PRIEST IN SIKHISM
Priest is a person who has the authority to perform rituals (religious rites) of a particular religion and has duty to administer the affairs of a temple. In some religions, he has authority and power to administer rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity (or deities). Some respect him as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more gods or God.
In Christianity, there are many grades of priests e.g. Pastor, Father, clergy, priest etc. In Islam it is Maulavi (Mulla); earlier there was office of Khalifa (who was regarded as an agent between man and God). In Hinduism, it is pujari (who perfoems rituals) who is at the lowest level and ‘jagadguru’ ‘shankracharya’ at the highest level. In Budhism it is Dalai Lama.
There is no priestly class in Sikhism. Any Sikh, male or female, can perform services in a Gurdwara. Similarly, there are no missionaries (as a class) in Sikhism.
Partly due to busy life and/or for the sake of convenience and partly because of lack of religious information with a common Sikh, some persons are being appointed as Bhai (literally: brother) or Granthi (one who can read and interpret Guru Granth Sahib, and, can sing hymns). But Bhai or Giani has no special status like Christian clergy or the Muslim Mullah or the Hindu Pujari.
Similarly, there is no class of ‘sant’(saint as a class) in Sikhism. In the twentieth century, several such people have emerged who call themselves (or love to be called) sant but it is an unSikh-like class. In Guru Granth Sahib, the term Sant has been used only for God. According to Sikh philosophy, there can be no agent in between man and God. This sant–dom is an intrusion from Hinduism and it has harmed the Sikhs a lot.
(Dr Harjinder Singh Dilgeer)