DOCSLIB.ORG

Zoroastrian Bioethics: the Evolution of an Ancient Ethic to a Code for Modern Science and Medicine

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Zoroastrian Bioethics: the Evolution of an Ancient Ethic to a Code for Modern Science and Medicine Medical Ethics ZOROASTRIAN BIOETHICS: THE EVOLUTION OF AN ANCIENT ETHIC TO A CODE FOR MODERN SCIENCE AND MEDICINE Whitny M. Braun ∗ Abstract: This paper examines the emerging bioethical code of Zoroastrianism. As the oldest of the monotheistic prophetic traditions Zoroastrianism has over 3000 years of ethical writings and oral traditions, which have yet to be codified into a cohesive bioethical manifesto for the faith. The major topics in bioethics including conception, abortion, circumcision, blood, tissue and organ donation as well as euthanasia and disposal of the dead are examined with attention paid to how the tradition views these issues respective to their sacred texts and current social norms. Keywords: Zoroastrianism, Parsis, Bioethics, Public Health, Abortion, Organ Donation, Euthanasia, Dakhmenashini, INTRODUCTION At first glance the world’s oldest religion and the study of the ethics of scientific advancement might not seem like they have much in common. But in reality they have everything to do with each other. Zoroastrianism is an ancient religion that brings with it the ethics and rituals of the Bronze Age into the 21st century. How does a faith tradition born out of the Central Asian Steppes over 3000 years ago adapt to the rapid advancements being made in the biosciences? Perhaps it does it the same way its younger fellow faith traditions have, by interpreting their ancient ethical codes in a !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! * M.P.H., M.A., EMT and Candidate for PhD in Theology, Ethics and Culture, Claremont Graduate University, Claremont, California, United States of America. ! 1! manner that creates a normative ethical framework that the estimated 175,000 Zoroastrians living in the world today can operate within.1 Before examining the specific beliefs relating to such issues as abortion, organ donation and disposal of the dead it is important to understand the origins of the field of bioethics and why there is a profound need for a Zoroastrian code of bioethics. THE EVOLUTION OF BIOETHICS The field of “bioethics” first emerged as an academic discipline in the United States in the 1960s in response to the rapid advancements being made in the fields of science and technology. But it was not given a name until 1970 when scientist Van Rensselaer Potter coined the term to refer to confluence of moral, theological and legal reasoning in response to such groundbreaking advances in science as the atomic bomb, the hemodialysis machine and organ transplantation.2 No sooner had Potter fashioned the term than it was appropriated to describe a much narrower scope within the filed: “the ethical analysis of a range of moral questions posed to the medical practice by the advances in the biomedical sciences and technologies”.3 In 1971 the Kennedy Institute of Ethics was founded at Georgetown University to serve as the flagship academic center for research in the new field of medical ethics. The center’s founder chose to call it “bioethics” cementing it as a new and distinct discipline !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ! 1!Numbers!based!on!the!research!of!J.!R.!Hinnels!(2000).!Zoroastrian!and!Parsi!Studies.!London,! Ashgate.! ! 2!Potter,!V.!R.!(1970).!"Bioethics,!the!science!of!survival."!Perspectives!in!Biology!and!Medicine!14:! 127M153.! ! ! 3!Jonsen,!A.!R.!(2007).!A!History!of!Bioethics!as!Discipline!and!Discourse.!Bioethics:!an!introduction!to! the!history,!methods!and!practice,!2nd!Edition.!N.!S.!Jecker.!Sudbury,!MA,!Jones!and!Bartlett! Publishers:$3M16.! ! ! 