Pathways Forward Bible
S

How Christianity compares

Sikhism

Devotion to one God, taught by Guru Nanak and the nine Gurus who followed him.

Sikhism, born in the Punjab about 1500, teaches devotion to one formless God, honest work, sharing with others, and the equality of all people. Sikhs believe God's grace brings liberation from rebirth, but they reject the idea that God ever takes human form.

Began
About AD 1500 in the Punjab (today in India and Pakistan), with Guru Nanak (1469–1539)
Followers
About 25–30 million, mostly in Punjab, with large communities in the United Kingdom, Canada, and the United States
Scriptures
The Guru Granth Sahib, honored as the living Guru
Main groups
The Khalsa (initiated Sikhs who keep the Five Ks) and many Sikhs who are not initiated

Where it began and how it spread

The story

Guru Nanak taught that God is one and that true religion is devotion to God, not empty ritual. Nine more Gurus led the community after him. The fifth, Guru Arjan, compiled the scripture and built the Golden Temple at Amritsar.

Under the Mughal emperors, two Gurus were executed. In 1699 the tenth Guru, Gobind Singh, founded the Khalsa, a community of committed Sikhs, and before his death in 1708 he declared that the scripture itself would be the Guru forever.

What they believe

God

One God (Ik Onkar), the formless Creator, beyond gender, never born and never dying.

The problem

Haumai, ego or self-centeredness, separates people from God and keeps them in the cycle of rebirth.

The way

Remembering and meditating on God's Name (Naam), honest work, and sharing with others. Liberation comes by God's grace (nadar).

Equality

All people are equal before God; Sikhism rejects caste. Every gurdwara (temple) serves a free meal (langar) to anyone.

The Five Ks

Initiated Sikhs keep uncut hair (kesh), a steel bracelet (kara), a wooden comb (kanga), a cotton undergarment (kachera), and a small sword (kirpan). Many men wear the turban.

Jesus

Generally respected as a holy man, but not as God in human form.

Side by side

SikhismChristianity
GodOne formless God (Ik Onkar); God does not take human form.One God in three persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit: the eternal, holy, loving Creator.
JesusRespected as a holy man; not God in the flesh.God the Son, who became fully human, died for our sins, rose bodily from the dead, and is Lord and the only Savior.
The problemEgo (haumai) and attachment, which keep the soul in rebirth.Sin, our rebellion against a holy God, separates us from him and corrupts everything.
The answerRemembering God's Name, honest work, and sharing, with liberation by God's grace.Grace: forgiveness and new life as a free gift, received by faith in Jesus's death and resurrection, not earned.
ScriptureThe Guru Granth Sahib, honored as the living Guru.The Old and New Testaments (66 books), the inspired Word of God.
After deathRebirth according to karma, until union with God.Judgment, the resurrection of the body, and eternal life with God for all who are in Christ, in a new heaven and new earth.

Common ground

  • One Creator God
  • God's grace
  • The equality of all people
  • Generosity, hospitality, and service to the poor

Talking with a friend

  • Sikhs are sometimes mistaken for Muslims and have suffered hate crimes because of it; be a friend.
  • Visit a gurdwara: everyone is welcome at the langar meal.
  • Ask your friend about Guru Nanak's teaching on grace, and share what grace means in Christ.

Key differences

The heart of the Christian message is that God did take human form: 'the Word became flesh and dwelt among us' (John 1:14).

Christians believe in one life followed by judgment and resurrection (Hebrews 9:27), rather than rebirth.

Christians see grace not only as God's favor, but as God himself paying for our sin through Jesus's death on the cross (Titus 3:4–7).

Read in the Bible

Sources