Criticism of Sikhism: Difference between revisions
| [accepted revision] | [accepted revision] |
unsourced claims, pov edits |
adding source which is neutral and backed up by sources and attributed to the people who made the claims. Relevant to topic at hand Tag: Reverted |
||
| Line 3: | Line 3: | ||
{{Criticism of religion sidebar}} |
{{Criticism of religion sidebar}} |
||
[[Sikhism]] has often been criticized by non-Sikhs regarding texts, practice, and societal norms, but Sikhs and other scholars find these criticism to be flawed and based on a biased and poor understanding. |
[[Sikhism]] has often been criticized by non-Sikhs regarding texts, practice, and societal norms, but Sikhs and other scholars find these criticism to be flawed and based on a biased and poor understanding. |
||
==Practices== |
|||
Since early 20th-century, Farquhar and other scholars state that the ''matha tekna'' (bowing down and touching one's head to the floor) by Sikhs at the door of Gurdwara or before the ''[[Guru Granth Sahib]]'', and other daily rituals such as putting the scripture to bed (''sukhasan'') in a bedroom (''sachkhand''), waking it up every morning, carrying it in a procession and re-opening it (''prakash'') in major Sikh Gurdwaras is a form of idolatry.<ref name="Pratt1915"/><ref name=myrvold144>{{cite book|author=Kristina Myrvold|editor=Knut A. Jacobsen|title=South Asian Religions on Display: Religious Processions in South Asia and in the Diaspora|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WT2odZ7_d7MC&pg=PA144 |year=2008|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-1-134-07459-4|pages=144–145, context: 140–154 }}</ref> Late 20th-century comments acknowledge that modern Sikh temples lack idols, but the widespread devotional worship of the ''Guru Granth Sahib'' in these temples has drawn questions that the Sikh scripture is being ritually treated like an idol.<ref name="HirstZavos2013">{{cite book| author1=Jacqueline Suthren Hirst|author2= John Zavos|title=Religious Traditions in Modern South Asia|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=bBOpAgAAQBAJ|year=2013| publisher=Routledge| isbn=978-1-136-62668-5|pages=61–62}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author=Darren Todd Duerksen|title=Ecclesial Identities in a Multi-Faith Context |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MV36CQAAQBAJ&pg=PA103|year=2015|publisher=Wipf |isbn=978-1-63087-885-6|page=103 footnote 6}}</ref> According to them, idolatry is any form of bowing or worship of any object, paying homage to any icon, any ritualized direction or house of worship. It is a form of bibliolatry, where the ''Guru Granth Sahib'' is the eternal living guru treated with rituals of respect similar to how people of other faiths treat an idol or statue or image.<ref name="Pratt1915">{{cite book|author=James Bissett Pratt|title=India and Its Faiths: A Traveler's Record|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=0twoAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA250 |year= 1975|publisher= Houghton Mifflin (Orig year: 1915)|pages=250–251}}</ref> According to Kristina Myrvold, every Sikh scripture copy is treated like a person and venerated with elaborate ceremonies. In major Sikh temples, these rituals are devotional worship and are a daily means of "merit bestowing ministrations".<ref name=MyrvoldBrill>{{cite book|author=Kristina Myrvold|title=Brill's Encyclopedia of Sikhism | chapter=Guru Granth: Ceremonial Treatment|publisher =Brill Academic|year= 2017|isbn= 978-90-04-29745-6| pages=141–145}}</ref> These daily ritual ministrations and paying of homage for the scripture by Sikhs, states Myrvold, is not unique to Sikhism. It moulds "meanings, values and ideologies" and creates a framework for congregational worship, states Myrvold, that is found in all major faiths.<ref name=myrvold144/> |
|||