2! within the academy. Shortly thereafter a formal definition was given to the term in the center’s premier publication in 1972, The Encyclopedia of Bioethics, defining it as: “the study of the ethical dimensions of medicine and the biological sciences.”4 Two years later Daniel Callahan, founder of the other major bioethics think tank, The Hastings Center, wrote an article in which he suggested that this new field could develop into a unique and profoundly important discipline, drawing from the traditional methods of philosophical and theological analysis, sensitivity to human emotion and socioeconomic and political influences on medicine and health care.5 By the end of the 1970s the general consensus was that the discipline of bioethics should be designed to serve those who were faced with the crucial decisions that arise within medicine and by extension, measures in public health. RELIGION AND BIOETHICS One sub-discipline that has developed under the umbrella of bioethics is the codification of bioethical norms specific to individual faith traditions. Christians, Jews and Muslims in the United States and Europe have been the most active in the issuing of bioethical mandates, such as the 1995 papal encyclical, Evangelium Vitae6 and the !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 4!Ibid,!p.!3.! ! 5!Callahan,!D.!(1973).!"Bioethics!as!a!discipline."!Hastings!Center!Studies!1:!66M73.! ! 6!The!papal!encyclical!Evangelium.Vitae!Was!issued!on!March!25,!1995!by!Pope!John!Paul!II.!!It!states! the!Roman!Catholic!position!regarding!the!value!and!inviolability!of!human!life.!!The!encyclical!has! subsequently!been!used!as!the!standard!of!authority!in!all!matters!pertaining!to!abortion,!euthanasia! and!by!extension!the!destruction!of!stem!cells.! ! ! 3! multiple fatawas issued by Muslim clerics since the 1980s.7 But bioethics as a discipline has been accused of being elitist in that the vast majority of research and writing in the field focuses on the Abrahamic traditions’ treatments of the various bioethical issues. Consequently, in recent years there has been a surge in interest in the bioethical codes of “minority groups”. In response to the growing interest in the field of bioethics among Christian and Jewish scholars several other scholars emerged as bioethicists for their respective faith traditions. In the 1980s Muslim scholars such as Hassan Hathout8 and Abdulaziz Sachedina9 became recognized as leading voices in the sub-discipline of Muslim bioethics. By the 1990s Cromwell Crawford10 and Damien Keown11 had established themselves as the preeminent authorities on Hindu and Buddhist bioethics respectively. And in the last decade others have emerged in the fields of Jain and Confucian bioethics.12 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 7!See:!RisplerMChaim,!V.!(2003).!The!Right!Not!to!Be!Born:!Abortion!of!the!Disadvantaged!Fetus!in! Contemporary!FatWas!Islamic!Ethics!of!Life:!Abortion,!War,!and!Euthanasia.!J.!E.!Brockopp.!Columbia,! SC,!University!of!South!Carolina!Press.! ! ! 8!See:!Hathout,!H.!(1981).!The!International!Code!for!Medical!and!Health!Ethics.!KuWait,!Islamic! Organization!for!Medical!Sciences.! ! 9!See:!Sachedina,!A.!(2009).!Islamic!Bioemedical!Ethics:!Principles!and!Application.!Oxford,!Oxford! University!Press.! ! 10!See:!CraWford,!S.!C.!(2003).!Hindu!Bioethics!for!the!TWentyMfirst!Century.!Ithaca,!NY,!State! University!of!NeW!York!Press.! ! ! 11!See:!KeoWn,!D.!(2001).!Buddhism!and!Bioethics.!London,!Palgrave.! ! ! 12!See:!Braun,!W.!(2008).!"Sallekhana:!the!Ethicality!and!Legality!of!Religious!Suicide!by!Starvation!in! the!Jain!Religious!Community."