Zoroastrian Religion in the Middle East - Coursework Example

Zoroastrian religion in the Middle East Name of the Student: Name of the Instructor: Name of the course: Code of the course: Submission date: Zoroastrian religion in the Middle East Introduction It is evident that religion has over a long period played a central role in the lives of people in diverse regions of the world. Following the work by James (1958), religion can be defined as cognition, behavior and affect which emanates from the awareness of, or perceived interaction with entities which are supernatural in nature which are believed to play an imperative role among the affairs of the humans.It is an apparent fact that religion is a strong social force in the society. History has evidenced the role of religion in coordinating human efforts, fostering peace and war, creating unity among social groups as well as stimulating them against each other. Apart from religion having this social force, it is also a psychological power which influences the results of individual human lives. This is the case with some religions which have evolved overtime, withstood the test of time and presently considered as minority religious beliefs. This is best epitomized by the Zoroastrian religion in the Middle East. Against this backdrop, this paper will explore the origin of the Zoroastrian religion in the Middle East, the principle sources of information in this religion, basic doctrines of this religion and the relationship of Zoroastrianism with other religions as well as the Zoroastrian religion in the modern world. It is imperative to briefly explore the origin of this religion in order to gain a comprehensive insight into its position in the contemporary religious beliefs. Origin of the Zoroastrian religion The Zoroastrian religion also referred to as Magianism or Mazdaism can be perceived both as a religion as well as a religious philosophy. This doctrine was once the state religion of the ancient Iran. According to scholars of religious studies, the Zoroastrian religion originated in the eastern parts of ancient Persia before 1000 B.C and was propelled by a religious philosopher known as Zoroaster. Nigosian (1993) determined that Zoroaster lived and taught in ancient Persia (modern Iran) but the period of his existence still remains contentious. However, Zoroaster is believed to have lived and taught prior to the rise of the Achaemenid dynasty. Nigosian (1993) also noted that the ideas of Zoroastrian resulted in the beginning of a formal religion which bears his name and rose to influence later religions which include Gnosticism in Christianity, Judaism as well as Islam. In regard to the spread of this religion, a small group of Zoroastrians still inhabit their ancient homeland in modern Iran. Nonetheless, other Zoroastrians migrated outside the confines of Iran sometimes in the 9th and 10th centuries CE and made their settlement in the west coast of India. At the current times, their number is still small and scattered and they are commonly referred to as Parsees (or Parsis), a name which can be perceived to refer to the province of Fars in the ancient Persia. The rise of European imperialism saw the Zoroastrians from both India and Iran emigrate and develop small communities in almost each major city in the West. Global figures point to the estimation that the number of the Zoroastrians in the worldwide platform is between 145,000 and 210, 000. It is imperative to explore some of the source which expound on Zoroaster which is one of the religious founders in the world who is least known and has received limited scholarly attention. Principle sources Nigosian (1993) noted that the chief sources of Zoroaster can be broadly categorized into two. These are the Zoroaster sources and secondly, the non-Zoroaster sources. In regard to the Zoroaster sources of information, these include the Avesta (the Zoroastrian scripture which entail the Yasna, Videvdat, the Yashts and Visparad) as well as the religious documents developed at later dates, for instance, Denkard, Bundahishn and Zadspram among others. In regard to the non-Zoroastrian sources of information, these include the works by classical authors, mostly from the Greek and Roman origin. This also entails references by Syrians, Chinese, Armenian, Arab and Icelandic writers. It is worth noting that all these sources on both categories do not have equal value but on the basic perception, each one of them possesses some inherent value. In terms of importance, the Avesta, and most certainly the Gathas of Zoroaster (hymns) stand out as being endowed with the greatest importance among these sources of information (Nigosian, 1993). The doctrine of the Zoroastrian religion in the Middle East This section will explore the generic beliefs in this religion in three aspects. Firstly, the teachings of Zoroaster infer that there is an intrinsic imbalance of power between two distinct forces of good and evil which can be perceived to be embedded and insisted upon in diverse sacred texts. This is whereby there is insistence of the absolute destruction of evil forces by the principles of the good forces. This insinuates the ultimate victory of Ahura Mazda to attain supreme reign which marks the end of the human history. Secondly, the doctrine of the