wrong. So, I have been raised in a Sikh family and for a few years (i am 19, wear turban and has a beard, if that matters) now my aspect/views on religion have changed as i have read about the subject and through life experiences.

Im curious to know what life experiences you have at the age of 19...most people on this forum are much older and have been through many experiences which has made them firm believers in sikhi...just curious

I am very critical of religion and i believe it largely divides human beings from one another, although i still do believe in god but not the concept of religion itself. To me, religion causes complexities between human beings and love. I am a true believer of love, that god resides in every human beings heart and by loving every human being (no matter of what race, ethnicity, religion, etc.) you will become closer to god. My religion is the path of love. However, I dont disagree with the concept of religion as a whole, there is lots of good things about it and i find it very interesting, i have read about many major religions, such as Sikhism, Islam, Christianity, Judaism, etc.

im very critical of irrelgion....religion is organised spirituality...it is a spiritual practice which has been organised so it can make a more effective change to not only the spiritual and moral makeup of an individual but also that of a society...religions began as small minor spirutal traditions which due to their appeal and effectiveness they spread and naturely they organised ....can i ask you when you are seriously ill..do you experiment with different homemade remidies?..or do you go and get some professional medical help and medicine?......would you rather follow the spiritual practice of sri guru nanak dev ji or of your own manmat?...i know what i would choose

I dont want to get much into the religion aspect, because the real problem i have is if i should i tell my parents. I am contemplating on this decision because my dad has cancer (doing very well right now) and i dont want to cause stress on to him or my mother. Also my parents are very conscious about their family image, they are so concerned about how other relatives think about us, which will obviously makes this situation worse. I think what will cause them the most stress is that i wont have the image of a Sikh, as I will cut my hair. On the other hand, for years now i have felt as if im being forced to believe in Sikhism. I want freedom of my beliefs, opinions and views.

So what should i do? Sacrifice my beliefs? Should i tell them or just keep quiet?

LOL you come on a sikh forum to tell us this?...cut your hair if you want to..why are you telling us?...many of us on this forum have been through hardships with our family to follow sikhi...i myself am from a atheist family and was nearly kicked out on many occasion because of my strong faith in sikh dharma...many on here have had to sturggle to follow sikhi...if you dont wish to follow a spiritual tradition..and instead want to make up as you go along..thats your choice...but atleast have the nuts to struggle for that belief..

[Wicked Warrior]

Have you truly read and studied the major religions or just looked on wikipedia? If you study them enough, the core message is there and is always the same.

It is man who divides people. It is man who causes grief and suffering. Again if you have studied, you will have learnt this.

Sikhi teaches us that God doesn't look at labels. He doesn't look a whether you're Hindu or Muslim or Sikh. He looks at your actions, your deeds. Guru Ji states we should think for ourselves and then make decisions. The important thing is that you carefully assess your plan of action. Think through the short term and long term consequences.

[Mat Pulo Rai]

Bhai shaib I think where your coming from Is beautiful, love for all is such a simple thing to say but in practise is so hard and if you say you have then Dhan theri Bhagh. As for the Sikh religion to be blunt you haven't have studied anything, if you did you would have came to that conclusion Sikhism is a path of Love, love for people your family and the world. Theres 2 things here, one that you say you believe in God, what that says to me is that creation is God doing ie the world suns the galaxy and so on, on the flip side, the vices Anger Lust greed attachment Ego as Un-seen entities, If you believe in these then to say you want to follow your own path, is the most foolish thing imaginable, ill explain why.

Imagine having 5 un-seen entity's which effect the consciousness, evils such as Hate, Lust, greed of possessions, attachment (which causes a mind frame to be selfish) Egotism (which has led to killings over superiority) its is a big thing cause they are un-seen how does one tackle them?? It would be very imbalanced if we were lumbard with such evils and no way to Tackle/defeat this entity.

- Sub section of this is why would God lumber us with this un-seen force which are called the punj choor, which corrupt the Mind, on a day to day basis, and try to bring the mind in to doing Sin, such as look at women/men in a sexual way, or deform the mind to back chat and Nindh.

-Well this goes back to to the creation of the Game between the Mind and the Punj Choor, during Sat Jug we were not bound to these Sins we had full understanding of right and wrong, it was only over time which some of us par-took in Ridh Sidhs and Sins (knowingly) which slowly corrupted the mind slowly. Now we are in the 4th era called Kal Jug. The other 2 are explained in gurbani and also our state of mind within these eras.

