Sikhism dates back to a long time ago. Making it more modern, it was introduced near the closing of the 15th Century (Borak 53). Guru Nanak Dev originated it, now making it a minority group. The Sikhs are found generally around northwest India, or Punjab, but can also be found anywhere in the world (Borak 53).

Sikhism has a very rare formation. This religion is a mixture of two other religions, known as Hinduism and Islam. This joining together is known as syncretism (Hopfe 188). The Hindus and Islams began to mix and some thought of joining the two together. Not everyone agreed so they decided to make a new religion with practices from both religions while still keeping Hinduism and Islam separate religions (Borak 54). From the Hindus, the reincarnation of Jesus was put into practice for this newly a

Sikhism is very unique in my opinion because I thought a lot of the practices and ceremonies were different from what I am used it. Sikhism is very uncommon in the United States because it is generally located in India. I guess that is another reason why I find it so interesting. I also find it interesting that it is a combination of two other religions. I am glad I chose this religion because it was fun to research.

Not only are there some similar practices, there are also some differences. We believe Sunday is a Holy day or Sabbath, but they believe everyday is equal. They do not have priests but they used to have Gurus. Hell is the same as birth and death, and heaven is your soul reaching for God. Only God's "chosen people" are ones aloud for salvation, but you can reach that by believing and trusting in God. They believe God has no children and you can only be baptized when you realize God's significance(Differences). We are different in many ways.

The Sikhs do not believe in rituals (Hopfe 188). They doubt and decline from using them. They also do not fast, believe in religious vegetarianism, pilgrimages, superstitions, yoga, and idol worship. Their form of fasting is good conduct (Philosophy). Sikhs do have three duties, "devotion to and adoration of the Divine Name, union of God through hard work and sharing rewards of one's own work"(Richards 198). Rituals are not allowed.

They take lots of pride in their ceremonies and they believe greatly in following the rules. Taking time out of their schedule to study God helps them realize teaching of the Gurus and helps them act like God would. One type of meditation is Akhand Path. This is a non-stop front to back reading of the Holy Book, or Guru Granith Sahib. This celebrates troubled times like birth, marriage, death, new houses, or Gurpurbs. This reading usually takes 48 hours (Akhand Path). The naming of a child is very important to them. This ceremony is known as Nam Karan. To do this you open a hymnbook to any page and on the page you open to, you use the first letter of the hymn on that page. The first letter of the hymn is the first letter of the child's name. Baptism is known as Amrit Sanskar. The person being baptized must see and accept God. They must also be oblig

Some common words found in the essay are:
Granith Sahib, God God's, God Sikhs, Hindus Jainism, Religious Symbols, Hinduism Islam, True Name, India Borak, Philosophy Gurus, Amrit Sanskar, borak 53, hinduism islam, sikhs believe, richards 198, religious symbols, hopfe 188, guru granith, granith sahib, guru granith sahib, ten gurus, equal sikhs believe, equal sikhs, borak 53 sikhism, god similar characteristics, page letter hymn,
Approximate Word count = 1519
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)