Life's Origins and Sanctity

In Sikh belief, the soul is universal in all living beings. Humans are therefore not the only beings with a spiritual connection to God. The belief in one all-pervading God connects human life with other life, rather than placing animals entirely outside spiritual concern.

This has an important consequence: recognising the divine presence in living beings gives a reason to respect life beyond our own species. At the same time, human life has a particular spiritual opportunity—the ability to follow the Guru’s teachings consciously and seek closeness to God. Valuing that opportunity does not mean that other living beings lack a soul or have no worth.

Guru Granth Sahib 441: the purpose of human life

Guru Granth Sahib 441 describes an “outgoing, wandering soul” which, on meeting the True Guru, opens the “Tenth Gate”. It concludes that “the wandering soul becomes steady, and comes to dwell in the home of its own self”.

The passage uses spiritual imagery. The wandering soul suggests a life without spiritual direction; becoming steady suggests finding that direction through the Guru’s guidance. The Tenth Gate represents spiritual awakening, not a literal doorway in the body. The references to nectar and celestial music express spiritual fulfilment, while merging “in Truth” points towards unity with God.

The passage therefore helps explain why human life is valuable in Sikh belief: it offers the opportunity for the soul to recognise its relationship with God. Life’s purpose is more than satisfying physical desires or gaining possessions.

Darwin: evolution through natural selection

A non-religious explanation of human origins draws on evolution: living populations change over many generations. Charles Darwin published On the Origin of Species in 1859, explaining evolution through natural selection. His observations of animals and birds on the Galápagos Islands helped him develop his ideas about how organisms become suited to different environments.

Natural selection begins with variation: members of a species are not identical. Some differences are inherited. If a particular characteristic helps an organism survive and reproduce in its environment, it is more likely to be passed to offspring. Over many generations, that characteristic can become more common.

For example, suppose birds vary in beak shape. If one shape makes the available food easier to eat, birds with that inherited shape may leave more offspring. The population can gradually change without the birds deciding to change their beaks. Evolution places humans within the history of animal life, rather than treating them as biologically separate from it.

Dawkins: an atheist interpretation of human origins

Richard Dawkins is a scientist and atheist who strongly supports Darwin’s explanation of evolution. He argues that natural processes can explain the development of complex life without a creator God directing it towards a planned outcome. He also rejects the belief that humans possess an immortal soul given by God.

For Dawkins, humans are evolved animals, not beings granted a separate divine status. This differs from Sikh belief in God as the source of life and in the soul’s spiritual relationship with God. Rejecting a God-given soul does not, however, mean that a person must regard life as worthless.

Comparing the explanations

Evolution explains how inherited characteristics change across generations. Sikh teachings address life’s divine origin, spiritual purpose and sacred value. Dawkins argues that evolution removes the need for a creator; a religious response can argue that explaining a natural process does not by itself settle whether God exists or gives life a purpose.

The central distinction is therefore between the scientific mechanism of evolution and the wider conclusions people draw from it. Darwin’s explanation and Dawkins’s atheism are connected, but they are not the same claim.

• God is the source of bodies and souls through hukam.
• Life is sacred because it comes from God; its worth does not depend on status or usefulness.
• The soul is present in all living beings, not only humans.
• Human life offers an opportunity to follow the Guru and seek unity with God.

Scriptural authority

Guru Granth Sahib 441: the “wandering soul becomes steady” through meeting the True Guru. Link this to spiritual guidance, awakening and the purpose of human life.

Darwin and Dawkins

• Darwin: On the Origin of Species, 1859; evolution through natural selection.
• Mechanism: inherited variation → different chances of survival and reproduction → characteristics become more common over generations.
• Dawkins: supports evolution, rejects a planned creation by God and a God-given immortal soul; humans are evolved animals.

Essential distinction

Evolution explains biological change. Dawkins’s atheism is a wider interpretation. Sikh belief adds divine origin, spiritual purpose and sanctity; a natural explanation alone does not settle those questions.