An Important Question for Your Views

I am an agnostic who enoys life, is very comfortable with his surroundings and inner being, is not spiritual, drinks, smokes, looks at other women without guilt ( sometimes points out the nicer ones to the wife!) and generally indulges in whatever makes me (and my wife happy). I have no guilt, no urges that are left undone and am happy with the fact that we evolved from apes.
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/questions-and-answers/36705-an-important-question-for-your-views.html

I have a few things that arouse my curiosity (a) why are mangoes so nice tasting (b) how was the earth placed in such a way so that the sun isnt so near that we burn to death and not so far that we all freeze and (c) what was there before the Big Bang? These queries, however, get a few moments of my attention now and again when i am feeling philosophical . These are not the questions i am asking though.

My question, and please i would prefer answers without endless diatribe and MORE IMPORTANTLY without self important and wise sounding statements and one liners ....

Some posts on this website have made reference to faith and the need to have a faith in a religion or God ( i capitalise God for respect to yourselves) to guide ones self on what is right or wrong... or what to eat or what not to eat...or who to marry and who not to marry.
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=36705

The question for you that also raises my curiosity is why do i not need to have a need for such a faith?

 
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Only you can answer that for yourself. Different people believe different things and have different needs. Most if not all of us are just trying to make sense of this universe with the limited information we have. I see your point though about religion telling you what to eat and who to marry. Some religions and religious people go too far.

There's something I am curious about though. Why do you feel the need to come to a Sikh forum and tell us about how fine you feel about NOT being a Sikh? Maybe you're searching for something?

Annie,
Yes it was rather smart ! You ask a very petinent question.. I was raised a Sikh and had a few spare moments so I thought I'd raise a question on this forum.
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=36705

My posting shouldnt be taken as a vehicle to promote how "cool" I am for my particular way of life. (I appreciate that others may find the life I lead as far from "cool"!) The information given was just a background for anyone interested.
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=36705

I am just curious as to any thoughts on the question at hand.

I had to read your question a couple of times due to sentence structure. I've gathered you're asking why you personally don't feel the need to have faith in something? If I'm wrong please restate your question.

My response to my interpretation of our question would be "because that's just the way you are". There is spectacular variation in creation, and it keeps on keeping on, to borrow Paul Simon's lyrics "spinning in infinity".

And you're a part of that creation. And you've discovered the human's primitive urges for comfort, excitement, women, and everything else that makes you a happy monkey (I support that theory too!). And that's fine, however I don't think it leads to any particular evolution.

Please excuse the analogy as I mean no disrespect but I'm short on time: it's easier to paddle in the kiddie pool than learn to swim in the ocean.

I don't see Sikhi to be as much of a faith-based religion as other religions are. Sikhi to me is more of an acceptance and acknowledgement of reality. I don't need to have faith that there is a man in heaven watching my every move to reward or punish me after death. That would indeed require a lot of faith on my part. It is easier for me to look at the wonders of creation, appreciate and be in awe of them for what they are, and then be in even more awe thinking the creative force which moves to create the wonders of the world also moves to create wonders so much further away from earth that I can't even imagine, and has been doing it since before the big bang, and will be doing it far after the universe has collapsed in on itself, because -what else could there be?!-.

And I can't help but offer some thoughts on your other questions you weren't actually asking us:

(a) why are mangoes so nice tasting Just because they are. And I hate mangoes, go figure!
(b) how was the earth placed in such a way so that the sun isnt so near that we burn to death and not so far that we all freeze and No idea, but lucky for us? I suppose the Sikh answer might be "the creative force wanted to create life and so by the power of physics placed the earth right here".
(c) what was there before the Big Bang? I was watching a show on dark matter last night and asked myself the question: what did the big bang bang into? Doesn't an environment already need to exist for something to expand into? And that's where the awe and inspiration of some creative force come from, from my perspective. There will always be the "what came before that" question.

Gurfatehji
Ishna

Pablo ji,

I was raised Christian but left that faith when I was a teenager. I find more truth in other religions, but also a major part of why I want nothing to do with Christianity is that I don't like the attitudes of many people who follow it, or how they have warped the religion to fit their agendas. I wonder, did you feel that way before you left Sikhi?

