Sikhism is the youngest of the
world's four great monotheistic religions. It was founded in the 15th
Century by Guru Nanak.
The view that Sikhism is a variety of Hinduism is completely wrong, and
gives great offence to Sikhs.
There are 18-20 million Sikhs in the world, and 80% of them live in the
Punjab state in Northwest India, where the faith began.
There are 500,000 Sikhs in Britain, 80% of whom are active in their faith.
39% of UK Sikhs attend a religious service at a Gurdwara (meaning house,
or residence of God) once a week.
Other countries with large Sikh communities are Canada (225,000) and the
USA (100,000).
The word "Sikh" is Punjabi for "disciple" and Sikhs are disciples of the
Gurus.
Sikh men are particularly easy to identify because they all have a full
beard, and wear their hair uncut and contained in a turban.
The Sikh place of worship is called a Gurdwara or temple.
Sikhism does not have priests, but most gurdwaras will have a Granthi. A
Granthi is a learned Sikh who is skilled in reading the scriptures,
however, a Granthi has no special religious status.
The principal Sikh scripture is the Adi Granth, often called the Guru
Granth Sahib.
Sikhs believe that the words of these scriptures are the present day
embodiment of the Sikh Guru and they treat the book with the respect and
devotion that they would have given to a human Guru.
Sikhism does not actively look for converts, but it is thoroughly
welcoming to those who do want to convert.
To learn about Sikhism you can go to the following links or perform your
own research:
http://www.sikhs.org/
http://www.srigurugranthsahib.org/
http://allaboutsikhs.com/home.php
http://www.sikhs/
