What is Zoroastrianism?
Introduction
Zoroastrianism is one of the oldest religions in the world. It is definitely one of the earliest monotheistic religions. It was founded by Zoroaster and believes in one God, Ahura Mazda. There are very few Zoroastrians in the world today, but it still occupies an important place. A large part of its population is divided between Iran and India. Zoroastrians living in India are called Parsees.
History
It is not known when the religion was first founded, but sources say it could date back to 1200 BC. A priest named Zarathustra or Zoroaster, as the Greeks called him, founded the religion. He was born in Iran at a time when the Stone Age was gradually turning into the Bronze Age. The Iranians then believed in a polytheistic religion. Zoroaster convinced them and made them monotheists. The early Iranians practiced many rituals, which required animal sacrifices and the use of the hallucinogenic plant Haoma. Zoroaster condemned such practices and convinced the Iranians to change their allegiance to the new faith he proposed.
Zoroaster had a vision in which Ahura Mazda taught him the new faith. Zoroaster struggled to get people to accept his religion, but it finally found acceptance in Bactria (northern part of Afghanistan). The king of the land was impressed by his teachings and it soon became the state religion.
Little is known about the religion and its history until 549 BC. C., when the Persians, led by Cyrus the Great of the Archaemenian family, conquered western Iran and founded the first Persian Empire. The Archaemenians were a pious Zoroastrian family and they ruled their kingdom fairly and efficiently. He tolerated all religions and allowed exiled Jews to return to Jerusalem. Driven by the goodwill and favor of Cyrus, the Jews incorporated and assimilated many Zoroastrian beliefs and practices.
Alexander the Great in 331 BC. C. overthrew the Archemenid Empire. Under the oppressive rule of Alexander, many priests were killed and sacred texts were burned. Fortunately, the Gathas, the core of the religion, said to have been written by Zoroaster himself, survived.
Alexander was followed by the reign of the Seleucids in 311 BC. C., who were followed by the Arcasids. The Arcasids were good and just rulers and Zoroastrianism was revived under his reign. But they were soon overthrown by the Sassanian Ardashir. The Sassanids introduced several changes in the religion. A central Zoroastrian church was built which was solely under the control of the Sassanids. People were not allowed to worship images and fire temples were promoted. In addition, religious toleration was abandoned. Under Church rule, Zoroastrianism became oppressive and highly ritualized.
Zoroastrianism continued to suffer from the conquest of the Arabs. The Arabs burned libraries and tried to eradicate this religion. Zoroastrians were subject to higher taxes and were slowly forced to convert to Islam. Ultimately, Zoroastrianism became a minority religion in Iran. Several thousand people fled to India and settled in various parts of the country. They formed their own community and called themselves Parsis.
beliefs
Zoroastrianism believes in one god, Ahura Mazda, who is:
* omniscient
* omnipotent
* ubiquitous
* Impossible for a normal human being to conceive
* immutable
* The creator of everything
* And the source of all goodness and happiness in the world.
This supreme God is worshiped and his prophet is Zoroaster. Zoroaster is not worshiped but is followed as the direct path of truth and righteousness from him; asha will lead men and women to God.
Alongside Ahura Mazda is his retinue of immortals; Amesha Spentas which are also the divine attributes of him. Knowing them, man can know God. They are:
* Vohu Manah – Good mind and good purpose.
*Asha Vahishta – Truth and righteousness.
* Spenta Ameraiti – Holy devotion, serenity and loving-kindness.
* Khasathra Vairya – Power and just government.
* Hauravatat – Fullness and health.
* Ameretat – Long life and immortality.
Combating goodness is the adversary of God, Angra Mainyu, who resides in hell. This dualism is twofold: cosmic and moral. There is cosmic dualism between god and Angra Mainyu, which is the destructive spirit that introduces the evils of death, disease, etc. in the pure and beautiful world of God. There is also a moral duality that points to the inherently good and bad sides of a human being.
Worship
Zoroastrians are not fire worshipers as is generally believed. Fire is an important symbol in their faith. The fire or light represents the divine light of the Ahura Mazda. Therefore, when a Zoroastrian prays, he prays in the direction of fire or light. Zoroastrians are also not very ritualistic, but are more concerned with the ethics of ‘Good words, good thoughts and good deeds’. To represent them, a Zoroastrian will wear around him a cord, called a kusti, which has been knotted three times.
Zoroastrians also promote communal worship, which may take place during seasonal festivals or social functions such as marriage or navjote, the initiation ceremony for a young child in Zoroastrianism. It also does not promote temple worship and believers can pray at home.
Demography and the modern Zoroastrian
There is a shrinking number of Zoroastrians left in the world. They mainly reside in India and Iran. There are only about 200,000 Zoroastrians left and their population continues to steadily decline. It is often observed in the Zoroastrian community that they tend to marry late and are often childless. These are one of the main reasons why their population is declining. Also, since Zoroastrianism does not accept children of mixed and interfaith marriages, they miss out on several new inclusions in their faith.
Zoroastrianism has flourished in the modern era. They were quick to accept the new changes. Parsis are the pioneers of many fields in India. Some notable and influential Parsis are JRD Tata, a notable business tycoon and philanthropist, Pherozshah Mehta and Dadabhai Naoroji, two very important early freedom fighters in India against the imperialist powers, Philharmonic Orchestra conductor Zubin Mehta , Freddie Mercury of the rock band ‘Queen’ and the popular and critically acclaimed writer, Rohinton Mistry.
Interesting data
* Zoroastrianism is supposed to have had a great influence on the religions of Christianity and Judaism, which may have borrowed the ideas of heaven and hell from this religion.
* Zoroastrianism believes in the purity and goodness of all of God’s creations and therefore they take great care not to pollute and destroy rivers and trees. Therefore, it is often called the first ecological religion in history.