Foreword To Book  'Semitic and Sikh Monotheism' A Comparative Study Book By Rajinder Kaur Rohi

To commemorate the trecentenary of the Khalsa in 1999, the Punjabi University, Patiala, is actively engaged and involved in holding the seminars and conferences at national and international levels. Besides this, it is also bringing out a series of publications. Though the main focus is on the theme of Khalsa and Guru Gobind Singh, its broad-based vision and perspective is inclusive of other related themes in Sikh religion such as philosophy, history, culture, art and literature, woman, ecology etc. It is in this perspective that the present publication under the title, Semitic and Sikh Monotheism : A Comparative Study marks an addition that has taken Sikhism in the context of other religions for a study.

The author, Dr.Mrs.Rajinder Kaur Rohi, is a promising woman scholar in the Department of Religious Studies. Her doctorate in Comparative Religion merits her competence on th e subject she has dealt with.

The work is an insightful survey in the monotheistic beliefs found in the Semitic traditions (Judaism, Christianity and Islam) as well as in Sikhism, which seeks to confirm the truth of the oneness of God and the all-pervasive unity of his being. In philosophical and theological language, it may be said that the Ultimate Reality is one,and that Reality is essentially theistic. The author has attempted to say that these religious traditions are the historical testimonies to the fact and reality of monotheism. Or, conversely speaking, the fact of  (iv)     SEMITIC AND SIKH MONOTHEISM : A COMPARATIVE STUDY

monotheistic Reality is testified by these Semitic and Sikh traditions in a continued historical sequence. In other words, these religions, though born and grown in different times and places, are the historical revelations of the same God, Who is one His existence and essence from eternity to eternity. This, indeed, seems to be the basic conviction of the author behind this book.

I hope this study will help each people in each of the Sikh and Semitic traditions to understand that the monotheism of their own tradition is affirmed by the presence of similar monotheism in the other tradition. And this may lead both, the Sikhs and the Semites, to get strengthened and doubly rooted in their respective beliefs that God is one Who is the Father of us all (ek pita ekas ke ham barik-GURU GRANTH SAHIB), and that all people of all traditions are one (manas Ki jat sabhai ekai pahichanbo-GURU GOBIND SINGH).

JOGINDER SINGH PUAR 

Preface To Book  'Semitic and Sikh Monotheism' A Comparative Study Book By Rajinder Kaur Rohi

With the evolution of human mental ability and power of philosophical thinking there has been a growth of well organised, systematic and well-defined concepts. The theological and philosophical evolution of the consciousness about the Absolute Reality also developed into a systematic and well defined theosophical theory called monotheism. This concept has a very significant place in the phenomenon of religion. Rather, it is a dominant aspect of religion which can be profitably studied and investigated academically. It is generally regarded as an advanced form of the theological belief and has a history of its own.

Monotheism, the theory pertaining to the one Absolute, Adorable, Personal Reality is the outcome of belief in the Divine self-manifestation. The account of which is contained in the scriptures of almost all the monotheistic traditions of the world e.g., Judaism, Christianity, Islam and Sikhism. The Divine revelation though it occured variously at different timespace and situational phenomena, had one objective behind it. That was the propagation and establishment of the Ultimate Reality as one, single, absolute spiritual being. The self-assertion of the Supreme Being through the medium of revelation as the source of Its Knowledge itself is the strong basis for the formulation and authenticity of monotheism in the human history. Revelation not only stands positively for knowledge of the Absolute but, it also stand for the strong rejection of any belief of independent human speculative formulation about the Reality.

The receivers of revelation were not systematic theologians. They were just men of faith imbued with the supernatural inspiration. As such, the concept regarding the oneness of God or monotheism is found in the scriptures not in a clear-cut and well-defined manner but in an abstract form. Most often, the attributes of God are the strong supporting elements for the formulation about His oneness. These attributes of God are projected through the Divine revelation as the qualities of God alone in their full excellence and perfection which are further interpreted and explained by theologians and philosophers in particular frameworks. The idea of the nature and oneness of the Absolute is studied both in the positive and the negative dimensions for an integrated understanding of the concept.

In this study, the concept about the oneness of the Ultimate Reality, viz., God is concentrated upon two streams of monotheistic understanding. These are the Semitic and the Sikh traditions. These religious traditions are considered three religious streams i.e., Judaism, Christianity and Islam, they arose against the background of polytheism which finally grew into purely monotheistic ideology, because they grew from the same Semitic cultural background and foundations of religion of the ancient Israel. Sikhism, also is the latest among important world religions as it arose during the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. It had the rich Indian religio-philosophical tradition as the background. The idea of monotheism culminating in Siikhism represents the Indian view at its best. A comparative study of the world's most developed monotheistic traditions may together yield some fruitful results.

The theological formulation of this concept is mainly based upon the scriptures of the Semitic and the Sikh traditions; the Holy Bible, the Holy Quran and Guru Granth Sahib. This study prominently deals with monotheistic conception of the Semitic tradition in comparison to monotheism as existing in the Sikh tradition. However, the independent growth of the concept is also studied in the Greek philosophical history to see the origin and growth of the concept outside the revealed or the scriptural traditions. This is purely objective and scientific study of the general phenomenon of nature of the reality as existing in the Semitic and the Sikh traditions separately and comparatively. This study provides a brief discussion on comparative study of religions, and also points out some established methods to study the integrated history of religious phenomena.

The purpose of a comparative study of monotheism in the Semitic and the Sikh traditions is to understand the concept more clearly and rationally while studying the concept in one set of religio-historical phenomenon and then comparing the same with the monotheistic belief of the other with the view to bring out their respective peculiarities. It is also sought in this work as how these two distinctly originated monotheistic traditions of the world having a wider gap of time and space are much closer to each other, so far as the reality of the Absolute is concerned.

This work will perhaps be the first attempt in the area of the study of the Semitic and the Sikh traditions on a comparative method with an objective and theological perspective. This study, I am sure, would be relevant in the context of interests in the subject of Comparative Religion, as it will bring to light a universal principle: the unity of The Absolute and consequently the unity of mankind. Apart from the academic value its implication would hopefully lead to create a universal understanding and religious tolerence among the people of different religious and socio-culture backgrounds.

In the present context of religious chaos, most often one faces a preacher hidden in one's inner self. As far as the educated and religiously conscious class of ours is concerned we try to satisfy our inner preacher with the intellectual and academic interpretations of different religious postulates keeping the present context in view.  Yet the more appropriate and positive results are attained with an objective, scientific and universal understanding and with the implication of integrated religious phenomenon. This is possible only with the open-minded and unbiased study of the history of different religious environments.

A humble attempt has been made in this direction. While comparing the monotheistic idea of the one tradition with the other, I have tried my best to maintain the dignity and uniqueness of each religion. No attempt has been made of establish the supremacy of any one religion over the other, and no value judgements have been passed.

I am grateful to all my friends and colleagues for helping and inspiring me from time to time, who rendered me with every necessary help to complete this work. I owe my very special thanks to the whole of my family for providing me with the best assistance and suitable atmosphere at home.

I am beholden to late Dr Richard A. Gard, President of IASWR at stony Brook, New York, who provided me with every  possible help during my stay at the institute in the States. I send my heartiest thanks to the Sikh Cultural Society Richmond Hill, Queens, New York, the Jewish Theological Seminary, New York, Union Theological Seminary, New York and New York Public Library for all the assistance rendered by their worthy staff in the collections of material for the present book.

RAJINDER KAUR ROHI

Table Of Contents Of The Book 'Semitic and Sikh Monotheism - A Comparative Study' By Rajinder Kaur Rohi