!Medicine!and!LaW!27(4):!913M924.!;!“Jain!Bioethics!for!the!21st! Century.”!!Medicine!and!LaW,!Pending!Publication.!!Also!see:!Fan,!R.,!Ed.!(1999).!Confucian!Bioethics.! Philosophy!and!Medicine.!Dordrecht,!NL,!Kluwer!Academic!Publishers.! ! ! ! 4! From a purely intellectual and philosophical standpoint the descriptive ethics of the world’s major faith traditions may have made for interesting reading, however there was a disconnect for physicians, nurses, and all other healthcare providers who were encountering members of these religious and cultural groups in the clinical setting. Through the process of globalization healthcare providers the world over were encountering an increasingly diverse patient population and each faith tradition, ethnic group and religious denomination represented in the hospital was proving to be a brave new world of ethical norms. The need to understand the bioethical norms of what were then termed “fringe” groups first became apparent to healthcare providers in the West when blood transfusions became a reality in the early 20th century.13 While it was hailed as a miracle of modern science it raised myriad ethical and theological questions owing to the fact that blood is so symbolically intertwined with cultural, ethnic and religious identities. The first group to publicly admonish the practice were the Jehovah’s Witnesses, who starting in 1927 began sending out their denominational bulletin The Watchtower, which admonished the “eating of blood”.14 The concept of “eating blood” was later clarified in 1944 so as to be tantamount to transfusion: !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 13!The!first!documented!successful!blood!transfusion!took!place!in!November!of!1906!When!a!young! Cleveland!surgeon,!George!Washington!Crile,!published!the!results!of!his!attempt!to!save!the!life!of!a! 23MyearMold!man!by!surgically!connecting!the!patient’s!brachial!artery!to!his!brother’s.!!For!more! information!see:!Susan!E.!Lederer!(2008).!Flesh!and!Blood:!Organ!Transplantation!and!Blood! Transfusion!in!Twentieth!Century!America.!NeW!York,!NY,!Oxford!University!Press.! ! ! 14!Muramoto,!O.!(1998).!"Bioethics!of!the!refusal!of!blood!by!Jehovah's!Witnesses:!Part!I."!Journal!of! Medical!Ethics!24(4):!223M231.!!It!is!also!important!to!note!that!While!the!paper!cites!Jehovah’s! Witnesses!as!the!first!group!to!admonish!the!practice!it!Was!actually!the!Christian!Scientists!Who!first!
Load more

Recommended publications
  • On the Good Faith
    On the Good Faith Zoroastrianism is ascribed to the teachings of the legendary prophet Zarathustra and originated in ancient times. It was developed within the area populated by the Iranian peoples, and following the Arab conquest, it formed into a diaspora. In modern Russia it has evolved since the end of the Soviet era. It has become an attractive object of cultural produc- tion due to its association with Oriental philosophies and religions and its rearticulation since the modern era in Europe. The lasting appeal of Zoroastrianism evidenced by centuries of book pub- lishing in Russia was enlivened in the 1990s. A new, religious, and even occult dimension was introduced with the appearance of neo-Zoroastrian groups with their own publications and online websites (dedicated to Zoroastrianism). This study focuses on the intersectional relationships and topical analysis of different Zoroastrian themes in modern Russia. On the Good Faith A Fourfold Discursive Construction of Zoroastrianism in Contemporary Russia Anna Tessmann Anna Tessmann Södertörns högskola SE-141 89 Huddinge [email protected] www.sh.se/publications On the Good Faith A Fourfold Discursive Construction of Zoroastrianism in Contemporary Russia Anna Tessmann Södertörns högskola 2012 Södertörns högskola SE-141 89 Huddinge www.sh.se/publications Cover Image: Anna Tessmann Cover Design: Jonathan Robson Layout: Jonathan Robson & Per Lindblom Printed by E-print, Stockholm 2012 Södertörn Doctoral Dissertations 68 ISSN 1652-7399 ISBN 978-91-86069-50-6 Avhandlingar utgivna vid
