Democratic messenger., 1894-12-29
FIRE WORSHIPERS.
REV. DR.. TALMAGE INVESTIGATES
THE PARSEE RELIGION.

a Remarkable Canon of Parsee Faith.
Catcchisrn That Will Stand the Chris
tian Test-The Towers of Silence 4
BROOKLYN. Dec. 23.-Rev DIR. Tai
mage, continuing his series Of round
the world sermons through the press.
chose today for his subject The Fire
WorshipcrS, the text selected being
Matthew ii. /, There came wise men
from the east to Jerusalem
These wise men were the Parsees or
the so called fire worshipcrs, and |
found their descendants i'll India last
October. Their heathenism is more toll
cradle than any of the other false reli-
gions and has more alleviations. and
while in this round the world Sc
ries have already shown You the worst
forms of heathcnism today / show you
the least offensive.
The prophet of the Parsees was 20
roaster of Persia. Ho was poet and
philosopher and reformer as well rs
religionist. His disciples thrived at
first in Persia, but under Mohammedan
persecution they retreated TO India,
where | met them, and i'll addition to
what / SAW of them at their hcadquar
tiers in Bombay, India, / had two weeks
Of association with one of the most
learned and genial of their people on
shipboard from Bombay to Brindisi.
Parsec Religion.
The Bible of the Parsees, or fire wor-
shippers, as they are inaccurately call
ed, is the Zcnd-Avesta, n collection of
the strangest books that ever came into
my hands. There were originally 81
volumes, but Alexander the Great, in
drunken fit, set fire to palace which
contained some of them, and they went
into ashes and forgetfulness. But there
are more of their sacred volumes left
than most people would have patience
to read. There are many things in the
religion of the Parsees that suggest
Christianity, and some of its doctrines
are i'll accord with our own religion.
Zoroaster, who lived about 1, 400 years
before Christ, was q good man, suffered
persecution for his faith and was assas-
sinatcd while worshiping at an altar
He announced the theory, "He is best
who is pure of heart" and that there
are two great spirits in the world,
Ormuzd, the good spirit, and Ahriman,
the bad spirit. and that all who do
right are under the influence of Or
muZd, and all who do wrong are un-
der Ahriman; that the Parsec must he
born OH the ground floor of the house
and must be buried from the ground
fioor; that the dying man must have
prayers said over him and sacred
juice given him to drink; that the good
at their dcccase go into eternal light
and the bad into eternal darkness; that.
having passed out of this life, the soul
fingers near the corpse three days in n
paradisaic state, enjoying more than
all the nations Of earth put together
could enjoy or i'll pandemoniac state,
suffering more than all the nations put
together could possibly suffer- but at
the end of three days departing for its
final destiny, and that there will be u
resurrection of tho body. They are more
careful than any other people about
their ablutions, and they wash and
wash and wash. They pay great atten-
tion to physical health, and it is rare
thing to see a sick Parsee. They do not
smoke tobacco. for they consider that n
misuse of fire.
At the close of mortal life the soul
appears at the bridge Chinvat, where
an angel presides and questions the soul
about the thoughts and words and deeds
of its earthly state. Nothing, however,
is more intense i'll the Parsee faith than
the theory that the dead body is impure.
A devil is supposed to take possession
of the dead body. All who touch it are
unclcan, and hence the strange style Of
obsequies But here / must give three
or four questions and answers from one
of the Parsee catechisns:
Parsec Catechisn.
Question. n.-Who is the most fortunate
man in the world?
Answer He who is the most inno-
cent
Q.-Who is the most innocent man
in the world:
Ale who walks in the path of
God and shuns that of the devil.
(Which is the path of God and
which that of the devil?
A.-Virtue is the path of God and
vice that of the devil.
Q.-What constitutes virtue and
what vice?
A.-Good thoughts. good words and
good deeds constitute virtue, and evil
thoughts, evil words and evil deeds
constitute vice.
Q.-What constitute good thoughts,
good words and good deeds and evil
thoughts. evil words and evil deeds?
A.-Honesty, charity and truthful
ness constitute the former, and dishon-
esty, want of charity and falschood con-
stitute the latter.
And now the better to show you these
Parsees ! tell you of two things saw
within u short time in Bombay, India.
It was an afternoon of contrast
We started for Malabar hill. on
which the wealthy classes have their
embowered homes and the Parsces their
along the waters edge tho sun was de
scending the sky, and a disciple of 20
roaster, Parsee, was in lowly posture
and with reverential gaze looking into
the sky He would have been said to
have been worshiping the sun. as all
Parsees are said to worship the fire But
the intelligent Parsee does not worship
the fire. He looks upon the sun rs the
emblem of :he warmth and light of the
Creator. Looking at blaze of light.
whether ON hearth. on mountain height
or in the sky, he can more easily bring
to mind the glory of God-at least so
the ParsceS tell me. Indeed they are the
plcas:ntcst heather have met The Y
treat their wives rs equals, while the
Hindoos and Buddhists treat them "a,
cattle. although the cattle and sheep