Sikhism

[ To read the previous post of the Quest for Truth, CLICK HERE! ]

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The name Sikhism comes from the Punjabi word Sikh, which means a “disciple;” thus, a Sikh is literally a disciple of Guru Nanak, the founder of the religion, who lived from AD 1469-1538. Guru means a dispeller of ignorance or darkness (gu) and bringer of enlightenment (ru).

Sikhism has two unique symbols: khanda and Ekankar. The most prevalent symbol is the khanda, which represents the Sikh faith to the outside world. At the center is the actual khanda, which means “double-edged sword.” Together with the circular throwing weapon, the chakkar, it stands for the unity of God and his all-pervasive presence. On each side are the two ceremonial swords, kirpans, that refer to the spiritual and political dimensions of the Sikh community. Within the Sikh community – for example, in a Sikh temple – one often sees the second symbol. It refers to the unity of God. The little symbol to the left that looks like the Western numeral 9 is actually the numeral 1, and the other part means “the only one.” So this symbol means that God is the “one and only one.” In Punjabi, it is “Ekankar.”

Sikhism began as an attempt to heal the division between Muslims and Hindus that was causing problems in India during the sixteenth century AD. Thus, to understand Sikhism, you must first understand Islam and Hinduism. Most of India was ruled by the Moguls, who had conquered India and brought Islam with them. Guru Nanak had a Hindu father and a Muslim mother. Nanak was born into the kshatriya caste that was under Muslim domination. It is said that at around age 30, Nanak mysteriously disappeared for three days. When he emerged three days later, he taught that there is no Hindu and there is no Muslim.

Guru Nanak sought to combine important elements of both Hinduism and Islam. From Hinduism, he maintained the belief of reincarnation from the law of karma. From Islam, he maintained the belief that God is one and is not to be represented with idols; consequently, Hindu avatars are rejected. His message was that by living a life in keeping with divine virtues a person would eventually become one with God and escape the cycle of reincarnation. Nanak was adamant that our thoughts of God should not be limited by what just one religion teaches. God is not just Allah and not just Krishna, but that God is a reality greater than any human words or concepts could encompass. In this present day, when Sikhs talk about God, they typically use the term “one and only one,” or “Ekankar” in the Punjabi language. Sikhism also teaches that physical self-denial encourages a false piety, which may impress others but does not contribute to one’s spiritual development. Consequently, it forbids fasting as a spiritual exercise and frowns on any other way of using the deprivation of food in the name of religion. World renunciation does not figure in this faith. The Sikhs have no tradition of renunciation, asceticism, celibacy, or mendicancy.

There were ten gurus of Sikhism. Guru Nanak was the first. The fifth guru, Guru Arjan Dev (A.K.A., Arjun Mal), collected the hymns and chants written by all the gurus, including himself, as well as the works of some of the writers who had influenced Nanak, and issued this “exalted book,” the Granth Sahib, which has been the holy book for Sikhism ever after. This exalted book is also known as Adi Granth, meaning the true Granth. There are a few names for this exalted book because granth literally means “book;” therefore, it needs to be distinguished from other books.

The tenth and final guru, Gobind Rai (Gobind Singh) declared that he was the last of the human gurus and that from that point on only the holy book, the Adi Granth, would be the guru for Sikhs. The Adi Granth, like all the human gurus before, became the embodiment of God. Consequently, Sikhs find themselves worshipping this exalted book. The Adi Granth’s most important significance is not so much in its content as in its presence. As the divine guru, it is the focus of worship and veneration as an object, apart from its message. A typical Sikh temple has a copy of the Adi Granth (the original is in Amritsar), and during the day it is displayed on an altar, where people bow before it. In the evening it is literally laid to rest in a bed, complete with sheets and bed curtains, and in the morning it is awakened and placed on the altar again – both times with special ceremonies.

As for worship practices, they seem to be centered on community and gathering for meals. The “common kitchen,” or langar, may be the most distinctive aspect of Sikh community gatherings. All people, regardless of social or economic standing, sit side by side on the floor, eating the same food together. Thus, Sikhism continues to extol the equality of all human beings and to repudiate the caste system.

However, over 200 years following Guru Nanak, a number of developments took place. There was increased conflict between the Muslim rulers and the Sikhs, culminating in armed combat. As a result, Sikhism changed from being a community intended to bring peace and unity to becoming a virtual army, ready to defend itself at a moment’s notice. But that is bound to happen if someone attempts to claim one Truth while combining or uniting the pantheistic, polytheistic, and pluralistic beliefs of Hinduism with the monotheistic religion of Islam.

