Who are the Zoroastrians?

Zoroastrian Studies ^ | 7/29/03 | Zoroastrian Studies

[headsonpikes]

"Zoroastrianism and Christianity"

Google 'Manichaeanism' for a glimpse at a historical reverberation back to Persia!.

[Centurion2000]

Didn't they shave Dr Evil's scrotum ?

[Mr. Jeeves]

The latter state, however, is a temporary one, as there is no eternal damnation in Zoroastrianism.

That right there will render it a heretical cult to about half of FR.

[GOPJ]

Thanks for the ping.

[Eala]

Ahura Mazda?
My friend had a Mazda RX7 back in the seventies. He thought it was divine. Now I know why!

Long before that (ca.1912) Edison marketed light bulbs under the brand "Mazda." (I used to have one...)

[Yeti]

Zoroastrianism/Christianity

Since I saw this thread(back when it was fresh), I googled around a bit and kept some bookmarks. After reading a bit more, I continue to be struck by the similarities between Zoroastrianism and Judaism, Christianity and Islam.

One thing in particular that strikes me as an example is found in a the revelations of a prophet of the religion several hundred years after Zoroaster, in which various hells corresponding to various forms of wickedness are described.

Very, very interesting it was to me.

Here is one that made me say "Hm..."

(1) I also saw the soul of a woman (2) who ever dug into a hill with her own breasts; (3) and ever held, on her head, a mill-stone like a cap. (4) And I asked thus: 'What sin was committed by this body, whose soul suffered so severe a punishment?' (5) Srosh the pious, and Adar the angel, said (6) thus: 'This is the soul of that wicked woman who, in the world, destroyed her own infant, and threw away the corpse.'

It occurs to me that if the hole in the center of that millstone were a couple inches bigger around, it might slip on down past her ears, in which case it would then be hung around her neck.

[Cronos]

Don't forget that the Jews were exiled in Babylon before the PErsians freed them. Cyrus the great believed in religious tolerance. The Jews must have been influenced by this highly cultured religion with a sharp delineation between goood and evil with man's duty being to fight on the side of Ahura Mazda against evil. Zoroastrianism also has the concept of a Messiah like figure and the concept of hell. Before this, the Jews had little or no concept of the afterlife.

[Cronos]

That's stupid and ignorant. They're not firewalkers, or even fire worshippers.

[dennisw]

Ha. I meant it as a joke. I would much rather see the Zoros running Iran, than the crazy Ayatollahs. Iran (Persia) has much potential if they can shuck off their Islamic masters.

Islamics + A-bombs are a dangerous combination.

[Yeti]

Before this, the Jews had little or no concept of the afterlife.

And I always thought that the modern Christian notion of hell was derived from Hel, the Viking underworld.

I also like the idea that the Zoroastrian hell is theraputic and redeeming, as opposed to purely punitive and ultimately destructive of the souls cast there.

Also appealing to me is the judgement at the end of life as to whether a person was all-in-all good or bad in life as opposed to the various Christian beliefs, that one need only accept Jesus as ones personal saviour(deathbed epiphanies by men who have led evil lives) or that one is predestined either to go to hell or heaven(no matter what you do on earth).

And I notice among the various hells are punishments for sins that I have kicked around in my own mind as significant and immoral, but have never seen mentioned anywhere. In particular, the witholding of benefits from humanity, which can lead to some difficult moral dilemmas, when considered as a sin.

Are you Zoroastrian, Cronos?

[Cronos]

Could agree more with that addition. The problem is, we've already got one slammie state with a nuke (pak) who're busy trading it with the NK and the Sauds. dangerous.....

The Christian idea may have borrowed from the primitive Teutonic beliefs along with the Roman and Greek belief structures, but it's core is Judaic which was influenced by the Zoroastrian.

[SunkenCiv]

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[Citizen Tom Paine]

The interesting thing to me is that the Parsi wear yarmulka when they pray and also use something very close to a rosary.

[Cronos]

The interesting thing is that the term Ahura is similar to the hindu term Asura and to the name of one of the family of Nordic Gods — the Aesir.

[Cronos]

I never replied to your question — no, I’m not Zoroastrian, but my grandmother was.

[Cronos]

ping

[Cronos]

The linkage dates back to proto-Indo-European religion which seems to have revolved around two families of gods -- the Asuras/Ahuras/Aesir and the Devas/Daevas/Vanir (giving them their Indic/Iranic/nordic names).

In India, the Devas got the upper hand and were hailed as the higher Gods from at least 1000 BC (the middle of the VEdic period as the earlier Vedas call the gods Varuna and Agni as Asuras and use the term like "Lord"). Then, later due to influence from Christianity and Islam, the Asuras were relegated to being demonic figures while Vediism itself got influenced by Dravidian religions and becmae more the worship of Shiva and Vishnu rather than Indra (The Indic equivalent of Thor of the Nordics or Tiamat of the Hittites)

In Irani religion, the opposite happened -- teh Ahuras got precedence and the daevas were houosehold gods. Then Zoroaster came along and said, no, Ahura Mazda is the one God

Meanwhile, the more primitive Nordics retained the two sets of nearly equal families fo gods -- the Aesir and the VAnir.

in Greece, the families of gods got influenced by Semitic religions and you have one family (the Titans) being overthrown by another (the Olympians).

In Rome, the religiousity was more primitve and they essentially borrowed Greek Religiousity except that they retained their household gods (the Daevas or genius of the household)

[Cronos]

keeping it alive for Christmas :)