Zoroastrian religion expound on the claim of Ahura Mazda to wisdom which is infinite in nature. Thus, the ignorance, deceitful intrigue of the evil principles fails to match the insight, forethought as well as intelligence of Ahura Mazda in the world (Nigosian, 1993). Lastly, the Zoroastrian theory in regard to human nature gives an adequate justification of the integral role of allegiance from the humans. Thus, the eventual course which is taken by human history is highly dependent on the choices which are made by the human beings. However, this theory points to the fact that humans are usually in possession of ‘natural responsiveness’ to the persuasive power of Ahura Mazda. This insinuates that acts, thoughts and words of the humans play a central role in molding the cosmic value (Nigosian, 1993). The Zoroastrian religion has diverse aspects related to sacrifices, burial and worship among others. All these are evident and widely practiced by followers of this religion in diverse regions around the globe where the Zoroastrian religion has spread to. However, it is important to note that these distinct tenets play a central role in shaping the virtues, behavior as well as relationships among members of the Zoroastrian religion. The major principles of the Zoroastrian religion are God (Ahura Mazda), scripture (Avesta), prophet (Zarathushtra), creed, observances, asha as well as fire (Lyer, 2009). These play a critical role in molding the daily undertakings among the followers of the Zoroastrian religion are God as well as their relationship with other human beings and other religions around the globe. It is important to explore the nature of this religion which is mostly widespread in the Middle East with other mainstream religions around the world. This is done in the subsequent section. Relationship of Zoroastrianism with other religions Different scholars have cited the significance of the Zoroastrian religion in the history of religious beliefs. This is founded on the probable impact in shaping the links in terms of spiritual custom both in the Western and Eastern regions. Being the oldest of the revealed creed religions, the Zoroastrian religion has been perceived of probably having more direct or indirect influence on humanity when compared with other religions (Lyer, 2009). Therefore, Zoroastrian religion has been perceived as having had immense influence on most religions which are practiced in the modern world. This is exemplified by the influence of the Zoroastrian religion on the Ibrahimic faith as well as Islam which spread in the larger Iranian empire in the later years. This is in terms influencing the general doctrines of these later religions in terms of modes of worship, the practice of monotheism among other aspects. However, scholars have also noted that Zoroastrianism also borrowed ideas from other belief systems. Just like other religions which have enjoyed widespread acceptance, Zoroastrianism also shares some common notions in aspects like good and evil as well as the existence of a supreme being who not only influences the relationships between human beings but also determines the destiny of humanity (Lyer, 2009). Zoroastrian religion in the modern world The practice of this religion in the contemporary world has undergone rapid reformist transformations. These have seen a greater focus towards peace rather than war which was predominant in the early periods of this religion’s existence. However, it is worth noting that there have been no scriptural developments in the beliefs among the followers of Zoroastrianism. This is founded on the fact that despite massive literature in the modern times being written in relation to Zoroastrianism, there is nothing which has been written as part of the political or cultural developments which has received acceptance among the followers of this religion as part of the Zoroastrianism scripture (Lyer, 2009). Lyer, (2009) also noted that as minority religion in the modern world which has limited following mostly in Iran, India and some other parts of the Middle East, the Zoroastrians are confronted by diverse challenges which threaten to wreck their identity as well as their survival as a religious community. This includes forces like demographic changes and globalization. Conclusion From the above analysis, it is evident that the Zoroastrian religion in the Middle East has a long history. This religion spread to other parts of the world, influencing the development of other religions but currently enjoys small following. In addition, the principle sources of this religion can be categorized into two, namely the Zoroastrian sources as well as the non- Zoroastrian sources of information. This religion has extensive relationship with other religions around the world. Lastly, the Zoroastrian religion has undergone immense reformist changes in the modern world as is also faced by a myriad of challenges which threats to destroy the identity and survival of the Zoroastrians as a religious community. References James, W. (1958). The varieties of religious experience. New York: Penguin. Lyer, M. (2009). Faith and Philosophy of Zoroastrianism. Delhi: Singhal Print Media. Nigosian, S.A. (1993). The Zoroastrian Faith: Tradition and Modern Research. Montreal: McGill-Queen’s University Press. Read More