Ask Religion Experts: Does it bother you more when it is a ‘religious’ person who behaves improperly

The Ottawa Citizen
May 13, 2012 11:01 AM

BALPREET SINGH is legal counsel and acting executive director for the World Sikh Organization of Canada.

People who are identified as “religious” are expected to live up to a higher standard of moral conduct and perhaps rightly so.

When I was younger, I was the only student in my school with a turban. I knew I stood out. My parents told me that how I behaved would reflect not just on myself but also on the turban I wore and my Sikh identity. Every time I looked in a mirror I was reminded that I was representing something greater than just myself and as a result I worked harder and tried to be on my best behaviour.

Sikhs wear their articles of faith, like the turban, as a public declaration of their faith. The Sikh identity is a daily reminder of the principles of devotion, equality and justice. The articles of faith are also worn so that others can also identify a Sikh in a crowd as being a friend in times of need. Every Sikh who wears the articles of faith is expected to uphold the values they stand for and as a result, a certain level of implicit trust is afforded to someone who carries the Sikh identity.

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More at the link from a Muslim, a humanist, a Bahá’í, a Buddhist, a Rabbi, and a Catholic priest.