As far as the Sikh faith is concerned, believers are encouraged to lead a life as free of vanity and bodily adornment as possible. That can make things a little bit tougher for today’s Sikhs, especially in today’s modern tattoo-crazy culture. Are tattoos allowed by this religion? Yes, but things are a little more complex … Read more
Sometimes Punjabi culture is confused with the Sikh culture when really the two things are completely distinct and separate from one another. While it’s certainly true that alcohol is a big part of the culture amongst Punjabi people (particularly men), the Sikh faith actually requires believers to abstain from alcohol entirely. In fact, abstaining from … Read more
Dietary restrictions are often a core tenant of a religious belief, with followers either indulging in or abstaining from certain foods to bring them closer to their religious ideals. Are Sikhs allowed to eat beef? Yes, Sikhs are allowed to eat beef if the cow did not suffer or is sacrificed under religious rituals. In … Read more
A lot of people outside of the Sikh faith are under the impression that every believer of Sikhism is a vegetarian or a vegan, but nothing could be further from the truth. Are Sikhs allowed to eat meat? Yes, Siks can eat meat, which includes: pork, beef, chicken, turkey, and all kinds of game without … Read more
No, while Buddhists, in general, do not believe in Jesus Christ being the Son of God sent down to earth to save the world from sin, they do believe that he existed. They believe that Jesus Christ was an important man that walked the earth, that he was wise, and that he was holy and … Read more
Believe it or not, the relationship that Buddhists have with alcohol is sometimes seen as contradictory. On the one hand, the teachings of Buddha (as well as The Fifth Precept of Buddhism) clearly state that intoxication should be avoided entirely by practicing Buddhists. On the other hand, though, many Buddhists – historical and current – … Read more
Though there is a lot of fluidity and flexibility in the Buddhist belief system, there is one immutable law and core tenant for this faith and that’s the law of karma. Yes, Buddhists believe in karma. Karma isn’t just a part of Buddhism, it is a bedrock component of the faith and one of the … Read more
If you’ve spent even just a little bit of time researching Buddhists, especially Tibetan monks, the odds are pretty good that you’ve seen or heard about how much time followers of this faith spend praying. What you should know, though, is that prayer in the Buddhism family of faiths is not quite the same as … Read more
While beliefs in the Buddhist faith (or, more accurately, family of faiths) are not necessarily monolithic, the majority of Buddhists believe that our death simply marks the end of one phase of our lives in the passage into the next. Yes, Buddhists believe in an afterlife, but do not necessarily believe in the same kind … Read more
No, Buddhism is often referred to as a nontheistic religion, meaning that the followers of this faith do not necessarily believe in a divine creator or God but that’s not necessarily the whole picture. Yes, it’s true that Buddhism began when the historical figure Buddha started out life as a “normal person”, gaining awareness and … Read more