When Guru Gobind Singh established the order of the khalsa, a part of its requirements were certain unmistakable items of apparel. They are commonly referred to as the five K’s, based on the words for them in the Punjabi language:

1. Long, uncut hair and beard, covered with a turban (kesh).
2. A wooden comb, inserted into the hair (kanga). Together with the comb, uncut hair (gathered in a turban) shielded the skull while tying in with the yogic belief that uncut hair conserves vitality and draws it upward. The comb symbolized cleanliness and good order.
3. An iron bracelet (kara). This provided a small shield while at the same time “shackling” its wearer to God as a reminder that hands should always be in God’s service.
4. Shorts (kachara). The shorts replaced the Indian dhoti and symbolized that one was always dressed for action.
5. A sword or dagger (kirpan). Now largely symbolic, it was originally needed for self-defense.

My Final Thoughts:

Sikhs are forbidden to worship idols yet they worship the Guru Granth Sahib (a book). This religion was formed very late in our history thereby making it one of the youngest world religions. Because Sikhism is one of the youngest religions, it would need to possess a uniqueness about its core beliefs in order for it to stand apart from all others that have already been in existence for centuries. Unfortunately, Guru Nanak’s disappearance and reappearance after three days is all too similar to Jesus of the Christian faith. But that is to be expected because Islam branched off from Christianity. Furthermore, Sikhism was formed in an attempt to unite two contradicting religions in order to create peace. This religion compromises and settles for relativism rather than demanding absolute Truth.

Conclusion:

Though Sikhism rejected polytheism, it found itself in pantheism due to its keeping of the law of karma and the belief that a life lived with divine virtues would eventually lead the believer to become one with God and escape the cycle of reincarnation. Pantheism has already been rejected. However, Sikhism also attempts to claim monotheism by asserting that there is only one God. But the monotheistic God of Islam and the pantheism of Hinduism contradict each other and cannot combine. It is quite obvious that this religion was produced by human effort in order to put an end to the violence that had been experienced at that time.  And because Guru Nanak had a Hindu father and a Muslim mother, it seems as if Nanak invented an irrational religion in order to justify the contradiction between his parents and make sense of his own life. Sikhism is nothing more than a plea for peace without regard for maintaining integrity of Truth. Sikhism must be rejected as Truth and eliminated as a choice.

[ Continue the Quest: Islam ]

Hinduism

Hinduism is a word created by Westerners to encompass the dominant religious and social system of India. Traditionally, those we call Hindus refer to their religion as the dharma, which means “the way” or “the religion.”

Symbols play an important role in Hinduism, but if we were to take just one as standing for the entire religion, it would have to be the graphic representation of the sacred symbol, Om. Om is a sound that has no literal meaning but that is supposed to represent the totality of the spiritual universe. Also, the swastika can be seen in many places where Hinduism is practiced (see: Buddhism).

There are approximately 900 million Hindus in the world; however, the total number of Hindus in India is subject to controversy because it includes up to 300 million “untouchables” (dalits), who are officially counted as a part of the Hindu social structure but who are prevented from fully participating in their religion.

Hinduism began as the religion of a group of people migrating into the Indian subcontinent from Central Asia. These people were called the Aryans, but one should not confuse them with the figments of racist ideologies in the West. When the Aryans entered India around 1500 B.C., they worshipped a number of gods with animal sacrifices. The prerogative to perform the rituals belonged to the priests, called Brahmins, who recorded their prayers and sacrificial formulas in books called Vedas.

The religion of the Aryans underwent some drastic changes. One direction of change was an increase in rules and regulations propagated by the Brahmins. Eventually, a caste system developed and belief in reincarnation became an integral part of Hinduism. This early form of Hinduism is sometimes referred to as “the way of works” because it emphasized the rules and rituals demanded by the Brahmins.

Around sixth century B.C., a reaction against the all-pervasive rituals demanded by the priests led to the formation of the religions of Buddhism and Jainism, but it also led to a new understanding of Hinduism called “the way of knowledge.” The point of the religion was not to amass as many works as possible but instead to find God deep within oneself. The way of works and the way of knowledge continued to exist side by side and influenced each other.

