How do people experience or belong to sikhism? (anything about sikhism would help too

i have to do this religion assignment about 'Sikhism'. i dint know much about the religion and its hard to find information about it. my main heading is one of the questions we have to answer about 'experience' and Ive got no idea.
thanks.

Their deity is one that transcends all space, time, and gender (called "the Ultimate Reality", "Truth", "Infinity", etc.); therefore the Sikh ideal includes all races, cultures and religions. The religion is based on the teaching of Nanak, (the First Guru), and their religious text is called "The Guru Granth", which is the teachings of all ten gurus. Nanak is believed to be inspired by the Ultimate Reality. The other gurus are respected as leaders but are not worshiped.

Sikhs reject the idea of external forms of religion, such as ritual. Living their faith is more important--fellowship, community, and family are at the center of Sikhism. Marriage and children are very important?infidelity is forbidden. Unlike most of India (where Sikhism is mainly practiced), most Sikhs eat meat. Women are seen as equal to men, because they believe that women are the ones who give life to all greatness.

I hope I helped you out. That's pretty much all I know. Thanks for asking this question, by the way, we all should hear more about different religions, not just Atheism and Christianity. Good luck!

The answer "Kalista" posted is very informative except that I am sure Sikhs do not eat meat. It's not her fault for posting such an answer, because it is the Punjabi culture which is very famous for their drinks and eating meat. All Punjabis who are Sikh know Sikhism respects all life so killing animals and eating meat and any abusive substances are not allowed! But unfortunately, many Punjabi Sikhs conform more to their culture than Sikhism and people confuse them over the real Sikh way of life.

Sikhism is not really a religion, it is a Universalistic Philosophy belonging to all schools of thought or religions and people. In fact, there is no such thing as "ism" in Sikhi*. "ism" is a suffix that westerners added to Sikhi (Learning Process).

Also, Sikhs do not go around converting others because Almighty does all, and I feel it is a foolish thing to do as well. There is no such thing as "convert" or "religion" or "groups" in Sikhism, rather it is the embracing of EVERYTHING (God)...everything that God created and learning from it. God did not create only those religions or things we are interested in. The word "Sikh" means "learner". Notice that this word premeditates upon open-mindedness, diversity, understanding and acceptance of all possible issues which may arise in any given situation or time.

Sikhism states that the initial purpose of all religions is divine, but religion as we perceive it is a curse, because it creates duality (separation) amongst us humans and all created phenomenon. Therefore, there is only ONE Almighty Truth (God) for ALL no matter what school of thought one prescribes to.

Again, the very word "Sikh" has an unequivocal meaning, "Learner." Every person who is breathing now, or even those who are in the womb, know that s/he is a "learner". This whole world is created for our own Sikhi (Learning process). In this process, we are to treat all life with respect, tolerance for all religions/school of thoughts, equality and justice and find sustenance in serving all humans humbly--while at the same time "Learning" (Sikh) from their religion /knowledge /experiences... etc.---yet remaining true to the same Universal goodness of the heart which is immanent within all.

How did Guru Nanak reply to people who think they are better than others? He said, "there is no Muslim, no Hindu". Those who are pure in the heart (Khalsa) know for sure that there is no such thing as you Muslim, you Hindu, he Christian, she Jewish, you this, them that, me THIS. Guru Nanak eliminated the ego and duality in people and made them realize that we are all walking on the same floor---as Learners (Sikhs).

If you have any other questions please email me
take care

Sikhi (a more accurate word instead of "Sikhism") IS a religion -- the world's fifth largest, for that matter. One can be raised in the faith but must formally elect into it by formalizing their commitment. It is a monotheistic, diverse, non-proselytizing, and open-minded religion with very little ritual but with clear guidelines for how to incorporate the religion's philosophy into ones daily life.

To clarify: With respect to meat, the Sikh code of conduct (the Rehit Maryada) makes no ruling on whether it is forbidden or not. You'll find a 50/50% split on those who are vegetarian and those who are not within the Sikh community, and these proportions generally vary by where a community or congregation is located and the mores/norms in that region.

In terms of trying to identify a Sikh "experience," perhaps it would be best to contact Sikh organizations, particularly those that operate on a national basis in the U.S. These include the World Sikh Council - America Region (http://worldsikhcouncil.org) and Sikh American Legal & Educational Defense (http://www.saldef.org). The first specializes in interfaith communication and dialogEUand is a formal association of Sikh congregations in the U.S. and Canada), and the latter is a civil rights organization. There are many more Sikh organizations and resouces, and most of these will have links to other resources/web sites.