Zoroastrianism
How many people do you know who believe that after they die God will weigh their deeds and, as long as they have at least 50 percent good deeds, will allow them into heaven? This idea of God using balance scales to weigh deeds is held by many, including quite a number who call themselves Christians. But this concept is definitely not found in the Bible. So where did it come from?
Zoroastrianism, a religion most people have never heard of, was the first to put forth the concept of judgment by weighing good and bad deeds, called ethical dualism. Due to their geographic distribution today, and because persecution in some countries forces them to keep a low profile, it is difficult to know how many Zoroastrians there are. Estimates range from a low of 150,000 to as many as several million worldwide. The most reliable figures place the number at 250,000.
The nomenclature comes from the Latinization of its founder’s name. Zoroaster was from Persia (present-day Iran), so today he usually is referred to by his Persian name, Zarathustra. In 1300 BC, when he likely lived (life dates vary from 1400–1000 BC), Persia was polytheistic, and Zarathustra was a priest (in fact, he’s the only founder of a world religion who ever served as one).
He had many religious questions, and according to the Gathas (a portion of the sacred Zoroastrian book Avesta), in the midst of his seeking he had a vision of an angel who told him there was only one true god, named Ahura Mazda, and Zarathustra was to be his prophet. Over the next ten years, further visions revealed to him the basis of the religion that came to bear his name.
Zarathustra preached this new message for over a decade before winning his first convert. Even by the time of his death there were very few followers. His disciples, however, persevered in spreading the message of Ahura Mazda, and by 500 BC it was the dominant religion of the Persian Empire (adherents included Kings Cyrus [Daniel 10]) and Ahasuerus (or Xerxes [Esther]). Even in Jesus’ day it was still the majority religion in western and central Asia.
One universal human problem all religions seek to handle is the presence of both good and evil in the world. Dualism is the philosophical term for this perpetual struggle, and religions wrestle with it in many ways. Monotheistic faiths (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam) teach that God is good but is opposed by Satan. Satan, however, is not God’s equal, for Satan is a created being. Thus these religions are not actually dualistic; if they taught two separate and equal supreme powers they would no longer be monotheistic.
Zarathustra developed a true dualistic monotheism. He taught that two spirits emanate from the one God: Spenta Mainyu, the Beneficent Spirit, and Angra Mainyu, the Evil Spirit. They are equal in power and have always coexisted, so Zoroastrianism is both dualistic and monotheistic.
Spenta Mainyu created the world to enlist humans in his effort to defeat evil. How does he ensure that humans help the good side? By establishing moral guidelines and a day of judgment, where deeds are weighed. Heaven awaits the good; hell, the evil.
Zarathustra’s descriptions of hell, graphic and terrifying, are the basis of many people’s assumptions about what hell is like (even if they don’t realize the source). It’s intriguing that the Bible tells just enough about hell that we know we don’t want to go there, but forgoes vivid details as found in the Avesta.
Zoroastrianism prevailed in central Asia and the eastern Mediterranean world for about a thousand years, but after the Muslim armies from Arabia conquered Persia in the seventh century AD, persecution of Zoroastrians followed. Eventually most migrated to India, where they became known as Parsees (from the Hindi word for Persians).
The majority today still lives in India, where they’re considered a caste (social class) despite the significant differences in religious belief from Hinduism. Because of their high moral code, they are honest and highly successful businesspeople, owning some of the largest corporations in India. Some Zoroastrians still live in Iran (modern-day Persia).
In Zarathustra’s view, air, water, earth, and fire are pure elements; it is immoral to pollute them. Zoroastrian worship consists primarily of prayers, both individual and corporate. There are also ceremonies for significant life events (rites of passage), such as becoming an adult, marriage, and others. Temples maintain a sacred flame around which most ceremonies take place.
Although the religion originally spread through conversion by itinerant preachers, Zoroastrianism today is not a missionary religion. Indeed, many Zoroastrians believe conversion is impossible, that one must be born into the religion. Conversions do happen, however, and some communities have been more accepting of converts than others.
An Extra Minute
Because Zoroastrians are declining in number, survival of the religion is a significant issue to them. They are using the Internet to create virtual communities and even online worship centers to keep the community together. Many losses from the faith are due to young Zoroastrians marrying followers of other religions, so online matchmaking services are a popular effort to help geographically scattered Zoroastrians find marriage partners within the religion. The designer of one of the larger websites is a Minnesota-born convert from Roman Catholicism.
Morgan, G.R. (2012) Understanding World Religions in 15 Minutes a Day. Minneapolis, MN: Bethany House Publishers, pp. 62–65.