By the eighth century A.D., a third way of practicing Hinduism came about: “the way of devotion.” The distinctive feature of this form of Hinduism is that a person focuses on one particular god or goddess, and this deity provides for the needs of the person, whether it be salvation or worldly needs. The way of devotion blended into the other two ways, and modern Hinduism combines all three.

Way of Works (Brahmanism or Vedic): Based on sacrifices and rituals

Way of Knowledge (Vedantic): Based on finding God within oneself

Way of Devotion (Bhakti): Based on a person’s relationship with a single deity

Hinduism has a large and complex set of writings that are traditionally organized into two main categories: the shruti and the smriti. The shruti are those that were ‘heard’ from the gods by holy men, called rishis, a long time ago and recorded by them. These are supposed to be the main scriptures. The smriti are supposedly of lesser importance since they are only ‘received,’ which is to say, handed down by tradition. However, because the smriti [for the most part] contains stories, they receive the greater amount of attention from most Hindus, whereas knowledge of the shruti tends to be confined to priests and scholars. Nowadays, many scholars believe that Hindu scriptures were not written down until a few hundred years ago.

The shruti contains the writings of:

• Vedas: four major works, containing hymns and sacrificial formulas
• Brahmanas: instructions for priests
• Sutras: instructions for all people
• Law of Manu: specific instructions for all Hindus
• Upanishads: philosophical meditations and mystical interpretations of the Vedas

The smriti contains the writings of:

• Mahabharata: epic describing the war between two sets of cousins
• Bhagavad-Gita: one section of the Mahabharata; a discourse by the god Krishna
• Ramayana: epic describing the efforts by the god Rama to liberate his wife Sita from an evil demon
• Puranas: stories concerning the lives and exploits of various gods

Most Hindus agree on certain concepts; however, Hinduism has no mandatory set of beliefs. I’m going to list what most Hindus agree on; however, in theory, one could be considered a good Hindu and not believe any of the following points. What people initially want is pleasure and worldly success (Path of Desire), but ultimately they will desire to travel down the Path of Renunciation and what they want then is being, knowledge, joy, and [finally] liberation (moksha) – release from the finitude that restricts us from the limitless being, consciousness, and bliss our hearts desire. Most Hindus would agree that life is hard and full of suffering and, what’s worse, when someone is done with one life of suffering, that person will have another one and another one, etc. As soon as someone is done with one life, that person is reincarnated into the next life. It does not necessarily have to be a human life either. One could come back as a bird or a worm or an insect. As a doctrine, karma means the moral law of cause and effect. The law of karma states that what you did in your previous lives has brought you to where you are in your present life; furthermore, what you do in your present life will determine your next life. Thus, Hinduism in all its forms attempts to find a way out of the seemingly never-ending cycle of reincarnation and to break the bondage of karma.

Vedantic Hinduism: The way of knowledge asserts that all human beings are living in an unreal world. There is only one true reality, which is Brahman, the spiritual being that is ultimately beyond our understanding or descriptive ability. As long as we treat the world of our experience (maya) as though it were real, we will remain hung up in this illusory cosmos and continue through the cycle of reincarnations. However, if we come to the point of realizing that deep within ourselves, deeper than our feelings and our thoughts, there is Self (atman) that is identical with Brahman, we are on our way to escaping from the bondage of the world once and for all.

Bhakti Hinduism: The way of devotion has led many Hindus to commit themselves in a special way to one particular god or goddess. Some Hindus believe that all gods are manifestations of the impersonal, ultimate Brahman, while others consider their personal god or goddess to be the supreme being. For the devotee of a specific god, the goal is to do all you can to honor and worship the god in the hopes that this deity will reciprocate with blessings. It is said that there are an estimated 300 million gods in Hinduism, but not all gods are considered to be of equal importance. The traditional three main gods of Hinduism are the following: Brahma (creator of the universe), Vishnu (the preserver), and Shiva (the destroyer). Each of the gods has a female counterpart, his shakti, who brings out his power. Vishnu is important because from time to time he incarnates himself in the world in order to restore order. His most prominent past incarnations (avatars) include Krishna and Rama.

It is Hinduism’s general conviction that the various major religions are merely alternate paths to the same goal. Many say that it is possible to climb life’s mountain from any side, but when the top is reached the trails converge. Ramakrishna said all that follows: God has made different religions. One Everlasting-Intelligent-Bliss is invoked by some as God, by some as Allah, by some as Jehovah, and by others as Brahman. Whenever there is a decline of religion in any part of the world, God sends his Saviour there. It is one and the same Saviour that, having plunged into the ocean of life, rises up in one place and is known as Krishna, and diving down again rises in another place and is known as Christ. All gods and goddesses are but various aspects of the one Absolute Brahman.

