Sikhism and Christianity: A Comparative Study

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Jesus Christ & Guru Gobind Singh

There are common principles ideas in all religions of the world and this is also true for Sikhism and Christianity

A Christian is someone who lives according to the teachings of Jesus. The word ‘Sikh’ is derived from the Sanskrit word ‘Shishya’ meaning disciple or student of dharma (spirituality) and is someone who follows the teachings of the 10 Sikh Masters,which are all embodied in the 11th and final master, which is the Shri Guru Granth Sahib Ji (SGGS), the word.

Similarities

God’s attributes

Sikhs and Christians describe God as being one and omnipresent, however, both of these attributes have important differences as well (for differences read below). Sikhs share other divine attributes with Christians, especially with the first person of the trinity, called “Father”: eternal, uncreated, truthful, omnipresent, loving, universal, self-existent, creator, light, almighty, Father, transcendent, immanent, inmutable, merciful, Lord, giver, without sin.

Christians believe that the Holy Spirit, which is considered divine by most of them, can enter inside a human. Sikhs believe in the presence of the divine soul within.

Humility

When Jesus was about to die, he gave his disciples a humility lesson by washing their feet. The Sikh scripture has many examples of the importance of humility and gentle sweetness. The SGGSJ says, "…Architect of Destiny: please fulfil this yearning of my mind. Says Nanak, Your slave, begs for this happiness: let me be the dust of the feet of the Saints."

Abstinence

The human body is described as the temple of God in The Bible, which says: "Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you?...For God's temple is holy, and that temple you are." The Sikh way of life shares this view. In order to respect the body, illicit drugs are forbidden in both Sikhism and Christianity and there are tendencies towards vegetarianism or abstaining from meat and alcohol in both.

Prayer/Meditation

Christians believe that God created humans to have a relationship with him. This is why God created a universe fit for human life, and why God laid down guidelines for how to live our lives. Sikhism describes the relationship with God by saying that the goal of human life is to merge soul (Atma) with God (Paramatma) through love, devotion and service. This latter Sikh view is shared somehow by some eastern orthodox Christians through the concept of Theosis.

Sikhs believe that meditation on the Granth draws them closer to God; it cleanses a person from sin and instills godly qualities in him. They see it as a means of salvation. Christians value meditation, although they prefer prayer as a way of drawing closer to God, hearing his voice and discerning his will.

Charity

Giving to the poor and needy has historically been an important part of both Christianity and Sikhism. They also stress the importance of giving, both at a personal and at a community level. At a personal level, a Sikh is required to give ten percent (Dasvandh) of their income and time to noble causes; very similar to the christian concept of “tithing” common in several churches. At a community level, Sikhism encourages the running of free community services such as the Langar, or free kitchen, which serves meals to everyone. Christians, on the other hand, have built hospitals, food pantries, cemeteries, etc, for charitable purposes.

Differences

Gender roles

The Bible and Christianity in general have been interpreted as prescribing separate gender roles, with women being commanded to submit to male’s authority and excluded from Church leadership. Sikhism promotes complete gender equality. There is no position reserved solely for a male and no prescription of separate gender roles.

Scripture

There are several translations, authors and versions of the Bible. Scholars cannot confirm who were the authors of most of the manuscripts from the Bible and there are several textual variances between the different translations. Also, many contradictions arise between the books that compose the Bible. Proof of this is the enormous amount of Christian denominations (more than 1000), each interpreting differently and having their own preferred Bible version. The Sikh scripture was partially authored by the founders of the faith and it is still in a process of being investigated, translated and canonized, so there have not been significant scandals about it; but there are different interpretations in regards to important topics such as reincarnation or drinking alcohol.

Nature of God

Guru Nanak emphasized the oneness of God and his role as the supreme creator. He presented him as supremely a God of love. Nanak had no place for God’s wrath. Men and women, he said, should not fear God's anger but be afraid of not receiving all the benefits of his love. In contrast to Sikhism the Bible declares that when God holy standards are violated he displays his wrath. Yet his wrath is not incompatible with his mercy and love. It is meant for the ultimate good of mankind.

