The Canton times. (Canton, Miss.) 1893-1906, 1895-01-04
PARSEE RELIGION.
DR. Talmage, in His Fourth Series
of "Round the World" Sermons,
Tells of the Disciples OF Zoroaster. or The
Fire Worshipers--They Have a Cate
chism That VIII Stand the
Christian Test.

series of 'round-the-world sermon
through the press, chose Sunday 70
his subject 1.-THE Fire Worshipers,
the text selected being Matthew ii. /
There came wise men from the east t,
Jerusalem"
These wise men were the Parsees, O
the so-called fire worshipers, and
found their descendants in India las
October. Their heathenism is NOR,
tolerable than any of the other falst
religions and has more alleviations
and while in this 'round-th world Sc
ries | have already shown you ths
worst forms of heathenism, to-day
show you the least offensive.
The prophet of the Parsees was To
rooster 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
I met them, and in addition to what l
saw of them at their headquarters in
Bombay, India, had two weeks of as
ISOLATION 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 in to
my hands. There were originally 81
volumes, but Alexander the Great, in
n drunken fit, set fire to palace which
contained some of them, and they went
into ashes and forgetfulness. But there
sre 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, who lived about I, 400 years
before Christ, was good man. suffered
persecution for his faith and was assas-
sinated while worshiping at an altar.
BE announced the theory, 'He is best
who is pure of heart" and that there
are two great spirits in the world.
Crmuzd, the good spirit. and Ahriman.
the bad spirit, and that all who do
right are under the influence of Or
mud, and all who do wrong are I'M
der Ahriman; that the Parsee must be |
born on the ground floor of the house
and must be buried from the ground |
Hoor; that the dying man must have
prayers said over him and a 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 in
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 it's
final destiny, and that there will be
of the body. They are
more careful than any other people
about their additions, and they wash
and wash and wash. They pay great
to physical health, and it is
a rare thing to see sick Parsee. They
do not smoke tobacco, for they con-
slider that misuse of fire.
AT the close of mortal life the soul
appears at the bridge Chinvat, where
IA angel prcsidcs and questions the
Soul about the thoughts and words and
deeds of its earthly state. Nothing,
however, is more intense in the Parsee
iaith than the theory that the dead
body is impure. A devil is supposed to
lake possession of the dead body. All
who touch it are unclean, and hence
the strange style of obsequies. But
lere / must give three or four ques-
ions and answers from one of the Par
'ee catechisms:
Question-Who is the most fortunate |
nan in the world?
Answer-He who is the most inno-
ent.
Q-Who is the most innocent man in !
he world?
Ale who walks in the path of God |
nd shuns that of the devil.
(Which is the path of God and q
which that of the devil2
A.-virtue is the path of God and Z
ice that of the devil G
Q-What constitutes virtue and what t
ice2 S
A--Good thoughts, good words and b
God deeds constitute virtue. and evil s
1oughts, evil words and evil deeds {
onstitute vice. S
Q.-What constitute good thoughts, \
ood words and good deeds and evil p
1oughts, evil words and evil deeds? t,
A-Honesty, charity and truthful s.
ess constitute the former, and dishon- il
sly. want of charity and falsehood g
institute the latter.
And now the better to show you e
,ese Parsees tell you of two things a
saw within a short time in Bombay, Il
ndia- 1t was an afternoon of con- p
asst N;