Idolatry Warning: You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you log in or create an account, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.Anti-spam check. Do not fill this in! ===Sikhism=== {{Main|Idolatry in Sikhism}} [[Sikhism]] is a monotheistic Indian religion, and Sikh temples are devoid of idols and icons for God.<ref name="Cole">{{cite book |title=Sikhism and Christianity: A Comparative Study (Themes in Comparative Religion) | publisher=Palgrave Macmillan |author1=W. Owen Cole |author2=Piara Singh Sambhi | year=1993 | location=Wallingford, United Kingdom |pages=117–118 | isbn=978-0333541074}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Mark Juergensmeyer|first=Gurinder Singh Mann|year=2006|title=The Oxford Handbook of Global Religions|publisher=Oxford University Press|location=US|isbn=978-0-19-513798-9|page=41}}</ref> Yet, Sikhism strongly encourages devotion to God.<ref name=deol11>S Deol (1998), Japji: The Path of Devotional Meditation, {{ISBN|978-0-9661027-0-3}}, page 11</ref><ref name=singha110>HS Singha (2009), The Encyclopedia of Sikhism, Hemkunt Press, {{ISBN|978-81-7010-301-1}}, page 110</ref> Some scholars call [[Sikhism]] a [[Bhakti movement|Bhakti]] sect of Indian traditions.<ref>W. Owen Cole and Piara Singh Sambhi (1997), A Popular Dictionary of Sikhism: Sikh Religion and Philosophy, Routledge, {{ISBN|978-0700710485}}, page 22</ref><ref name=davidlorenzen>David Lorenzen (1995), Bhakti Religion in North India: Community Identity and Political Action, State University of New York Press, {{ISBN|978-0791420256}}, pages 1–3</ref> In Sikhism, "Nirguni Bhakti" is emphasised – devotion to a divine without [[Gunas]] (qualities or form),<ref name=davidlorenzen/><ref name=hardip>Hardip Syan (2014), in The Oxford Handbook of Sikh Studies (Editors: Pashaura Singh, Louis E. Fenech), Oxford University Press, {{ISBN|978-0199699308}}, page 178</ref><ref>A Mandair (2011), Time and religion-making in modern Sikhism, in ''Time, History and the Religious Imaginary in South Asia'' (Editor: Anne Murphy), Routledge, {{ISBN|978-0415595971}}, page 188-190</ref> but its scripture also accepts representations of God with formless (''nirguni'') and with form (''saguni''), as stated in Adi Granth 287.<ref>Mahinder Gulati (2008), Comparative Religious And Philosophies : Anthropomorphism And Divinity, Atlantic, {{ISBN|978-8126909025}}, page 305</ref><ref>{{cite book|author1=W.O. Cole|author2=Piara Singh Sambhi|title=Sikhism and Christianity: A Comparative Study |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=G8KMCwAAQBAJ&pg=PA34 |year=2016|publisher=Springer|isbn=978-1-349-23049-5|pages=34–35}}</ref> Sikhism condemns worshipping images or statues as if it were God,<ref>{{cite book|author1=W.O. Cole|author2=Piara Singh Sambhi|title=Sikhism and Christianity: A Comparative Study |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=G8KMCwAAQBAJ&pg=PA34 |year=2016|publisher=Springer|isbn=978-1-349-23049-5|pages=36–37}}</ref> but have historically challenged the iconoclastic policies and Hindu temple destruction activities of Islamic rulers in India.<ref>{{cite book|author=John F. Richards|title=The Mughal Empire|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HHyVh29gy4QC&pg=PA178|year=1995|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-0-521-56603-2|page=178}}</ref> Sikhs house their scripture and revere the [[Guru Granth Sahib]] as the final [[Sikh gurus|Guru]] of Sikhism.<ref>Jane Bingham (2007), Sikhism, Atlas of World Faiths, {{ISBN|978-1599200590}}, pages 19-20</ref> It is installed in Sikh ''[[Gurdwara]]'' (temple), many Sikhs bow or prostrate before it on entering the gurdwara.{{refn|group=Note|name=note1|Such idol caring practices are found in other religions. For example, the [[Infant Jesus of Prague]] is venerated in many countries of the Catholic world. In the [[Prague]] Church it is housed, it is ritually cared for, cleaned and dressed by the sisters of the Carmelites Church, changing the Infant Jesus' clothing to one of the approximately hundred costumes donated by the faithfuls as gift of devotion.