Valuable Actions

I know I said I was going to write about the Gospel John. I am, but his work has inspired me deeply to write this posts. “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14.6) The purpose of this paper to gently compare Christianity, Sikh and Islam religions in attempt to understand how people interact in such a confusing time.

What are valuable actions? For the intent purpose, they are actions that people do that may or may not have or reflect value to their belief system. That alone is a vague definition. Do you understand it? Let me give you an example. I will use a popular subject that I am still trying to figure out today as to the meaning. During the Republican National Convention, on day two (2), the invocation was led by Harmeet Dhillon, the vice chairperson for the California Republican Party.[1]  The invocation was a prayer of the 5^th largest religion in the world, Sikh religion. She covered her head and led prayer. If you watch the video, she is talking about prayer to the “one God above.” Which is in the Bible that many Christians adhere to we are supposed worship and pray to God (Jesus incarnate) without fail. Any truly devoted Christian should have noticed that other Christians were praying to a God that is representing a religion that many know nothing about. Talk about confusion to its highest authority. Why would they do that? This is where we ask what do our actions say about our value? Are they valuable actions depicting who we are?

         

      We hold the Ten (10) Commandments in great truth as being used to somewhat dictate certain laws throughout the world. One of the Commandments stated is “Thou shalt have no other god before Me.” (Exodus 20.3) The text written supporting this commandment is simple and self-explanatory. Let us take this topic and investigate to be able to answer the question of non-sense and foolishness or actions that we should guard ourselves against actions like this.

Compare Sikh and Christianity

In 2014, Newsmax (an online publication) wrote an article “Images of the 12 most popular world religions and sects.”  Sikhism was number 9.[2] The article states:

“Sikhism was founded in the 15th Century in Punjab, India, on the teachings of Guru Nanak Dev and 10 successive Sikh Gurus (the last one being the sacred text Guru Granth Sahib). The word Sikh derives from the ancient Sanskrit root śiṣya meaning "disciple" or "learner," or śikṣa meaning "instruction."[3]

I personally cannot tie any of this into being an offshoot of God’s (Jesus incarnate) word or any direct passage that Jesus might have used as printed in the Bible. I crossed reference the article’s definition of this religion with three (3) on line dictionaries and they held the same terminology as the article. Jahnabi Barooah wrote that the Sikh religion is an offshoot of Hinduism because they rejected in Hindu caste system; they are monotheist and follow the scripture the living Guru, which there have been several. The last living was Guru Gobind Singh who passed away.[4] Guru Gobind Singh passed away on the 7^th of October, 1708. [5]  Very interesting to find out this information.  

                

One of the major teaching of Sikh is the following passage:

     "I observe neither Hindu fasting nor the ritual of the Muslim Ramadan month; Him I serve who at the last shall save. The Lord of universe of the Hindus, Gosain and Allah to me are one; From Hindus and Muslims have I broken free. I perform neither Kaaba pilgrimage nor at bathing spots worship; One sole Lord I serve, and no other. I perform neither the Hindu worship nor the Muslim prayer; To the Sole Formless Lord in my heart I bow. We neither are Hindus nor Muslims; Our body and life belong to the One Supreme Being who alone is both Ram and Allah for us." (Guru Arjan Dev, Guru Granth Sahib, Raga Bhairon pg. 1136) 

"Any human being who faithfully believes in: (i) One Immortal Being, (ii) Ten Gurus, from Guru Nanak to Guru Gobind Singh, (iii) The Guru Granth Sahib, (iv) The utterances and teachings of the ten Gurus and, (v) the baptism bequeathed by the tenth Guru, and who does not owe allegiance to any other religion is a Sikh." (Rehat Maryada, Sikh Code of Conduct) [6]

                I understand that this is an offshoot of Hindu. I saw the word Gosain and at first thought it was a god of some type. Well that is not true. A gosain is wonderer that has given up all material pleasures for worship of the Shiva, the god of destruction, regeneration, and sexuality in the Hindu trinity. But not all gosains practice self-discipline or abstain. From there, a gosain is broken up into ten sects. [7] Each sect follows various gods.[8]  None of this is in what we Christians consider is in the Holy Bible. To clarify this a little better than just a statement, “You should have no other gods before me.” (Exodus 20.3) In other words, God is the only God as listed in the Holy Bible, the Ten (10) Commandments.  

                Further research of the Sikh religion with what is written in the Holy Bible reveals that they believe that God is above the normal human range, something we cannot totally understand, comprehend or put into words. He also exists and operates within while sustaining the universe and the very existence of all things in the universe. He makes everything happen. [9]  The Holy Bible commonly mentions the same.

                “As you do not understand the path of the wind, or how the body is formed in a mother’s womb, so you cannot understand the work of God, the Maker of all things.” (Ecclesiastes 11.5) “By faith we understand that the worlds were set apart in order at God’s command, so that the visible has its origin in the invisible.” (Hebrew 11.3) We do not understand God. That statement is universal. We cannot comprehend, other than what we read in the Bible, and we follow it through faith.

