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TRANSCRIPT
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AreZoroastriansFireWorshippers?
DinshaMistreeZANC
April21,2019
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InPopularMedia…
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InPopularMedia…
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RemainsaSourceofAcademicFocusAsWell
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AreZoroastriansFireWorshippers?
• Betweenfiretemples,vultures,andFreddieMercury,itiswhatweZorosareknownfor.– DasturKotwal:“Itisdifficultfornon-Zoroastrianstounderstandthefunctionoffire.”
• Ifwedecidethatweare(orarenot)fireworshippers,thenwemightchoosetopracticeourreligiondifferently.
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IranianFireTemples
TheAtashBehramFireinYazd:HowdoIhaveapictureofit?
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TheGreatAtashBehram–MumbaiMetroDebate
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AreZoroastriansFireWorshippers?
AnIndo-ParthianstonepaletteillustratingaZoroastrianfire‘worship’
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“ToWorship”
Definitions:…toshowreverenceandadoration;tohonorwithreligiousrites.…toregardwithgreatorextravagantrespect,honorordevotion.
Doweworshipfire?• Weprayfacingfire,wehavespecificprayersandritualsfor
fire(e.g.,agiaries,AtashNyash),andwehavealonghistoryofshowingreverenceandadoration.
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SadehandChaharshanbeSuri
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TheOtherSide“FortheZoroastrian,onlyAhuraMazdaisworthyofworship,butFireasthe‘SonofAhuraMazda’isdefinitelyworthyofutmostvenerationandrespect.Equallyworthyofveneration,respect,andpropitiationaretheotherelementsofnature,butnoneofthemsocompletelyrepresentthespiritualqualitiesofAMinthematerialworld,asdoesFire.”– Jamaspasa’s“FireinZoroastrianismThosewhosaywearenotfireworshippersusuallymaketwokindsofarguments:1. Fire-is-just-a-symbol:Thefireitselfdoesnothavespecialpowers;
instead,fireismerelyasymbol.2. Fire-is-meh:Fireisnomorecentralthananyothercreations.3. Fire-is-the-telephone:WeworshipAM,butnotfireasfireisjust
theconduitforcommunicatingwithGod.
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FireasaSymbol
• Thelightoffireconnotespurity,healingwarmth,healthandlife,asopposedtocoldnessofdarkness.
• Fire/lightsymbolizeswisdomandthegloryoftheLordofWisdom(AhuraMazda).
• Firerepresentsrighteousness(asha);i.e.,theproperrelationsbetweenGodandman,the‘rightnessofthecreateduniverse,’andgeneralbalance.
DrawnfromKotwalandBoyd’s“AGuidetoZoroastrianism”
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Symbolismvs.Metaphysics
Transubstantiationv.Consubstantiation
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IsFireMerelySymbolicorDoesItHaveSpecialMetaphysicalQualities?
Almostallofourtextsmaintainthatconsecratedfirehasspecialmetaphysicalproperties.i.e.Bundahsinmentions5specialfires:1. AtashBerezisavah(FireofExaltedBenefit),ever-burning,glittersinthe
presenceofAM.2. AtashVohufrayan(FireoftheGoodFriend),thelifeforceinhumans
andanimals.3. AtashUrvazist(FireoftheJoy-Giving),thelifeforceinplants.4. AtashVazisht(theSwiftestFire),lightning.5. AtashSpenisht(MostBenificentFire),firesinthematerialworld
(adarans,volcanicfire,unconsecratedfire).
FivefiresfromJamaspasa’sFireinZoroastrianism
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What’ssobadaboutbeingafireworshipper?
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TheFinalAnswer
Thetexts,theprayers,andthehistoryallmaintainthatfireismorethanjustasymbol,thatithasmetaphysicalproperties,andthatitismoreimportantthanmanyothercreations.Asareligiouscommunity,itisimportanttomaintaintheritualsandmetaphysicalpractices.Otherwisewehaveasharedphilosophy,notareligion.BUTwhetheranyindividualshouldbelieveinthemetaphysicalaspectsofthereligionisapersonalchoice.
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AdarRojAdarMahisonMonday
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MoreReadingsEmailme([email protected])ifyouwantanyofthesereadingsorhavequestions.• MaryBoyce,OntheSacredFiresoftheZoroastrians.• MaryBoyce,OntheTempleCultofFire.• BoydandWilliams,TheRitualUseofFire.• Cantera,“Fire,theGreatestGod.”• Hintze,Almut,“TheFireWazistandtheDemon.”• Jamaspasa,“FireinZoroastrianism.”• KotwalandBoyd,“AGuidetotheZoroastrianReligion.”• Tavadia,“MiddlePersianEvidencefortheAvestanConceptionofFire.”• Vitalone,“FiresandtheEstablishmentofAtashBahramsinthe
ZoroastrianTradition.”
(BigthankstoDanSheffieldforguidanceandforthisreadinglist.)