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Zoroastrianism and christianity
Essay:Introduction to zoroastrianism
Zoroastrianism and christianity
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The Good, the Evil, and One God Zoroastrianism is one of the oldest monotheistic religions in the world. Thousands of years ago it was the religion in the Persian Empire and one of the most powerful religions in the entire world. Zarathustra, the founder of Zoroastrianism, is the first monotheist that is recored. This religion has been around to see many different empires in history as well. In this paper I will tell you about the Zoroastrianism creed. The main belief of this religion is monotheism, which is the belief in one God. There is good and evil in the world that represents all of the aspects of life for man, including everyday life to the almighty cosmos. Zoroastrianism is the first monotheistic religion. This religion was founded …show more content…
The one and only Lord is present in everything and everywhere. The second creations is Vohu Manah, also known as good mind. “It is divine wisdom, illumination, and love… Vohu Manah is associated especially with the animal kingdom” (Contractor). The third is Asha Vahishta, which is the highest truth. “Translated as “righteousness,” the word asha is etymologically the same as the Sanskrit term rta, and thus is the dharma or Plan by which the world exists. Asha Vahishta is the order of the cosmos, the ideal form of the universe. It is associated with the element of fire” (Contractor). Forth creation is Khshathra Vairya, known as “desirable dominion, is divine strength and the power of Ahura Mazda’s kingdom. In theological terms, it represents the Kingdom of Heaven; in human terms, it represents the ideal society. Khshathra Vairya is associated with the sky and with the mineral kingdom. Human beings can realize the power of Khshathra Vairya when they are guided by Good Mind and Highest Truth” (Contractor). The fifth one is Spenta Armaiti, which means the holy or bountiful devotion. “Theologically is the attitude of piety and devotion; ethically, it is the attitude of benevolence. It is associated with the element of earth” (Contractor). The sixth creation is Haurvatat, who represents wholeness, as a “state of perfection, complete well-being, spiritual and …show more content…
As a human makes more and more right choices in their life, they get closer to salvation. Once one is dead and has reached salvation, there must be a “purification of body and soul, and of preserving the purity of the sacred elements, fire, earth, and water” (Williams, 202). “The dead body could not be buried, nor burned, nor thrown into the water—as such an act would result in the defilement of one of those elements. It must be exposed on the Dakhma( grave or a place of exposure of the dead. To dispose of i otherwise would be to incur mortal sin” (Williams,
Much of the religious practice of the ancient world was polytheistic. The Hebrews embrace of monotheism is noteworthy, because it distinguishes Judaism from the ...
In the beginning observations of this story, I learned the unique set of structure used. She started of early in the story stating “43% of American’s who died last year were burned instead of buried”. This represents the idea that there is a significant change in the way we dispose our bodies. The author also introduced a change of traditional methods to modern methods in the structuring of the text. Authors key focus was cultural change. Readings show that people who don’t believe in Christ(Atheism) rose thirteen percent in 2012-2013. This change and rise resurrected ne ideas about our bodies. Traditionally people will get buried as form of laying your body in the ground for the coming of Christ. Since the rise of atheism, however, people think as they don’t need to bury themselves and can use an alternate way they feel that suits them and their body when they
When someone dies their bones are burned and crushed into ash and consumed by the relatives. It puts a persons soul at peace to find a resting place within their family, it would be an abomination to bury them in the ground. Once this ceremony is finished the person is gone. Their name or person is never to be mentioned again.
The five Eastern religions of Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Daoism, and Shinto have some similarities when it comes to the their beliefs on death. Hinduism and Buddhism both believe in karma and reincarnation, while Daoism and Shintoism revolve their beliefs around nature. Confucianism chooses not to focus on things we do not know, so their beliefs on death are limited. In deciphering the different beliefs on death associated with each religion, it is important to understand the different belief systems and their origins. While some religions merged the views of the other religions, some came from the views of an originating founder. Each religion has their own view on life after death and whether or not their followers should be concerned
Throughout the past hundred years, all over the world the number of cremations done exceeded burials and left a shocking number behind. As it was in 1968 with 35 % of funerals being cremations, today in the UK, Japan, Canada, USA and many other countries it is growing and reached over 79 %. (Mayers, 2013). This is becoming so popular that even small companies for constructing crematoriums are becoming larger and turn into very well-paid businesses. As a matter of fact, with present day people choose their best options for funerals and do not take into account the so called old beliefs that religion forbids cremations. Peo...
