Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1894-12-24
FIRE WORSHIPERS.
REV. DR.. TALMAGE INVESTIGATES
THE PARSE RELIGION.

Catechism That VIII Stand the Chris
tian Test-The Towers of Silence--A
Parsee AIarriage-ZorOaster and Christ.
BROOKLYN, Dec. 23.-Rev. DR.. Tai
mage, continuing his series of round
the world sermons through the press,
those today for his subject 1.-THE Fire
Morshipers, - 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 worshipers, and L
found their descendants in India last
October Their heathenism is more toll
cradle than any of the other false rell-
gions and has more alleviations, and
while in this round the world Sc
ries have already shown you the worst
forms of heathenism today | show you
the least offensive.
The prophet of the Parsees was 70
rooster of Persia. He was poet and
philosopher and reformer as well as
reIigionist His disciples thrived at
first in Persia, but under Mohammedan
persecution they reiterated to India,
where / met them, and in addition to
what I saw of them at their headquar-
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-
Parsee Religion.
The Bible Of the Parsees, or fire wor-
shippers, as they are inaccurately call
ed, is the Zand-Avesta, collection Of
the strangest books that ever came into
my hands There were originally p
volumes, but Alexander the Great, in
O drunken fit, set fire to a 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 in accord with our own religion.
Zoroaster VINO lived about 1, 400 years
before Christ, was good man, suffered
persecution for his faith and was assas-
sinated while worshiping at an altar.
He announced the theory, EHe 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
mud, ard all who do wrong are IN
der Ahriman; that the Parsee must be
born on the ground floor of the house
and must be buried from the ground
floor; that the dying man must have
prayers said over him and q sacred
Juice given him to drink; that the good
at their decease 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 III
paradisaic state, enjoying more than
all the nations Of earth put together
could enjoy or in a 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
resurrection of the body. They are more
careful than any other people about
their additions, and they wash and
wash and wash. They pay great atten-
ton to physical health, and it is n rare
thing to see a sick Parsee. They do not
smoke tobacco, for they consider that q
misuse Of fire.
At the close of mortal life the soul
appears st the bridge Chinvat, where
an angel presides and questions the soul
about the thoughts and words and deeds
of its earthly state. Nothing, however,
lis more intense in the Parsee faith than
the theory that the dead body is impure.
IA devil is supposed to take possession
of the dead body. All who touch it are
nnclean, and hence the strange style of
obsequies. But here I must give three
or four questions and answers from ono
of the Parsee catechisms:
Parsee CatechisIn.
Question. -Whois the most fortunate
man in the world?
Answer. who is the most limo
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.-Gocd 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 falsehood con
stitute the latter
And now the better to show you these
Parsees l tell you of two things saw
within q short time in Bombay, India.
1T was an afternoon Of contrast.
We started for Malabar hill, on
which the wealthy classes have their