Relative Size of Sikhism and Other Faiths

People in search of peace and truth have started to seek alternatives to the three biggest religions, Christianity, Islam, and Hinduism, and they have also begun shopping around for different denominations within given religions. George W. Cornell wrote in his article, Gazing into Religions' Future:

If one denomination does not offer a particular item, people will go to another faith to find it. The megatrend of pluralism will further swell the shifting of members among denominations. Already, Gallup poll statistics show a whopping increase in that phenomenon. For example, in 1955, only 1 in 24 Americans left their childhood faith to join another denomination, but by 1985, that migration had grown to 1 in 3 - a third of all members.

Cornell wrote his article in 1990. Today, this trend is well recognized and understood, and even stronger. The implications are that future religions will no longer be able to dictate dogma to adherents. Similarly, religions will no longer be able to coerce or threaten followers, because if those followers become unsatisfied, they will simply leave. Religions are now behaving more like businesses, to the point of mailing out weekly advertisements, hosting television specials asking for donations, and striking a balance between attractiveness to a broad spectrum of adherents and acceptability to those who are more conservative or fundamentalist.

There are factors both for and against the continued growth of Sikhism in this environment. One growth-promoting factor is that Sikhism offers unprecedented rights and honors to its followers. Unlike any other religion, Sikhism claims that each and every human being has the power to realize God without being beholden to any intermediary. Powers for religious decision-making rest with the Sikhs themselves, through a process of compromise and unanimous action. Edicts are not simply forced on the masses from above as in some other religions, but rather decided collectively. Sikhism goes so far as to even allow you to pray to God by whatever Name you choose. This sort of flexibility is unprecedented. Furthermore, in an increasingly multicultural world, often with members of the same family adopting a variety of religious stances, Sikhism does not require a follower to believe their own family members are doomed to hell, or that only one path can lead to heaven. Quite the contrary, Sikhism requires its followers to defend the freedom of worship of other religions, and to consider those religions worthy of equal respect. This makes Sikhism inherently capable of coexistence with a spectrum of competing belief systems.

There are also growth-inhibiting factors. Since Sikhism respects all religions, Sikhs are not permitted to proselytize, or tell other people to convert to their religion. To do so is seen as a highly disrespectful act. Everyone has freedom of worship, and to suggest somebody else is going to hell or is inferior because he or she has chosen a different faith, is offensive. It also promotes bitterness and arrogance, which Sikhs view as the opposite of their spiritual path. The problem with this is that Sikhism may simply get out-advertised by other religions. If Sikhs do not aggressively promote their faith while so many others are promoting their own, eventually one might expect this to impact their numbers. If religion-promotion escalates to radicalism, as can be observed among some Islamic fundamentalists and Christian evangelists among others, Sikhism may even be directly attacked, as has indeed occurred frequently throughout Sikh history.

Fortunately, Sikhs are not concerned with the size of their faith, or with outcompeting other faiths. The only concern for Sikhs is that they be allowed to practice their beliefs in peace. Sikhs are not interested in expanding their faith or attacking others. This is a very important point to understand, as it is a fundamental value in the Sikh religion: Sikhs are not interested in promoting Sikhism itself; rather, Sikhs are interested in promoting the values of Sikhism, i.e., freedom of worship, respect for human rights, and sincere love for one another.

Role of Sikhism in Interfaith Dialogue

Interfaith discussions and conferences are at a prime level in popularity. For many religions, associating with other faiths as equals is a controversial step. For Sikhism, this is merely an engagement of its fundamental principles. There are innumerable interfaith groups at all levels, local, national, and international. The World Conference of Religions for Peace, recognized by the United Nations Organization, holds a global conference every four years. Several years ago in New Jersey, they declared in a statement:

Too often the names and practices of our religions have been associated with warfare and strife. Now we must reverse this by:

(i) Breaking down barriers of prejudice and hostility between religious communities and institutions.
(ii) Confronting the powers of the world with the teachings of our religions rather than conforming to them when they act contrary to the well-being of humanity.
(iii) Building inter-religious understanding in our local communities.

Is this not Sikhism defined in modern terminology? Does it not mean that the principles laid down for humanity by Guru Nanak five centuries ago have finally been accepted by leaders of all world religions? Surprisingly, in addition to the philosophy of Sangat and Pangat, the World Conference of Religions for Peace has also endorsed the unique Miri-Piri concept of Sikhism under item (ii) above.

Unity of Religions?

