Submitted by Jupin Kaur Malhi

Of all faiths, the best faith is to contemplate God’s name and do pious deeds. Of all ritual actions, the best ritual is to remove the filth of evil intellect by joining the holy company.(1)

Defining religion has always proved to be a complexity for all those who have attempted the task, as each definition proved to be either too insular or too vague. One is unable to confine religion to the perimeters of words and phrases. Religion is not only an act or a belief; it is truly an experience with a Supreme Being, an endlessly varying path to peace and ultimate bliss. There is no single description of religion which can validly encompass the infinite emotions, traditions, and beliefs generated through spirituality. Faith is genuinely quite individualistic; its characteristics rely heavily upon those of the host and the host’s environment and beliefs. To define religion is to unjustly capture and confine magical moments into insignificant and earthly values.

As religions expanded and more belief systems came into being, people became increasingly aware of the obstacles posed by conflicting thoughts and ideas. In an effort to adhere to their own principles, many became defensive when posed with questions of their relations with those of differing viewpoints. It was becoming difficult for people to get along and to compromise their values for the respect of the values of others. Pluralism, though not then defined or recognized as an official doctrine, emerged as the realization that reality is composed of eclectic and varying views. Not a single of these can stand alone to adequately relay the valued life we all share. As this thought was planted in the heads of philosophers and theorists, it became more applicable in society. Slowly but surely, groups of believers learned to utilize a method with which they could stand true to their religion, but also learn to appreciate the religion of those with whom they differed. Religious pluralism, difficult to achieve then and difficult to believe now, is the apex of all inter-religious relations. In the contemporary age, Sikhism has maintained its position as an absolute adherent of religious pluralism, the belief that all paths to God are equally genuine and applicable. Our religion’s greatest symbol, Å Ek Onkar, God Is One, stands strong for our belief that any path to spirituality will lead to the same God, be it through Allah, Christ, or Waheguru. The only condition is that your belief in anything must be complete and absolute. From the beginning, the Sikh Gurus were advocates of spreading the ideas of pluralism, be it through culture, region, or religion. In the words of Guru Nanak: nw ko ihMdU, nw muslmwn[There is no Hindu, nor is there a Muslim. We are all one. As our Guru went across South Asia preaching this message, he attracted several followers to Sikhism through his willingness to accept and acknowledge those of all different castes and creeds; for he recognized the true value of diversity. He beseeched jgqu jlMdw riK lY AwpxI ikrpw Dwr] ijqu duAwrY aubrY iqqY lYhu aubwir] Please protect this burning world with the power of your grace. Allow us enlightened upliftment through any source or any path that is the redeeming one. (2) Our now living Guru, the sacred book Guru Granth Sahib, encompasses all the values of active pluralism; its components were authored and contributed by saints of varying faiths, including Bhagat Kabir, Bhagat Namdev, Bhagat Ravidas, and Baba Sheikh Farid. It is through this natural acceptance by our forefathers that Sikhs have the greater responsibility towards religious pluralism. A verse of the Guru Granth Sahib is as follows: Dur kI bwxI AweI] iqin sglI icMq imtweI] This utterance of the Word has emanated from the Primal One’s source, and has effaced all anxiety. (3) The Guru Granth Sahib is the eternal Word of our guru, and it lights our passage from mere tolerance to active pluralism.

Diversity has been a crucial component of our existence since the sheer beginning of our being. As people of the earliest Neolithic civilizations began trading and engaging amongst themselves, they were able to form bigger, brighter, and composite societies. As Sumerians, Babylonians, and other Egyptian peoples conversed with the civilizations of the Yellow River Valley and the Indus River Valley of Harappa and Mohejodoro, their own structures became strong enough to support such large populations. Later, during the Industrial Revolution, it was through contacts between the New and the Old Worlds that each was able to advance its economy and businesses to such an extraordinary level of achievement. If a British man invented the steam engine, then an American man invented the automobile; if an Indian invented the numeral system, then a Korean invented movable type and a Canadian invented the telephone. It is through a diverse mix of people that our world has united so thoroughly, beginning from the Paleolithic to the now contemporary age we are in. By utilizing the progress of those around us, we advance to a point of higher knowledge and excellence. Without the assistance we gain from people across the globe, each generation will be stuck reinventing the wheel. Diversity is truly the one aspect which enriches our life upon this earth more than all others we experience. Living in America, each of us takes the endless choices provided to us for granted. We go to the grocery store, and are regularly exposed to bananas from Guatemala, tofu from China, and sugar cane from India. Were it not for our friendly counterparts from around the world, none of this produce would be available to us, as it is not grown within our borders. As relations amongst peoples become more imperative in today's age of public relations and entrepreneurship, one must be capable of comfortably interacting with those of different origins and backgrounds. Cultures are composed of such complex relations that when encountered, one seems to be in almost oblivion. By experiencing sundry cultures, we become more aware of our own system of thoughts and judgments. It is our ethnicity which builds our mind, body, and soul, and by slowly coming into contact with those built differently, we come to realize our own structure and composition. Hence, we broaden our knowledge of our surroundings and of those with whom we share our land. It has always been necessary to get along with those around us, but how often do we take it to heart and realize that we have been given a priceless opportunity? It was only 40 years ago that people were fighting for Civil Rights here in our very own nation. Blacks, though a diverse population and much needed to develop American society, were shunned. Our country is known as the melting pot of the world in today’s age. Inhabitants of the nation come from vast nativities and origins. Why is it that we have such an immense and lush populace? Because, note, we are the United States of America. By uniting with one another, we have formed such a tight and indissoluble network amongst ourselves that we have access to communities and systems of beliefs from all imaginable regions and cultures.

