1. Audio Resources
2. Written Bible
Download Complete New Testament
3. Watch the “Jesus Film”
4. Gods Plan of Salvation “The Four Spiritual Laws”
Archive for the ‘English’ Category
Zoroastrianism Resources
Sunday, March 6th, 2011Zoroastrianism
Saturday, March 5th, 2011When first researching this religion I noticed that there were many admirable qualities to this basic belief system which advocates the concepts of good thinking, speaking the truth, and good actions. However, this structure of belief is not completely unique to other religious views that have a positive work related program for salvation.
Additionally, these attributes are honorable but in reality are they attainable and how can one ultimately know or measure their spiritual progress? After all even this movement has had its share of moral conflicts due to the violation of its own standards by the means of (1)two holy wars and therefore if this religion is marred by its past violence then how can it reassure its adherents the certainty of paradise?
Also one position which I see no basis for is their certain views concerning the afterlife. I have already blogged about life after death and there are people who have been scientifically studied after they temporarily underwent clinical death by which they had a Near Death Experience and in some of these testimonies people were immediately ushered into heaven without foregoing a temporarily hellish realm as taught in Zoroastrianism. jesusandjews.com/wordpress/2009/10/29/is-hell-real/
These heaven and hell experiences are consistent with the witness of the scripture which depicts Jesus as having the keys of death and hell by which He has secured a victory through His substitutionary death which left the Apostle Paul to exclaim ‘O death where is your sting’. Paul saw death as a welcoming invitation to the departure of this life and a comfort rather than the anticipation of suffering, Philippians 1:21-24.
The bible also indicates for those who are in Christ that they would not be subjected to fear because God’s perfect love casts out all fear because fear has to do with judgment. That is why we can have confidence in our relationship with the Lord because we have been saved from God’s wrath through the meritorious deeds of a perfect Christ in which He has overcome the power of evil not only in our personal lives through the regeneration of new birth but also in the life to come and that is the essence of the gospel message.
The good news of Jesus Christ deals with the elements of mercy and grace which remarkably are requirements to the Zoroastrian code of conduct yet paradoxically this ideal has only a limited benefit in its association with the standard of supreme goodness as represented in the nature of Ahura Mazda.
So for the idea of forgiveness as being primarily an ethical pearl of humanity is a slanderous accusation towards the God who created us with this obligatory and moral requirement. Therefore by not equating forgiveness with the Creator is to succumb to its evil counterpart of unforgiveness and therefore it begs the question of how can this not apply to the supreme standard of goodness namely God. After all what kind of hope is there when faced with the dilemma between trusting in a God who essentially is waiting to get you back for your misdeeds in spite of your best efforts?
Anyway this may just seem like a philosophical argument but upon closer observation it really gets at the heart of the matter in that the benefactors of grace, mercy, and forgiveness speaks not only to the human constituents of love but rather it bears the mark of the long suffering of God towards a sinful humanity and this is what we see in plain view of the person and work of Christ who relieves the tension between the forces of both justice and love by fulfilling them both through His sacrificial death on the human altar of the cross whereby making peace with God on our behalf..
Another inconsistency to this religion is their theological position(s) concerning the nature of Ohrmazd which is diametrically opposed based on its varied positions.
I can accept a certain degree of transcendence with God in the mystery of His person yet there appears to be a conflict in the ontological categories of His being in that Zoroastrianism claims a monotheistic faith which at best appears to be henotheistic with overtones of polytheism and pantheism. There seems to be a real confusion and conflict here that is irreconcilable due to its contradictory nature of being. So if they can not establish a firm footing in which to ascend in their understanding of God’s nature then how can they ensure that they are following the true path of God by keeping the tenants of their other doctrinal beliefs?
This diversity of thinking may be in part due to the influence of variant eastern religions on this religious sect. Even though Zoroaster, like so many of the other religious leaders, supposedly had received a vision of enlightenment in defining what is true religion, it has still borrowed in part from other religious orders associated with its Indo-Iranian background.
Likewise, there are notable similarities between Zoroastrianism and Judeo Christian beliefs and some have offered the idea that Zoroastrianism had influenced these two world views and yet it may be on the contraire since many of the present day writings of Zoroastrianism did not largely exist until long after the advent of Christianity and much of what can be known about Zoroastrianism like the Avesta was either lost or fragmentary which leaves a person guessing as to what was the original content to begin with.
Also it may leave us to wonder if Zarathustra himself could even recognize what is to be attributed to him among their sacred writings of today.
You know it is inconceivable or unfathomable how that a supreme revelation of significance could be lost due to the mismanagement of a sovereign creator who failed to relay or preserve these texts for the benefit of future generations of Zoroastrians. Not only this but this expression of faith has been modified down through the years in order to contemporize its expression to the modern day worshipper and yet how can that be true to the original intent of this religion?
Also by what authority does this modernist or revisionist view have towards abolishing the purest expressions of the faith which would be considered definably orthodox to its former practitioners who participated in such rites as animal sacrifice?
Anyway another controversial practice is that the worshippers of this faith consume the intoxicating (2)drink of Haoma which is a drug altering substance which is synonymous with occultic practices by achieving a hyped or altered state which one can open oneself up to the realm of the demonic. Even among the members of the priesthood who are referred to as (3)Magi have a direct link to our modern word for magic which is suggestive to the occultic influence or background to this movement.
Also I believe another conflicting practice among Zoroastrianism is that many of them reject the proselytizing of individuals as converts which would include the prohibition of intermarriage and yet this is perhaps what has led to the demise and the dwindling numbers of this movement which is systematically becoming extinct and yet how can the true knowledge of God be passed down to future generations and encouraged to grow if eventually it is diminished or lost only to be preserved by the annals of history?
Well anyway in closing I hope this post is not just seen as a bashing on what is considered a nice religion but rather I hope it is a challenge to what devotees see as being the order of supreme truth. Also for those whose only relationship to this movement is just a nominal devotion to a cultural rite of passage my encouragement to you is to have the courage to think more critically about spiritual matters in preparing yourself to be able to break free from a system of falsehood.
Lastly, on a personal note for those who are still open in your searching, have you fulfilled the longing in your soul to be connected to God but only sense that you’re yearning has left you to embrace the emptiness of a dead religion?
Perhaps you are wearied by the prospects and the outcome of this religious order and yet Jesus said in Matthew 11:28-30 28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
The scripture also reads in I John 1:9 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
This cleansing is completely efficacious apart from the superficiality of any type of ritualistic or hygienic ceremonial washings. Realistically, cleanliness is not next to godliness but rather Jesus said clean the inside of the cup which refers to the purify of heart rather than focusing on the superficiality of the removal of human filth. This can only happen as He gives you a new nature resulting in a transformed heart and a renewed mind.
Excerpts taken “From Handbook of World Religions, published by Barbour Publishing, Inc. Used by permission”
AMG’s World Religions and Cults, AMG Publishers, Chattanooga, Tennessee
All marked references are attributed to:
© 2009 Josh McDowell Ministry. All rights reserved. No part of these Materials may be changed in any way or reproduced in any form without written permission from Josh McDowell Ministry, 660 International Parkway, Richardson, TX 75081. www.josh.org. +1 972 907 1000. Used by Permission.