Pablo ji,

Of course only you can really ever hope to answer question regarding your Self.

As as Sikh however I am bound to answer in this way.

Gurur ji teaches us that all is Gods will, perhaps then you are simply not yet meant to search for God?

Or perhaps your karma dictates that you should at this time question your lack of faith?
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=36705
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=36705

I don't know, but I wish you happy hunting.

Pabloji,

Firstly welcome to SPN!

I read your post with interest as you sound like me 15 years ago. You sound like a very happy and settled individual,and you have every right to ask yourself, and indeed anyone else, why on earth do you need a restriction on your activities. Well, you don't!.

Having said that, you mention you look at other women without guilt,sometimes pointing the nicer ones out to your wife, to me this statement speaks volumes, I do not look at other women, not because I feel guilty, as guilt as a terrible thing, but for the pure reason I have no wish to, I am not saying I have conquered lust, but everything starts with a seed, and I see no point in planting seeds that will only cause me problems. The fact that you point out the nicer ones to your wife, intimates to me, that she clearly loves you very much, and is willing to accept you fully, and be secure in your love for her, regardless who you look at. Your wife is clearly a remarkable woman, and she clearly values your happiness and outlook on life. I would ask the question, would you be as happy and contented if it were not for the understanding of your wife?
If you have no urges left undone, again, I commend your wife for being completely in tune with you to the point where you are happy and content.

Sikhism does not really dictate who you marry or what you eat, you can eat what you want, and marry who you want, you are thinking more in terms of culture than religion.

As you have stated you are a lapsed sikh, rather like I was, I would mention that 99% of everything you think you know about sikhism is probably untrue. There is no concept of sin, there should be no guilt, we do not answer to anyone other than ourselves, rather like you already do, the five K's are there, as far as I am concerned as a statement of joy rather than a prerequisite. So in fact, you are already a sikh, as you are asking questions and pushing forward the boundaries of your thinking.

And now the big question, why should you have a need for such a faith?

Reading between the lines, and observing the comments about your wife, you come across as someone who cannot believe their luck!, but what if it does not last, will it end? Yes, I am afraid it probably will, you sound like you have your wife's full attention, do you have any children, or pets?

In life, people get ill, they get tired, they get pregnant, things happen, you have to ask yourself if you lived alone would you be so happy with life?

If the answer is yes, then I have no answers for you.
If the answer is no, then my dear friend, you have to be happy within yourself, even if all your other roads to happiness have been shut off. Faith gives us access to the creator that lives within us all, and is present everywhere. Once you have accessed this force, you will find yourself content and happy regardless what is happening in your life, you will be reliant on nobody else, and you will also unlock the key to every question in your life, of course it will take time, but see it as an insurance policy. One day, when you and your wife are old, and you have children and grandchildren, you will not only be able to love all of them, but yourself all fuelled by the love of the creator within you. The first step to this to really know yourself, rather than know what makes you happy and stop there.

I hope that helps brother

Yes I did. Purely because of the same reason as you for leaving Christianity. Any book, any hymn, any teaching and any quote will always be warped by the writer, composer, teacher and quoter - who knows for sure what was actually said or written. It is for this reason I cannot accept anything unless proven before my eyes. Yes that also applies to evolution and the big bang theory. Everything around us has been warped and it makes no sense to me to say one faith hasn't been or is less warped than another and makes even less sense to need to follow such faiths because of the lack of proof that the original ethos has not been tainted ....in any way at all.

Hang on, I may have just answered my question !! Praise be to...err..myself ?! ( with a little help from Annie !)

Pablo ji I find you are little glib about what you write while expecting answers to be precise. Your approach also appears to follow the same direction. Now we are having a philisophical discourse so no bad feelings, no demeaning or negative intent is implied and I apologize ahead if you are at all bothered how I am writing and will edit my post if desired or needed. So let us look at part of your latest post,

Hoping the above adds to discourse in this thread.

Sat Sri Akal.