Originally Posted by Atheist

Dear Everyone,

So I was reading the vegetarianism forum here, and there was a mention of the Reht (or Rehat) Maryada. I started reading it and as it described the Amrit (baptism) I came across this paragraph (copied directly from this page: Sikh Reht Maryada, The Definition of Sikh, Sikh Conduct & Conventions, Sikh Religion Living, India):

c. The five beloved (Panj Piyare) ones who administer ambrosial baptism not include a disabled person, such as a person who is blind or blind in one eye, lame, one with a broken or disabled limb, or one suffering from some chronic disease. The number should not include anyone who has committed a breach of the Sikh discipline and principles. All of them should be committed baptised Sikhs with appealing personalities.

I made sure to read before and after this paragraph to try to make sure I was not taking it out of context. Granted the Reht Maryada was not written by the Gurus; my understanding is that it was (is?) written by people so that Sikhs could have a guide. So my question is why would the authors of the Reht Maryada say that the people who give the Amrit cannot be disabled, blind, or with a chronic disease?