Although there is the potential for endless varieties of subgroups, there are three main schools of devotion: those who follow Vishnu as their highest god, those who are devoted to Shiva, and those whose highest deity is a goddess (A.K.A. Shaktites).

Another important means of grouping within Hinduism is the caste system. On no other score is Hinduism better known or more roundly denounced by the outside world. Primarily a set of social divisions, it also has a profound impact on the religion and is in fact enjoined by Hindu scriptures. It is said that unless unequals are separated in some way, the weak would be forced to compete against the strong across the board and would stand no chance of winning anywhere. The reasoning behind the castes is that within each caste the individual’s right are considered safer than if he/she is forced to compete against the strong. There is said to be four main castes, with some believing that there are five. The following are the four main castes along with the additional fifth caste (that is often disputed):

1. Brahmins = priests, religious leaders, teachers
2. Kshatriyas = warriors, rulers, administrators
3. Vaishyas = merchants, landowners
4. Shudras = workers, followers, unskilled laborers
5. Dalits = outcastes, untouchables

A Hindu who lives in India once explained it to me in this way: “Humans by nature are inclined (favor) to one of the four tendencies, The first is desire for knowledge that makes us become scientists, professors, researchers, etc. Such humans are called brahman. The second nature is protective, those sattvic are always ready to fight to save others like police and army, etc. They are kshatriya. The third is materialistic or business minded, that is merchants, etc. It also includes farmers. They are the vaisya. The fourth have a talent for music, plays, dance, etc. They are the one most loved by the holy father because they are most devoted to him and carry the human society forward. They are the shudras. This is the caste system and no human is outside it. Everything else you have heard of is either British lies or the mixing of class and caste, there are no dalits in this system. They are an outcome of something else and now have equal rights in society in fact more rights than others under the constitution.”

Hinduism’s specific directions for actualizing the human potential come under the heading of yoga. The word yoga derives from the same root as does the English word yoke, and yoke carries a double connotation: to unite (yoke together), and to place under disciplined training (to bring under the yoke). Both connotations are present in the Sanskrit word. Defined generally, then, yoga is a method of training designed to lead to integration, to unite the human spirit with the God who lies concealed in its deepest recesses. What is distinctive in Hinduism is the amount of attention it has devoted to identifying basic spiritual personality types and the disciplines that are most likely to work for each individual. The result is a recognition, pervading the entire religion, that there are multiple paths to God, each calling for its distinctive mode of travel. There are four basic spirituality types:

• Jnana yoga – the way through knowledge
• Bhakti yoga – the way through love
• Karma yoga – the way through work
• Raja yoga – the way through psychophysical exercises

Jnana yoga is said to be the shortest path to divine realization yet also the steepest. Because it requires a rare combination of rationality and spirituality, it is for a select few. Essential being is Being itself. The Atman (God within) must change from concept to realization. A person needs to drive a wedge between his/her skin-encapsulated ego and his/her Atman, and an aid in doing so is to think of the former in the third person.

Bhakti yoga is the most popular of the four basic paths. By and large, life is powered more by emotion and less by reason. This path seems to be opposite and contradictory to Jnana yoga’s way of knowledge. Because healthy love is out-going, the bhakta will reject all suggestions that the God one loves is oneself, even one’s deepest Self, and insist on God’s otherness. The goal is not to strive to identify with God, but to adore God with every element of his/her being.

Karma yoga is the way to God through works. You can find God in the world of everyday affairs as readily as anywhere. Throw yourself into your work with everything you have. According to Hindu doctrine, every action performed upon the external world reacts on the doer. Everything a person does for him/her private wellbeing adds another layer to the ego, only thickening and insulating that person more from God. Selfish works create callousness to the divine. The Bhagavad-Gita says, “Do without attachment the work you have to do. Surrendering all action to Me, freeing yourself from longing and selfishness, fight – unperturbed by grief.”

