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ZOROASTRIANISM

I  Demography

Zoroastrianism is also called Zarathustrism, Mazdaism, and Parsism. Parsism is the term used today among the believers in India, the largest Zoroastrian society of today. In 1996, the number of Zoroastrians worldwide was estimated to be "at most 200,000". India's 2001 census found 69,601 Parsi Zoroastrians. The second major group is located in the Iranian provinces. A small number of Zoroastrians live in Pakistan, mostly centered in and around the city of Karachi.North America is thought to be home to 18,000-25,000 Zoroastrians of both South Asian and Iranian background. In the Indian census of 2001, the Parsis numbered 69,601, representing approximately 0.006% of the total population of India, with concentration in and around the city of Mumbai.

Zoroastrianism of the diaspora are primarily located in Great Britain and the former British colonoes-in particular Canada and Australia-but the US has become a preferred destination in recent decades. Zoroastrian communities are comprised of two main groups of people: those of Indian Zoroastrian background (who are known as Parsis), and those of Iranian background.

Noted Parsis include the pioneering Indian industrialist and philanthropist Jamshedji Tata; the industrialist and founder of Indian Civil Aviation J R D Tata; Indian political activists, Pherozeshah Mehta, Dadabhai Naoroji; nuclear scientist Homi J. Bhabha, and the similarly named philosopher Homi K. Bhabha; the first field marshall of India, Sam Manekshaw; and author and screenwriter Sooni Taraporevala. The Indian industrial families, Tata family, Godrej family, and Wadia family are also of Parsi Zoroastrian background.

II  The Origin of Zoroastrianism

Prophet Zarathustra, also known as Zoroaster, founded this religion in Persia during 6th century BC. and was born in Mazar-i-Sharif (now in Afghanistan). Though, there was a time when Zoroastrianism was spread from the Mediterranean to India, but now it is found mainly around Shiraz in Iran, Karachi in Pakistan, and Mumbai in India. The followers of this religion are known as Parsis as they hail from Persia, from where they fled to escape persecution. Zend Avesta, their holy scripture, describes the conflict between good and evil forces. Ahura Mazda, their god is symbolized by fire. The essence of the religion is the philosophy that the good will win over evil by following the principles of Humata (good thoughts), Harkta (good words), and Huvarshta (good deeds).

Today, obscurity still surrounds many details of the personality of Zoroaster, as well as the time and place of his preaching. Scholars have dated his birth in the latter half of the 7th century BC and his death 77 years later. When he was 30 years old, he began his ministry, but for 10 years he had only one disciple, his cousin. His progress began when he converted his doctrine to a local ruler, Vashtapa. Under the royal auspices, disciples rapidly increased, but holy wars developed between believers and unbelievers. In one of these battles Zoroaster was killed, but his faith lived on. To spread the Zoroastrian faith, missionaries carried its message throughout the land until it became a national religion. Later it spread beyond the border of Persia, and in time it interpenetrated Hebraic and Hellenistic thought.

Zoroastrianism is perhaps the world's oldest continuing non-pantheistic religion . Inside the history of Religion, the teachings of Zoroaster has been used in order to explain the development of the three major monotheistic religions, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, but there has never been proven any clear examples of influence between the belief systems.

III  The Cult

The cult of Zoroastrianism is focused on the battle against the evil, and the principal symbol of this is the sacred Fire. The most important place of worship is the Temple of Fire, which a fire burns as a symbol of the holiness of Ahura Mazda. Parsis worship fire in fire temples and wear a sadra or sacred shirt and kasti or sacred thread because of their belief in the purity of elements.

The veneration of the spirits of the dead is also important in both cult and ethics, and in the orthodox religion, believers are strongly occupied with the hereafter. The believers must beware of demons, i.e., contamination, and this is central in their consciousness and daily acts. The right behavior is marked with having the good in mind with your thoughts, your sayings, and your acts. There are 5 daily prayers, and ablutions are performed.

The believer becomes religiously active from the age of 7. When a believer dies, his body is brought upto the tower of silence, where the corps shall be eaten by vultures, so that neither fire nor earth becomes contaminated. This is believed to be the ultimate good deed of the human being. In order to be a good Parsi, it is necessary that the father and mother both should be Parsis and this is the reason that their numbers are gradually declining.

