In contrast to Nirankari, Namdhari, and Khalsa Sikhs, Sanatan Sikhs considered images and idols of the ten Sikh gurus, as well as others, to be an inclusive practice and acceptable means of devotional worship. According to Tony Ballantyne, the Sanatan Sikhs were spiritually sympathetic to the worship of idols and images, rural traditions and to respecting Hindu scriptures. Their views have been dismissed by the vast majority of Sikh scholars, and labeled and shunned as "Hindu saboteurs" and of being "conspiratorial".