Scholastic jugglery to find quotations from Gurbani and set them against those of other faiths to prove 'unity of religions' is a misplaced enthusiasm. By relying on common points, such as remember God, love thy neighbor, help the needy, refrain from violence, do not tell a lie, do not cheat, etc., one cannot prove the unity of religions. All such statements or principles are accepted even by agnostics as essential for becoming productive members of society. If one wants to prove the 'unity of religions' by proving that the real method of worship is the same in all religions, no research work is needed. It can be stated right away that as all religions believe in God, therefore, there is unity of religions. Such statements mislead people because they conceal a lot.

The constitutions of two countries may not be the same just because both punish robbers and reward good workers. One may be a democracy and the other a dictatorship. Similarly, two religions cannot be equated just because both say, "Love thy neighbor. Do not steal." To understand a religion, we must know its definition for God and its mission for human life. Quoting hymns from different religious scriptures to compare their principles is meaningless. While doing so, the writer ignores the basic philosophies of the two faiths compared. Such 'research' achievements of interfaith scholars can be compared to those of a child, who after studying a book on animals, concludes:

A cow and a cat are not different kinds of animals. They both begin with the letter 'c', and each consists of three letters with a vowel in the middle. Research revealed that in the description regarding each animal, there were the same number of related vowels, i.e. 100 As and 66 Os. Finally, both are classified as mammals, having four legs and a tail. Therefore, basically, the cow and the cat are the same.

The research conclusions drawn by some interfaith scholars are as 'logical' and as misleading as the results of the above 'research'.

Let us consider a more proximate example to understand how comparing quotations and words from two scriptures can mislead a reader. God is worshipped by the followers of all religions. Many Christians believe that God accepts only Christians and throws all other people into hell. According to Sikhism, God loves everyone, believers and non-believers alike. Therefore, the statement, "God loves us", has a very different meaning when stated by a Christian and when stated by a Sikh.

With these facts before us, believing all religions are essentially the same is showing ignorance about Sikhism and lowering its image.

Some may go on saying all religions are the same, but the truth is science has shaken the foundations of the major old faiths. The Pope appeared personally on television on October 5, 1989, to regret the imprisonment given to Galileo about three centuries ago. He agreed that the scientist was right, and the Pope, supposedly the representative of God, was wrong. The 'crime' of Galileo was his discovery that the earth revolved around the sun.

During the 19th century, Darwin suffered all kinds of abuses from Christians just because he suggested the theory of evolution. This challenged the concept of Creationism in the Bible. This theory, which a large percentage of Christians accept as true since it is written in the Bible, is causing serious conflicts between Christianity and science. Tom Harper, in the book For Christ's Sake, holds science and technology mainly responsible for the erosion of Christian influence. He writes:

Christianity may well be thriving in parts of Africa and Asia today, but in the West, Christian faith is eroding at an alarming rate. Secular humanism is fast becoming the prevailing 'religion' of the Western world. It is no longer true to describe either Canada or England as a Christian country, since the vast majority of their respective populations have no traditional ties with any religious body. The Church of England alone has closed 900 churches since 1974. Add to this the fact that only a small fraction of children and young people now receive any religious instruction whatever, and the prognosis for the year 2000 looks very bleak indeed.

The billions of dollars spent on spreading Christianity ultimately will have no effect on people unless the message has value for the scientific man of today. New churches are appearing which do not adhere to the 'old' concepts. The Unitarian and Universalist churches do not accept Christ as the Savior or as the only Son of God. Hindus, too, are encountering problems with their enormous pantheon of gods. Many Hindus still worship the sun, the moon, and other heavenly bodies as literal god-beings. Science is slowly forcing them to consider a new message.

In contrast, when Gurbani is studied, we find no scientific contradictions. There are no grandiose claims about the origin of the human species or of timelines for the creation of the earth or the universe. Gurbani limits itself to the purpose of human life, which is to love God and love one another. Gurbani is a message, not just for Sikhs, but for all people and for all ages. In fact, Gurbani unambiguously and emphatically disagrees with the old beliefs of sectarian faiths:

(i) Because of their ignorance some people worship idols while others worship graves. They waste their life in hollow rituals and fail to realize the truth. (Akal Ustat, 3)
(ii) The religious elites mislead people. They themselves don't know the path for peace and are responsible for creating problems for people. (SGGS, 662)
(iii) I do not believe in Hinduism, or Islam. I love only the Almighty. (SGGS, 223)

Thus, to claim all religions are the same is folly. Although religions have many similarities, in many ways their philosophies strongly diverge. The purpose and future of interfaith organizations is to develop goodwill for all persons and to respect their beliefs, not to suggest that all religions are the same.

Sikhism is built on the foundation of loving all people irrespective of their faith, appearance, language, or culture. Sikhs, therefore, don't need another 'interfaith' for developing understanding among peoples of different religions. However, they can share valuable insight and experience in this area as other religions evolve to face the modern world.