Now saying that there are real forces that actively corrupt the mind is the biggest discovery that man kind can make, as 2 things come to light theres more going on in side our body than we understand and 2 we are totally in the dark to what they are. Now saying they corrupt the mind is to say, some things are out of my control and may be the basis of my behaviour, which is unthinkable to some, as the question of one is only answerable for his own action, also if i am doing the bidding of another unknowingly am i really who I say I am, or these actions my own.

Well the answer is No, you are not fully in-control of your thought process, they have been discreetly moulded by the Mia (Punj choor) since birth, now knowing this are you happy being shackled by forces within the consciousness, Due to our own actions, even today

If Yes then carry on with life, If No (these Vices are a burden on my thought process). Then answers to the counter are in Sukhmani shaib, and in many many many other places in Sat Gurus writings.

Second Point I want to bring up for you is the path of love, Guru shiabs where loving people they cared for all unconditionally, now i believe I also am unconditional towards all, thats why i align my self with Guru Granth shiab cause sat Guru is a forever caring.

[Only five]

Your a guy with a Dastar and want to cut the hair on your body. The guy next to you is a mona and has started keeping his hair and wants to take Amrit. What are you missing about religion that he see's now after living as a mona? If you say hes wrong, then you must be one very bright 19 year old that has the answers to where we came from and why we are here.

Just how a 5 year old will tell you there is nothing better than a lollipop, which makes him very happy, you are writing on religion and what is best for you. But the 5 year old learns after a few lollipop's in a row the tongue goes numb and the desire isn't there anymore to have another. Don't act like a five year old. Act like a few month old baby who is observing the world still and hasn't made up his mind on what is right and wrong or what is good or bad. So get a teacher that will tell you what is right and wrong and what is good or bad. The few month old baby teacher is his mother and father. Since you wear a Dastar and are a SIkh, then you're father is Satguru Sri Guru Gobind Singh Sahib ji Maharaj and mother is Mata Sahib kaur ji. Your Master is Satguru Sri Guru Granth Sahib ji Maharaj. Your brothers and sisters are Gursikhs and Sants. In this family you will learn what religion is.

[lotaya]

WGJKWGJKF ... Personal message me ... maybe we can talk off line. WGJKWGJKF

[VanHelsingh]

Give it a few more years at least. You'll be surprised how much your views and opinions on life will evolve and progress. Then another 5 years after that you'll learn some more, and so on....

Don't chuck in the towel so early.

[Guest Guest]

@ the comments above, they are very good and you are lucky to receive such advice. From a personal perspective, I once had uncut hair for 15 years, and at 15 I cut it, my reason was that I had literally no knowledge of Sikhism and also as a youngster you want to fit in and all my mates where peeps with hair cuts etc. you have to ask yourself the real reason why u want to cut it? Is it that you think it will make you more desirable to the opposite sex?, is it because you want to go out and rave and be in that crowd that you may avoid at present due to your appearance? ...the beautiful thing is in our holy text, it comments on this, it explains how the mind thinks, and how the mind is seduced by kaal, dude for real you need sangat of Sikhs, and a bit of knowledge on why you feel the way you do. Luckily for you, the most detailed, realistic, beautiful text that appeals to people with 'common sense' is available to you. Read it or ask someone with knowledge to explain it.

[Guest Deathwhileliving]

"To me, religion causes complexities between human beings and love."

Hence the reason Guru Nanak Ji said "No Hindu No Muslim" i.e no religion and segregation.

Truth cannot be confined to a sect, it is All Pervading- how can you tie God down into one little area.

Jesus practiced truth, as did other Brhamgyanis before our Gurus.

Gurbani was also practiced throughout Satyug. There sants of many creeds, don't be fooled into thinking Gurbani/Truth has only been practiced by us brown people.

"I am a true believer of love, that god resides in every human beings heart and by loving every human being (no matter of what race, ethnicity, religion, etc.) you will become closer to god. My religion is the path of love. "

My friend, from what you have written, you are more sikh than the vast majority of Sikhs I know. Guru Nanak calls it the Game of Love. He says to give God your head and not pay attention to public opinion- By giving your head, you're giving your ego, your identity, and only living Gods pure true heart which is your heart.

The first line of Gurbani described God as Nirvair(All Loving) and your words show that you've discovered this.

It also describes the Truth as Nirboah(Fearless) and when you are all loving, you automatically become fearless, as when you realise God to be everywhere, you understand theres nothing to fear at all.

Your beliefs are Truth, so just keep practicing Nirboah and Nirvair- and live the Truth.