Why There Are No Sikh Missionaries

Teachings of Guru Nanak transcend any religious barriers... I sometimes feel ashamed that the sikhs, have miserably failed in His mission to spread the message of universal brotherhood, by hopelessly intangled ourselves in petty sect bashing within Sikhism... Sikhs have hardly spread the message of Guru Nanak with deligence...
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/sikh-youth/654-why-there-are-no-sikh-missionaries.html
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=654

I was wondering, if we see the life pattern of Guru Nanak Ji, we would realise the His grand mission was nothing short of great missionary project... a grand project of spreading the Name of God beyond the semetic bounderies of religions...

Now, my question is why Sikhs never had missionaries spreading the word about Sikhism ?

Best Regards

 
Do share your immediate thoughts or reactions on this issue? We value your views! Login Now! or Sign Up Today! to share your views with us.. Gurfateh!

Sikh missionaries spreading the word about Sikhism fail due to:
1. Already mentioned reasons in ur post
2. No movies allowed, or character play etc.
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=654
3. No sikh is going to tolerate seeing their Guru ji at the door steps, as just another book
4. Cost of avlbl books
5. Examples from own home - to be a sikh
6. No buying of people done, as that wont yield 'sikhs'
7. Gurudwaras taken as a social place of gathering instead of Gurmat Vichar, and other forward thinking activities
8. Openly done misuse of the deposits, by committes
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=654

In short, Good citizens elect bad politicians or leaders. so let us not be So Good, and root the incompetencies out, to bring out a changed better environment, so that next generation of sikhs feel better about the work done by present ones.

Some of us are working on a 'Sikhism Information Booklet' which has got big plans for the future, and this would be a sort of contribution to spread Guru ji's word in different languages. I am trying to give a final touch to this sooner.

Best Regards.

Quote:

Now, my question is why Sikhs never had missionaries spreading the word about Sikhism ?

Neutral Singh ji,

A very thoughtful question. Lets try to disect it with our very limited abilites.

Missionaries were nothing but snakeoil salesmen who used carrot and stick approach to entice the poor and the downtrodden. Missionaries were sent around the world for not to spread the word of God but to lasso the poor so that they become totally dependent on the church for all purposes hence made people feel that there was 'God' looking after them. Missionaries consider themselves as brokers-go betweens or better as Bouncers standing out side God's Gateway. We all know that IK ONG KAAR needs no broker, no bouncer.

Why does not Sikhi have missionaries?

Sikhi does have missionaries in a very unique way. It is more a 'Calling'(Main Entry: call·ing
Pronunciation: 'ko-li[ng]
Function: noun
Date: 14th century
1 : a strong inner impulse toward a particular course of action especially when accompanied by conviction of divine influence).

Sikh is 'Apei Guru Chela'. Sikhi believes in 'Sabh Gobind Hein'. Sikh practices 'Nan koi Beri Nahin Beghana'. Sikh believes that all have their rights to seek ONE GOD the way they want and those rights should be protected no matter how much they differ from Sikhi or any other religion. The proof is in the sacrifice of our 9th Guru, Guru Tegh Bahadur ji.

Our mission is not mere lip service but in REHAT - doing good deeds and sharing goodness. We should go and do Seva in the society we live in. We should find one day a month if not a week to visit old people's homes where lots of people are lonely, orphanages, soup kitchens etc etc so that the world can find out who the followers of GURU NANAK are.

Sikhi created the concept of 'Sant Sipahi- Peace warriors'. Every person who seeks ONE GOD through GURBANI is the torch bearer of ' Namm japnah, Kirat Karni & Vand kei Chaknah concept. In other words we are all missionaries but the best part of our mission is that we have no snakeoil to sell, only goodness to share.

Tejwant

Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa Waheguru Ji KI fateh.

We originally had "missionaries" of sorts...these were the MANJIS established by Guru Amardass ji...originally about 24 in number these were established as Centres of Sikhi in far away places...to "represent" the GURU, do parchaar, collect monies etc for the Guru's Darbaar..and live EXAMPLARY LIVES so that Sikhi could spread by EXAMPLE.
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=654

These Manjis (Masnads - Chairs) were initially very successful in spreading Sikhi far and wide...but slowly over a period of time.....many weaknesses crept into the system...Many of the Manjis became CORRUPTED by the POWER ( Guru's Representative), and the GREED of MONEY ( Guru's Golak, valuable things donated for Guru Ji began to be coveted by these reps)..By the time of GURU GOBIND SINGH JI the Corruption had reached unprecedented levles...Manjis turning into MASANDS and GURU JI took stern measures to ABOLISH the system.