Raja yoga has been known in India as “the royal (raj) road to reintegration” because of the dazzling heights to which it leads. The purpose is to reach the beyond that is within. One by one, meditation will eliminate the intrusions of cravings, a troubled conscience, body, breath, and even the senses. The goal is accomplished when the subject and the object are completely merged so that the self-consciousness of the individual subject has disappeared altogether. The final climactic state occurs when samadhi is achieved. Samadhi names the state in which the human mind is completely absorbed in God. The distinctive feature of samadhi is that all of the object’s forms fall away. For forms are limiting boundaries; to be one form others must be excluded, and what is to be known in raja yoga’s final stage is without limits.

The central act of worship in Hinduism is service performed for the statues of deities both at home and in the temple. Hindus believe that the god or goddess lives inside the statue so long as it is properly cared for. This means that it has to be washed and clothed regularly and be given proper worship (puja). Also, marks on the face or the forehead can be of great significance. For one thing, frequently after a person has participated in puja at a temple, some of the crushed flower petals and ashes used in the ceremony are applied to the forehead in disk shape. Many times a devotee of a particular deity will mark his/her forehead with ashes, using the sign specific for that god. For example, devotees of Shiva mark their foreheads with three horizontal stripes, while devotees of Vishnu make two vertical lines that converge on the bridge of the nose. The common red dot seen on the forehead of female Hindus is called the bindi, which means “little drop.” Even though it can carry multiple connotations in different regions of India, most of the time the bindi tells the world, “I am Hindu, and I am a married woman.” However, for unmarried girls, the dot is black most of the time and it is intended to protect against the “evil eye.”

A Hindu temple is usually a highly decorated building dedicated to one particular deity. Regardless of who the main deity may be, many larger temples have a statue of the elephant-headed Ganesha, the “remover of obstacles,” to the right of the main deity (your left side if facing the statues). Every puja will begin by worshipping Ganesha first.

My Final Thoughts:

One thing I can certainly commend Hinduism for is that it is peaceful and nonviolent. However, Hinduism represents a broad category of religious beliefs. Hinduism is sharply separated into three schools: pantheism, polytheism, and pluralism. Some Hindus believe they need to meditate their way into total absorption with God, some Hindus believe in multiple different gods yet devote themselves to only one particular deity, and some Hindus believe that all beliefs lead to the same goal.

Pantheism is found in the last section of the Vedas, the Hindu scriptures. This final section is called the Upanishads. Because the Upanishads came at the end of each of the four Vedas, the Upanishads came to be spoken of as the Vedanta, meaning end or goal of the Vedas. The Upanishads, along with the Bhagavad-Gita, laid the foundation for Vedanta Hinduism, which is a classic example of pantheism.

There is said to be four basic paths to God in the four different ways of yoga; however, examination of the four yoga types boils the four down to only two: knowledge and love. Jnana yoga and raja yoga ultimately join together in a desire to become God whereas bhakti yoga and karma yoga ultimately join together in a desire to love others while realizing that we are not God.

Why worship Krishna or Rama if they are just avatars of Vishnu? Why not just worship Vishnu? Why worship Vishnu if he is only a preserver and not the creator? Why not just worship Brahma if he is the creator? Ganesha is the son of Shiva. So why not just worship Shiva? Why worship Ganesha at all? But if you are going to choose any one god, why wouldn’t you worship the Ultimate from which all other gods originated? The many gods worshipped is a classic example of polytheism. And because Hinduism encourages the worship of many gods, it veers them into a position where all gods would then need to be accepted. This is pluralism.

Karma plays a major role in Hinduism and therefore must be investigated thoroughly. One of the biggest reasons that people hold the belief of karma is because they believe it is just. To many people, the idea of having more than one chance at life seems to be the most equitable solution. Suffering in this life can be justified if it is really an outworking of karma from past lives. This explanation eliminates the need to make God responsible for suffering. All suffering can be explained as the just outworking of bad deeds done in former incarnations. Clearly, the most attractive aspect of reincarnation is that everyone would eventually get saved due to the many chances to live life the right way.

Reincarnation, however, is not justice. No – not at all. The innocent are not really innocent because the karma of their past lives is causing the suffering. Reincarnation doesn’t deal with justice, it simply dismisses the injustice. There is no need to take personal responsibility because one would always have another chance. But what good is another chance if one doesn’t even realize that it is another chance? Why don’t we remember any of our past mistakes if we are supposed to correct them? Is it really fair for God to punish people for the sins they don’t even remember committing?

