Links: Zoroastrianism

[Agaliha]

Just thought I'd make a thread. I don't think there is one. I did a search. Might have missed it though. Oh well.

Some links:

Avesta (http://rds.yahoo.com/S=262607:D1/CS=262607/SS=262608/SIG=10qo66ofm/*http%3A//www.avesta.org/)
Complete text and translation of the scriptures of the Zoroastrian religion.

Traditional Zoroastrianism (http://rds.yahoo.com/S=262607:D1/CS=262607/SS=262611/SIG=112e2bslj/*http%3A//www.zoroastrianism.com/)
The tenets of the MazdaYasni Zarathushtri faith as believed in by thousands of Parsi/Irani Zarathushtris in India.

Zarathushtrian Assembly (http://rds.yahoo.com/S=262607:D1/CS=262607/SS=262612/SIG=10vbe8jcv/*http%3A//www.zoroastrian.org/) <----the "articles" area has a lot of articles!
Learn more about the divine religion though this site.

Zarathushtra (http://rds.yahoo.com/S=262607:D1/CS=262607/SS=2675492/SIG=1108t9q7e/*http%3A//www.zarathushtra.com/) <-- a lot of info in the "articles" area as well.
Dedicated to the spiritual philosophy of Zoroastrianism, includes articles, divine songs, links, and more.

Vohuman.org (http://rds.yahoo.com/S=262607:D1/CS=262607/SS=18147324/SIG=10r8rrceu/*http%3A//www.vohuman.org/)
Web journal of Zoroastrian heritage.

Federation of Zoroastrian Associations of North America (http://rds.yahoo.com/S=262607:D1/CS=262607/SS=48006390/SIG=10qvpbkgq/*http%3A//www.fezana.org/)

Zoroastrians.info (http://rds.yahoo.com/S=262607:D1/CS=262607/SS=23966533/SIG=1112to4iv/*http%3A//www.zoroastrians.info/)
Zoroastrian people and business directory, news, and discussion forum.

Zarathustra (4) (http://dir.yahoo.com/Society_and_Culture/Religion_and_Spirituality/Faiths_and_Practices/Zoroastrianism/Zarathustra/)

Zoroastrian Net (http://rds.yahoo.com/S=262607:D1/CS=262607/SS=12931471/SIG=10vpos0bp/*http%3A//www.Zoroastrian.Net/)
Worldwide community centre.

FAQ - Zoroastrianism and Avesta (http://rds.yahoo.com/S=262607:D1/CS=262607/SS=2126058/SIG=113knmg7l/*http%3A//www.avesta.org/zfaq.html)

Zoroastrianism (http://rds.yahoo.com/S=262607:D1/CS=262607/SS=39095341/SIG=12csgeeor/*http%3A//hindubooks.org/sudheer_birodkar/hindu_history/zoroastrianism.html)
Includes history and an examination of Hindu customs in the Parsi community in India.

Ancient Iranian Cultural & Religious Research Center (http://rds.yahoo.com/S=262607:D1/CS=262607/SS=49246280/SIG=10v46laqp/*http%3A//www.ancientiran.com/)
Includes information on Pre-Sasanian Zarathushtism Gathas.

Zoroastrian Funeral Ceremonies (http://rds.yahoo.com/S=262607:D1/CS=262607/SS=42950546/SIG=11cpsul2k/*http%3A//www.avesta.org/ritual/funeral.htm)
Written by Jivanji Jamshedji Modi in 1928.

Ahuramazda and Zoroastrism (http://rds.yahoo.com/S=262607:D1/CS=262607/SS=51091262/SIG=11qib3jhf/*http%3A//www.livius.org/ag-ai/ahuramazda/ahuramazda.html)
Introduction to the 'wise lord', supreme god of the Persians.

Parsis: A Photographic Journey (http://rds.yahoo.com/S=262607:D1/CS=262607/SS=38140701/SIG=110p645vm/*http%3A//www.parsijourney.com/)
Visual record, spanning 20 years, of the Zoroastrians of India. Written by Sooni Taraporevala. The site contains pictures and information about the Parsis.

Zoroastrian@Net (http://rds.yahoo.com/S=262607:D1/CS=262607/SS=24499697/SIG=114cka150/*http%3A//welcome.to/zoroastrianism)
Offers an introduction to the faith.

Religious Persecution Under Alexander the Great (http://rds.yahoo.com/S=262607:D1/CS=262607/SS=95737206/SIG=11sjlra7m/*http%3A//www.livius.org/aj-al/alexander/alexander_t47.html)
Offers details of religious persecution by Alexander the Great, who killed the priests and ordered the holy book of Zoroastrianism, the Avesta, to be destroyed.

Zoroastrian Religion (http://rds.yahoo.com/S=262607:D1/CS=262607/SS=37324122/SIG=119h6d7o3/*http%3A//www3.sympatico.ca/zoroastrian/)
Various aspects of this religion are described.

