The Oldest Monotheists?
Posted by Kushana Torumekia at 5/1/2009 5:14 PM 
Categories: Dualism, Avesta, Zoroastrianism, Parsis, Zoroaster, Monotheism, Zarathustra, Gathas
Tags: Dualism Avesta Zoroastrianism Parsis Zoroaster Monotheism Zarathustra Gathas
Categories: Dualism, Avesta, Zoroastrianism, Parsis, Zoroaster, Monotheism, Zarathustra, Gathas
Tags: Dualism Avesta Zoroastrianism Parsis Zoroaster Monotheism Zarathustra Gathas
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My helper tells my another visitor came to this weblog with another terrific question: what is the oldest form of monotheism?Zoroastrianism. (At least as old as Hinduism but without the Veda's polytheism.)
Often unfairly described as dualists, Zoroastrians (Parsis) have one God who is wholly good. The evil principle is not worshiped, indeed the whole point of Zoroastrianism is "good thoughts, good words, good deeds", the living of a life loyal to the one, utterly good, God.
A nice Los Angeles Times write-up of this living religion:
http://articles.latimes.com/1998/jul/12/news/ls-2869
The more scholarly approach for those who cannot find an actual Parsi to talk to:
Zoroastrians: Their Religious Beliefs and Practices
Textual Sources for the Study of Zoroastrianism (Far less dull than it looks.)
For lighter reading:
In Search of Zarathustra: Across Iran and Central Asia to Find the World's First Prophet
(I try to stay away from recommending religions, but the Zoroastrians I have met have been the kindest, most polite, most ethically fully formed people I have ever encountered. I was raised in a formal culture that prided itself on its manners, especially for young women: I feel like a crude oaf in the company of Parsis.)
-Kushana
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