Karma is not a moral prescription. It is a system of retribution only; it has no content to tell us what to do. It is an impersonal, amoral law of act-consequence relations. Unless something is absolutely right, nothing can be actually right; and if nothing is right (or wrong), then karma has no business punishing anyone for it. And in a pantheistic, polytheistic, and pluralistic religion such as Hinduism, there cannot be absolute Truth nor can there exist an absolute moral standard. So why punish people for some wrong if there is no moral standard of right and wrong?

Reincarnation is ultimately anti-humanitarian. Philanthropy ends up contradicting the purpose of karma. According to traditional Hindu belief, anyone who helps those who suffer is not increasing the karma of those being helped – it only increases the karma of the people who are doing the act of helping. People suffer to work off their karmic debt, and if you help them, then they will have to come back again and suffer even more to work off that debt.

Also, if reincarnation were correct, society should be improving; however, there is no evidence that such moral progress is being made. All we have improved is the means by which we can manifest hate, cruelty, racism, and barbarism toward other human beings. Reincarnation has failed as a solution to the problem of evil.

Conclusion:

Hinduism is pantheistic and lacks an objective moral standard. Hinduism is polytheistic and it does not account for either ultimate causality or ultimate unity, which is needed to explain a diverse, changing universe. Hinduism is pluralistic and allows multiple contradictory beliefs in order to obtain its truth. Pantheism, polytheism, and pluralism have all been rejected and eliminated; therefore, it simply follows that Hinduism must be rejected as Truth and eliminated as a choice.

However, in my investigation, I have concluded Christianity to be Truth. Click here to see why: Why I Am A Christian.

Purity

(Matthew 5:8) –GW
“Blessed are those whose thoughts are pure. They will see God.”

(Proverbs 25:4) –MSG
“Remove impurities from the silver and the silversmith can craft a fine chalice.”

Purity is commendable. What person commends another for his/her lack of purity? What element is desired to be impure? It should be our goal to remove impurities. Silver (or gold or diamonds for that matter), would not be as valuable or desirable as they are without the process that removes impurities. Why? Purity is beautiful. Is a diamond desired unless it meets the four C’s during inspection? The inspector examines the diamond for Cut, Clarity, Color, and Carat. The purity determines the quality.

Ponder on this: pure silver has the highest electrical and thermal conductivity of all metals. That means that the conductivity is reliable. People desire to use pure silver on circuit boards when they need the circuit board to work right the first time and every time. Remove impurities from your life so you can be conducive to GOD’s will for your life and the lives of others. To be as pure as possible, we need only to be in alignment with GOD’s will, which can be discerned by knowing GOD’s Word. The better you are aligned with GOD’s will, the more pure you become; therefore, your conductivity grows greater and greater. Those who follow GOD’s Word are better equipped to receive GOD’s directions; those who are better equipped to receive GOD’s directions are less likely to get lost.

(Ecclesiastes 10:1) –MSG
“Dead flies in perfume make it stink, and a little foolishness decomposes much wisdom.”

The bad contaminates what is good. A person desires his/her drinking water to be pure, right? Would you purchase purified water and then pour dirt in it right before you drink it? Would you put moldy bread in with fresh baked bread? Would you put your kitty cat in a coyote’s den? Good and bad don’t belong together. Good that is surrounded by bad stands a great chance of becoming bad. Picture purified water as the good in your life. Now picture just a single drop of food coloring as something that is bad. If you were to drip food coloring into purified water, that food coloring would spread and soon the water would no longer be clear. The bad contaminates the good. Did you know that GOD calls your sex life to be pure as well? Are you filling your body with contaminates? Are you filling your mind with impure thoughts? Is your house infested with mold? What impurities do you need to remove from your life today?  May the following Scriptures help guide you with your future decisions:

(Philippians 4:8) –NLT
“And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.”

(Leviticus 20:7-8) –NLT
“So set yourselves apart to be holy, for I am the Lord your God. Keep all my decrees by putting them into practice, for I am the Lord who makes you holy.”

(Ezekiel 44:23) –AMP
“The priests shall teach My people the difference between the holy and the common or profane, and cause them to distinguish between the unclean and the clean.”

(Matthew 5:28) –NIV
“But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”

(Matthew 5:28) –MSG
“Your heart can be corrupted by lust even quicker than your body. Those leering looks you think nobody notices—they also corrupt.”

