The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1895-02-07
PARSEE RELIGION.
Or. Taimage, in His Fourth Series
of "Round the World" Sermons,
Tells of the Disciples Of Zoroaster, or The
Fire Wcrshipers-They Have a CRtn-
chism That Will Stand the
Christian Test.

his subject THE Fire Worshlpers,
the text selected being Matthew ii. 1:
.sThere came wise men from the east to
Jerusalem"
These wise men were the Parsees, or
the so-called fire worshipers, and I
found their descendants in India last
October. Their heathenism is more
tolerable than any of the other false
religions and has more alleviations,
and while in this 'round-the-world Sc
ries I have already shown you the
worst forms of heathenism, to-day l
show you the least offensive.
The prophet of the Parsees was 70
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 I
saw of them at their headquarters in
Bombay, India, l 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 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, who lived about l, 400 years
before Christmas good man, suffered
persecution for his faith and 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.
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 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 sacred
juice given him to drink; that the good
ut 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 a
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 a
resurrection of the body. They are
more careful than any other people
about their ablutions, and they wash
and wash and wash. They pay great
attention to physical health, and it is
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
an angel presides and questions the
soul about the thoughts and words and
deeds of its earthly state. Nothing,
however, is more intense in 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 unclean. and hence
the strange style of obsequies. But
here / must give three or four ques-
tions and answers from one of the Par
see catechisms:
Question-Who is the most fortunate
man in the world?
Answer-He who is the most inno-
cert.
Q-Who is the most innocent man in
the world? 'n
A.-He 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 falsehoo5
constitute the latter.
And now the better to show you
tnese Parsees l tell you Of two things
saw within short time in Bombay,
India. 1t was an afternoon of con-
hast
We started for Malabar hill, on
which the wealthy classes have their
embowered homes and the Parsees
their strange temple of the dead As
We rode along the waters edge the sun
vas descending the sky, and disciple
q Ioroaster, Parsee, was III lowly
posture and with reverential gaze
looking into the sky. He would have
oeen said to have been worshiping the
sun, as all Parsees are said to wor-
mp the FIRE But tho intelligent Par.