1 / 12

Zoroastrianism

Zoroastrianism. There are approximately 140,000 Zoroastrians in the world today with the majority in India and Iran. There is also a strong presence in Ontario (around 4000 people). Scholars approach Zoroastrianism because of its contribution to other religions. . Small but important!.

daphne
Download Presentation

Zoroastrianism

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Zoroastrianism

  2. There are approximately 140,000 Zoroastrians in the world today with the majority in India and Iran. • There is also a strong presence in Ontario (around 4000 people). • Scholars approach Zoroastrianism because of its contribution to other religions. Small but important!

  3. A man named Zoroaster who lived between 1700 and 600BCE was unimpressed with the Persian’s polytheistic religious ways. • He decided to spend some time alonemeditating on what to do….and he received a revelation that the universe was ruled by one true God… • Zoroaster spent the rest of his life teaching,preaching, and fighting to convince people of the one true God. Origins

  4. According to legend: • Zoroaster was born of a virgin • As a child he engaged in debate with wise elders about religion • At the age of thirty he went into the desert and received revelation that changed his life and lives of many This sounds familiar…

  5. There is one supreme God: Ahura Mazda • His main rival is an evil spirit called AngraMainyu • They are locked in a 12,000 year battlewhere Ahura Mazda has the upper handbecause he is slightly more powerful. Beliefs

  6. In Zoroastrianism, the answer is simple. There are two deities. One is supreme and represents good and one is almost as powerful and represents evil. • People must choose good in their lives! We are here on earth to choose good. If God is good, why is there evil in the world?

  7. After a three day period of mourning when a person dies, their body is taken to a dakhma: a round open-air structure with his walls where the body of the dead person is placed. Rituals

  8. Dakhmas are built away from population centres. • Natural forces (sun, scavenging birds) decompose the body and after a natural decay, the bones are swept into as well in the middle of the dakhma. • Although criticized today, the ceremony represents that everyone is equal (rich and poor). Everyone is left in the dakhma before Ahura Mazda. • Zoroastrians believe that the soul is bound for greater places and the body should return to the earth. Rituals

  9. Upon death, souls are led to the Bridge of the Separator where judged. Good deeds widens the bridge and evil deeds makes it narrows. If too many evil deeds were committed in your life, the bridge will narrow eventually causing the person to fall off into hell below. Bridge of the Separator

  10. Fire is the most important symbol of Zoroastrianism. • The place of worship is called the fire temple. • The ever burning flame represents the divine presence of Ahura Mazda. Symbol

  11. Concepts of life after death • Final Judgment • Redemption • Idea of Satan as God’s rival • All of the above likely traced back to Zoroastrianism's influence on early Judaism. Influence on other Religions

  12. Modern Day Practice Video

More Related