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Teaching Tips Strategies in Spite of the Fact the Zoroastrianism Is One Of Sullivan, Religions of the World (Fortress Press, 2013) Chapter 15 Zoroastrianism - Teaching Tips Strategies In spite of the fact the Zoroastrianism is one of the oldest religions of the world, it is not very well known. Its structure is not as organized as Christianity and hence there is a wide variety of beliefs and practices. To introduce this class the teacher might want to start with the first video listed below. This gives a good over view of the religion in the context of Iranian Mythology. Some fruitful questions that could shape a discussion in this class are the following: 1) What is the origin of evil? Some religions such as Judaism, Christianity and Islam see it as stemming from human choice. Jainism sees it as an evitable default of a good and eternal universe brought about by change. Zoroastrianism might differ a bit from both views, pitting a cosmic struggle between good and evil. Does this mean that both forces exist eternally and will one eventually conquer the other? 2) Zoroastrianism has many links to Judaism, Christianity, Islam and even Hinduism. The teacher might want to explore some of these links in a comparative way. The argument could be made that in spite of regional differences religions seem to deal with some of the same issues- good and evil, sacrifice, ascetism etc., and they synergistically shape each other. In Islam the concept of Geni shaped the idea of one God among many, In Zoroastrianism this same concept shaped the struggle between Mazda and Druj. Judaism, Islam and Christianity seem to borrow Zoroastrian’s idea of Heaven and Hell. 3) This could then take the student back to some of the main academic ideas as to the reason for the origins of religion; such as E. B. Taylor’s idea that religions originate because of the existence of spirit in the universe and the need to control them, or James Frazer’s idea that the universe is filled with natural phenomena that people do not understand and religion came about as a way to control what human beings cannot control. Rudolf Otto’s idea of the existence of mysteries in the universe and the need to control them might also be a fruitful angle of exploration. The bottom line here is that religion might be more a manmade phenomenon as Emile Durkheim argues than something otherworldly. Videos http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mI0rmCcGdoc&feature=fvwrel This video is a helpful introduction to the class on Zoroastrianism. It gives a brief overview of the complex mythology that shaped the Iranian Peninsula, the place where Zoroastrianism originated. In this video the student will hear about Genies such as Nasu and Druj (lie). The conflict between Good and evil is central to the quest of Zoroastrianism. This mythology predated Zoroastrianism. In that sense Zoroastrianism built on such myth. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GGRgzFLcMMQ Sullivan, Religions of the World (Fortress Press, 2013) The video is a part of a BBC documentary on the Story of God produced by Professor Robert Winston. In this video professor Winston explores different cultures to explore the early basis for their understanding of God. In Iran he looks at Zoroastrianism and the conflict of good and evil as a basis for their understanding of God. Central to Zoroastrians symbolism is fire. In this video the student will see a fire temple where fire priests are responsible to keep the fire burning perpetually. The student can look at the longer version of the video entitled The Story of God. http://www.bbc.co.uk/learningzone/clips/a-parsi-wedding-zoroastrianism-in-india/8375.htm Zoroastrian or Parsi weddings are very important, especially when it is happening between two Parsi. This sometimes is rare because Zoroastrians are few in numbers and as they migrate, many times they find themselves marrying people from other races and religions. In this video presenter Reverend Peter Owen-Jones visits a Parsi wedding in Mumbai, India and documents a wedding service at the Zoroastrian Fire Temple between two Parsi. The fathers of the couple are featured talking about the inevitable demise of the faith within India. http://afghanistan.inthetube.tv/?keyword=Zoroastrianism This site is populated with a number of Iranian and Zoroastrian Moves. Among them one can find “A History of God, The Zoroastrian Journey, Prayers of Zoroastrians, Zoroastrian Cosmogenesis among many others. Articles http://www.kwintessential.co.uk/resources/religion/zoroastrianism.html Kwintessential is a website that provides cultural information to businesses and schools to enhance their endeavors to carry out their mission globally. On this site the student will find an excellent summary of Zoroastrianism’s, history, beliefs, worship, demographics and modern trends and challenges. Though this site is not explicitly religious it is very helpful in alerting the student to cultural sensitivity issues surrounding religions such as Zoroastrianism. http://www.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/week1030/belief.html PBS Religion & Ethics Weekly is a resource that provides helpful information on many of the programs that PBS airs. On this site information can be found on Zoroastrianism’s rituals and celebrations. A special feature is the New Year celebration- Norooz. Norooz is celebrated at the beginning of spring. On this site the student will find images of furnishings and articles essential to the New Year’s celebration; one such pieces of furniture is the “Haft Seen” table. “Seen” is one of the letters of the alphabet. It is Sullivan, Religions of the World (Fortress Press, 2013) customary that letters beginning with the letter “seen” is put on this table. http://www.zoroastrianism.cc/links.html This site is explicitly Zoroastrian. It provides information on current Zoroastrian organizations, websites, articles, newspaper and Journals. The site is written in English, Portuguese and Spanish. http://www.hinduwebsite.com/zoroastrianism/links.asp Hindu web is an excellent resource on Eastern and Middle Eastern religions. In the section on Zoroastrianism students will find scholarly articles on all aspects of Zoroastrianism. Some titles of interest are on Avesta- one of the sacred texts of Zoroastrianism, Ahura Maza- the Lord of Wisdom, the Teachings of Zoroaster, Evolution of Zoroastrianism, on Famous Zoroaster among others. http://zant.org/religion-classes/educational-resources/ This site provides useful links to many resources on Zoroastrianism, its history, beliefs, rituals, worship, calendars, and organizations. The student will also find links to chants done in Zoroastrianism prayer rituals. .
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