    [Show full text]
  • Mithra and the Imperial Power of Rome. Prof
    XTbe ©pen Court A MONTHLY MAGAZINE S)evote& to tbe Science ot 'KeUaton, tbe IReltglon ot Science, anb tbe Extension ot tbe IReligious parliament IfDea Editor: Dr. Paul Carus. ^' ^' Hegeler. Assoc'ates-\^ Assistant Editor: T. J. McCormack. ' \ Mary Carus. VOL. XVI. (no. 8) August, 1902. NO. 555 CONTENTS: Frontispiece. Reverse of the Grand Mithraic Bas-Relief, of Heddernheim, Germany. Mithra and the Imperial Power of Rome. Prof. Franz Cumont, Ghent, Belgium 449 Hiawatha atid the Onondaga Indians. An Investigation of the Great Indian Myth and the Version of the Story as Told by Chief Daniel La Fort. Dr. Charles L. Henning 459 The Apostate of the Talmud. Rabbi Bernard M. Kaplan, M. A. Sacra- mento, Cal 467 Jesus in the Talmud. Albert J. Edmunds, Philadelphia, Penn 475 The Wheel and the Cross. Summary of the History of Sun-Wheels and the Worship of Sun-Gods. Illustrated. Editor . 478 Amiidbha. A Story of Buddhist Metaphysics. (Continued.) Editor . 486 The Story of Chivalry 506 Book Reviews and Notes 507 CHICAGO X^be 0pen (Touct Il>ubli8blnd Companig LONDON : Kegan Paul, Trench, Trubner & Co., Ltd. Per copy, 10 cents (sixpence). Yearly, $1.00 (In the U. P. U., 5s. 6d.). Copyright, 1902, by The Open Court Publishing Co. Entered at the Chicago Post Office as Second-Class Matter. ^be ©pen Court A MONTHLY MAGAZINE Bevoteb to tbe Science ot "KeUoion, tbe IReli^ton ot Science, an^ tbe JExtension ot tbe IRellaious parliament IFDea Editor: Dr. Paul Carus. , ( E. C. Hegeler. Associates. -^ Assistant Editor: T. J. McCormack. y^^^^ Carus. VOL. XVI. (no. 8) August, 1902.
    [Show full text]
  • El Culto Del Dios Mithra En El Antiguo Irán Es Un Aspecto Que Parece Quedar Reflejado En El
    EL CULTO DEL DIOS MITHRA EN EL ANTIGUO IRAN Y EN EL IMPERIO ROMANO: ANÁLISIS Y REVISIÓN DE LOS ELEMENTOS DE CONTINUIDAD. ISRAEL CAMPOS MÉNDEZ INDICE. INTRODUCCIÓN. 3 CAPITULO I. MITHRA EN ORIENTE. 13 1. LOS ORÍGENES DEL DIOS. 13 2. MITHRA DENTRO DEL ZOROASTRISMO. 21 - Mithra Avéstico. 29 - Calendario Avéstico. 34 - Mithrakân. 36 - Nombres Teofóricos. 40 - El Canto X del Avesta: Mihr Yasht. 44 3. MITHRA Y LA MONARQUÍA PERSA AQUEMÉNIDA. 49 - Política Religiosa de los Aqueménidas. 52 - La Religión de los Reyes Aqueménidas. 54 - Mithra y los reyes aqueménidas. 57 - Mithra en la Monarquía Aqueménida. 66 4. MITHRA EN LOS REINOS HELENÍSTICOS DE ASIA MENOR Y EN EL IMPERIO PARTO. 68 - Mithra y los Reinos Helenísticos de Asia Menor. 71 - Mithra en el Imperio Parto: Arsácidas y Sasánidas. 81 CAPITULO II. MITHRA EN OCCIDENTE. 116 1. APARICIÓN DE LOS MISTERIOS. 82 2. MECANISMOS DE DIFUSIÓN. 90 3. ELEMENTOS CENTRALES DEL MITRAISMO. 94 - El relato mítico. 95 - Iconografía. 100 - Lugar del culto. 108 - La práctica cultual, iniciación y grados. 111 - Composición social y relaciones con el exterior de los misterios. 123 CAPITULO III. ELEMENTOS DE CONTINUIDAD. 127 MITHRA Y EL SOL. 130 MITHRA Y EL ESTAMENTO GUERRERO. 136 MITHRA Y EL SACRIFICIO DEL TORO. 144 MITHRA Y LAS PALABRAS E IMÁGENES IRANIAS. 148 CONCLUSIONES. 160 APENDICE DE FIGURAS E IMÁGENES. 166 BIBLIOGRAFÍA 177 FUENTES CLÁSICAS UTILIZADAS. 189 INDICE ONOMÁSTICO. 193 INDICE DE AUTORES CLÁSICOS. 196 INTRODUCCIÓN. La intención con la que hemos realizado el presente trabajo de investigación se encuentra marcada por el interés que en el ámbito particular suscita el campo de la Historia de las Religiones antiguas.
