Saudi Arabia and Iran are bitter rivals clashing politically and ideologically for decades
In September 2016 Iran's Ayatollah blade of Saudi authorities for the deaths of hundreds of Muslims during a stampede at the previous year's Hajj Pilgrimage.
In his response Saudi Arabia's Grand Mufti said he was not surprised by the accusation as it came from the descendants of Zoroastrians who are not Muslim.
Iran was indeed originally made up of followers of Zoroastrianism and we wanted to know what exactly is this unique religion
Well Zoroastrianism is one of the world's oldest monotheistic religions predating Christianity Islam and even Judaism.
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It was founded by the prophets Zoroaster roughly 3,500 years ago in what is today Iran.
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Zoroastrianism was the official religion of pre-islamic Iranian empires from 6th century BC and was at one point one of the most dominant face in the world.
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However, today it's rare to find most recent estimates place the number of followers at about 200,000 with most living in India and Iran Zoroastrians believe in one God called Ahura Mazda or “Wise Lord”
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They believe that he created the world and designed it to exist and involved in a way that is perfect and righteous, the so-called law of Asha is what Zoroastrian see as the ideal way that life should be and every day they affirm this goal in their most basic prayer called Ashem vohu
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As one of the early pioneers of dualism Zoroastrians believe that everything in the world exists within moral opposites such as good and evil or heaven and hell they believe in free will and that good thoughts, good words and good deeds will repel evil forces and thus bring them closer to the perfect divine life
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After death, humans purportedly confront these choices before a heavenly tribunal who then deliver them 20 Astros own version of heaven or hell translated as the excellent abode and the worst existence
It's no coincidence that these ideas are also pillars of succeeding monotheistic face Islam, Christianity and Judaism are all set to be influenced by Zoroastrian beliefs of a dualistic universe and a final judgment day
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That said Zoroastrians are unique in a number of ways, for instance, they're known for their fascination with fire which they see as a symbol of the Divine because of its warmth and light.
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The religion also emphasizes individual rather than group worship the most choose to pray at home rather than a place of worship like a church or temple.
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When they do gather it's usually for holidays or coming-of-age ceremonies which some compared to a Jewish Bar and Bat Mitzvah and although Zoroastrianism promotes good behavior unlike other religions it doesn't prescribe a moral code of conduct or a long list of rules.
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Over the last few centuries the number of Zoroastrians has dropped dramatically as a result of oppression forced conversions and migration. India, which is home to the majority of followers see is roughly ten percent fewer Zoroastrians every decade according to a report by UNESCO
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What's more the religion has been struggling to adapt to modern times without losing its unique cultural identity if the religion continues to decline and its current rate Zoroastrianism may soon be something we only read about in history books
Zoroastrianism emphasis on positivism and non-violence is hardly unique many-faced promote peace and yet countless people around the world continue to be marginalized jailed or even killed in the name of religion.
So what are the most peaceful religions, Hinduism has long been identified as nonviolent largely due to the influence of the pacifist Mahatma Gandhi, however even within the religion, violence may be used to protect himself or once country one Hindu god states that violence is necessary in the defense of justice and does not conflict with a spiritual life and even Gandhi himself was killed by a fellow Hindu
Thanks for your time!