Zoroastrianism Overview History Principles Of Zoroastrianism

Central to Zoroastrianism is the world's constant struggle between Good and Evil. In the beginning of creation, the Supreme God (" Ahura Mazda") created two twin spirits for good (" Spenta Mainyu ") and for evil (" Angra MainyuAngra Mainyu or Ahriman was the "evil spirit" in the dualistic strain of Zoroastrianism. Angra Mainyu is the adversary of Ahura Mazda, the god of good. The name does not occur in the Old Persian inscriptions. In the Avesta he is called the twin-brother of" or " Ahriman"). Men are free to choose the path of either spirit. The path of good or righteousness (" Asha ") will lead to happiness (" Ushta "), whereas the path of evil will lead to unhappiness, enmity, and war. Therefore, it's strongly encouraged that one chooses Asha. This philosophy is symbolized in one of the religion's main mottos: "Good thoughts, Good Words, Good Deeds." Note that the twin spirits are not regarded as physical beings, but abstract emanations that exist in a person's mind.

With the duality of good and evil comes the concepts of HeavenThe heavens are the sky, the celestial sphere, or outer space. Indeed, sky is the original meaning of the word Heaven''. Heaven is an afterlife concept found in many world religions or spiritual philosophies. Those who believe in heaven generally hold tha, HellHell is, according to many religious beliefs about the afterlife, a place of torment, of great weeping and gnashing of teeth. The English word 'hell' comes from the Norse Hel', which originally referred to the goddess of the Norse underworld. In most reli and the Final Day. After death, a person's soul crosses a bridge (" Chinvato Peretu ") on which its good deeds are weighed against its bad deeds. The soul reaches heaven or falls to hell based on the outcome. When evil is finally defeated on the Final Day, the world will be purified by a bath of molten metal and the souls of sinners will be released from hell.

2 History

By the 6th century5th century — 6th century — 7th century — other centuries) Events The first academy of the east the Academy of Gundeshapur founded in Persia by the Persian Shah Khosrau I. Irish colonists and invaders, the Scots, began migrating to Caledonia (later known, Zoroastrianism had spread to northern ChinaThis article is on the geographic and cultural entity. For other meanings, see China (disambiguation). China ( Traditional Chinese: , Simplified Chinese: , Hanyu Pinyin: Zhongguo, Wade-Giles: Chung-kuo) is a country in continental East Asia with some oute via the Silk Road, gaining official status in a number of Chinese states. Zoroastrian temples still remained in Kaifeng and Zhenjiang as late as the 1130s, but by the 13th century the religion had faded from prominence in China.

In the 7th century, the Zoroastrian Sassanid dynasty was conquered by Muslim Arabs, and Zoroastrians were awarded the status of People of the Book by the Caliph Omar, although some practices contrary to Islam were prohibited, such as sibling marriages. Before this took place, however, thousands of Zoroastrian priests were executed, hundreds of temples destroyed, and religious texts burnt. Further, the use of the ancient Avestan as well as Persian languages was prohibited. Islamic invaders attempted to distort the teaching of Zardusht by presenting Zoroastrianism as polytheistic cult thus facilitating the annihilation of the Iranian culture and its peoples.

Arab invasion and the subsequent repression by Islamic authorities left the deepest scar in this ancient monotheistic faith that was once dominant in a region stretching from Anatolia to Persian Gulf and Central Asia. The Persecution of Zoroastrians by Muslim rulers of theocratic Iran continued after the Arabs left; even today, however, one can find Zoroastrian communities living and practicing their faith in Iran despite persecution.

In the 8th century, Zoroastrians fled to India in large numbers, where they were given refuge by Jadav Rana , a Hindu king of Sanjan (the modern-day province of Gujarat) on condition that they abstain from missionary activities and marry only in their community. Although these strictures are centuries old, Parsis of the 21st century still do not accept converts and are endogamous. The Parsis of India speak a dialect of Gujarati.

