The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1894-12-26
PARsEE RELIGION.
Or. Talmage, in His Fourth Series
of "Round the World" Sermons,
Tells of the Disciples Of zoroaster, or The
Fire " orshipers-T They Have n Cate
chism That VIII Stand the
Christian Test.

series OF rOun0-Lne-WOrlut SerlnOuS |
through the press, chose Sunday for
his suiject "The Fire Worshipcrs,
the text selected being Matthew H. 1:
"There came wise men from the east to
Jerusalem"
These wise men were the Parsees, or
the so-called fire worshipers, and
found their descendants in India last
October. Their heathenism is more
tolerablc than any of the other false
religions and has more alleviations,
and while in this 'round-the-world Sc
ries have already shown you the
worst forms of heathenism, to-day /
show you the least offensive.
The prophet of the Parsees was 10
roaster of Persia. He was poet and
philosopher and reformer as well as re-
ligionist. His disciples thrived at first
in Persia, but under Mohammedan per-
secution they retreated to India, where
/ met them, and in addition to what |
saw Of them at their headquarters in
! Bombay, India, had two weeks of as
sociation with one of the most learned
and genial of their people on shipboard
from bombay to Brindisi.
The Bible of the Parsees, or fire wor-
shippers, as they are inaccurately call
ed, is the Zend-Avesta, a collection of
the strangest books that ever came into
my hands. There were originally 21
volumes, but Alexander the Great, in
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 Parsecs that suggest
Christianity, ana ecEe Of its doctrines
are in accord with Our own religion.
Zoroaster, who lived about 1,400 years
before Christ, was good man, suffered
persecution fer his faith anu was assas-
sinated 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.
0rmuzd, the good spirit, and Ahriman.
the bad spirit, and that all who dc
right are under the influence of Or
muzd, and all who do wrong are un
/ der Ahriman; that the Parsee must bt
born ON the ground floor of the house
and must be buried from the grount
floor; that the dying man must have
prayers said over him and sacred
/ juice given him to drink; that the gooC
4 at their decease go into eternal ligh
5 and the bad into eternal darkness tina
4 having passed out of this life, the sou
4 fingers near the corpse three days in
4 paradisaic state, enjoying more thai
!, all the nations of earth put togethe
\ could enjoy or in a pandemoniac state
: suffering more than all the nations pu
y together could possibly suffer, but a
: the end of three days departing for il
final destiny, and that there will be
resurrection of the body. They al
more careful than any other peopl
about their ablutions, and they was
and wash and wash. They pay gre,
, attention to physical health, and it
rare thing to see sick Parsee. The
do not smoke tobacco, for they col
' slider that misuse of fire.
At the close of mortal life the sol
y appears at the bridge Chinvat, whel
!. an angel presides and questions Il
| soul about the thoughts and words al
deeds of it's earthly state. Nothin
e however, is more intense in the Pars
: faith than the theory that the de;
: body is impure A devil is supposed
E take possession of the dead body. A
4 who touch it are unclean, and hen
# the strange style of obsequies. B,
. here must give three or four que
tions and answers from one of the Pa
see catechisms:
Question-Who is the most fortuna
4 man in the world?
A Answer-He who is the most inr
cent.
4 Q.-Who is the most innocent man
the world?
Ale who walks in the path of G
and shuns that of the devil.
}, (Which is the path of God a
which that of the devil?
Ir A.-virtue is the path of God a
r vice that of the devil.
- Q-What constitutes virtue and WI
vice?
ate A.-Good thoughts, good words a
for good deeds constitute virtue, and e
sc 50 thoughts, evil words and evil dee
de- constitute vice.
Of Q.-What constitute good though
lin. good words and good deeds and e
lrts thoughts, evil words and evil deeds?
ne ne A.-Honesty, charity and truthf
ned ness constitute the former, and dish,
10y OSy esty want of charity and falsehc
gh- constitute the latter.
Iest And now the better to show y
and these Parsees / tell you of two thir
4 to saw within short time in Bomb
\ rof of India. 1t was an afternoon of c.
owe trast.
o one We started for Malabar hill,
n as which the wealthy classes have th
EAST embowered homes and the Pars
V yay, their strange temple of the dead.
by we rode along the waters edge the
ANY was descending the sky, and disci
erly of Zoroaster, Parsee, was in loS
nea ns posture. and with reverential g
re- looking into the sky. He would h
,ted been said TO have been worshiping
@ an sun, as all Parsees are said to "
lbed ship the fire. But the intelligent T
y n.ps os see does not worship the t
,uth He looks upon the sun as the
lot blem Of the warmth and light of
less Creator. Looking at blaze of Zig
isof whether on hearth, ON mountain hei
i, or in the sky, he can more easily br
lett, to mind the glory Of God-at leas
the Parsees tell me- Indeed they