    [Show full text]
  • Mithra Oct 2015
    Mithra The Harvard community has made this article openly available. Please share how this access benefits you. Your story matters Citation James R. Russell. 2015. "Mithra." In the Proceedings of Genocide of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire in the Great War, 1915-2015: One Hundred Years of Research. International Conference on the Armenian Genocide, Sorbonne, Paris, France, March 25-28, 2015. Citable link http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:23514774 Terms of Use This article was downloaded from Harvard University’s DASH repository, and is made available under the terms and conditions applicable to Open Access Policy Articles, as set forth at http:// nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:dash.current.terms-of- use#OAP Mithra. By James R. Russell, Harvard University. I want to take you to the ancient city of Dura Europos. Dura, whose Aramaic name means something like “fortified place” was a populous, cosmopolitan walled city on a hill looking over the Euphrates frontier of the Roman Empire with the realms of the Arsacid Parthians, near modern-day Deir ez-Zor in Syria. The Seleucid successors of Alexander made what had been a fort into a town, appending its second, Greek name. Dura Europos was destroyed, never again to be inhabited, during a sudden, swift Sasanian attack in AD 256: devastating for the inhabitants but good for archeology. The French occupying forces discovered the ruins in 1918; and over the succeeding two decades a team of archeologists excavated it and for generations art historians and textual scholars have pored over the finds: great scholars such as Franz Cumont, father of Mithraic studies, and Mikhail Rostovtzeff, historian of the Hellenistic era, worked there.
    [Show full text]
  • Evolution of the Zoroastrian Iconography and Temple Cults
    O. BASIROV ANES 38 (2001) 160-177 Evolution of the Zoroastrian Iconography and Temple Cults Oric BASIROV 1 Ilchester Place London W14 8AA UK Fax: +44 207 602 9280 E-mail: [email protected] Abstract The Gathas of Zoroaster does not refer to any iconography or temples. Indeed, a doctrinal aversion to such rituals can be detected in his teachings. His seven ab- stract and amorphic Amesha Spentas, for example, are probably the first purely conceptual deities with a built-in deterrent to artistic representation. His pre- scribed places of daily rituals, moreover, are mountaintops and riverbanks, and not temples. Such devotional purity and simplicity is also confirmed by the lack of hardly any archaeological evidence to the contrary in the prophet's homeland in Eastern Iran. This is also the case in the pre-imperial period in Western Iran, where the centre of religion moved early in the first millennium BC. Assyrian annals and many classical writers also confirm that Medes and early Achaemenians did not have any cult statues and temples. The latter, however, soon after forming the first world empire, developed the many aspects of, by now, familiar Zoroastrian iconography. This was inspired, no doubt, by the artistic repertoire of their western subjects, such as the Babylonians, Elamites, Greeks and Egyptians. Nor could the Achaemenians refrain, towards the end of their rule, from building temples, both to house their own sacred fire, and the alien-inspired divine images. These two distinct temple cults, established around 400 BC, appear to have spread throughout the Achaemenian, and later, the Parthian Empires.
