PHILOSOPHER NAMED ZARATHUSHRTA OR ZOROASTER, HE IS TRADITIONALLY THOUGHT TO HAVE LIVED AROUND 600BC, ALTHOUGH SOME EXPERTS THINK THAT HE MIGHT HAVE LIVED MUCH EARLIER. TODAY, THE RELIGION HAS AT LEAST 150,000 FOLLOWERS, WHO LIVE MAINLY IN IRAN AND INDIA. ZOROASTRIANS LIVING OUTSIDE IRAN ARE CALLED PARSIS (MEANING "PERSIANS").
ZOROASTER'S BELIEFS
ZOROASTER TAUGHT THAT THERE WAS ONLY ONE CREATOR GOD, AHURA MAZDA. THIS NAME MEANS "LORD WISDOM". ZOROASTER CONDEMNED THE WORSHIP OF MANY GODS, A PRACTICE THAT WAS COMMON IN PERSIA AT THE TIME.
ACCORDING TO ZOROASTRIAN TEACHING, THERE ARE TWO OPPOSING ENERGIES WITHIN A PERSON'S MIND. ONE IS BELIEVED TO CREATE GOODNESS IN PEOPLE, AND THE OTHER CREATES EVIL. ZOROASTRIANS CALL THE POSITIVE ENERGY SPENTA MAINYU, AND THE NEGATIVE ENERGY ANGRA MAINYU. ZOROASTRIANISM STRESSES THAT ALL PEOPLE ARE FREE TO CHOOSE BETWEEN SPENTA MAINYU AND ANGRA MAINYU, AND THAT THEY ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR THEIR OWN ACTIONS.
BY CHOOSING THE PATH OF GOOD THOUGHTS, GOOD SPEECH, AND GOOD ACTIONS. ZOROASTRIANS BELIEVE THAT PEOPLE CAN MAKE THEMSELVES PERFECT. IN DOING SO THEY CAN HELP TO MAKE THIS WORLD PERFECT, AND SO CREATE A TRUE HEAVEN ON EARTH. IN A SIMILAR WAY, THE PATH OF EVIL RESULTS IN A LIVING HELL ON EARTH.
SACRED FIRE
FOR ZOROASTRIANS, FIRE IS A SYMBOL OF TRUTH, THE "SON" OF AHURA MAZDA. FOR THIS REASON, FIRE IS TREATED WITH RESPECT, AND A FLAME IS ALWAYS KEPT BURNING IN THEIR TEMPLES. ZOROASTRIANS OFTEN PRAY IN FRONT OF A FIRE, OR SOME OTHER FORM OF LIGHT, TO HELP FOCUS THEIR MIND ON AHURA MAZDA.
THE ENVIRONMENT
ZOROASTRIANS BELIEVE IT IS IMPORTANT TO KEEP THE ENVIRONMENT, ESPECIALLY THE EARTH, FIRE, AIR, AND WATER, UNPOLLUTED. FOR EXAMPLE, THE EARTH (AND ANY NEARBY WATER SOURCES) MUST NOT BE CONTAMINATED BY THE BURIAL OF DEAD BODIES, AND CREMATION WASTES VALUABLE FUEL. MANY ZOROASTRIANS THEREFORE FOLLOW THE CUSTOM OF PUTTING THEIR DEAD WITHIN ISOLATED, HIGH-WALLED, OPEN-TOPPED BUILDINGS CALLED "TOWERS OF SILENCE". THERE THE BODIES DECAY IN THE SUN'S HEAT. THE BONES ARE LATER BURIED IN A PIT.
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A GOLD MEDALLION FROM THE FIFTH CENTURY BCE SHOWS A REPRESENTATION OF ANGRA MAINYU, THE NEGATIVE ENERGY WHICH IS SAID TO PREVENT THE WORLD FROM BEING PERFECT.
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WHATEVER IS DISAGREEABLE TO YOURSELF DO NOT DO UNTO OTHERS.
SHAYAST-NE-SHAYAST
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ZOROASTER WITH A FIRE SYMBOL, FIRE IS SACRED TO ZOROASTRIANS.
FOR LINKS TO WEBSITES WHERE YOU CAN LEARN MORE ABOUT ZOROASTRIANISM, GO TO www.usborne-quicklinks.com
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