[[Dayanand Saraswati]] – the founder of the missionary [[Arya Samaj]] movement who interpreted Hinduism as originally a non-idolatrous monotheistic religion, considered Sikhism as one of the cults of Hinduism. Like Hindus who he called as "degenerate, idolatrous", he criticized the Sikhs for worshipping the Guru Granth scripture as an idol like a ''mithya'' (false icon).<ref name="Jones1976p134"/> Just like foolish Hindus who visit, bow, sing and make offerings in Hindu temples to symbols of goddess, said Saraswati, foolish Sikhs visit, bow, sing and make gifts in Sikh gurdwaras to the symbolic Sikh scripture. He condemned both the Hindus and the Sikhs as idolators. According to Kenneth Jones, in late 19th-century a few Hindus and Sikhs agreed with Saraswati, but many found his commentary as infuriating.<ref name="Jones1976p134">{{cite book|author=Kenneth W. Jones|title=Arya Dharm: Hindu Consciousness in 19th-century Punjab|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=RpvXCtNzrz8C |year=1976|publisher= University of California Press|isbn= 978-0-520-02920-0|pages= 134–137}}</ref> |
|||
Scholars such as Eleanor Nesbitt state the Nanaksar Gurdwaras practice of offering food cooked by Sikh devotees to the ''Guru Granth Sahib'', as well as curtaining the scripture during this ritual, as a form of idolatry. Baba Ishar Singh of this international network of Sikh temples has defended this practice because he states that the Sikh scripture is more than paper and ink.<ref>{{cite book|author= Eleanor Nesbitt|editor1=Pashaura Singh|editor2=Louis E. Fenech|title=The Oxford Handbook of Sikh Studies|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=8I0NAwAAQBAJ|year=2014|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-969930-8|pages=362–365}}</ref> |
|||
==Academia== |
==Academia== |
||
A few Sikh groups have put pressure on universities to stifle academic criticism of popular Sikh literature and theories of Sikh history.<ref name="HawleyMann1993p3">{{cite book|author1=John Stratton Hawley|author2=Gurinder Singh Mann|title=Studying the Sikhs: Issues for North America |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fWJGAECpClsC |year=1993|publisher=State University of New York Press|isbn=978-0-7914-1426-2|page=3}}</ref> In the early 1990s, [[Pashaura Singh (Sikh scholar)|Pashaura Singh]], an academic of the "Macleodian school," was campaigned against for "challenging the authenticity of ''[[Guru Granth Sahib]]''", which he denied, and pressured to withdraw sections of his thesis at University of Toronto supervised by [[W.H. McLeod]], his mentor.<ref name="Singh2002fw">{{cite book|author=Pashaura Singh|title=The Bhagats of the Guru Granth Sahib: Sikh Self-Definition and the Bhagat Bani|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qPQtDwAAQBAJ |year=2002| publisher=Oxford University Press| isbn=978-0-19-908772-3|pages=Foreword by WH McLeod}}</ref><ref>[https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/international/story/19930915-professor-of-sikh-studies-pashaura-singh-refuses-to-honour-akal-takht-decree-811562-1993-09-15 Professor of Sikh Studies Pashaura Singh refuses to honour Akal Takht decree], India Today (15 September 1993), Viji Sundaram</ref><ref name="toips2019">[https://m.timesofindia.com/home/education/news/sikh-bodies-object-punjabi-universitys-call-to-controversial-sikh-scholar-at-international-conference/articleshow/72177469.cms Sikh bodies object Punjabi University's call to controversial Sikh scholar at International Conference], The Times of India (22 November 2019)</ref> Another academic also praised by MacLeod, [[Harjot Oberoi]], was also campaigned against for his removal by parties which denounced his methodology towards the study of Sikhism.<ref>{{cite book|author1=Pashaura Singh|author2=Norman Gerald Barrier|title=The transmission of Sikh heritage in the diaspora|year= 1996|publisher=Manohar Publishers|isbn=978-8-17304-1556|pages=281–282}}</ref> |