    [Show full text]
  • In the Name of God Mithraism and God Believers Sect
    151 IN THE NAME OF GOD MITHRAISM AND GOD BELIEVERS SECT EHSANİ, Sohrab İRAN/IRAN/ИРАН (( When swords sound is heard, when horses nostrils are shaken ... when bows string is wistling and releasing the sharp arrows. do the great gods, mithra and ormuzd help us)) << Mehr yasht >> Mithraism have had some followers in IRAN and other countries for centuries. after christ prophetic mission, Mithraism were defeated by Christionity and its. Followers in new christion lands were prosecuted and their temples were destroyd. After Islam and its spreading in IRAN through different ways, Mithra who has been worshiped along the Zoroaster was abandoned. After Arab muslems attacking IRAN and capturing it, inspite of intensive preventing by muslem governors, new Iranian muslems did their Pre-Islam customs which distincted them from other and at the same time was a negative resistance against new governors. Gradually after appearance of religious sects, because of social, political and economic factors particularly after mongol attack Mithraism effects were appeared. Some of these sects have been also affected by manichaean and Mazdaism. God believer is a religion sects affected by Mithraism in IRAN which has been formed and spreaded specially in west country. The followers live in different parts of IRAN because of some different factors. They believe in Imam Ali, not as God but he is not a part from God and they believe that God supreme being has been appeared in Ali. Their best time was from Soltan Ishagh age (8th century AH). He was one of their greatest which is known as creator and recognizer of this sect.
    [Show full text]
  • Social and Cultural Communication in Early History
    Vol. 20, 2021 A new decade for social changes ISSN 2668-7798 www.techniumscience.com 9 772668 779000 Technium Social Sciences Journal Vol. 20, 820-829, June, 2021 ISSN: 2668-7798 www.techniumscience.com Social and cultural communication in early history Kazimi Parviz Firudin Oqlu Baku State University, Associate Professor, Doctor of Philosophy, Azerbaijan [email protected] Abstract. In ancient times, the process of social communication and exchange of information was not studied by classical historians, or rather, was not in the center of attention. At the beginning of civilization, various questions of people about nature and man, in addition to everyday needs, were discussed in interaction, and in the absence of science, "words and interpretation" formed the basis of communication. The people who proclaimed and interpreted the divine source of the Word became "wise" and soon began to distinguish themselves from others, claiming their superiority. Thus, priests, priests, preachers, monks and dervishes were formed as carriers of divine wisdom. We can assume that first the Logos (word), then the sages who were the carriers of "thoughts" (information), then associations, organizations, and then alliances were formed between them. These unions were to either become religious communities with limited activity, or grow at the expense of state power. Many materials from ancient mythology confirm this "idea". We see that the ancient sages (that is, the bearers of wisdom) were extremely "tolerant." These sages, who are open to new ideas, listen to different ideas, accept them, combine them into a single doctrine, try to understand them when contradictions arise, and thus new concepts arise.
    [Show full text]
  • Permanencias Del Culto Del Dios Mithra En Los Contextos Iranio Y Romano Antiguos
    Facultad de Geografía e Historia de la Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. PERMANENCIAS DEL CULTO DEL DIOS MITHRA EN LOS CONTEXTOS IRANIO Y ^ .•: "^ ROMANO ANTIGUOS. Tesina. "n presentada por dirigida por la ISRAEL CAMPOS MÉNDEZ D'". D-^V ROSA M'' SIERRA DEL MOLINO NOVIEMBRE, 2001 D:":..:" ÍNDICE. INTRODUCCIÓN. CAPITULO I. 13 MITHRA EN ORIENTE. 13 1. Los ORÍGENES DEL DIOS. 13 2. MlTHRA DENTRO DEL ZOROASTRISMO. 18 3. MITHRA Y LA MONARQUÍA PERSA AQUEMÉNIDA. 3 6 4. MITHRA EN LOS REINOS HELENÍSTICOS DE ASIA MENOR Y EN EL IMPERIO PARTO. 48 CAPITULO II. 62 MITHRA EN OCCIDENTE. 62 1. APARICIÓN DE LOS MISTERIOS. 62 2. MECANISMOS DE DIFUSIÓN. 67 3. ELEMENTOS CENTRALES DEL MITRAISMO. 70 CAPITULO III. 95 ELEMENTOS DE CONTINUIDAD. 95 MITHRA Y EL SOL. 97 MITHRA Y EL ESTAMENTO GUERRERO. 100 MITHRA Y EL SACRIFICIO DEL TORO. 105 MITHRA Y LAS PALABRAS E IMÁGENES IRANIAS. 1 08 CONCLUSIONES. 119 BIBLIOGRAFÍA 124 FUENTES CLÁSICAS UTILIZADAS. 134 INTRODUCCIÓN La intención con la que hemos realizado el presente trabajo de investigación se encuentra marcada por el interés que en el ámbito particular suscita el campo de la Historia de las Religiones antiguas. De ahí que el resultado de las siguientes páginas pretenda aportar nuevas visiones y revisiones de conceptos e ideas que se encuentran vinculadas a este marco historiográfico. En tal estudio, hemos de delimitar el marco en cual se enmarca este trabajo. Dentro del amplio espectro que caracteriza a la Historia de las Religiones, hemos querido centrarnos de manera especial en un dios concreto, cuyas peculiaridades nos permiten obtener un estudio que abarca un amplio espectro cronológico y espacial.