Zoroastrian Faith and Philosophy (http://rds.yahoo.com/S=262607:D1/CS=262607/SS=40390564/SIG=1114e2j80/*http%3A//www.religion-info.net/)
Provides historical origins and profile of religion.

Religioustolerance.org's Entry (http://www.religioustolerance.org/zoroastr.htm)

ReligionFacts's Entry (http://www.religionfacts.com/a-z-religion-index/zoroastrianism.htm)

200 short questions & answers - Part I: by Ervad Ratanshah R. Motafram (http://tenets.zoroastrianism.com/short33.html)
200 short questions & answers - Part II: by Ervad Ratanshah R. Motafram (http://tenets.zoroastrianism.com/short33b.html)

Zoroastrianism (http://www.sacred-texts.com/zor/index.htm)'s Sacred Texts.

[David19]

Thanks for that, i think Zoroastrianism is a very cool religion, while it's not mine, i like aspects of it.

I actually made a thread like this in the Theology and Philosophy thread, but i think i'll also ask here, does Zoroastrianism accept other deities, i know they believe in 2 gods, one evil, the other good, but i've also read that they saw each deity as existing but on being on one side or the other (like in my other thread, i linked to a site about the History of the Hebrew's where they were conquered by a Persian ruler, he said he was visited by Yahweh one night, and he believed Yahweh was one of the good gods, (not the ultimate god, though), and that he was commanded to return the Jew's to Jerusalem to worship Yahweh, and apparantly, Cyrus(sp?) and other Persian rulers did this to many conquered subjects, returning them to their lands to worship the native deities).

So i'm kind of curious to see if it's compatible with polytheism.

But thanks for the links again :).

[Agaliha]

This might explain things:


Zoroastrian theology is strongly dualistic. In his visions, Zarathustra was taken up to heaven, where Ahura Mazda revealed that he had an opponent, Aura Mainyu, the spirit and promoter of evil. Ahura Mazda charged Zarathustra with the task of inviting all human beings to choose between him (good) and Aura Mainyu (evil). Consequently, Zoroastrianism is a highly ethical religion. Zarathustra taught that humans are free to choose between right and wrong, truth and lie, and light and dark, and that their acts, words, and thoughts would affect their lives after death. He was thus the first to promote a belief in two heavenly judgments: of the individual soul right after death and of all humankind after a general resurrection. His ideas of heaven, hell, and the resurrection of the body profoundly influenced Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Later Zoroastrianism conceived of an opposition between body and soul, though there was no suggestion in its theology that the body was evil and the soul was good. A wandering preacher from Mesopotamia named Mani developed those theories into an extreme form of dualism called Manichaeism.
FROM: Beliefnet's summary of Zoroastrianism (http://www.beliefnet.com/index/index_10035.html)


They also have angels in Zoroastrianism. ANGELS: Zoroastrian (http://rds.yahoo.com/_ylt=A0oGklF3F.FEsCwAAcVXNyoA;_ylu=X3oDMTE3bzVnbTRjBGNvbG8DdwRsA1dTMQRwb3MDMgRzZWMDc3IEdnRpZANGODA0X zIwMw--/SIG=11ll9fbmu/EXP=1155688695/**http%3a//www.avesta.org/angels.html)

So I believe Zoroastrianism could be classified as:

Dualism—can refer to the belief that there are two basic principles in the universe, usually personified as gods, that work in opposition to each other (such as good and evil). One god is good, the other evil; some religions hold that one god works for order, the other for chaos.
Dualism – All is two (most commonly good/evil or male/female).

But I don't think it would be considered a polytheistic faith. It seems more like a modified monotheism-- like God the Father and God the Son in Christianity (though I could be wrong about that example).

As for working with other paths and faiths, I'm not sure.
It might be compatible with polytheism, but I don't know.
I just started to read about it myself!
You could ask on BeliefNet-- they have a sub-forum for Zoroastrianism. HERE (http://www.beliefnet.com/boards/discussion_list.asp?boardID=448).

I would think if it was compatible with polytheism that it would have to follow the Good/Bad structure of the faith. But who then is going to determind which god/dess or good or bad? It could get sticky you know. I mean god/desses of death aren't bad necessarly, so which side would they go on?

[Garm]

i linked to a site about the History of the Hebrew's where they were conquered by a Persian ruler, he said he was visited by Yahweh one night, and he believed Yahweh was one of the good gods, (not the ultimate god, though),

If I remember correctly a good portion of the Old Teastament was written after the return from exile. If the Zoroasterians had that by which to evaluate JHVH it's not very likely he would have been lumped in with the good guys. Most of the Patron Deities of the Persian warrior caste were demonised by the reforms of Zarathushtra for being excessively violent. Even the venerable Indra just woke up one day and found himself on the wrong side of the law.

The Persian preistly caste, the befabled Magi, were in need of a good house cleaning as well. You know it's bad when people are drinking the priests urine for a second hand buzz from the recycled intoxicants.

