Should a Child Carry a Weapon (kirpan)?

SIKH TEEN CHARGED WITH ASSAULT USING RELIGIOUS DAGGER.

Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/interfaith-dialogues/24535-should-a-child-carry-weapon-kirpan.html
Montreal; Feb 9: The issue of whether a Sikh religious object should be consider a weapon. The Sikh boy has pleaded not guilty.
If the boy was attacked then he has every right to use the dagger(kirpan).
Guru Gobind Sing gave the kirpan for the protection for one self and to protect others.
Most people I talked with disagree with me. They claim it is a symbol not a weapon.
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=24535

Is it just a symbol or more then that? Do the children should be made to carry weapon?
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seekr ji

We need a little more information here before we have a discussion. I remember a recent story about this but it was a lot more detailed and there were a lot more nuances to it that you have reported.

I think the question is not whether a child should or an adult should. I think the question is why carry/wear a kirpan?

Bhagat ji

We want to stay with the original question. If my thinking is correct seekr3k is referring to a story which led to the arrest of a young boy. This opened up another controversy about the right to wear a kirpan as an article of religious faith. If there are individuals who believe that the kirpan is irrelevant to the expression of Sikhism then this thread is not the place to have that discussion. We have not even gotten off the ground floor yet because Seekr3k has not clarified the story. Instead of moving a discussion off on a tangent it is better to start a new thread.

Oh,ok.
Anway, is this it?
Teen charged in kirpan assault denies using dagger as weapon

The question is not about "CHILD" or ADULT.
The question is about a SIKH.
And a SIKH has no age restrictions.
And a SIKH can and should carry a KIRPAN once he/she takes Pahul/Amrit.

Until the a person does not understand why we wear a kirpan, he or she should not wear one (This goes for all 5ks). One cannot understand the intrinsic qualities associated with being a Khalsa at a young age. Many times people may take amrit but dont know why... parents pressure, community pressure, etc. As a result are unaware of what sikhi is. If grownups cant understand true nature of sikhi then how can we expect kids to understand. Kids see the kirpan as a weapon not a symbol.
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=24535
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=24535

I hope that if there are any reponses to this thread one refrains from using examples from centuries ago because they are all outdated and the current times demand new understanding faith and devotion; or else we will fall in the same dogmatic trap that most religions have fallen into today.

Good point. Otherwise it just becomes one more symbol if we do not have the true understanding of the Kakaars and practice our Sikhi accordingly.

Thanks for the input.

Tejwant Singh

Thank you Bawaj Ji,
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=24535
This is what I was looking for.
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