The Pharisees’ were the religious leaders of the Jews, and most of the time, in the New Testament, they were associated with the scribes. They were extremely influential and were very popular with the people. They taught some sound doctrine, but by Jesus’ day their sect was nothing more than empty religion and useless practices. (Jensen, 46) The Pharisaical view was monotheism, the belief in one and only one God. The word monotheism comes from the Greek word monos, which means one, and theos, which means god. Thus, monotheism is a belief in the
Abrahamic largest religions are known to be Judaism, Christianity and Islam because they follow the original history to their own bond with God. However they also define as monotheistic as they hold their own belief and sacred texts, which are Torah, The Bible and the Quran respectively. Monotheistic interpret The Creation Story, leading their believers to follow their gender roles and function. This has a significant relationship to Harvey Cox’s quote about his understanding of this world and what all human beings should live by. Religion has provided us with The Creation Story, “All human being have an innate need to hear and tell stories and to have a story to live by. Religion, whatever else it has done, has provided one of the main ways of meeting this abiding need”.
The belief systems of the Mongol and Persian Empire differed because of the main practices in each Empire. In the Mongol empire- during the reign of Ghenghis Khan- the dominant religions were Christianity, Buddhism, and Islam. In the Early Persian Empire, the most practiced religion was Zoroastrianism- which was the first monotheistic religion. The Mongols practiced the religion of Christianity which originated from Israel, and became one of the largest widespread religions in the world. Christianity is centered around the teachings of Jesus Christ; a prophet from Bethlehem who was considered to be The Son of God. The religion Islam originated from the middle east and the followers worship the God “Allah” and share similar stories to those that are in the Old testament of the Bible.
Zoroastrianism and Judaism share distinct qualities that make them similar. Throughout thousands of centuries these religions have been around. They were the starting points of monotheistic thought. And the beginning of a religious revolution that took place in the ancient world that is still practiced today.
According to Leming and Dickinson, Hindus believe that cremation is “an act of sacrifice” because they are offering their bodies to God. The body is usually cremated on the bank of a sacred river. The book, Understanding dying, death, and bereavement offers an “invocation” that would be close to what a priest would recite, “Fire, you were lighted by him, so may he be lighted from you, that he may gain the regions of celestial bliss. May this offering prove auspicious.” Leming and Dickinson (2011) state that between 10-31 days post cremation, a feast (shraddha) is shared among mourners and priests.
Funerals are very important ceremonies in Hindu tradition. Hindus see cremation as an act of sacrifice to God and...
the Vedic poets and theologians. They are as followed: (1) creation by fecundation of the original waters; (2) creation by the dismembering of a primordial giant, Purusa; (3) creation out of a unity-totality, at once being and nonbeing; (4) creation by the separation of heaven and earth.[2] [Image] The first cosmogony relates to the celebrated hymn of the Rg Veda. The god imagined as Hiranyagarbha (the Golden Embryo) hovers over the Waters, Hiranyabarbha enters the waters and fecundates them. This gave birth to Agni (the god of fire).[3] The second cosmogony can be found in a hymn, the Purusasukta. Purusa is represented at once as cosmic totality and as an androgynous being.
Monotheism is the belief in the existence of one God. There are three of the most influential monotheistic religions in world history today known as Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. These three religions share both vast similarities and differences. One significant similarity they share is the belief in one deity. The belief of one God gave many people guidance and purpose in their lives. For this reason, these three religions gained many followers and believers who had faith in God. Through faithfulness in God, many were promised eternal paradise. In the following paragraphs, I will explain the similarities and differences between the rituals, holy scripts, and salvation that these religions shared.
All three of these religions have the common influence of Zoroastrianism. Although the Islamic faith may have had a greater impact, Judaism and Christianity were also impacted by this religion as well:
Zoroastrianism is an ancient religion that is the first religion to develop a monotheistic belief system. Zoroastrianism is heavily influential in the formation of the many religions, but more specifically, Christianity. For example, both religions believe in dualism, which is the concept that there are two original spirits: good and evil. In Zoroastrianism the good god is Ahura Mazda with the evil god being Angra Mainyu (Oxtoby, 5). In Christianity the good god is just referred to as God or Lord while the evil god is simply referred to as the Devil. In class we learned about the founder of Zoroastrianism, Zoroaster who was born into the warrior class who travels from his hometown to convince King Vishtaspa of his message who then converts his kingdom to Zoroastrianism. Mirroring this in Christianity, Jesus of Nazareth, known as Christ is the founder of Christianity spreading his message of resurrection and monotheism (Oxtoby, 143). Additionally, both religions believe that Ahura Mazda and God were the creators of the world, respectively, and how it came to be and also sharing the monotheistic belief that these two gods are the only ones to worship. Both religions have an emphasis on morality and good ethics, with Zoroastrianism having five particular points while Christianity stemmed from this which also has a moral code which is known as the Ten Commandments (Oxtoby, 5). While both religious share the importance of death and reincarnation the two differ on burial rites. In Zoroastrianism the belief is that the dead should be disposed of in the “towers of silence” so that birds of prey can eat their remains (Oxtoby, 5). In Christianity, the belief is to give the person a proper burial ceremony and then to bury the body in a gra...