Unlike most other religions, the Zoroastrian faith has been tolerant and supportive of other faiths, even when holding positions of power.

It is widely believed that the Three Wise Men said to have borne gifts for Jesus of Nazareth were Zoroastrian Magi. The Achaemenid Persian Kings Xerxes and Darius had previously assisted the Jews in rebuilding their temple at Jerusalem.

3 Principles of Zoroastrianism

Some major Zoroastrian concepts:

Equality of gender. Men and women are equal in all manners within society.
Cleanliness of the environment. Nature is central to the practice of Zoroastrianism and many important Zoroastrian annual festivals are in celebration of nature: new year on the first day of spring, the water festival in summer, the autumn festival at the end of the season, and the mid-winter fire festival.
Hard work and charity. Laziness and sloth are frowned on. Charity is regarded as a good deed, where Zoroastrians part with a little of what would otherwise be their own.
Condemnation of oppression toward human beings, cruelty against animals and sacrifice of animals. Equality of all humans regardless of race or religion and respect of everything on Earth and in the world is central to the religion.
The symbol of fire. The energy of the creator is represented in Zoroastrianism by fire and the sun which are both enduring, radiant, pure and life sustaining. Zoroastrians usually pray in front of some form of fire (or any source of light). It's important to note that fire is not worshipped by Zoroastrians, but is used simply as symbology and a point of focus, much like the wooden cross in Christianity.

Other concepts:

Inter-religious marriages and recruiting. Traditionally, Zoroastrians are strongly encouraged to marry others of the same faith. Those who marry followers of other religions are no longer considered Zoroastrians. However, with the globalization of modern society and the dwindling number of Zoroastrians, these rules are being enforced increasingly less often. Furthermore, the only way to become a Zoroastrian is to be born within a Zoroastrian family. This rule is also debated quite often.
Death and burial. Religious rituals related to death are all concerned with the person's soul and not the body. Upon death, a person's soul leaves the body after three days and the body becomes just an empty shell. In ancient times, Zoroastrians disposed of the dead's body by leaving it in open-topped enclosures where it would be eaten by vultures. This was hygienic and ecologically-sound, and simply the preferred method of disposal at the time, not a religious ritual. Modern Zoroastrians have changed with society and dispose of their dead through burial or cremation, just like in most other religions.

4 Adherents

Small Zoroastrian communities survive in Iran and in India (where they are called Parsis or Parsees), totalling approximately 250,000 followers. Iranian Zoroastrians are called Gabar s (a name deriving from the Arabic word kaffir meaning infidel), but this is a pejorative term. Some Zoroastrians in Yazd and Kerman still speak an Iranian language distinct from Persian. They call their language Dari (not to be confused with the Dari of Afghanistan). Their language is also called Gabri or Behdinan. Sometimes their language is named for the cities in which they are spoken, Yazdi or Kermani.

Small but fast growing Zoroastrian communities exist in large cities in the United States, England, Australia, and Canada. Since the early 1990s, new Zoroastrian congregations have also been founded in Brazil, Venezuela, Germany, Sweden and the republics of Central Asia. Inspired by the missionary organization The Zarathushtrian Assembly, based in Los Angeles, California, and in line with Zoroaster's original teachings, these congregations have, contrary to the Indian Parsis, quite happily accepted hundreds of converts.

5 Famous Zoroastrians

One of the most famous Zoroastrians is the late Freddie Mercury, the frontman of the group Queen. He was given a traditional Zoroastrian funeral after he died of AIDS on the 24th of November, 1991. The following year another international pop star, Alexander Bard from the band Army Of Lovers , converted in Gothenburg, Sweden, and became one of the founders of the Swedish Zoroastrian congregation, currently the largest in Europe. Famous Indian Parsis include symphonic conductor Zubin Mehta, philosopher and nuclear scientist Homi Bhaba , and the Tata and Godrej industrial families.

6 See also

7 External links

Zoroastrianism

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