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If knowledge can create problems, it is not through ignorance that we can solve them.
Isaac Asimov (1920–1992)
       —add a quotation about knowledge or writing

Featured Article: Zoroastrianism

© Image: Bob Azadi
The Faravahar - the main symbol of the Zoroastrian faith

Zoroastrianism[1] is the religion and philosophy based on the teachings ascribed to the prophet Zoroaster (Zarathustra, Zartosht). Mazdaism[2] is the religion which recognises Ahura Mazda's supreme authority as the one God. The Zoroastrian name of the religion is Mazdayasna.[3]

According to the teachings of Zoroaster, the universe is in a struggle between good and evil. The forces of good are led by Ahura Mazda, the wise Lord, and the forces of evil are led by Angra Mainyu, the destructive principle.

Beliefs and Practices

Practices

  • Good thoughts, good words, and good deeds result in happiness and prevent chaos. Free will to choose between good and evil is an important aspect.
  • Fire represents Ahura Mazda's purity. All prayer is directed to a source of fire.
  • Monasticism in all forms is rejected.
  • Zoroastrians do not proselytize.
  • The traditional wing of Zoroastrianism discourages and does not recognize inter-faith marriages. A child must have two Zoroastrian parents for the initiation ceremony to take place.
  • The majority of Zoroastrians, particularly the Parsis[4] of India, do not accept converts. However, the council of Mobeds in Tehran, Iran, allows conversion.

History

Founding & life of Zoroaster

For more information, see: Zoroaster.

The religion was founded by Zarathushtra (Zoroaster in Greek; Zarthosht in India and Persia). Conservative Zoroastrians assign a date of 6000 BCE to the founding of the religion; other followers estimate 600 BCE. Historians and religious scholars generally date his life sometime between 1500 and 1000 BCE on the basis of his style of writing. The date of birth of Zoroaster is very controversial. It is known that after Alexander's conquest of the Achaemenid Empire, the Greeks imposed an "age of Alexander" calendar, which Zoroastrian priests replaced with an "age of Zoroaster" calendar. It was estimated that he was born 258 years before Alexander, hence the date of 600 BCE was accepted.[5]

Footnotes

  1. The term Zoroastrianism was first attested by the Oxford English Dictionary in 1874 in Archibald Sayce's Principles of Comparative Philology
  2. Mazdaism is a 19th century construct, taking Mazda- from the name Ahura Mazda and adding the suffix -ism
  3. The term Mazdayasna is a combination of Mazda with the Avestan language word Yasna, meaning worship or devotion
  4. The term Parsi was universally applied for all Iranians, regardless of faith, by all Indians. Similarly, Iranians applied the universal term Hindu for everyone from the subcontinent.
  5. Shahbazi, A. Shapur (1977), "The 'Traditional Date of Zoroaster' Explained", Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies 40 (1): 25-35

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