What Humanists Can Learn From Sikhs

[rug]

Posted: 10/07/2012 12:09 am
Stephen Goeman

We're aware of the irony: three atheists are driving from Cambridge, through Somerville, and into Medford, Massachusetts--en route to a Gurdwara while blasting Christian hymns on the radio. The church organ's hazy echo transforms Chelsea's stereo into a time machine, conjuring images of sweater vests and Sunday mornings past. It's nice to have an excuse to wear a tie. I realize I don't mind being up before noon on a weekend, a rare thought for this twenty-something.

We pull up to the Gurdwara Guru Nanak Darbar and I am immediately struck by its simplicity. The building could easily pass for any of the restaurants it borders on Mystic Avenue. We join a group of more than 25 in front of the Gurdwara, gathered by Assistant Humanist Chaplain Chris Stedman: Muslims, Christians, Pagans, Zoroastrians and atheists stand united in their support of a community recently hit with tragedy. A Sikh man bows towards the Nishan Sahib, a holy flag raised high outside the Gurdwara, before entering. A small group stands outside the building, holding posters that state their support for a community touched by tragedy. While we make small talk and wait for the last members of our group to arrive, a Sikh woman embraces a Muslim woman in our group and thanks her for coming. The love and gratitude felt by the Sikhs of Medford is palpable.

We are led inside, where we are invited to part with our footwear. Shelves by the door are lined with a surprising amount of Converse: if nothing else, Chuck Taylors serve as a reminder that some similarities can always be found in diversity. We are handed headcoverings, and my fumbling attracts the help of a Sikh man to secure the bandana to my head. We smile and enter the next room.

Long carpets stripe the floor where we sit side-by-side and enjoy brunch. Traditional hymns sung in Punjabi are projected over strategically placed speakers--though it took me a few minutes to realize they weren't professional recordings, but were actually being performed upstairs. We make our way up a flight of stairs, passing encased displays of elaborate fabrics along the way, and find ourselves in the main room of the Gurdwara. A red carpet splits the room in two and ends at an intricate shrine, over which an equally intricately dressed man is waving tassels and chanting silently. To his left three musicians expertly perform traditional hymns as a screen displays the Punjabi lyrics alongside English translations. These translations, combined with an informational pamphlet provided by the Gurdwara, provide a cursory insight into the theology of Sikhism for those of us who were ignorant of the beliefs and the history of their religion. As Sikhism doesn't ordain holy leaders, the entire service is progressing without any discernible leaders. Rather, a large portion of the self-sufficient congregation is involved.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/stephen-goeman/what-humanists-can-learn-_b_1945793.html

[cbayer]

1. This is really good and I am glad to see more and more of this.

Bigotry is often based on lack of understanding and the more time people spend with others who do not share their beliefs or lack of beliefs, the more likely that compassion, tolerance and understanding will grow.

It is those that wish to destroy the *other* that are the problems, certainly not the writer of this article.

[rug]

2. Me too. If I remember him correctly, he's the Humanist Chaplain at Harvard.

I enjoyed his desciption of the service. The Sikhs have rich customs.

[dimbear]

3. The history of the Sikhs suggests that when you are terribly outnumbered, violence

isn't a good plan. It just gets you massacred.

Indira Gandhi's ghost would likely approve this message.

[skepticscott]

4. As far as I'm aware, Sikhs in this country

have never tried to ram their beliefs or religious practices down other people's throats, or to hijack the instruments of government to help them do so.