Pros And Cons Of Zoroastrianism

The religion of Zoroastrianism is very interesting. It is interesting because even though it is not like the Christian religion, there are quite a few similarities. A man by the name of Zoroaster is the founder of this religion. Zoroaster was a Persian prophet. The teachings of Zoroaster became the guiding light of Persian Civilization (Olmstead pg 508). This would mean that even the government official like Cyrus and Darius who were great ruler in the Persian Empire embraced the religion of Zoroastrianism. Here are a few things about Zoroastrianism that compares to Christianity:

reverence your name, both small and great— and for destroying those who destroy the earth.” This passage is a warning to those who defile the earth and so we must behave on earth as we would in heaven.

Since there is an afterlife, people will be judged for their deeds. If they lived a good ethical life, they will go to Heaven. If they did not live a good ethical life, they will go to Hell.

Humans beings face the perpetual conflict between good and evil throughout their lives. One’s understanding of good and evil comes from their own view of what is morally right. Their beliefs are influenced by life experiences, culture, and the sphere of people around them. Therefore, people base their actions off of their definition of good. However, whether they are seen as good or evil comes from the judgement of others. One’s view of good differs from another person’s. Consequently, there is often a misinterpretation of person’s actions throughout their life. There is no solid line that distinguishes someone as either good or evil. In East of Eden, Steinbeck claims that a person can only be deemed good or evil after his death. However,

Based on whether they have lived a good or evil life, they will know where they end up after death. The last reason why war brings people closer to God is the fear of not knowing where humanity goes after death. Colin writes, “I should be useless as a schoolmaster or a policeman”(12). This was the thought of someone during the war, questioning if he was going to make it to heaven or hell. When death is one of the only things in people’s minds, they think about what’s next in the future.

The uncertainty of where the soul goes after death is the greatest source of fear for mortals. Whether the soul goes to a new body or to a place of divine reward or punishment, these texts reveal a change of scenery for souls. While many would like to believe that if they follow a generally moral path they’ll be rewarded after they die, “The Priest Walchelin and the Hellequin’s Hunt” challenges that idea. In this story, a member of the living is shocked to see “many highly regarded figures who… should have gone straight to join the saints in heaven” (Joynes 50) roaming the earth as punishment for sins of which the public was unaware. Through this story it becomes apparent that previous modes of judging whether one will be rewarded after death aren’t reliable. This unexpected outcome is a source of terror and apprehension for many other seemingly qualified men, such as Prince Arjuna in “The Bhagavad Gita”. In the Gita, Arjuna vehemently protests killing any of his kin because “hell is waiting for those whose familiar rituals of righteousness are no more” (The Bhagavad Gita 47). Prior to his moment of weakness at the beginning of the text, Arjuna had been a “heroic warrior” (The Bhagavad Gita 43) and loyal follower of Krishna, but

Due to the aforementioned links to modern day religions, several theological notions attributed to them can be found within Zoroastrianism. The Zoroastrian religion is centered around the belief in Ahura Mazda (god of creation, well being, order and light) who was destined for victory against his antithetical counterpart, Angra Mainyu (god of destruction, evil, chaos and darkness), these figures were additionally accompanied by beings associated with angels and demons (Applegate). Beliefs in the afterlife existed as well, such as the concept of Heaven and Hell which was entered by the Bridge of Judgement; where the souls of the dead were weighed in relation to their respective good and bad deeds committed throughout their life (Stepaniants).

The conception of Heaven and Hell is meant to provide a means of justice in the afterlife, C.S. Lewis has a different view than the traditional idea on what that may look like. In “The Great Divorce”, Lewis defends that God is just by writing about a just version of Heaven and Hell. First, I summarize a general image of the traditional Christian idea of Heaven and Hell and explain the issues that come with it. Next, I offer C.S. Lewis’s counter position on Heaven and Hell. Lastly, I assess Lewis’s conception, arguing that it does not escape the justice issue of the traditional image of the afterlife.

When God created the universe, he then created humans in His own image. In the beginning everything was perfect. Humans did not know about evil at all until their eyes were opened when they ate the fruit from the tree of life, known as the apple. Once that happened, sin was birthed into us causing us to not only die spiritually, but later experiencing death physically. After us humans die, we either go to heaven or we go to hell for all eternity. Our destiny determines by how we choose to live and what we choose to believe. Our actions should match our beliefs. If we do not believe in God almighty and have faith in his Son, Jesus, then we will go to hell for all eternity.

John Steinbeck, the author of East of Eden, once testified that one can only be deemed good or evil after that person has died. John Steinbeck’s assertion can be qualified due to the complexity of the human mind which allows people to feel and reflect differently, especially on

The book written by author “Peter Clark” mainly for general public and students to give them brief idea about how Zoroastrianism was founded and along the way it also gives the detail explanation of their principal of the religion. Author Peter Clark also briefly explains the influence of Zoroastrianism on other religion such as Christianity, Islam, and Judaism. Author Peter Clark also talks about “A living faith – Zoroastrianism

Father Zossima had a very different view on sin, free will, and morality, “Let each of you keep close company with his heart, let each of you confess to himself untiringly. Do not be afraid of your sin.” He understood that people sinned. He understood that there was free will, but he did not let that deter him from pursuing the good. Whereas Ivan taught that sin was inevitable and therefore permissible, Father Zossima taught that although there was freewill, there was a teacher to combat the sin, “Brothers, love is a teacher; but one must know how to acquire it, for it is hard to acquire, it is dearly bought, it is won slowly by long labor. For we must love not only occasionally, for a moment, but for ever.”

Zarathustra believes that humans have free will to do whatever they please, whether good or bad. He says that in the beginning, there were two spirits. One was good, and the other was evil. The people that want to please the god Ahura Mazda will follow the Holy Spirit of Goodness and will faithfully do good deeds. They will be rewarded with the Good Mind.

According to the Gathas, people of the Bronze Age prior to Zoroastrianism have engaged in the practices of religious belief with a caliginous view that only the rich are able to survive the decision of life after death. Zoroaster introduced the worship of primordial entity Ahura Mazda as a representation of wisdom to distinguish between the right and wrong. Ahura Mazda was believed to be the supreme, omniscient and omnipotent God that symbolizes truth, radiance, purity, order, justice, courage, strength, and patience. Ahura Mazda was also the creator and sustainers of all beings, also the protector of good from evil. Zoroastrianism acknowledges the belief that human beings have a divine nature and show the spiritual nature of God. Humans when born are pure and given a choice to follow good (God) or bad (evil). Therefore, every human has a role and responsibility to enhance the sanity and purify our existence by staying away from evil and to do good. As a result the righteous will go to heaven and the evil will go to hell.

Zoroastrianism is one of the oldest monotheistic religions in the world today. Its adherents number 250,000, but thousands of years ago it was the state religion of the mighty Persian Empire and one of the most powerful religions in the world. In this paper I will tell you about the history of Zoroastrianism and its founder, Zoroaster, also known as Zarathushtra. I will discuss their scripture, doctrines, and end by examining in detail the commonalities in both doctrine and legend which will illustrate the influence that Zoroastrianism has had on more modern monotheistic religions.