IV  Theology

Zoroastrianism is to some extent a monotheistic religion, in the sense that there is a supreme god, Ahura Mazda, that is central in all cult. Yet, the existence of lesser divine beings dilute this image. Even the power that opposes Ahura Mazda, the evil Ahriman may be seen as a deity of Zoroastrianism, since he is an important force in cosmos. To the 'Pantheon' of Zoroastrianism (note that in the 'pantheon' no power can compare to Ahura Mazda), belong the jazatas. The jazatas are elements that are venerable, like the sun, the moon, Haoma, as well as Mithra and the Amesha Spentas.

Continued...

The cosmology of Zoroastrianism is one of dividing time into 3 periods. In the first of these, the original one, everything was perfect. In the second, the present one, evil is active. In the third and last, perfect goodness will be restored.

Human beings can with the help of Ahura Mazda reach the stage of total liberation from the worldly existence. In such a situation, life becomes healthy, filled with power and dominated by bliss. And more, the influence of the evil is extinguished. When human beings reach such a stage the divine order has total influence on the world.

In some areas, the teachings of Zoroastrianism was more than just spiritual. He showed great interest in increased and bettered exploitation of the earth: forests should be opened, land cultivated and vermin exterminated. The believers marry only within the extended family, but occasionally even with relatives as close as brother and sister.

V  Some Specific Aspects of Zoroastrianism

(1) 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 is important to note that fire is not worshipped by Zoroastrians, but is used simply as a symbol and a point of focus.

(2) Proselytizing and Conversion: Parsi Zoroastrians do not proslytize. In recent years, however, Zoroastrian communities in both Iran, Europe and the Americas have been more tolerant towards conversion. While this move has not been supported officially by the priesthood in Mumbai, India, it has been endorsed by the Council of Mobeds in Tehran.

(3) Inter-Faith Marriages: As in many other faiths, Zoroastrians are strongly encouraged to marry others of the same faith, but this is not a requirement of the religion itself. Some members of the Indian Zoroastrian community contend that a child must have a Parsi father to be eligible for introduced into the faith, but this assertion is considered by most to be a violation of the Zoroastrian tenets of gender equality. However, to this day, some priests will not perform the Navjote ceremony-i.e., the rites of admission into the religion-for children of mixed-marriages, irrespective of which parent is a non-Parsi. This issue is a matter of great debate within the Parsi community, but with the increasingly global nature of modern society and the dwindling number of Zoroastrians, such opinions are less vociferous than they previously were.

(4) Death and Burial: Religious rituals related to death are all concerned with the person's soul and not the body. Zoroastrianism believe that on the fourth day after death, the human soul leaves the body and the body remains as an empty shell. Traditionally, Zoroastrianism disposed of their dead by leaving them atop open-topped enclosures, called Towers of Silence, or Dokhmas. Vultures and the weather would clean the flesh off the bones, which were then placed into an ossuary at the center of the tower. Fire and earth were considered too sacred for the dead to be placed in them. While this practice is continued in India by some Parsis, it had ended by the beginning of the 20th century in Iran. In India, burial and cremation are becoming increasingly popular alternatives.

VI  Zoroastrian Scriptures

The Zoroastrian holy book is called The Avesta. This includes the original words of their founder Zoroaster, preserved in a series of 5 hymns, called the Gathas. The latter represent the core text of the religion. The Gathas are abstract sacred poetry, directed towards the worship of the One God, understanding of righteousness and cosmic order, promotion of social justice and individual choice between good and evil. The Gathas have a general and even universal vision.

At some later date (most scholars say many centuries later), the remaining parts of the Avestas were written. These deals with laws of ritual and practice, with the traditions of the faith. The Zoroastrian community is sharply divided between those who would follow mostly (or exclusively) the teachings of the original Gathas, and those who believe that the later traditions are important and equally divinely inspired.

VII  Some General Facts

Hinduism, Christianity, Buddhism, and Islam are world religions, but Zoroastrianism is just a national religion now, though it was a world religion in days of yore. Just as the Jews place their hope in Messiah, the Hindus on the coming Kalki Avatara, so also the Parsis have been looking forward to the birth of Sooshyant who will establish on earth righteousness and happiness.

There is no Tapas or austerity in Zoroastrianism in order that the body may not be weakened and rendered unfit for work. Reincarnation is not found in the scriptures as accepted by orthodox Parsis, but it is taught in the fragments preserved by the Greeks. Parsis perform prayers for the dead at stated fixed periods. They perform ancestor-worship and do anniversaries for the dead in an elaborate manner.

Do you have a burden to share Gospel with this cultic community allover the world? Prepare yourself for that through prayer, learning, preparation, and practice. The world of the Zoroastrians is diverse, so that the mental preparation of the sharing must take the place, time, people, and theology of the community.

                                                (Researched from various Sources)