Zoroastrianism

Presented by: Sydney, Jacob, and Kelsey

BackgroundAn insight into Zoroastrianism today.

Foundations● Prophet Zoroaster (also known as

Zarathustra) Formed from 1500 to 1200 BCE.

1,500 BCE

1,200 BCE

Zoroaster ● Born into the Spitama Clan.

○ North Eastern Iran or South Western Afghanistan

● Became a priest and started a family.

○ He had three sons and two daughters.

● Believed there was only a single god and other gods were adversaries.

● Left the clan to spread his ideas.

○ Ended up in the country of King Vishtaspa.

● He lived until his seventies.

Basic Beliefs

● Belief in universal supreme god ● Ahura Mazda

○ Truth,purity,order,justice,courage,strength and patience

○ Believes in the existence of a number of divinities who represent his good qualities and assist him in containing the evil material of the world.

● Angra Mainyu○ All bad in the world.○ Belief in the duality of existence○ The world is a battleground between God and

evil forces● Belief in afterlife

○ Death is as a result of spirit leaving the body● Belief in Judgment day● It is argued that this was the basis of all monotheistic

religions. ● Good versus Evil. ● Good God versus Bad God

Deities

● Zoroaster ○ Seen as prophet of God.

● Zoroastrianism Dualism○ The existence of separate forces of

good and evil. ○ Many embodiments of good. Known as

Amesha Spentas.● There were two types of forces:

○ Cosmic○ Moral.

● Conflict was between God (Ahura Mazda) and Evil (Angra Mainyu)○ Moral conflicts involved God’s gift of

free will. ○ Humans dealt with deciding whether to

go down the path of evil or good.

Concepts of Afterlife

● Afterlife is determined by the balance of the good and evil deeds, words, and thoughts.

● More good than evil meant Heaven.● More evil than good means Hell.

○ Hell has several levels corresponding to degrees of wickedness. ○ There is an intermediate stage for those whose deeds weight out equally.

● This system allows for human weakness. All deeds aren’t registered or weighed forever.

○ Confession is a way to remove sin and bad deeds from the scale of heaven or hell.

● This idea of ethical monotheism, heaven, hell, angelology, the resurrection of the body, and the messiah influenced Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.

Religious or Other Texts

● The Avesta ("Book of the Law")○ Fragmentary collection of sacred writings.○ Compiled over many centuries ○ The Avesta was not completed until 226-

641 CE.● Contains Hymns ascribed to Zarathustra

including:○ Invocations○ Rituals to be used at festivals ○ Hymns of praise○ Spells against demons○ Prescriptions for purification

Original/Current Geographic Area● Iran Origins.

● Major locations today are:

○ Mumbai and Pune in India

○ Los Angeles, California

○ Toronto, Canada

○ London, England

Believers Today Approximately

believers today.

Interaction with other Religions

● Very little influence on politics.● Had profound effect on other religions such as:

○ Judaism○ Islam○ Christianity.

● First idea of Good versus Evil ○ Ahura Mazda represents Good○ Angra Mainyu represents sin or vice

Bibliography• 1: (BBC News)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/zoroastrian/history/zoroaster_1.shtml

• 4: (BBC News)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/zoroastrian/beliefs/dualism.shtml

• 7: Zoroastrian Heritage (Zoroastrian Demographics & Group Names)

http://heritageinstitute.com/zoroastrianism/demographics/index.htm

http://religions.findthedata.com/q/53/1461/How-many-people-follow-the-religion-of-Zoroastrianism

http://www.hinduwebsite.com/zoroastrianism/beliefs.asp