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Summary of Question:	The Sikh Faith: Im Losing It
Category:	General Sikhism
Date Posted:	Thursday, 6/28/2001 5:48 PM MDT

Ive grown up in England all my life and the number of sikhs that live here is phenemonal. But as i get older the Sikh faith becomes more and more complicated. And with these complications growing, the more I want to stop believing in the religion I so deerly love.

So to answer any questions of my origin I will clearly state now that im a Sikh Jatt. I've grown up with my caste, and I feel no shame in beliving in the caste system. Though this is not in proper teaching of the Gurus and the Sikh faith. I have found great comfort in knowing that I am Jatt.

My parents have no problems in me having a love marriage. This has made me very lucky, and brought me great comfort in knowing my parents will be happy if I have a love marriage. But one stipulation the girl must be jatt and Sikh. I think this is a fair request on their part,and with the freedom they have granted me I will honour their wish, not just to please them but this is my wish to, to marry a Sikh Jatt.

I am 17 years old now and going through the toughest decisions of my life. I have always been proud to call myself jatt and even prouder to be Sikh. But recently i stopped praying. I have lost faith in the sikh way of life. One of the reasons i have lost faith is in seeing so many Sikhs being with non sikhs in intimate relationships. But I will clearly state now that there are people in my family with non indians...Non Sikhs...and non Jatts in marriage and relationships.

Ok fine i cannot change the world, i do not intend to, an individuals choice is there choice. Not mine, i cannot take responsibillity for the decisions. Ok yes as i have read previous letters It is now clear that there is nothing against Sikhs marrying other religions. I will live with that to. But when i see Sikhs with Muslims this brings me great pain. I will state now all the Muslims i have met or talked to have been very egocentric and very ethnocentric. But I do not brand all Muslims as "Evil". That is ignorene. In all religions there are the good and bad. However my experinces have led me to be more disillusioned with the muslim race.

I was taught as a youngster...and if i have been misinformed i will understand.
Tnat Guru Gobind Singh Ji declared that No man or women from the Sikh faith will have any relationship with any man or women from Islam. Is this true. Please tell me.

In regards to the many muslims i have met...and i apoligise to any that I offend by saying this...that they do not mind what religion a girl is from. This mainly inteneded towards Muslim Males. But if a Muslim Girl has a relationship with a non Muslim they do not accept this.

The reason I have become so dissillusioned is that the Gurus gave their lives fighting the Muslim opression. Guru Gobind Singh lost four sons for his people to live. I will admit now i have anti muslim feelings. Not towards the religion but the people who have abused the religion.

I will also like to know is it wrong to marry out of your caste. On my personal feelings I belive it is. I want to see Jatts marry Jatts. I belive in not marrying anoyone lower in caste or higher in caste. Am i wrong in beliving this. This goes for all castes. Not just Jatts. I belive all castes should remain within thier caste.

I would like to apoligise if i have offended anyone in this letter with my views or questions. But these are the issues i live with. And these issues are turning me away from the Sikh faith. Please let others read this letter and please put it on the main letter board. I ask you to do this is as there are many young Sikh Jatts or Sikhs for that matter with the same issues and questions.

Yours greatly Sendeep ( England )

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REPLY
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Sat Sri Akal,

You say that you have no shame in the caste system, are proud to be a jatt and more proud to be "Sikh". Someone who is proud to be a true Sikh would find shame in the caste system. A proud Sikh does not believe in something so artificial and arbitrary as a caste. You yourself say that the Gurus and Sikhism don't believe in the caste system (very much true) yet how then can you call yourself a Sikh? You say that you are losing faith in Sikhism...it seems to be that you never had much faith in it in the first place. I am not saying this to be mean or hurtful. When Guruji said there is but 1 God and all creation is from that God then that implies that all are equal. By separating yourself from other people and other Sikhs, you are violating the very spirit of the Gurujis and Sikhism.

I can understand that why you feel pain when you see Sikhs marrying Muslims. But you must remember, it is not Islam that is "evil" it is the people who practice it wrongly. Just like you believe in the caste system and practice Sikhism wrongly, there are people who practice Islam incorrectly. This does not mean that Islam is somehow wrong, it only means that people can not escape their own desires and delusions. They are trapped in the maya of this world.

There are many religions in the world and many different concepts of God. We learn from Sikhism that every religion is not necessarily right or wrong. As an analogy, there are many ways to arrive at the top of a mountain, you can walk along a path, climb straight up, drive a car up, or take a helicopter up. These are all different ways to attain the same goal. However, some are easier and some are harder. Some are so hard that it is nearly impossible to reach the top. Some religions have been corrupted by the very people who say they are the purest of their lot.

Is it wrong to marry outside of your caste? Since in Sikhism castes do not exist this is an invalid question. Religion is not some recipe to live by guaranteeing entrance to some mythical Western concept of heaven in the sky. Sikhism is a guideline to live a balanced life in which you come to understand the true nature of the world and the universe. You will see that nothing in nature can live by itself. Everything is dependent on everything else. If an army revolts against its king and stops following orders, then that king has no power. There is nothing inherent in anyone that allows them to be able to have control over others because of such superfluous concepts as class or caste.

To repeat:
1) There is no caste system in Sikhism. To be a true Sikh, one must overcome the human want of class. We are all equal in the eyes of the true Guru.

2) People are corrupt and will use and abuse anything they can to take control of what they want, including using religion and fear as a tactic.

3) Sikhism does not place itself above or below any religion, but it realizes that some paths to the final goal have been corrupted, that some go in circles and never realize the true meaning, and that some try to find the shortest path to God.

Best of luck, I hope this is a help. Please keep on asking if you have more questions.

Gur Fateh,
HSD