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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