Prophet Zoroastrianism: A Monotheistic Religion

Zoroastrianism on the other hand is a monotheistic religion, originating in Iran, and has evolved throughout the ages. With approximately 130,000 remaining followers. Zoroastrianism’s early stage, is presumed to have influenced Buddhism, and introduces beliefs of Gods and Devils that have been adopted by other religions such as Christianity, and Islam. The Zoroastrian gods represented elements, aspects of nature, and principles such as justice and obedience. These gods were called daevas meaning (“shining ones”), with higher ranking gods called Ahuras or (“Lords”) with the supreme god Ahura Mazda, being worshipped above all the other gods as the divine creator; through good thoughts, words, and deeds, like the Jainism ahimsa. Zoroastrians believed there was a cosmic battle between good and evil and to support good one must dedicate themselves as spiritual warriors for good.

About 5000 years ago, around 3000 BCE, a group of people called the Proto Indo-Iranians lived on the South Russian Steppes to the east of the river Volga. The Proto Indo-Iranians believed in a primitive concept of order. They knew that order existed in the universe because night followed day, the moon shone and faded and each year the seasons followed each other. They believed that divinities or gods called Asuras. The Proto Indo-Iranians worshiped instinctively and often, through fear. When they saw lightning and heard thunder, they thought that the gods were

One of the great things that is known about Darius is his understanding the importance of religions within his empire. During his stay in Egypt, Darius gave tributes to the Egyptian gods and dedicated many temples to some of them. Ancient artifacts show that there were sacrifices made to several deities of different cultures. He supported faiths and religions of his empire as long as the believers were submissive and peaceful. It was established during Darius’ reign that the king was a believer in Ahura Mazda, the god of Zoroastrianism. He believed that Ahura Mazda had given him the “divine right” to rule Persia because he had lived righteously by Asha.

"Zoroastrianism and Avesta: Overview and FAQ." Zoroastrianism and Avesta: Overview and FAQ. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Sept. 2015. .

It all began approximately 3500 years ago, where the religion known as Zoroastrianism was founded by our Prophet Zoroaster in ancient Persia- now modern day Iran. Although the exact time of the founding of religion is uncertain, sources from text and archaeological evidence dates back to 1200 B.C.E. Zoroastrianism may be one of the world’s first monotheist religion to ever existed and was also once the main religion of the great Persian Empire, but has now reduces to merely 200,000 people, or even less. Since the creation of Zoroastrianism, it is believed that Jewish, Christian, and Islamic beliefs of God and Satan, Heaven and Hell, the final judgment, and etc. were greatly influenced by the very creation of this religion.

Throughout history similar ideas has been detected that allowed different places and time eras to be connected. From the old Western Europe and Iberia to the new worlds of the Americas three major ideas have connected these two eras, which include agriculture, religion, and war. These ideas both show these two eras behaviors and the way their countries united and prospered.

Zoroastrians do not worship fire as many thought. The Zoroastrians worship the elements as pure Beings. They believed that fire represents Ahura Mazda’s light or wisdom. They use many ceremonies and practice a lot. The Zoroastrians did all this to gain and keep the favor of their God. The Zoroastrian have a wonderfully diverse religion.

Definition Zoroastrianism: “a Persian religion founded in the sixth century BC by the prophet Zoroaster, promulgated in the Avesta, and characterized by worship of a supreme god Ahura Mazda who requires good deeds for help in his cosmic struggle against the evil spirit Ahriman.” Judaism: “a religion developed among the ancient Hebrews and characterized by belief in one transcendent God who has revealed himself to Abraham, Moses, and the Hebrew prophets and by a religious life in accordance with Scriptures and rabbinic traditions.” Christianity: the religion derived from Jesus Christ, based on the Bible as sacred scripture, and professed by Eastern, Roman Catholic, and Protestant bodies,” Similarities Zoroastrianism greatly influenced

Due to the aforementioned links to modern day religions, several theological notions attributed to them can be found within Zoroastrianism. The Zoroastrian religion is centered around the belief in Ahura Mazda (god of creation, well being, order and light) who was destined for victory against his antithetical counterpart, Angra Mainyu (god of destruction, evil, chaos and darkness), these figures were additionally accompanied by beings associated with angels and demons (Applegate). Beliefs in the afterlife existed as well, such as the concept of Heaven and Hell which was entered by the Bridge of Judgement; where the souls of the dead were weighed in relation to their respective good and bad deeds committed throughout their life (Stepaniants).

has also been suggested that due to the prophet Daniel’s close association with the sovereigns of the Archaemenian period, Zoroastrianism is thought to have influenced Judaism, as the prophet Daniel served as an advisor in court of Darius the Great (Boyce, 89). The intermingling of these two monotheistic faiths eventually gave rise to one of the largest monotheistic religion in the world, Christianity (91). Christianity has even been referred to as a Mithraic cult, due to the amount of Christian beliefs, ideas, practices, and teachings that have been adopted from Zoroastrianism (Min-Ju, 6). However, according to most academic sources, archaeological evidence does not support this claim (Beard & North, 134).

‘The Persians devised a monotheistic religion based on the teachings of the prophet Zoroaster (ca. 628-ca. 551 B.C.E.). Denying the nature gods of earlier times, Zoroaster exalted the sole god Ahura-Mazda (“Wise

Zoroastrianism is a religion founded by a priest named Zarathustra Spitma or Zoroaster far back in the 1200BCE, with the principle belief of an almighty God or “the One” Ahura Mazda and the context of a cosmic battle between the good and evil forces.

Zoroastrianism is the world’s oldest living monotheistic religion. It may have very few followers today but it is one of the most influential religions of all time. It eventually led to many of the ideas of big religions today including Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. Zoroastrianism is a very important religion yet if you ask someone on the street they would most likely never have heard of it or its ideas. The two biggest ideas of Zoroastrianism are Dualism, their God Ahura Mazda, and the Amensha spirits.

Today, many people believe there is only one God. This belief in monotheism has not always been understood in the way that modern believers understand it. In the early days of Israel, they believed that there were many gods, though they could only worship their god, YHWH. Levenson looks at Israel’s past and development to see how monotheism developed. Did it develop from a belief in one God, who is alone YHWH, or through a belief that YHWH is the one God above all other gods? This question is key in understanding the development of monotheism in Israel. For example, one can see how there could be two gods partaking in the flood narrative. The first god regrets making creation while later in the story there is a change in the character in the god present to one who promises not to bring about a flood again, even if humanity is evil. This shows how Israel acknowledged multiple gods, though only worshipping YHWH.

The rise, development, and spread of monotheism (the belief in one God), is one of the most significant and fascinating dimensions of human civilization. The three major monotheistic faiths are Judaism, Christianity and Islam, these religions have spread to other kingdoms throughout the world by use of missionaries.