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Summary of Question:	A Few Questions About The Sikh Religion
Category:	General Sikhism
Date Posted:	Friday, 7/11/2003 11:03 AM MDT

Wahe Guru Ji Ka Khalsa

Wahe Guru Ji Ki Fateh

My name is Angad Singh and I am very proud to be an American Sikh. However, there are a few aspects of the religion which I do not understand and question.
They are the following:

1. We do not believe in superstitions. However, we consider the Guru Grantsahib to be a living Guru. Why is this so? Is that not superstitious?

2. Keeping long hair is a very important aspect of our religion. Now, the reasons I have learned for this are the following.
- God made you so that you grow long hair because that is how he intended it to be. You would be going against his will by cutting your hair.
- We as Sikhs should be proud and stand out by our hair and turban as our identity.

The following are my arguments to these aspects by my own personal beliefs
- Every person is gifted by God by everything that they have. Two important things are intelligence and freedom. We have the intelligence to know that hair are made of dead cells and can be cut. Also, we know that we have the freedom to cut our hair or grow it if we wish. I don't believe that God would want to take away that freedom to do what we wish with our OWN bodies.

- Yes, we should be proud to be Sikhs and everything that makes us different or maybe even the same in certain ways from every other individual. However, long hair and turban is not one thing that I believe makes an individual a better person. The reason to stick out I believe would be because of your characteristics and qualities (hopefully good ones).

Thank You,
Angad Singh

Wahe Guru Ji Ka Khalsa
Wahe Guru Ji Ki Fateh

REPLY**********************


Dear Angad

1.The guru is the living Guru... as the word lives in your actions of it. For example if one tells people that one is honest but lies to everyone their word is not worth anything similarly the Guru lives as the message there is true and lives as long as you practise what it represents - not just thew words but actually the actions is requires. So make the guru true to his/her word you have to live to it. then it is the living spirt in action thru you.

Supersition is fear of the unknown without fact...but that is not so with Sikhs..First the Guru Granth is actually written by the Gurus themselves (as opposed to by other people thinking like the gurus) and beyond that it is based in fact and is divine word.

2.
you are right our values make us a better sikh... The turban and all the rest of the K's are here as a discipline to enforce your values and make them better. If you can keep simple things like hair and that allows you to stand out them you will be able to face greater challenges that life will throw your way. The turbans and beards are representations of our commitment. So when other people see us they recognise as Sikhs what we stand for and our values. You know the story... Guru Gobind singh gave us the Turban and beard to yes, make us stand out and not hide in the crowd... and to lead and teach and not to follow or be led blindly.

So lets say one decided to cut ones hair... what happens... lightning does not strike you down... but in your heart you know you can no longer stand with the Khalsa and be counted. One only belong to a social or religious group as one follows the rules. Does not mean that people who do that are bad... it just that they are making their choices to belong is a different group.

Think of it this way : top of the heap - are Khalsa, then Sikhs, then country/cultural affiliations like Indian, Punjabi, American etc... One gets to choose where to belong. You just cannot want the benefits of khalsa without following the rules.

The Gurus prepared us to be able to deal with life and we do come to the world fully prepared. ONLY if we recognise that... then that confidence will allow us to succed in our endevors. People often worry wehen they fail. Its okay as failure in small things allows us to succeed as we understand what it means... sort of a vaccination for when the real tough stuff comes your way. Since you have experienced some failures you are able to navigate towards the success better.

I hope that helps and we are proud that you are proud to be a Sikh.

All the best

SSM

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