    [Show full text]
  • The Symbol of Zoroastrian Religion
    THE SYMBOL OF ZOROASTRIAN RELIGION - Was designed during the reign of Achaemenian Dynasty, 600-500 B.C. Cyrus and Darius the Great were the two well-known kings of that dynasty. - The head represents wisdom which is emphasized in Zoroastrian religion. Ahura Mazda (The Supreme Creator) means The Wise Lord. - The raised index finger indicates one God. - The ring in the other hand means honoring contracts. Mithra which was the god of light with his seat being the sun, also was the supporter of sanctity of treaties. - Wings with 3 layer of feathers symbolize Good Thoughts, Good Words and Good Deeds. - The large circle represents this world of matter. - The two supports are the two natures of man (angelic and animal.) - The skirt is the worldly attachment. The message of this symbol is that with recognition of one God, with use of wisdom and trustworthiness and wings of Good Thoughts, Good Words and Good Deeds the angelic side of man could free him from the world of matter and lift him towards God. ZOROASTER - BAHA'U'LLAH'S ANCESTOR A transcript of audio-cassette from series WINDOWS TO THE PAST by Darius K. Shahrokh, M.D. ZOROASTER - BAHA'U'LLAH'S ANCESTOR A transcript of audio-cassette from series WINDOWS TO THE PAST by Darius K. Shahrokh, M.D. This presentation, which is a window from my heart, is dedicated to the memory of my father, Arbab Kaykhosrow Shahrokh, whose over thirty years of dedicated service as the leader and representative of the Zoroastrian Community of Iran elevated the status of that persecuted and impoverished minority from ignominy of being called infidel fire-worshippers and untouchables to the height of being considered the honorable descendants of original Persians, the noble ones.
