Published in the United States of America by Cherry Lake Publishing Ann Arbor Michigan www cherrylakepublishing com Content Adviser Sikh Society of Michigan Reading Adviser Marla Conn MS Ed Literacy specialist Read-Ability Inc Photo Credits szefei Shutterstock cover 1 6 Infinite Graphics Shutterstock 5 Karve Shutterstock 8 pandora64 Shutterstock 10 Serban Bogdan Shutterstock 13 Fat Jackey Shutterstock 14 saiko3p Shutterstock 16 Dima Fadeev Shutterstock 19 Anton_Ivanov Shutterstock 21 reddees Shutterstock 22 Dmitry Kalinovsky Shutterstock 24 northallerton Shutterstock 26 Don Mammoser Shutterstock 27 India Picture Shutterstock 28 Copyright 2017 by Cherry Lake Publishing All rights reserved No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means without written permission from the publisher Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data on file Cherry Lake Publishing would like to acknowledge the work of the Partnership for 21st Century Learning Please visit www p21 org for more information Printed in the United States of America Corporate Graphics ABOUT THE AUTHOR Katie Marsico is the author of more than 200 children’s books She lives in a suburb of Chicago Illinois with her husband and children
TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER 1 History Roots of the Religion 4 CHAPTER 2 Geography Mapping How Faith Formed 12 CHAPTER 3 Civics Organization and Ideas 18 CHAPTER 4 Economics Funding a Faith 25 THINK ABOUT IT 30 FOR MORE INFORMATION 31 GLOSSARY 32 INDEX 32
CHAPTER 1 History Roots of the Religion Since people began recording history they have written about the idea of a power greater than themselves Thousands of years later various beliefs in this power continue to shape both individual lives and entire cultures Religion is the system people use to organize such beliefs as well as faith traditions and rules for worship How Sikhism Was Started Sikhism is an example of a major world religion It is monotheistic or based on the idea that there is only one true God Sikhs or people who practice Sikhism focus on performing good deeds as a way to love humanity They believe this is a more important part of their faith than forcing members to observe strict religious rituals One of their main goals is to 4 21st century skills library
Guru Nanak was the founder of Sikhism always keep God in their heart and mind Other goals involve demonstrating honesty hard work equality generosity and service They try to earn honest livings and always share with the needy The history of Sikhism traces back to Punjab Hundreds of years ago this region was made up of what are now northern India and Pakistan Historians say Sikhism developed in Punjab in about 1500 CE It was founded by Nanak who lived from 1469 to 1539 Nanak was born into a family that practiced hinduism but he rejected it He also studied other religions including islam Global Citizens World Religions 5 55