It states that “Man was created in God’s image.” (Genesis 1.27) There are many passages that state the trinity “…Father, son, and holy spirit…” similar to that in Matthew 28.19. However, in other passages it states:

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John testified concerning him. He cried out, saying, “This is the one I spoke about when I said, ‘He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’”) Out of his fullness we have all received grace in place of grace already given. ¹⁷ For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known. (John 1.14-18)

To keep down the confusion because this makes it sound as if God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit are three different people in an archaic manner. According to several sources 1 John 5.7-8 was added to the Bible after the Council of Nicaea as not to confuse people that we worship three separate entities like in paganism or other worldly religious sects. [10] Therefore, the basis of Christianity is the belief of monotheism whereas the creator, God, takes on the flesh as his son, Jesus (incarnate) to save humanity. The Holy Ghost is God’s way of communication like a go-between since we are cannot see directly God, because of his greatness: he uses the image of the Holy Ghost (Spirit). “The word became flesh and made his dwelling among us….” (John 1.14) “For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one…” (1 John 5.8)

I will draw the conclusions from what little I have studied that there are similarities with the Sikh religion and Christianity like that of Judaism and Christianity. God cannot be comprehended and monotheism; however, Sikh religion does not acknowledge Jesus Christ (incarnate).

                I have to ask this question: Why did Christian’s bow their heads at Republican National Convention to be lead in prayer from a person that represents a religious order other than Christianity? It is true that they could be praying to God. However, since I have already quoted the passage John 14.6, would this be an action of ignoring Jesus Christ existence? Jesus Christ hence Christianity. Look at it this way, if you are a Christian, would you go to a Jewish Temple to practice their religion or would you observe? If you are a Christian, would you go to an Islamic Mosque and participate or would you observe? Neither of these religions acknowledge Jesus as our Christ and Savior. Now we should compare the Islamic religion to Christians and Sikh religions.

Compare Islam to Christianity

                The Islamic religion is listed as the second largest religion with 1.6 billion followers. It is a monotheistic faith based on the teaching of the Profit Mohammed, 7^th Century from Saudi Arabia which eventually was broken down into four (4) sects, Sunni, Shia, and Sufism. The God is referenced in Arabic (Allah) is the same God revealed in the Jewish and Christian Bible.[11]

                Other sources claim that Islam literally means submission to God and 1.226 billion followers are listed worldwide. It is noted that it is the second largest religion internationally. [12] I accessed the definition of Islam in a few dictionaries and it states pretty much the same thing. When cross referencing the word Islam and Allah (Arabic for God) in the Holy Bible there is no reference. We must also consider the translations of Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek, which all three were written and spoken during the time period of Jesus. The reason behind this, Islamic religion claims that that Allah and God are the same because Jesus called to Allah while he was being nailed on the cross. “… And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” (Matthew 27.46) “And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani? which is, being interpreted, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” (Mark 15.34) Definition and translation is a major issue among religions, especially Islam and Christianity. Islam religion, again, claims that Jesus did not call out to “God” but to Allah, citing Matthew and Mark’s verses.[13] In the middle east, there are so many different variations to the word being used, meaning Christian or Jewish God, as Allah. In fact, there were so many different theories that it can be confusing and overwhelming to the average person. I took the time to check out the sources as listed on the Wikipedia page of “Allah.”

                Allah is used by and or as:        God in Islam

                                                                           God in Abrahamic religions

                                                                           Arab Christians

                                                                           Muslims

                                                                           Christians and Sikhs in West Malaysia

     Babists, Baha’is, Indonesian, and Maltese Christians as well as Mizrahi Jews

Allah corresponding with:           Aramaic Elah, emphatic state Elaha, Biblical Aramaic Elaha, Assyrian Christians Alaha,              Hebrew Elohim—singular Eloah

                Allah-al-ab                                        God the Father

                Allah-al-ibn                                       God the Son

                Allah-al-ruh al-quds                        God the Holy Spirit[14]

                It is safe to assume that Islam considers Allah the same as the Christian God from the Holy Bible. Christians in other parts of the world also consider the same. Why do American Christian’s doubt this fact? I have yet to meet very few who agree with Allah and God being one in the same. The American Christian should be no different in their religious beliefs than the Syrian Christian, Malaysian Christian, Maltese Christian, or Arabian Christian.  Yet, we know that there are other names for God in the Holy Bible with similar variations used by what I have already discovered. For example: God, Yahwah, Lord, YHWH, Holy Spirit, Light, Rock, Creator, Savior, Redeemer, Shiloh, Messiah, Father, Son, Yeshua, Lion of Judah, Mediator, and many more. I understood that YHWH is a four-letter tetragrammaton to denote the true name of God as taught in Religion 101 class during my undergrad studies. “His name is so great and so special that we cannot even speak it.” [15] This even brings up a point as to the language that Jesus spoke, or even talked, which I have come to understand through reading is all conjecture, theories. “There are a lot of religious theories. However, there are some questions that we just do not have an answer for.”[16]   In my heart from this study, Allah and God are one in the same.

