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Introduction
The religion Zoroastrianism has been named after the Prophet Zoroaster. He brought the religion in the region and is analogous with Mazdaism. Mazdaism preached and called upon the worship of Ahura Mazda elevate by Zoroaster as the Al Mighty and the biggest divine authority. The religion was deeply integrated within the suburbs of Iran at one point in time and had tremendous influence on the traditions practiced and preached there. It was later with the conquest of Islam was this religion sidelined in Iran somewhere around the mid seventh century. Today there exist only 40000 Zoroastrians in Iran while 80000 of them (by far the largest number) exist in India. Zoroastrianism holds a special place in the history of religion because it traces its link to the traditions of the religions followed by the west and the east (Boyce, 1994).
Main Text
Zoroastrianism centered on the worship of Ahura Mazda who they believed was the one and the only God, the supreme divine authority and the only one worthy of worship. They were staunch believers of the concept of Asha i.e. truth and order which is a strikingly opposite to the concept of drug i.e. chaos. The religion preached active involvement in all the good things in life spiritually and emotionally. In doing so, will help marginalize chaos and work for the betterment of the society. Zoroastrianism firmly opposed all kinds of monasticism. Zoroasts believe that a time will come when Ahura Mazda will conquer which will mark the end of this world and He will come as a savior for the mankind. At that juncture everyone, the dead the living will all be reunited in the name of Ahura Mazda, precisely the time when according to their beliefs and preaching the world will be transformed as evil s completely evaded from it. The final riddance of evil from the Earth and the heavens will take place through a tidal wave of molten metal and cosmic battle of spiritual forces respectively (Dutchene, 2006). Eventually goodwill super cedes evil and will emerge victorious while all human entities will take spiritual shape. Adults who expired as adults will be transformed into men in their forties while those dying when they were young will be reborn in the fifteens and will remain so that way (Charles, 1961). The spiritual forms of humans will continue to exist but would no longer the daily essentials such as food water etc. Hunger and thirst pangs will cease to take place and there will be no violence. The entire world will follow one language and will be devoid of geographical boundaries while all beings will achieve immortality (Gordon, 1996).
The evil is presented by “Angra Mainyu” i.e. the “Destructive Principle” in Zoroastrianism while the “the Bounteous Principle” or “Spenta Mainyu” represents the benevolent. The Spenta Mainyu is the associative link between the divine authority that is Ahura Mazda and the world. Fire and water denote ritual purity in this religion and considered to be the last of the first creations of the world (Moulton, 1917).
There exist quiet a lot of similarities and dissimilarities between Judaism and Zoroastrianism.
Similarities and Dissimilarities between the two religions:
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Both religions believe in the existence of one divine entity,
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On the concept of good and evil Vis a Vis heaven and hell etc. However they follow different books and scriptures.
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Zoroasts don’t follow the routine burial or cremation ceremonies of the dead for fire and soil holds sacred and spiritual importance for them. They, on the other hand feed the bodies of the dead to vultures, exposing their bodies in process. One can’t deny the fact that Jews did go through a period wherein the dead used to be exposed so that the flesh could rot and decompose after which the bones were kept in the ossuaries. (About.com:Judaism)
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Their history stays strikingly different to. Jews follow Judaism and it is their religion but Zoroastrianism traces back to the Old Iranian and is considered by many as their religion.
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The divine entities of Jews and Zoroasts are God and Ahura Mazda respectively.
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While Judaism believes and perceives Satan as an ally cum assistant of God who has been appointed by him to judge people for their righteousness, Zoroastrianism is of the firm belief that Angra Mainyu is evil and was created to bring about evil. He should hence be destroyed.
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Judaism anticipates the arrival of Messiah whereas Zoroastrianism looks forward to the homecoming of Sayoshant who will lead the battle against evil in humanity’s last war.
Works Cited
About.com:Judaism. (n.d.).
Boyce, M. (1994). Textual Sources for the study of Zorastrianism. Manchester: UP.
Charles, R. (1961). The Dawn and Twilight of Zoroastrianism. London: Phoenix Press.
Dutchene, J. (2006). Zoroastrianism: Relation to other religions.
Gordon, M. J. (1996). Encyclopedia of American Religions. Detroit: Gale Research.
Moulton, J. H. (1917). The Treasure of the Magi: A Study of Modern Zoroastrianism. London: OUP.
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