After Guru Gobind Singh Ji, when the Khalsa Ji was too busy fighting for its very survival, another "missionary system" took over control of all Sikh Shrines, Guru Golak etc...these were the Udasis. Not being the "Warrior Khalsa" they were NOT prosecuted by the Govt..and allowed to take over the Gurdwaras..... These Udasis did a lot of Parchaar and contributed to the spread of Sikhi and kept the Gurdwaras in good shape...... until over time they too became corrupted and began to treat the Gurdwaras as their PERSONAL PROPERTY and became MAHANTS..leading to the bloody confrontations and the SINGH SABHA MOVEMENT to clear them out of the Gurdwaras...
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=654

Now GURDWARAS are the "personal" properties for the local Pardhaans and Gurdwara Committees..many gurdwaras...many pardhaans....some go so far as to be "jealous" of each other as well...each wants the maximum GOLAK and Chharrawa for their own Gurdwara.....and money is "saved" for gurdawra extensions, beautifications, renovations...NONE is deemed necessary for Parchaar..WHAT PARCHAAR ?? dont you call raagi jathas Parchaar ?? but then Raagi jathas mean MORE GOLUK for the Gurdawra !! so WHAT ?? if that is also "parchaar" then why worry ?? Dovenh hath laddoo..naleh parchaar naleh goluk !!!

Gurdwaras tody need to be "rescued" from these Parbhandaks and Pardhaans...by a NEW Singh SAHA MOVEMENT.... we need Computers, the INTERNET, Forums like SPN supported by the Gurdwaras ( and not funded by individual sikhs struggling to feed their families as well as serve Sikhi parchaar), we need Animated Movies like the recently launched "Chhotteh Sahibzadeh", we need newsletters, newspapers, radio stations ( free of censorship ) via the Internet
We need to make the life of a Sikh Missionary worth while...GIGO is unavoidable ( Garbage IN - Garbage OUT)..IF totally useless persons make it to the misiionary colleges due to low pay, etc..then we cant expect top knotch missionaries...pay peanuts and you get monkeys...( attract monkeys..and you need to pay only peanuts is also correct)

We need not worry about "books at the door"...GURBANI is not that easy to "desecrate"....we can leave TEACHINGS at the door, we can leave our personal lives at the door as examples..

Christianity is 2005 years old....FOUR times our age....but wonder of wonders...the other day when I attempted to send my condolences to the churches in my locality ( on the death of the Pope)..I found that MOST of them didnt have any email address/web page/internet presence or just DEAD Pages on the websites....GURDWARAS definitley have a HEAD START on them in this regard.

Jarnail Singh

i think its just the fact that we dont care anymore. Yes, some peeople care but others (maybe mostly the Sikh population doesnt care). As you all have seen, it may be that the majority of all SIkhs are mone, or have hair cuts. Thus, some people/leaders may think it would be a bad thing for us to spread Sikhi when the majority of us alreeady aren't.

Sher veer,

I take that as your opinion based on your observations.

Regards.

, true, but what i said also includes my ideas about what some Sikhs may be thinking.

Gurfateh!



Gyani Sahib ji are correct.But by mercy of Akal this khot(wrong things) in Sikhism is getting reduced day by day as coming Generation of filthy(Malechh) Prabandhak(managemnt) is going far from Sikhi and becoming Patit(apostate).As young one get wrong impression of thier wrong elders and tend to se Sikhism as wrong due to these old wrong Sikhs.
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=654

Well people like Badal etc.want ritualisitcs Jatha more popular so that they have no brain and let them be misguided as politicians want.This lead to gem of Panth Sirdar Sahib Kala Afghana Out of Panth wrongly.
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=654

But soon Das will write the glory Panth via neo converts and role of Missionaries in other parts of the world.And Das is happy to tell that Kala Afghana types of missioaries are also on conversion spree.Das will give detalis within a week.So let us all be in high spirit.

Gyani Sahib let us try about Malayas,chinees and Tamils understand Sikhi in Maleshiya and Akal may help them in Sikhi way there.

Thanks Vijaydeep singh