The Islam religion does not recognize Jesus Christ. There is also a contingency of religious radicalism in the Muslim religion which I consider dangerous, but no different in comparison to the Christian Crusades of 1095-1291, which I also considered dangerous. It is safe to assume that even though much of what I discovered isn’t really in the Bible to point out facts and support anything, Sikh and Islam have a common ground with Christianity in the description(s) of God, his being, his existence. But, that doesn’t mean I will participate any more in their religious rituals or prayer than I would participate in Hindu ritual used by Brahmans, the Vedic priest – Yoga (also called the 8-limbed path to enlightenment.) I have met a few Christians who feel they get closer to God by using Yoga. To each his own.

                After doing this study, I do understand how Christians can become confused and get off the beaten path. I understand to each his own, like the actions of those praying at the Republican Convention, day 2, with a religious leader of the Sikh religion, especially if they were unsure as to who they were praying to at face value. What I am getting at is to find the truth within yourself. We cannot let the actions of other in the religious world confuse the main focus of faith that a Christian has which is God the father, incarnate as the son (Jesus Christ), that communicates through the Holy Spirit form. Whether it be Islam, Sikh, or Christianity, none of these three are better than the other, but they do not know Jesus by name and have not accepted him as their savior. (Then again, neither does Judaism.) Christians follow Christ. Should we punish the Islam, Sikh, or Jews for not following Christ? No. “Put the sword back in its place. (for Jesus said) for all who draw the sword will die by the sword.” (Matthew 26.52)

If you are a Christian, then be just that but not an overzealous one. The Bible speaks against glutton in many verses but it does not necessarily mean over eating; it means over indulgence. Find your Christian focal point, your purpose, participate in Christian actions and live by them. God knows what is in your heart. “A person may think their own ways are right, but the Lord weighs in the heart.” (Proverbs 21.2) As a Christian, no one goes to God except through Jesus if we live by the Holy Bible.

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[1] Fox 10 News Phoenix, Arizona. 7.19.2016. (accessed 3.6.2017) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xwGqSg17imE

[2] Grigonis, Richard. “Images of the 12 most popular World Religions and Sects.” NewsMax Independent American, Online Magazine. 1^st May 2016. (accessed 6^th March 2017) http://www.newsmax.com/TheWire/most-popular-religions-sects-images/2014/05/01/id/569022/

[3] Grigonis, Richard. “Images of the 12 most popular World Religions and Sects.”

[4] Barooah, Jahnabi. “Sikhism: 5 things to know about the Sikh Religion.” The Huffington Post. 5^th August 2012. (accessed 6^th March 2017) http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/05/5-things-you-should-know-about-sikhism_n_1744657.html

[5] New Delhi Publication. “Happy Guru Gobind Jayanti: 11 fascinating facts about Guru Gobind Singh, the 10^th Sikh Guru.”  India Today in Education. 16^th January 2016. (accessed 6^th March 2017) http://indiatoday.intoday.in/education/story/guru-gobind-singh/1/571962.html

[6] Sikhs.org. “Who and what is a Sikh?” 2011. (accessed 7^th March 2017) https://www.sikhs.org/topics.htm

[7] PG India.com “India is a land of contrast” 2017 (accessed 6^th March 2017) http://www.peoplegroupsindia.com/

[8] Smithsonian Institute. “Ritual, Religion, and Spirituality-Hindu Belief and Practice.” History, art, Culture.  http://www.asia.si.edu/explore/indianart/belief.asp

[9] Singh, Daljeet. “The idea of God in Sikhism.” Spiritual Essay-Hinduwebsite.com. 1994. (accessed 7^th March 2017) http://www.hinduwebsite.com/sikhism/the-idea-of-god-in-sikhism.asp

[10] United Church of God. “A spurious reference added in 1 John 5.” Beyond Today Study. 22^nd July 2011. (accessed 7^th March 2017) https://www.ucg.org/bible-study-tools/booklets/is-god-a-trinity/a-spurious-reference-to-the-trinity-added-in-1-john-5-7  

[11] “Islam.” Religion Fact. 17^th March 2004. (accessed 6^th March 2017) http://www.religionfacts.com/islam

[12] Grigonis, Richard. “Images of the 12 most popular World Religions and Sects.”

[13]  Naik, Zakir. “Is Allah mentioned in other scriptures?” Islam 101. (accessed 6^th March 2017)  http://www.islam101.com/tauheed/Aior.htm

[14] Wikipedia “Allah” Wikipedia The Free Encyclopedia 2016. (accessed 6^th March 2017) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allah (The majority of the sources used where checked out and read by me because I am not one to generally use Wikipedia for a reputable source)

[15] Notes from undergraduate class “Religion 101” Dr. Clayton Sullivan. 1995, University of Southern Mississippi. (In all honesty, according to Dr. Sullivan, we really do not know the real name of God.)  

[16] Notes from graduate class “The Unborn Life”. Dr. Anthony Joseph. 2013. Houston Baptist University. 

Additional reading: Bauckham, Richard and Carl Mosser. The Gospel of John and Christian Theology. WM.B.Erdmans Publishing Company. Grand Rapids: 2008.