A few Sikh groups have put pressure on universities to stifle academic criticism of popular Sikh literature and theories of Sikh history.<ref name="HawleyMann1993p3">{{cite book|author1=John Stratton Hawley|author2=Gurinder Singh Mann|title=Studying the Sikhs: Issues for North America |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fWJGAECpClsC |year=1993|publisher=State University of New York Press|isbn=978-0-7914-1426-2|page=3}}</ref> In the early 1990s, [[Pashaura Singh (Sikh scholar)|Pashaura Singh]], an academic of the "Macleodian school," was campaigned against for "challenging the authenticity of ''[[Guru Granth Sahib]]''", which he denied, and pressured to withdraw sections of his thesis at University of Toronto supervised by [[W.H. McLeod]], his mentor.<ref name="Singh2002fw">{{cite book|author=Pashaura Singh|title=The Bhagats of the Guru Granth Sahib: Sikh Self-Definition and the Bhagat Bani|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qPQtDwAAQBAJ |year=2002| publisher=Oxford University Press| isbn=978-0-19-908772-3|pages=Foreword by WH McLeod}}</ref><ref>[https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/international/story/19930915-professor-of-sikh-studies-pashaura-singh-refuses-to-honour-akal-takht-decree-811562-1993-09-15 Professor of Sikh Studies Pashaura Singh refuses to honour Akal Takht decree], India Today (15 September 1993), Viji Sundaram</ref><ref name="toips2019">[https://m.timesofindia.com/home/education/news/sikh-bodies-object-punjabi-universitys-call-to-controversial-sikh-scholar-at-international-conference/articleshow/72177469.cms Sikh bodies object Punjabi University's call to controversial Sikh scholar at International Conference], The Times of India (22 November 2019)</ref> Another academic also praised by MacLeod, [[Harjot Oberoi]], was also campaigned against for his removal by parties which denounced his methodology towards the study of Sikhism.<ref>{{cite book|author1=Pashaura Singh|author2=Norman Gerald Barrier|title=The transmission of Sikh heritage in the diaspora|year= 1996|publisher=Manohar Publishers|isbn=978-8-17304-1556|pages=281–282}}</ref> |
||
Revision as of 22:17, 27 November 2021
| This article is of a series on |
| Criticism of religion |
|---|
Sikhism has often been criticized by non-Sikhs regarding texts, practice, and societal norms, but Sikhs and other scholars find these criticism to be flawed and based on a biased and poor understanding.
Practices
Since early 20th-century, Farquhar and other scholars state that the matha tekna (bowing down and touching one's head to the floor) by Sikhs at the door of Gurdwara or before the Guru Granth Sahib, and other daily rituals such as putting the scripture to bed (sukhasan) in a bedroom (sachkhand), waking it up every morning, carrying it in a procession and re-opening it (prakash) in major Sikh Gurdwaras is a form of idolatry.[1][2] Late 20th-century comments acknowledge that modern Sikh temples lack idols, but the widespread devotional worship of the Guru Granth Sahib in these temples has drawn questions that the Sikh scripture is being ritually treated like an idol.[3][4] According to them, idolatry is any form of bowing or worship of any object, paying homage to any icon, any ritualized direction or house of worship. It is a form of bibliolatry, where the Guru Granth Sahib is the eternal living guru treated with rituals of respect similar to how people of other faiths treat an idol or statue or image.[1] According to Kristina Myrvold, every Sikh scripture copy is treated like a person and venerated with elaborate ceremonies. In major Sikh temples, these rituals are devotional worship and are a daily means of "merit bestowing ministrations".[5] These daily ritual ministrations and paying of homage for the scripture by Sikhs, states Myrvold, is not unique to Sikhism. It moulds "meanings, values and ideologies" and creates a framework for congregational worship, states Myrvold, that is found in all major faiths.[2]
Dayanand Saraswati – the founder of the missionary Arya Samaj movement who interpreted Hinduism as originally a non-idolatrous monotheistic religion, considered Sikhism as one of the cults of Hinduism. Like Hindus who he called as "degenerate, idolatrous", he criticized the Sikhs for worshipping the Guru Granth scripture as an idol like a mithya (false icon).[6] Just like foolish Hindus who visit, bow, sing and make offerings in Hindu temples to symbols of goddess, said Saraswati, foolish Sikhs visit, bow, sing and make gifts in Sikh gurdwaras to the symbolic Sikh scripture. He condemned both the Hindus and the Sikhs as idolators. According to Kenneth Jones, in late 19th-century a few Hindus and Sikhs agreed with Saraswati, but many found his commentary as infuriating.[6]
