The three core tenets of Zoroastrianism are “Good Thoughts, Good Words, and Good Deeds”. These three things are said to be created by Ahura Mazda, whom Zoroaster stated to be the creator of good.13 The antithesis of Ahura Mazda is Angra Mainyu, who is said to be the creator of evil. Their conflict involves all beings, and those who follow Angra Mainyu will be destroyed when the good of Ahura Mazda envelops everything. This dualism of good and evil is also present in the progressive sect’s teachings, who instead see that the conflict of good and evil is instead an ethical one, existing in the minds of all. As in many religions, there is a presence of an afterlife. The deceased’s soul will be given three days to look back upon their life, examining their thoughts, words, and deeds, in thinking that if the good outweighs the bad they will be allowed to continue on to Heaven. If the bad outweighs the good, three of the Yazatas will lead the soul onto Hell.
There is heavy symbology present in the form of fire. It plays an important part in many of the rituals and ceremonies, and is representative of Ahura Mazda himself. Ahura Mazda is described as glorious, giving way for light to be recognized as divine. The sacred fire, present in Fire Temples, is said to be a representation of the illumination of man. Fire Temples are …show more content…
Yahweh at this time was recognized as the liberator of slaves, and as Robert Karl Gnuse says in No Other Gods: Emergent Monotheism in Israel, “The emphasis upon Yahweh as a liberator in the exodus implies that the Jewish portrayal of God sprang more from the despair of an oppressed people.”25 The idea that Yahweh was the creator of the world could have been brought on from the idea that Ahura Mazda(or Zurvan in Zurvanism) created the good in the world, bringing with him Angra Mainyu and the Yazatas and
There is heavy symbology present in the form of fire. It plays an important part in many of the rituals and ceremonies, and is representative of Ahura Mazda himself. Ahura Mazda is described as glorious, giving way for light to be recognized as divine. The sacred fire, present in Fire Temples, is said to be a representation of the illumination of man. Fire Temples are …show more content…
Yahweh at this time was recognized as the liberator of slaves, and as Robert Karl Gnuse says in No Other Gods: Emergent Monotheism in Israel, “The emphasis upon Yahweh as a liberator in the exodus implies that the Jewish portrayal of God sprang more from the despair of an oppressed people.”25 The idea that Yahweh was the creator of the world could have been brought on from the idea that Ahura Mazda(or Zurvan in Zurvanism) created the good in the world, bringing with him Angra Mainyu and the Yazatas and