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Unlock This CourseIn Childlessness, Fertility Treatment and Genetic Engineering and Contraception, Celibacy, Adoption and Fostering you met the general ideas, the law and non-religious views. Here we look at what Sikhs believe. In Marriage and the Householder (Gristhi) in Sikhism you saw that having a family is a normal part of the Sikh way of life.
Sikhs see children as a gift from God. Many couples are delighted to have a family and pray with thanks when a child is born. But Sikhs also believe that everything happens within God's will (hukam), as you saw in Hukam, Karma and Free Will in Sikhism. So when a couple cannot have children, Sikhs teach acceptance of God's will. A childless couple is not being punished, and nobody should blame the wife or the husband. They are still full members of the sangat, and they can live a good Sikh life through honest work, worship and sewa (selfless service). The sangat (the Sikh community) still welcomes them.
Many couples still feel sad and may want to try for a child. Sikhs do not see that wish as wrong. They hope for a family, and they also accept what God gives.
Sikhism has no teaching against medicine, and Sikhs believe that a doctor's skill can be used to serve others. So treatment to help a married couple have a child is widely accepted. Many Sikhs use treatments such as IVF where the couple's own egg and sperm are used.
Sikh views are more varied when a donor is involved. Some Sikhs accept donor eggs or sperm, because the aim is to give the couple a family and the child is raised within the marriage. Others are uneasy, because a third person is involved in creating the child. There is no single ruling that all Sikhs follow.
The same approach is used for genetic engineering. Sikhs welcome its use to cure or prevent disease, because relieving suffering is a form of service. They are against using it to change humans out of vanity, for example to choose looks or ability. This goes against the Sikh teaching that pride (haumai) leads people away from God, and it treats a child as a product rather than a gift.
The Guru Granth Sahib does not forbid contraception, and the Sikh code of conduct (the Rehat Maryada), a guide to Sikh daily life and practice, does not ban it. So the decision is seen as a matter for the couple's conscience. Many Sikh couples use contraception to plan the size of their family, to look after the health of the mother, or because of the cost of bringing up children. Sikhs would add that the couple should think carefully and honestly. They should not use contraception out of greed or selfishness, or to avoid the duties of being parents, because family life is where Sikhs are meant to live out their faith.
In many religions, some people choose celibacy and become monks or nuns. Sikhism rejects celibacy. There are no Sikh monks, nuns or celibate priests.
Guru Nanak met ascetics, holy men who had left their homes and families to live alone, believing this was the way to reach God. He criticised them. He taught that God is found in everyday life, not by running away from the world.
Sikhs are expected to marry, earn an honest living and share with others. After his travels Guru Nanak settled and farmed at Kartarpur, and most of the later Gurus were married.
Another reason is that a celibate life does not remove the five thieves (see Maya, Manmukh and Haumai). Someone can leave the world and still be full of pride. Sikhs say it takes more discipline to live with others, raise a family and still remember God, than to avoid the challenge. Sikhs value self-control and faithfulness inside marriage, but they do not value celibacy as a higher path.
Because Sikhs value family life and care for others, adopting or fostering a child who has no family is welcomed. It can be seen as sewa, selfless service, as it gives a child love, a home and a chance in life. Sikhs may also see it as a good answer for a childless couple, since they can become parents without fertility treatment. Sikhs would want the child to be loved and raised well.
Paper 1 (a) [3 marks, AO1]: Identify three Sikh attitudes to childlessness, fertility treatment or celibacy.
1. Children are a gift from God (1). 2. Treatment to help a married couple to conceive is widely accepted (1). 3. Sikhs reject celibacy (1).
Paper 1 (b) [4 marks, AO1]: Choose one religion. Outline two teachings about childlessness in this religion.
Sikhs teach that children are a gift from God (1), so they are not owed to anyone, and a couple without children should not be blamed (1). Sikhs also teach that everything happens within God's will, or hukam (1), so a childless couple should accept it and can still serve others in sewa (1).
Paper 1 (c) [6 marks, AO1 and AO2]: Choose one religion. Explain why celibacy is rejected in this religion.
Sikhs reject celibacy because they believe God is found in everyday life, not by leaving the world. Guru Nanak criticised the ascetics who left their families, and he showed another way by settling at Kartarpur and working for his living. This is the householder ideal, which means a Sikh should marry, earn an honest living and share with others. For this reason there are no Sikh monks, nuns or celibate priests. Sikhs also believe that a person can leave the world and still be full of pride, so celibacy does not make someone holier. Living in a family, controlling the five thieves and still remembering God is seen as a greater challenge, which means family life is the way to serve God.
Paper 1 (d) [12 marks, AO1 and AO2]: "Celibacy is the best way to serve God." Evaluate this statement, showing you have considered different points of view. In your answer you should refer to at least one religion.
For: a celibate person has more time and freedom to pray and serve others, with no family duties; self-discipline is valued in many religions, and monks and nuns in other traditions give their lives to God.
Against: Sikhs reject celibacy; Guru Nanak criticised the ascetics who left the world, and the householder ideal says God is found in family life; living with others tests a person more, and the family can do sewa together; many people, religious or not, find a good marriage and children give life meaning.
Possible conclusion: celibacy may suit some people in some religions, but for Sikhs the best way to serve God is through the householder's life. Judge each argument and give a clear final decision.
In a "Choose one religion" question, name the religion and use its own words, such as hukam, sewa or the householder ideal. Then say why it matters. Plain description stays in the lower level.