Sierra County advocate. [volume] (Kingston, N.M.) 1884-1960, 1886-12-04
THE FIRE-WORSHIPERS,
The Strange Doctrines and Gus
toms of zoroasters People.
To His Intelligent Followers Fire Is But q
symbol Of Gods Nature-The vul-
ture Test-A New Years
Festival

Many readers of the Companion are
familiar with the fervid lines of Moore IS
splendid poem called the "Fire-Wor-
shippers" The farewell scene between
Hated and linda is one of the most af-
fecting passages in the early poetry of
this century. 1t has been so widely read
md has produced so deep an impress
sion that there are many whose idea of
the prevalent religion of Persia is de-
rived from perusal of that poem; and
often has the question been asked me
whether there is any other religion
practiced in that country besides that
of the worship of fire.
The facts are that out of a popula-
tion of nine millions, that empire now
numbers scarcely twenty-five thousand
worshipers of fire. With the excep-
tion of less than seventy-five thousand
Armenians, Jews and HISTORIANS, the
remainder of the Persian people are
Mohammedans. 1t was soon after the
rise of Mahomet that his fanatical
hosts assailcd the frontiers of Persia
Yezdegird Ill, who proved to be the
last of his line, was at that time sover-
eign of Iran. His army was defeated
in the decisive battle of Kadesich, he
himself was slain two years later, and
the Persians were forced to accept Ma
hommedauism or the sword.
Those who refused to abandon the
old faith of Zoroaster for that of Ma
homet were prosecuted, and mostly
slain or driven from the country
Those who fled from Persia sought
refuge in India, where they form, in
our time, an intelligent and flourishing
community, known by the name of
Parsees, or Persians. 1t is amid these
struggles of an ancient race against
the domination of a new religion and
dynasty that Moore has laid the scene
of his ire-Worshipers." Notwith-
standing these long prosecutions, which
have continued over one thousand
years, and only now are beginning to
relax and permit the Fire-W Worshipers
of Persia to live there unmolested, vet
a small, steadfast band has always re-
manned in that land, preserving the
faith of their. fathers and their rites and
ceremonials unchanged.
In Persia they are called Guebres.
This is simply corruption of the Ara
bic term Katlir, which means hereto,
an unbeliever In time it has become
a word of contumely and scorn. Al
though SO few in numbers, yet the
Guebres are most interesting COM
munity, and in them we see the old
Persian stock of the days of Cyrus and
Xerxes unmixed with any other race;
while the religion they practice is that
which was introduced into Persia or
perfected by the famous Zoroaster, or
Zerduseht, who lived at least twenty
five centuries ago.
Zoroaster was born in the northern
province called both then and now
Azerbaijan; this name means the re-
ciou of fire, and il may have been so
called because the religion whose dis
tinctiye doctrine is the worship of fire
had its origin there. 1t is only just to
state that intelligent Guebres repudiate
this doctrine. They assert that it is
mistake to call them Fire-W Worshipers.
They say that fire is to them not an OBJ
iect of worship, but only symbol of
the beneficent Oromasd, or good God,
who is clear and radiant and pure.
like the glow of the rising sun or the
flames of fire, and that it is through |
the symbol that they adore the good
Spirit.
This may be true of the more intelli- |
gent followers of the doctrines of Zorro
aster, but there is no doubt that the |
ignorant classes believe that light and |
fire arc real emanations of God, and |
worship them as such. Fire is held by |