The universe is the battleground. The opponents are Mazda Ahura, later to be known as Ahura Mazda, and Anra Mainyu, later called Ahriman. Ahura Mazda is the good force and the bad is Ahriman. The battle will last till Ahura Mazda defeats Ahriman in the year 12,000 (we are now presumably around 11,500). This is the world and its future in accordance with Zoroastrian beliefs. Zoroaster Zoroaster had a very non-conforming mind and was forced to flee his parents' house without his parents' consent because of the rebuking he gave to those who sacrificed cattle or drank intoxicating haoma. He fled to the mountains and gave himself to God. Sometime between the ages of thirty and forty an angel appeared to him and brought him to the throne of the highest God, Ahura Mazda. After this occurred, the prophet tried for twelve years to convert people, but to no available. During this period many visions were revealed to him. A milestone in the progression of the religion occurred when Zoroaster converted Vishtaspa, the king of Persia. He also converted the king's son, brother, counselor, and grand vizier. Zoroaster married, along with two other
he Islamic religion through Kathiawar in India, and Surat, and finally they settled again in Bombay. The universe is the battleground. The opponents are Mazda Ahura, later to be known as Ahura Mazda, and Anra Mainyu, later called Ahriman. Ahura Mazda is the good force and the bad is Ahriman. The battle will last till Ahura Mazda defeats Ahriman in the year 12,000 (we are now presumably around 11,500). This is the world and its future in accordance with Zoroastrian beliefs. Zoroaster Zoroaster had a very non-conforming mind and was forced to flee his parents' house without his parents' consent because of the rebuking he gave to those who sacrificed cattle or drank intoxicating haoma. He fled to the mountains and gave himself to God. Sometime between the ages of thirty and forty an angel appeared to him and brought him to the throne of the highest God, Ahura Mazda. After this occurred, the prophet tried for twelve years to convert people, but to no available. During this period many visions were revealed to him. A milestone in the progression of the religion occurred when Zoroaster converted Vishtaspa, the king of Persia. He also converted the king's son, brother, counselor, and grand vizier. Zoroaster married, along with two other women, the counselor"tms daughter. Zoroaster was killed at the age of seventy-seven by Ardshataspa, a neighboring prince, who invaded Vishtaspa's capital. According to the Parsees, Vishtaspa is the father of Darius, who reigned from 521-485 B.C. Another view holds that Zoroaster lived 258 years before Alexander the Great; he would have therefore lived between 570 and 500 BC. The Greeks tend to place him six thousand years before Plato. Ahura Mazda, while not necessarily discovered by Zoroaster, was found on an inscription dating around 714 BC. In ancient Persia, before Zoraoster's reforms, religion was polytheistic. Zoroaster objected to these dieties and referred to them as demons. Many of the rituals and Gods that he removed were later reinstated due to the fact that the people were still emotionally attached to them. We can see this from the fact that on the epigraphs of Artaxerxes II Mnemon (404-358 BC.) the Mithras and Anahita, ancient gods, are mentioned. Temples and images of God were also introduced into the religion at a later date. Zoroastrian Beliefs The Zoroastrian religion is based on the fundamental concept of a constant battle of good against evil. Ahura Mazda represents the good while Ahriman represents the bad. Ahura Mazda created this world as a trap for Ahriman. Human beings draw Ahriman into this world; he will jump at any chance to cause others to do evil. He will then be entering Ahura Mazda's world, and when people choose good over evil voluntarily this will weaken Ahriman to the point where he can be destroyed. It is hard to reconcile the two opposing views on the dieties in the Zoroastrian religion. The claim is made that the religion is monotheistic; it is also alleged that two equal gods represent the opposing forces in the world, good and evil. Modern day Parsees resolve the contradiction by explaining that Ahura Mazda has always and will always stand above all. Anra Mainyu, or Ahriman, was only created due to an evil thought that once entered Ahura Mazda's head. The real opponent of Ahriman is Spenta Mainyu, the good spirit. The world is divided into three sections. The upper world is bathed in light, the earth is divided into seven sections, and the underworld is a dark place. The forces of good and evil will do battle for the twelve thousand years of the world's total existence. In the beginning, as Ahriman attempts to kill Ahura Mazda, he is stopped and pulled away. Both of the Gods agree to a period of peace that wills last 9,000 years. During the first three thousand years Ahura Mazda creates angels, good spirits, and Frava his. These Fravashis are the original heavenly images of men living in the upper world. During the next three thousand years the Fravashis come d
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