According to legend Zarathushtra ended his days with a knife in his back courtesy of some Magi reactionary, but he had had a long and productive life.

[Morgandria]

Weird fact of the day: Freddy Mercury was a Parsi, and raised Zoroastrian.

[*SiRiUs* Bright_Star]

Very interesting thread Agaliha, thanks!



♥ Love ♥

Sirius

[Zelan]

Nice touch there Aghila!
The history of Zarathustra is quite interesting, and that of Iran as well...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zarathustra

Some interesting facts here in summary.

[Garm]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SmpbeSSqIGQ

[David19]

Thanks for the link.

[Ælfred]

Some excerpts from "The Indo-Europeans" by Professor Jean Haudry:

On the pre-Zoroastrian pantheon:

A religious revolution whose date, causes and details are unknown to us transformed the gods such as Indra, Rudra and Nasatya into demons, but spared those the Veda calls asura-, a term which already means "demons" in the Rgveda; Mitra becomes the yazata- or "god" Mithra, and Varuna the "wise lord" Ahura Mazda, the supreme god of Mazdaism. The warrior-function, vacant after the rejection of Indra, is entrusted to Vrthraghna, the hypostatic form of one of the former's earlier ephitets. The third function devolves upon various deities.The Zoroastrian Reformation:

A second religious revolution brought about by Zarathustra (before the 8th century) turned the Mazdaic religion towards monotheism to the advantage of Ahura Mazda. On the lines of an ancient process which has been described, abstractions become Beings, the "Immortal Saints", under the authority of the Supreme God. Dumézil asserted that the organization of this group of being exactly reflects the three-function model: Mitra has his counterpart in Right Thinking; Varuna in Truth; Indra in Domination; the Nasatya, in the couple Integrity-Immortality; the goddess who accompanies the former, in Correct Thought...

Elsewhere I've read that after Zoroaster's death the Magi reintroduced some of the old gods back into the new religion. Its interesting to see how the Spenta Ameshas (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amesha_Spenta) are considered similar to arch-angels or saints.

[Toby Stimpson]

Id completly forgotten about this thread!!

Its kinda cool, I work with a Parsi girl, and becasue the population of Parsis in Canada and North America is so small, she was taken aback when I knew what her Farovahar was :).

Do you mind if I move this to eastern paths, and sticky it Agaliha?

[Agaliha]

Do you mind if I move this to eastern paths, and sticky it Agaliha?

Nope! Go for it :abanana:

[kiwimac]

Not all Zoroastrians are traditionalists. There is a Gathas-only movement among Western Converts to Zoroastrianism. This movement sees only the gathas as authentic Zoroastrian scripture, the rest of the Zend-Avesta being additions to the corpus.

I reccommend:

http://www.vohuman.org/

and

http://www.zoroastrianism.cc/

[Garm]

Id completly forgotten about this thread!!

Its kinda cool, I work with a Parsi girl, and becasue the population of Parsis in Canada and North America is so small, she was taken aback when I knew what her Farovahar was :).


At least you didn't one get as a tat before finding out there actually were Zoroastrians in the city

cringe

I thought of it as an ancient religion that had all but dwindled away but there are enough here to keep their own temple going near Bayview and Steeles

[Agaliha]

I don't think I posted this before:

Zoroastrianism (http://www.adherents.com/Religions_By_Adherents.html#Zoroastrianism): 2.6 million -- from adherents.com; they're #17 on the top 22 list.

That's more than I thought!

Epecially when you see #19 is Neo-Paganism (http://www.adherents.com/Religions_By_Adherents.html#Neo-Paganism): 1 million

(though you know there has to be more Pagans out there than that!)

ETA: Did someone add the "(Made by Agaliha)" to the title? I don't remember putting that! :2G:

[Toby Stimpson]

At least you didn't one get as a tat before finding out there actually were Zoroastrians in the city

cringe

I thought of it as an ancient religion that had all but dwindled away but there are enough here to keep their own temple going near Bayview and Steeles

Ahura Mazda was never my god :). But she seems so surprised when I do her tarot or talk to her that I already know a little bit about it. Tash is a sweetie, love her :D.

On that note your right, there is a small community in Toronto here as well as out in Winnepeg... Bayview and Steeles *cringe* and I thought Keele and Steeles where I'm at was bad... *cringe*

But they get so easily confused as being Hindu or Christian or Muslim that their mere presence here is sometimes forgotten. I made a comment to her that it is so rare to find a parsi in canada, albeit Toronto is a slice of the world. She agreed, saying most ppl who live here live in the Suburbs and have such strong ties to india that they are rarely here year round.

[David19]

Thanks for all the new and interesting info and sites.

[ObsessedFae86]

We studied the beliefs of the Zoroastrianism religion in high school. Always thought it was cool but not my cup of tea. Still knowledge of more religions, makes your personal choice easier to make.