Posted on 11/05/2019 5:15:24 AM PST by Cronos
In a ceremony at an ancient, ruined temple in northern Iraq, Faiza Fuad joined a growing number of Kurds who are leaving Islam to embrace the faith of their ancestors -- Zoroastrianism.
Years of violence by the Islamic State jihadis have left many disillusioned with Islam, while a much longer history of state oppression has pushed some in Iraq's autonomous Kurdish region to see the millennia-old religion as a way of reasserting their identity.
"After Kurds witnessed the brutality of IS, many started to rethink their faith," said Asrawan Qadrok, the faith's top priest in Iraq's autonomous Kurdish region.
During Fuad's conversion ritual in Darbandikhan, near the Iranian border, a high priest and his assistants wore white clothes representing purity and recited verses from the Zoroastrian holy book, the Avesta.
They knotted a cord three times around Fuad's waist to symbolise the faith's core values of good words, good thoughts and good deeds.
The newcomer raised her hand and swore to abide by those three values and to protect nature, respecting water, air, fire, earth, animals and humans.
"I feel very happy and refreshed," Fuad said
She said she had been studying Zoroastrianism for a long time and was drawn to its philosophy, which "makes life easy".
"It is all about wisdom and philosophy. It serves mankind and nature," she said.
- Forced into secrecy -
Zoroastrianism was founded in ancient Iran some 3,500 years ago, gaining followers as far afield as India.
It was the official religion of the powerful Persian empire for a thousand years, but the assassination of the final Zoroastrian king in 650 and the rise of Islam sent it into a long demise.
However the faith did survive -- often in the face of severe persecution ...
"We need to use our ancient religion to revive our identity and build the nation," he said.
(Excerpt) Read more at france24.com ...
“besides many of the concepts of Christianity being very similar, Zoroastrianism”
Not really similar. You might want to do more research.
That necklace looks a lot like a Thunderbird. Is one of their sacraments Thunderbird? Or maybe the conveyance into their heaven is in one of the Ford two seaters?
Thank you for that. Could you please post a list of everything and everyone Good Freepers are not allowed to like?
All of that is true, but stories involving cycles of epic battles pre-date Christianity.
One thing you’ve forgotten was Tolkien was a Professor of Anglo-Saxon and is directly responsible for “popularizing” the idea that Beowulf is the beginning of English Literature. It was about the only thing I enjoyed reading in my high school English literature class. Tolkien’s works have much in common with Germanic\Scandinavian myths, like the Ring Cycles (See Wagner), and even Grimm’s Fairy Tales.
Zoroastrianism & Christianity too, are easily defeated by Islam. People are easily deceived by simple lies.
Do good deeds, turn the other cheek, as Islam cuts you with their knife, rapes your daughter.
There are many weak Christians.
And there are a few strong Christians.
Choose wisely.
Koo Koo religion. ??? I believe that can be said about the 1200 different religions that exist. Each one thinks the others are Koo Koo. Each claim their God is the right one. Its all about indoctrination and geographical location. There is only one God, that God is within you. It is you who determines if it is good or bad. God does not make you do things, its your responsibility to do them. God does not need a temple, you are his/her temple. When you ask God for something, you are asking yourself. It is up to you to perform your own miracles. We can not blame Gods for our fate, its up to us to guide our lives. Someday the world will wake up and worship the only true God, YOUR PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY. Amen.
“ Where do you people come from? And why do you insist upon infesting FR? You’re seriously going to hold up an AIDS infected fag, which disease killed him, as any kind of example?
This place has degenerated something terrible. People like you. The addicts/libertarians. Etc.”
Hmmmm....where to start?
I come from Western Pennsylvania.
Yes, I am going to hold Freddy up as an example of a Zoastrian...since it’s a fact that he was. At least his parents were.
Yes, he died of AIDS. His lifestyle killed him. Isn’t that enough for you? Or should he be ”disappeared” like the old Soviets did?
As far as this place is concerned, I looked you up. You were here ONE MONTH earlier than me. Check it out. One month.
I’m neither an addict nor a libertarian. I’m a Conservative Christian with way too many sins. Fortunately forgiveness from you is not what I require.
You, on the other hand seem full of hatefulness. So as they say down South....
Bless your heart.
oh, that's hilarious "whites had Christ"
Really? you ought to read the Bible and history
Jesus' first followers were brown and black (Ethiopian) and later "white"
In the 6th century more than two thirds of all Christians were not "white" - from Egyptians to Ethiopians to Yemenis to Syrians, to Keralites iranians etc. as well as southern Europeans
Sociologically very interesting. As a stateless nation, so to speak, the Kurds have a strong interest in remaining distinct, and this is certainly one way to do it.
Howya, Frank. Tolkien said himself that he took some of his narrative themes from the Kalevala, a 19th century epic poem based on Finnish mythology and folklore. Although Finnish is a Uralic language, rather than Indo-European, that doesn’t preclude the possibility that the traditional tales of Finland were influenced by Persian or other Indo-European traditions.
On the other hand, it could just be that human beings in all places and subdivisions tend to come up with the same general types of stories.
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