<ref>{{cite book|author=Courtney T. Goto|title=The Grace of Playing: Pedagogies for Leaning into God's New Creation|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oUuPCwAAQBAJ&pg=PA67| year=2016|publisher=Wipf and Stock|isbn=978-1-4982-3300-2|pages=67–68}}</ref><ref name="Melton2001i">{{cite book| author=J. Gordon Melton|title=Encyclopedia of Occultism & Parapsychology: A-L|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=jn9IPgAACAAJ|year=2001 |publisher=Gale|isbn=978-0-8103-9488-9|page= Idolatry}}, [http://www.encyclopedia.com/philosophy-and-religion/ancient-religions/ancient-religion/idolatry Alternate Link]</ref> The idol is worshipped with the faithful believing that it renders favors to those who pray to it.<ref name="Melton2001i"/><ref name="Bertrand2003p87">{{cite book| author=Régis Bertrand|title= La Nativité et le temps de Noël: XVIIe-XXe siècle| url= https://books.google.com/books?id=E-zYAAAAMAAJ| year=2003| publisher= Publ. de l'Université de Provence|language=fr|isbn=978-2-85399-552-8|pages=87–95}}</ref><ref>Margarita Simon Guillory (2011), [https://scholarship.rice.edu/bitstream/handle/1911/64444/GuilloryM.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y Creating Selves: An Interdisciplinary Exploration of Self and Creativity in African American Religion], PhD Thesis, Awarded by Rice University, Advisor: Anthony Pinn, pages 122–128</ref> Such ritualistic caring of the image of baby Jesus is found in other churches and homes in Central Europe and Portugal / Spain influenced Christian communities with different names, such as ''Menino Deus''.<ref name="Bertrand2003p87"/><ref name=reinhardt147>{{cite journal | last=Reinhardt | first=Steven G. | title=Review: La Nativité et le temps de Noël, XVIIe-XXe siècle | journal=The Catholic Historical Review | volume=94 | issue=1 | year=2008 | pages=147–149 | doi=10.1353/cat.2008.0002 | s2cid=159896901 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author=Francois Soyer|title=Ambiguous Gender in Early Modern Spain and Portugal: Inquisitors, Doctors and the Transgression of Gender Norms|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xfgyAQAAQBAJ&pg=PA212|year=2012|publisher=BRILL Academic|isbn=978-90-04-23278-5|pages=212–213}};<br />[http://itinerante.pt/avessadas-e-menino-jesus-de-praga-a-comunhao-perfeita/?lang=en Avessadas and the Infant Jesus of Prague] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180725121511/http://itinerante.pt/avessadas-e-menino-jesus-de-praga-a-comunhao-perfeita/?lang=en |date=25 July 2018 }} Portugal</ref>}} Guru Granth Sahib is ritually installed every morning, and put to bed at night in many ''Gurdwaras''.<ref>William Owen Cole and Piara Singh Sambhi (1995), The Sikhs: Their Religious Beliefs and Practices, Sussex Academic Press, {{ISBN|978-1898723134}}, page 44</ref><ref>Torkel Brekke (2014), Religion, War, and Ethics: A Sourcebook of Textual Traditions (Editors: Gregory M. Reichberg and Henrik Syse), Cambridge University Press, {{ISBN|978-0521450386}}, page 675</ref><ref>{{cite book|author=Gerald Parsons|title=The Growth of Religious Diversity: Traditions|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vM--pQp5qBUC&pg=PA211|year=1993|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-0-415-08326-3|page=211}}</ref> In the [[Dasam Granth|Dasam Bani]], [[Guru Gobind Singh]] wrote "I am idol-breaker" on line 95 of his [[Zafarnama (letter)|Zafarnamah]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.sikhitothemax.org/shabad?id=12797&highlight=140347 | title=Shabad the Lord is One and His Word is True.. ਵਾਹਿਗੁਰੂ ਜੀ ਕੀ ਫ਼ਤਹ ॥ - SikhiToTheMax }}</ref> Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. If you do not want your writing to be edited mercilessly, then do not submit it here. 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