A very good and fair introduction, Rex!
There are only a few minor points that I would like to add.
Sometimes you will see "Ji" added after a name or a title, as in Guruji or Guru Nanak Dev Ji. That is a term of respect, also used for "ordinary" people. "Dev" means god, but is use as a honorific for gurus as well.
Often the Sikh introductory ceremony is called a "baptism" even by Sikhs. It should not be confused with the Christian baptism and the theories surrounding it. Also, to call the gurdwara a "temple" is as inappropriate as "Sikh church" or "Sikh mosque" would be. Any suitable building or room in a domestic dwelling may be a gurdwara, the only requirement being that it contains a copy of the Guru Granth Sahib, treated with due respect. Large gurdwaras may house a kitchen, school facilities, a bank for Sikhs etc.
What is rather unique for Sikhism is the tolerance, in theory and in practice. A person of any caste or gender may, for example, be the main caretaker of a gurdwara (there are no priests or similar titles). The SGGS is full of sayings promoting equality; even the Nam is sometimes referred to as "our father and mother". I find no other major religion matching this equality (I don't know enough of the Bahá'í religion to judge them from this perspective). Sikhs were among the first, if not the very first in India, to condemn female infanticide, the practice of burning widows and giving of dowries.
A very condensed statement of Sikh morality is "Nam japna, kirt karna, vand chakna", meaning "Praise God, do your work (honestly and diligently), give to those in need".
On the practical side, the rules you will have to observe when visiting a gurdwara are stated above as "cover your head, remove shoes, no smoking or drinking intoxicants." I would like to add that acceptable headgear will normally be on loan, and you shouldn't even be carrying tobacco.
A Sikhism site with lots of information is http://www.sikhs.org/
There are only a few minor points that I would like to add.
Sometimes you will see "Ji" added after a name or a title, as in Guruji or Guru Nanak Dev Ji. That is a term of respect, also used for "ordinary" people. "Dev" means god, but is use as a honorific for gurus as well.
Often the Sikh introductory ceremony is called a "baptism" even by Sikhs. It should not be confused with the Christian baptism and the theories surrounding it. Also, to call the gurdwara a "temple" is as inappropriate as "Sikh church" or "Sikh mosque" would be. Any suitable building or room in a domestic dwelling may be a gurdwara, the only requirement being that it contains a copy of the Guru Granth Sahib, treated with due respect. Large gurdwaras may house a kitchen, school facilities, a bank for Sikhs etc.
What is rather unique for Sikhism is the tolerance, in theory and in practice. A person of any caste or gender may, for example, be the main caretaker of a gurdwara (there are no priests or similar titles). The SGGS is full of sayings promoting equality; even the Nam is sometimes referred to as "our father and mother". I find no other major religion matching this equality (I don't know enough of the Bahá'í religion to judge them from this perspective). Sikhs were among the first, if not the very first in India, to condemn female infanticide, the practice of burning widows and giving of dowries.
A very condensed statement of Sikh morality is "Nam japna, kirt karna, vand chakna", meaning "Praise God, do your work (honestly and diligently), give to those in need".
On the practical side, the rules you will have to observe when visiting a gurdwara are stated above as "cover your head, remove shoes, no smoking or drinking intoxicants." I would like to add that acceptable headgear will normally be on loan, and you shouldn't even be carrying tobacco.
A Sikhism site with lots of information is http://www.sikhs.org/
slight error: 