$JES 911 Essence of World Religions Reference Book

Author(s): Pravin K Shah
Publisher: JAINA Education Committee

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Essence of World Religions
Path of Attainment
Man's life is a moral struggle, not a search for knowledge or enlightenment. He is put on the earth to affirm and approve the world, not to deny it, and not to escape from it. Salvation is found in obedience to the will of Ähurä Mäzdä as revealed and taught by His prophet Zoroaster. Man has only one life. He also has the freedom to choose between good and evil. Evil is embodied in Angra Mainyä who rebelled against God. At death, each is judged and consigned to his deserved abode.
Zoroastrians hold truth as the greatest virtue, followed by good thoughts, words, and deeds. They place high value on an ethical life. Though there is a resurrection of the dead, a judgment day, and a kingdom of heaven on earth, followed by punishment of the wicked, all sins are eventually burned away and all of humankind exists forever with God - Ähurä Mäzdä. Hell is not eternal.
Synopsis
The religion of ancient Iran was derived from that of the ancient Indo Europeans, or Aryans. The language of the earliest Zoroastrian writings is close to that of the Indian Vedäs, and much of the mythology is recognizably the same.
Linguistic evidence suggests that Prophet Zoroaster was born in northeastern Iran. Zoroastrianism became the official religion of the Achaemenid Empire. Its theology and cosmology may have influenced the development of Greek, later Jewish, Christian, and Muslim thought. The Arab conquest of Iran during the 7th century AD marked the beginning of a steady decline of Zoroastrianism. Persecution resulted in the migration (about the 10th century AD) of the majority of Zoroastrians to India, where the Pärsis of Mumbai are their modern descendants.
The rituals of Zoroastrianism revolve around devotion to good and battle against the forces of evil. The powers of good are led by Ähurä Mäzdä (the Wise Lord) and the forces of evil by Angra Mainyä or Ahriman (the Evil Spirit). In order to combat evil one must oppose the forces of evil at all times and the people who side with them. Good will eventually triumph on Judgment Day, when a Messiah and Savior named Sayoshant will appear to punish the wicked and establish the righteous in a paradise on Earth. The maintenance of life is the most important principle which
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