Scholars such as Eleanor Nesbitt state the Nanaksar Gurdwaras practice of offering food cooked by Sikh devotees to the Guru Granth Sahib, as well as curtaining the scripture during this ritual, as a form of idolatry. Baba Ishar Singh of this international network of Sikh temples has defended this practice because he states that the Sikh scripture is more than paper and ink.[7]
Academia
A few Sikh groups have put pressure on universities to stifle academic criticism of popular Sikh literature and theories of Sikh history.[8] In the early 1990s, Pashaura Singh, an academic of the "Macleodian school," was campaigned against for "challenging the authenticity of Guru Granth Sahib", which he denied, and pressured to withdraw sections of his thesis at University of Toronto supervised by W.H. McLeod, his mentor.[9][10][11] Another academic also praised by MacLeod, Harjot Oberoi, was also campaigned against for his removal by parties which denounced his methodology towards the study of Sikhism.[12]
According to the Indologist Mark Juergensmeyer, the largest group of scholars dedicated to Sikh Studies are based in and near Punjab, but these scholars project themselves as proud Sikhs and predominantly focus on showing distinctiveness of their faith rather than examine the connections and similarities of Sikhism to other religious traditions based on comparative studies of texts and manuscripts.[13] Sikh writers criticize methodologies to "coldly dissect" their personal faith and Sikh history by "methods of social science" and by critical comparative textual or literary analysis.[13] This, critiques Juergensmeyer, has set the stage for an "unhappy confrontation" between the academic scholars versus those motivated in defending the dignity of their faith, including publications by Sikh institutions that are hostile to W. H. McLeod and other scholars who are based outside India,[13] and as Juergensmeyer states, some conservative Sikh scholars have made important contributions to the scholarship of Sikhism by discovering old Sikh manuscripts and publishing their analysis.[13]
See also
References
- ^ a b James Bissett Pratt (1975). India and Its Faiths: A Traveler's Record. Houghton Mifflin (Orig year: 1915). pp. 250–251.
- ^ a b Kristina Myrvold (2008). Knut A. Jacobsen (ed.). South Asian Religions on Display: Religious Processions in South Asia and in the Diaspora. Routledge. pp. 144–145, context: 140–154. ISBN 978-1-134-07459-4.
- ^ Jacqueline Suthren Hirst; John Zavos (2013). Religious Traditions in Modern South Asia. Routledge. pp. 61–62. ISBN 978-1-136-62668-5.
- ^ Darren Todd Duerksen (2015). Ecclesial Identities in a Multi-Faith Context. Wipf. p. 103 footnote 6. ISBN 978-1-63087-885-6.
- ^ Kristina Myrvold (2017). "Guru Granth: Ceremonial Treatment". Brill's Encyclopedia of Sikhism. Brill Academic. pp. 141–145. ISBN 978-90-04-29745-6.
- ^ a b Kenneth W. Jones (1976). Arya Dharm: Hindu Consciousness in 19th-century Punjab. University of California Press. pp. 134–137. ISBN 978-0-520-02920-0.
- ^ Eleanor Nesbitt (2014). Pashaura Singh; Louis E. Fenech (eds.). The Oxford Handbook of Sikh Studies. Oxford University Press. pp. 362–365. ISBN 978-0-19-969930-8.
- ^ John Stratton Hawley; Gurinder Singh Mann (1993). Studying the Sikhs: Issues for North America. State University of New York Press. p. 3. ISBN 978-0-7914-1426-2.
- ^ Pashaura Singh (2002). The Bhagats of the Guru Granth Sahib: Sikh Self-Definition and the Bhagat Bani. Oxford University Press. pp. Foreword by WH McLeod. ISBN 978-0-19-908772-3.
- ^ Professor of Sikh Studies Pashaura Singh refuses to honour Akal Takht decree, India Today (15 September 1993), Viji Sundaram
- ^ Sikh bodies object Punjabi University's call to controversial Sikh scholar at International Conference, The Times of India (22 November 2019)
- ^ Pashaura Singh; Norman Gerald Barrier (1996). The transmission of Sikh heritage in the diaspora. Manohar Publishers. pp. 281–282. ISBN 978-8-17304-1556.
- ^ a b c d Mark Juergensmeyer (1993). John Stratton Hawley and Gurinder Singh Mann (ed.). Studying the Sikhs: Issues for North America. State University of New York Press. pp. 12–21. ISBN 978-0-7914-1426-2.
