There has been much scholarly debate as to the origin of the term paganism, especially since no one before the 20th century self-identified as a pagan.
Once the Abrahamic religions started to become more widely adopted (in processes known as Christianization and Islamization), various names to describe those who did not adhere to them started to develop; some of these included Hellen, pagan, and heathen, and at times these names were used as slurs. In the 19th century, paganism was re-adopted as a self-descriptor by members of …show more content…
The fundamental beliefs of Sikhism, articulated in the sacred scripture Guru Granth Sahib, include faith and meditation on the name of the one creator, unity and equality of all humankind, engaging in selfless service, striving for social justice for the benefit and prosperity of all, and honest conduct and livelihood while living a householder's life.Being one of the youngest amongst the major world religions, with 25-28 million adherents worldwide, Sikhism is the ninth-largest religion in the world.
Sikhism is based on the spiritual teachings of Guru Nanak, the first Guru,[9]and the ten successive Sikh gurus. After the death of the tenth Guru, Guru Gobind Singh, the Sikh scripture, Guru Granth Sahib, became the literal embodiment of the eternal, impersonal Guru, where the scripture's word serves as the spiritual guide for …show more content…
Two of the Sikh gurus – Guru Arjan and Guru Tegh Bahadur, after they refused to convert to Islam, were tortured and executed by the Mughal rulers.[24][25] The Islamic era persecution of Sikhs triggered the founding of the Khalsa, as an order