(John 8:34) –NLT
“Jesus replied, ‘I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave of sin.’ ”

(1Corinthians 6:18-19) –GW
“Stay away from sexual sins. Other sins that people commit don’t affect their bodies the same way sexual sins do. People who sin sexually sin against their own bodies. Don’t you know that your body is a temple that belongs to the Holy Spirit? The Holy Spirit, whom you received from God, lives in you. You don’t belong to yourselves.”

(1Corinthians 6:16-20) –MSG
“There’s more to sex than mere skin on skin. Sex is as much spiritual mystery as physical fact. As written in Scripture, “The two become one.” Since we want to become spiritually one with the Master, we must not pursue the kind of sex that avoids commitment and intimacy, leaving us more lonely than ever—the kind of sex that can never “become one.” There is a sense in which sexual sins are different from all others. In sexual sin we violate the sacredness of our own bodies, these bodies that were made for God-given and God-modeled love, for “becoming one” with another. Or didn’t you realize that your body is a sacred place, the place of the Holy Spirit? Don’t you see that you can’t live however you please, squandering what God paid such a high price for? The physical part of you is not some piece of property belonging to the spiritual part of you. God owns the whole works. So let people see God in and through your body.”

(1Thessalonians 4:3-7) –GW
“It is God’s will that you keep away from sexual sin as a mark of your devotion to him. Each of you should know that finding a husband or wife for yourself is to be done in a holy and honorable way, not in the passionate, lustful way of people who don’t know God. No one should take advantage of or exploit other believers that way. The Lord is the one who punishes people for all these things. We’ve already told you and warned you about this. God didn’t call us to be sexually immoral but to be holy.”

(2Corinthians 6:14-16) –GW
“Stop forming inappropriate relationships with unbelievers. Can right and wrong be partners? Can light have anything in common with darkness? Can Christ agree with the devil? Can a believer share life with an unbeliever? Can God’s temple contain false gods? Clearly, we are the temple of the living God. As God said, ‘I will live and walk among them. I will be their God, and they will be my people.’ ” —[Leviticus 26:12; Jeremiah 32:38; Ezekiel 37:27]

(2Timothy 2:21) –NLT
“If you keep yourself pure, you will be a special utensil for honorable use. Your life will be clean, and you will be ready for the Master to use you for every good work.”

(Matthew 15:11) –NLT
“It’s not what goes into your mouth that defiles you; you are defiled by the words that come out of your mouth.”

(Proverbs 20:1) –GW
“Wine makes people mock, liquor makes them noisy, and everyone under their influence is unwise.”

(Proverbs 31:4) –NLT
“It is not for kings, O Lemuel, to guzzle wine. Rulers should not crave alcohol.”

(Hosea 4:11) –ERV
“Sexual sins, strong drink, and new wine ruin a person’s ability to think straight.”

(Micah 2:11) –CEV
“The only prophet you want is a liar who will say, ‘Drink and get drunk!’ ”

(Habakkuk 2:15) –AMP
“Woe to him who gives his neighbors drink, who pours out your bottle to them and adds to it your poisonous and blighting wrath and also makes them drunk, that you may look on their stripped condition and pour out foul shame [on their glory]!”

(Amos 2:12) –NLT
“But you caused the Nazirites to sin by making them drink wine, and you commanded the prophets, ‘Shut up!’”

In Genesis 9:20-25, Noah lost control and made a big mistake due to alcohol.

In Genesis 19:31-36, Lot was deceived and impregnated his  own daughters because he was drunk and unable to think clearly.

(Numbers 6:2-3) –NLT
“If any of the people, either men or women, take the special vow of a Nazirite, setting themselves apart to the Lord in a special way, they must give up wine and other alcoholic drinks.”

(Luke 1:14-16) –GW
“He [John the Baptist] will be your pride and joy, and many people will be glad that he was born. As far as the Lord is concerned, he will be a great man. He will never drink wine or any other liquor. He will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born. He will bring many people in Israel back to the Lord their God.”

(Judges 13:3-4) –GW
“The Messenger of the Lord appeared to her [Manoah] and said, ‘You’ve never been able to have a child, but now you will become pregnant and have a son [Samson]. Now you must be careful. Don’t drink any wine or liquor or eat any unclean food.’ ”

(Isaiah 28:7) –GW
“Priests and prophets stagger from wine and wobble from too much liquor. They stagger from too much liquor and become confused from too much wine. They wobble because of their liquor. They stagger when they see visions. They swerve as they judge.”