Post by Rakehel on May 10, 2021 9:56:01 GMT -5
Zoroastrianism
01-02-06, 08:20 AM
Brief History
Founded in Persia around 1200 BC by the prophet Zoroaster (Zarathustra). World’s oldest religion still practicing monotheistic beliefs. Scholars believe that Zoroastrian doctrines have influenced the Jewish and Christian religions. (heaven-hell, good-sin, messiah.)
Bombay, India is home to leaders of the current Zoroastrian hierarchy and decision making body. It is believed that there are a few thousand followers, mostly in India.There are priests to preside over worship and rites.
Membership Requirements
Requirements for joining the religion have been the subject of controversial debate. The current prevailing view is that one must be born into the religion. Converts are not allowed. Followers have dwindled over the years, however, and there has been a push within the Zoroastrian community to accept converts.
Beliefs
The main tenet of belief is of two conflicting forces. Ahura-Mazda is the supreme force of good, and Ahriman is the force of evil. Time is divided into three ages: creation, the present era of good and evil, and the era to come. Ahura-Mazda will eventually prevail and banish evildoers in the “era to come.†The good will go to heaven. There is belief in Hell, but it is thought to be only a temporary place. Sinners are cleansed by fire there.
Worship of Ahura-Mazda is conducted through the sacred fire, believed to contain his presence. Scholars have debated whether Moses was Zoroastrian. The predicted appearance of the Sayoshant (Savior), will usher in the final judgement of humankind, resurrect the faithful and defeat evil for eternity. The savior will descend from Zoraster’s family line, and be born of a virgin.
Five daily prayers, preceded by ablutions are required of all believers over seven years old. A sacred cord (kushti) is usually retied around the waist with each prayer. Physical cleanliness is very important.
The Vendidad, the last book of the Avestas, contains Zoroastrian civil and religious law. It is quite complex and covers subjects as diverse as the way prayers are to be recited to the treatment of dogs, the sacred animals to Ahuru-Mazda. Scriptures are the Avestas. Temples are used for worship. The Sacred Flame is the Zoroastrian religious symbol, having given credence to the myth that Zoroastrians worship fire. There are no religious holidays.
Zoroastrianism, Zoroaster, Zarathusthra, Zarathustra
{zoh - roh - as' - tree - uhn - izm}
General Information
During the 7th and 6th centuries BC the ancient polytheistic religion of the Iranians was reformed and given new dimensions by the prophet Zoroaster (or Zarathusthra). Zoroaster's life dates have been traditionally given as (c. 628 - 551 BC), but many scholars argue for earlier dates. Linguistic evidence suggests that he was born in northeastern Iran, but the prophet's message was to spread throughout the Persian Empire. Adopted as the faith of the Persian kings, Zoroastrianism became the official religion of the Achaemenid empire and flourished under its successors, the Parthian and Sassanian empires. Its theology and cosmology may have influenced the development of Greek, later Jewish, Christian, and Muslim thought. The Muslim conquest of the 7th century AD marked the beginning of a steady decline of Zoroastrianism. Persecution resulted in the migration (about the 10th century) of the majority of Zoroastrians to India, where the Parsis of Bombay are their modern descendants.
The religion of ancient Iran was derived from that of the ancient Indo Europeans, or Aryans. The language of the earliest Zoroastrian writings is close to that of the Indian Vedas, and much of the mythology is recognizably the same. Two groups of gods were worshiped, the ahuras and the daevas. The worship of the ahuras (lords) may have reflected the practice of the pastoral upper classes, and tradition holds that Zoroaster was born into a family that worshiped only the ahuras. The message of the prophet, however, was that Ahura Mazda, the Wise Lord, was the sole creator and lord of the world and that the worship of the daevas was the worship of evil. In Zoroaster's theology the Amesha Spentas, or Bountiful Immortals, were divine beings who acted essentially as agents of the power of Ahura Mazda; they were traditionally seven in number: Bounteous Spirit, Good Mind, Truth, Rightmindedness, Dominion, Health, and Life. The first of these, Spenta Mainyu, is of special importance in that he is paired with a "twin," Angra Mainyu, or Hostile Spirit.
wikipedia.org/zoroastrianism
01-02-06, 08:20 AM
Brief History
Founded in Persia around 1200 BC by the prophet Zoroaster (Zarathustra). World’s oldest religion still practicing monotheistic beliefs. Scholars believe that Zoroastrian doctrines have influenced the Jewish and Christian religions. (heaven-hell, good-sin, messiah.)