Most Christians believe in the concept of the Trinity, consisting of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, three persons of a single deity. The trinitarian and christological concepts which are completely foreign to Sikhs, do not seem to have a clear foundation in the christian Bible, and could be confusing and illogical for most people. Panentheism on the other hand is completely foreign to westerners. Sikhism teaches that God is both within the Creation and separate from it at the same time. This idea can be as confusing and illogical to conceive as the Trinity. The SGGSJ says, "You have thousands of eyes, and yet You have no eyes. You have thousands of forms, and yet You do not have even one. You have thousands of Lotus Feet, and yet You do not have even one foot. You have no nose, but you have thousands of noses." Some statements seem to mean he is personal, others state that human souls eventually merge back into God, who is an impersonal essence. God is said to be both the creator and the created, the fisherman and the fish, the water and the net.

Though some think evil spirits exist there is no sense of a single evil being (Satan) who opposes God for Sikhs. Evil, is the result of a person making wrong choices.

Nature of man

Sikhs deny that humans have a sinful nature. They teach that people are essentially good; the divine spark within them needs only to be fanned into a flame of goodness. On the other hand, the Bible teaches that men inherit a sinful nature from Adam; a person's guilt must be atoned for. Guru Nanak taught that a man's sins are moral lapses caused by his environment. They may be cleansed through meditation.

Exclusivity of Jesus Christ

This is the area of greatest disagreement between Sikhs and Christians. In the gospel of John Jesus says things like “I am the way”, “I am the door”, “Nobody comes to the Father except through me”, “Without me you cannot do anything”, “Whoever believes in me will have eternal life”, etc. The rest of the new testament tend to reinforce this need of Jesus as the only way to God. Sikhs reject the uniqueness of a human being as the only way to God. Putting Jesus at the same level with Moses, Mohammed, Buddha and the Gurus is the best they can do, but in reality, Christianity and Jesus are completely absent from the Sikh Scriptures, even though they do mention several other religious figures from different religious traditions. Sikh Scriptures seem to contradict themselves by claiming that the Guru is the only way to God but at the same time assuming that other religions also have access to God.

Salvation

Salvation for a Sikh is becoming one with the Creator and getting released from the cycle of life and death. The Gurus taught that if deliverance is sought in the proper manner all will eventually receive it. Given enough time and rebirths all will eventually reach that point. So Sikhs believe that there is no such thing as eternal damnation; at the end, no one is lost but is re-united with the divine absolute. There is no personal resurrection. In fact, some knowledgeable Sikhs do not even believe in reincarnation or in life-after-death theories. The human soul is of the same essence as God, comes from God and will eventually be merged back into him. Heaven and hell are not places where individuals live for eternity but refer to different stages of a person's earthly life. In contrast Christians believe that those who receive Jesus as their Savior and are baptized are adopted into God's family. After their earthly life is over and after undergoing judgment, they may have eternal fellowship with him in heaven. They will not lose their unique personal identity. Similarly, hell is a reality where those who have rejected Jesus will spend eternity. Christianity makes impossible demands on a man or woman but at the same time provides different ways/explanations for their “salvation”, depending on the denomination. When facing injustice and oppression, Sikhs are called to fight physically; instead, Christians are called to become martyrs.

Hair

Christianity has a long history of going against long hair in men because of what Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 11:14: “Does not the very nature of things teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a disgrace to him…?”. Since then, there have been several decrees and regulations issued in christian institutions that order men to wear their hair at a short length. Long hair today is used only by a very small percentage of christian men, usually orthodox monks, and are regarded as exceptions to the rule. In the post nicene period, the church also received a lot of influence from the Romans, including the custom of shaved beards, something that was inherited in all western Christianity up until today. Sikhism, on the other hand, considers growing every hair of the body as one of their tenets, since it is a way to honor God’s creation. Most Sikhs consider cutting one’s hair as forbidden, and this goes for both men and women.

Reference

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