    [Show full text]
  • Mithra Mithraism Christmas Day & Yalda Complete
    MITHRA, MITHRAISM CHRISTMAS DAY & YALDA K. E. Eduljee Zoroastrian Heritage Monographs Time saving Truth from Falsehood and Envy. Falsehood holds the mask of deceit in his hand. A 1737 painting by Francois Lemoyne (1688-1737). The artist suffered from severe depression and killed himself the day after he completed this painting. In the Zoroastrian scriptures, the Avesta, Mithra is the guardian of truthfulness, keeping one’s word and the bonds of friendship. Zoroastrianism presages a world when goodness will overcome evil, and truthfulness will overcome deceit and the Lie. Every person needs to do her or his part to enable that goal to be reached – and to battle falsehood at every step. This monograph is dedicated to the memory of my mother Katayun Eduljee née Katayun Kaikhoshro Irani. Her brother, Darius Kaikhoshro Irani’s leadership and motivation have inspired my study and writing. Detailed edition First edition published, November 2015. This second edition published, November 2016 by K. E. Eduljee West Vancouver, BC, Canada The monograph has been published in two versions: 1. Complete version with notations and source texts, 2. Abridged version without notations and source texts. For further enquiries and pdf or printed copies: [email protected] www.zoroastrianheritage.com This pdf copy in full form may be distributed freely. © K. E. Eduljee No part of this book may be reproduced in any other form without permission from the author, except for the quotation of brief passages in citation. Zoroastrian Heritage Monographs VII. References MITHRA, MITHRAISM, CHRISTMAS DAY & YALDA CONTENTS PART I – MITHRA & MITHRAISM............................................................................ 1 1. Who is Mithra?......................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • RELIGIONS in the KUSHAN EMPIRE Religious Life in Bactria Before the Kushan Conquest
    ISBN 978-92-3-102846-5 Religious life in Bactria. 14 RELIGIONS IN THE KUSHAN EMPIRE* J. Harmatta, B. N. Puri, L. Lelekov, S. Humayun and D. C. Sircar Contents Religious life in Bactria before the Kushan conquest .................. 305 The ancient religion of the Sakas and Kushans ..................... 307 The epoch of the Kushan yabghus ........................... 309 Religious life under Vima Kadphises .......................... 311 The religious policy of Kanishka I ........................... 313 Religious life under the ‘triple’ kingship ........................ 315 New trends in the second phase of Huvishka ...................... 320 Syncretism and absorption ............................... 321 Religious life in Bactria before the Kushan conquest On the eve of the nomadic invasions of the second century b.c. religious life in Bactria and the adjacent territories was characterized by a number of religious beliefs and cults of different origin. Zoroastrianism played an important role among the Iranian-speaking population, and the teaching of Zoroaster had conquered the eastern Iranian territories before Alexander’s conquest1 even though many remains of pre-Zoroastrian religious ideas and cults probably survived. The traditions of pre-Zoroastrian Iranian religion, however, prevailed in the territories north of the Oxus and to a greater extent among the Iranian nomadic tribes of the steppes. The Zoroastrian calendar had already been adopted in Persia, Parthia, Bactria and Chorasmia, 2 while the Sogdian system of month names * See Map 4 1 Gnoli, 1980, pp. 215 et seq., pp. 227 et seq. 2 Harmatta, 1969, pp. 369 et seq. 305 ISBN 978-92-3-102846-5 Religious life in Bactria. differs because the majority of pre-Zoroastrian month names were maintained in Sogdi- ana.
    [Show full text]
  • Summary Notes on Zoroastrianism
    1 SUMMARY OF NOTES ON ZOROASTRIANISM I. Zoroastrianism: A. Compared to other Near Eastern world religions, Zoroastrianism is little known among people today. 1. Very little knowledge about its origins and growth. 2. Zoroastrianism is the religion of ancient Persia. 3. This religion received is name from the Greek form of the name of its founder, Zoroaster who lived sometime in 6th century B.C. 4. Today is identified as the religion of the Gabars in Iran and Parsis in India and in various locations where Indian people have emigrated. 5. Know periods of Zoroastrian History as charted for you on website. 6. Prehistory. Roots go back 5,000 years… tribes holding this religion eventually settled in various locations of Europe and Asia. Zoroastrianism is a descendant of that ancient religion. A group of tribes, collectively called the Aryans, came from somewhere in southeastern Europe. a. Linguistics recognizes an Indo‐European language family many words and grammatical functions we use n English are similar to words used in India (Sanskrit) 3,000 years ago or so. b. Aryans were nomads. Around 1,5000 mass migration that went as far as India. Other settled on the Iranian plateau (we gat the name Iran‐the land of the Aryans). B. Monotheism and the lesser gods: 1. In both Indian and Iranian versions of Aryan religion, we discover two types of spiritual beings: Devas (Indian) or Daevas (Iranian); These beings were recipients of regular worship. Root word for the names of these gods is “div” which literally means “to shine.” Daevas are the “shining ones.” This is the same root preserved in English in the terms “divinities, deities and (paradoxically) devil.
    [Show full text]