Bombay, India is home to leaders of the current Zoroastrian hierarchy and decision making body. It is believed that there are a few thousand followers, mostly in India.There are priests to preside over worship and rites.
Membership Requirements
Requirements for joining the religion have been the subject of controversial debate. The current prevailing view is that one must be born into the religion. Converts are not allowed. Followers have dwindled over the years, however, and there has been a push within the Zoroastrian community to accept converts.
Beliefs
The main tenet of belief is of two conflicting forces. Ahura-Mazda is the supreme force of good, and Ahriman is the force of evil. Time is divided into three ages: creation, the present era of good and evil, and the era to come. Ahura-Mazda will eventually prevail and banish evildoers in the “era to come.†The good will go to heaven. There is belief in Hell, but it is thought to be only a temporary place. Sinners are cleansed by fire there.
Worship of Ahura-Mazda is conducted through the sacred fire, believed to contain his presence. Scholars have debated whether Moses was Zoroastrian. The predicted appearance of the Sayoshant (Savior), will usher in the final judgement of humankind, resurrect the faithful and defeat evil for eternity. The savior will descend from Zoraster’s family line, and be born of a virgin.
Five daily prayers, preceded by ablutions are required of all believers over seven years old. A sacred cord (kushti) is usually retied around the waist with each prayer. Physical cleanliness is very important.
The Vendidad, the last book of the Avestas, contains Zoroastrian civil and religious law. It is quite complex and covers subjects as diverse as the way prayers are to be recited to the treatment of dogs, the sacred animals to Ahuru-Mazda. Scriptures are the Avestas. Temples are used for worship. The Sacred Flame is the Zoroastrian religious symbol, having given credence to the myth that Zoroastrians worship fire. There are no religious holidays.
Zoroastrianism, Zoroaster, Zarathusthra, Zarathustra
{zoh - roh - as' - tree - uhn - izm}
General Information
During the 7th and 6th centuries BC the ancient polytheistic religion of the Iranians was reformed and given new dimensions by the prophet Zoroaster (or Zarathusthra). Zoroaster's life dates have been traditionally given as (c. 628 - 551 BC), but many scholars argue for earlier dates. Linguistic evidence suggests that he was born in northeastern Iran, but the prophet's message was to spread throughout the Persian Empire. Adopted as the faith of the Persian kings, Zoroastrianism became the official religion of the Achaemenid empire and flourished under its successors, the Parthian and Sassanian empires. Its theology and cosmology may have influenced the development of Greek, later Jewish, Christian, and Muslim thought. The Muslim conquest of the 7th century AD marked the beginning of a steady decline of Zoroastrianism. Persecution resulted in the migration (about the 10th century) of the majority of Zoroastrians to India, where the Parsis of Bombay are their modern descendants.
The religion of ancient Iran was derived from that of the ancient Indo Europeans, or Aryans. The language of the earliest Zoroastrian writings is close to that of the Indian Vedas, and much of the mythology is recognizably the same. Two groups of gods were worshiped, the ahuras and the daevas. The worship of the ahuras (lords) may have reflected the practice of the pastoral upper classes, and tradition holds that Zoroaster was born into a family that worshiped only the ahuras. The message of the prophet, however, was that Ahura Mazda, the Wise Lord, was the sole creator and lord of the world and that the worship of the daevas was the worship of evil. In Zoroaster's theology the Amesha Spentas, or Bountiful Immortals, were divine beings who acted essentially as agents of the power of Ahura Mazda; they were traditionally seven in number: Bounteous Spirit, Good Mind, Truth, Rightmindedness, Dominion, Health, and Life. The first of these, Spenta Mainyu, is of special importance in that he is paired with a "twin," Angra Mainyu, or Hostile Spirit.
wikipedia.org/zoroastrianism