Further enhancing the application of diversity, we land once more upon its effects on religion. From an early age, we have experienced the meaning of tolerance. Tolerance was watching your best friend in kindergarten share lunch with the girl who stole your red crayon. Then, in middle school, tolerance was letting your friend share your crush. In high school, it was allowing your friend to experience the friendship of those you knew would only serve to discourage her. But later, tolerance comes to be so much more. Later, tolerance is insufficient. Mere tolerance is not enough for principles to coalesce. Tolerance implies the capacity to endure; the capacity to endure implies reluctance. What is needed is active pluralism. We are all familiar with the obliteration which results from a lack of tolerance, much less pluralism. The Jews in World War II were annihilated for their deviance from the norm. Apartheid in South Africa left racism in the roots of all conflicts. 1984 proved to be a devastating zenith for the struggle between Sikhs and their counterparts. In the words of Jonathan Swift, “We have just enough religion to make us hate, but not enough to make us love one another.” (4) All of this simply goes to prove that with active engagement, we can improve our relations with others in all situations. In the wise words of Martin Luther King Junior, “Men hate each other because they fear each other, and they fear each other because they don’t know each other, and they don’t know each other because they are often separated from each other.” (5) So often we learn to hate, yet so rarely do we learn to look beyond that hate into the eyes of the fellow beyond, a fellow so much like us. If we were only taught to communicate properly, to understand willingly, we would be that much superior. Religious and cultural pluralism, specifically, provides us with such great opportunities for introspection and self-evaluation, leaving immense room for improvement. Christianity teaches the exalted act of charity, what we in Sikhism know as sewa. By adopting this trait, believers of all faiths would come one step closer to a union of beliefs. Followers of Jainism and Buddhism are advocates of non-violence. Through non-violence, unimaginable limitations can be set upon all of our experienced struggles, strives, and strains. The atrocious act of terrorism on September 11, 2001, was an act grown from the seed of hatred and intolerance. By espousing this obedience to non-violence, such misery and pain can be set aside, giving room for growth and augmentation. The glow of Sikhism was, in fact, kindled in response to the lack of acceptance and pluralism by various Hindus and Muslims of the time. Tortured by the suppression of their soul by distinctions through the various levels of the caste system and creed divisions, adherents of both religions turned towards a new light which inspired them with hope for equality. An aspect of a religion born as the solution towards the common acceptance of people in society, religious pluralism is inherent within Sikhs. Sikhs give great importance to the omnipresence of Waheguru in every soul, in every heartbeat, in every breath of every person. It also actively preaches the importance of sacrifice in any faith and has itself made phenomenal contributions to martyrdom, fighting for a cause and dying for its validity. If only such power and courage could be focused upon fighting for the freedom of thought, religion, and belief. By allowing others to express their views and ideas, Sikhism can become the ideally pluralistic and accepting religion.

God does not teach us to hate one another. (6) Pluralism is a step beyond tolerance, a step away from the assumption of superiority and towards genuine understanding. As devout pluralists, we must be sure of our own perception, but willing to energize and fight for the perception of our neighbor. We must have the passion to enhance our being to an elevated level of spirituality which comes with acceptance. We must encompass what we know to be the passion for veracity, and fight for it consequently. In the words of Kahlil Gibran, “I love you when you bow in your mosque, kneel in your temple, and pray in your church. For you and I are sons of one religion, and it is the spirit.” (7)

Akhtar, the poet, says that the birds in an orchard do not seek to quarrel with each other on the basis of language, creed, caste, or religion. They live happily together, singing in their own tongues. (8)

BIBLIOGRAPHY

(1) Guru Granth Sahib Ji. Page 266.
(2) Amrit Kirtan. Page 83.
(3) Guru Granth Sahib Ji. Page 628.
(4) http://www.quotecha.com
(5) http://www.markvardell.com/quotes.htm
(6) Dr. Sir Mohammad Iqbal (1919)
(7) http://www.quoteland.com
(8) Poet- Akhtar. Exact origin of the poem remains unknown.