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Authors: Ken Mooney
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this Earth; postmillennialism is the belief that the 1,000 years will occur before Jesus’ Second Coming and that the events of Armageddon will take place in Heaven, not on Earth; and amillennialism completely rejects the importance of the number 1,000 and views this millennium, and the rest of the Book of Revelations, as nothing more than a symbol.
8
THE END OF THE WORLD IN OTHER RELIGIONS
Judaism, Islam and Christianity may be the most widely practised religions in the United Kingdom and Europe, but they do not have exclusive rights to the End of the World. In fact, the similarities that we have seen between the Abrahamic religions and some of our more primal fears extend to other religions as well.
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ZOROASTRIANISM
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Zoroastrianism is not a widely practised modern religion, but it has had a significant impact on modern philosophy and it is also one of the clearest religious examples of the struggle between good and evil.
Zoroastrianism has its origins in Ancient Persia – modern Iran – where the philosopher Zoroaster, or Zarathustra, collected various local beliefs to form one unified religion for the area. Zoroaster recognised a dual nature for humanity, realising that both mankind and nature itself are torn between good and evil, between order and chaos, or, to use the Zoroastrian names, between Ahura Mazda and Angra Mainyu, or Ahriman.
Ahura Mazda, no relation to the motoring brand, is a creative force, with the literal translation meaning ‘light of wisdom’; its opposing force, Ahriman, leans towards darkness and destruction. One of the defining aspects of Zoroastrianism is that both of these forces are equally powerful and exist independently of the other: both energies complement each other, with difficulty arising when they are no longer in balance. This is an interesting comparison to the Christian view of good and evil where Satan as the Devil is depicted as a fallen angel and, as such, created by God.
Zoroastrian beliefs also place special emphasis on the divinity and purity of water and fire, both of which are considered necessary for life.
The Endtimes of the Zoroastrian faith, or frashokereti , depicts a final triumph of good energy over evil after a battle between the agents of good – yazata – andthe daevas , or forces of evil. A Messianic figure, Saoshyant, will play a pivotal role in this battle, after which he will resurrect the dead. All of humanity will be judged by passing through a molten river, which will not harm the good, but will burn away those who are evil. Those who are deemed righteous will be granted immortality and will live amongst the yazatas in a state close to godliness.
This complicated vision of the End of the World predates Christianity and Revelations by several hundred years: Zoroaster lived around the sixth century BC but the religion is based on local beliefs that go back much further.
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BAHÁ’I
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The Bahá’i faith is often treated as one of the Abrahamic religions – it has shared origins with Judaism, Christianity and Islam – but the practise of the religion places a great emphasis on faith itself and any display of faith, regardless of the Church or individual beliefs. As such, the religion does not see itself as different from other religions, but rather that all religions share their faith, with all practising different elements of the same beliefs.
The Bahá’i faith sees the central figures of all religions as messengers from God to provide for the needs of his people at any given time. Religious truth comes not in one moment or one teaching, but through ‘progressive revelations’ that furthers the development and evolution of religion and humanity. There is no true Endtime in Bahá’i, but a period that brings an end to the belief system of one culture or religion and then opens up another.
Bahá’i has its origins in the mid-nineteenth century when the spiritual leader, the Báb, claimed to be the coming of the Muslim
8
THE END OF THE WORLD IN OTHER RELIGIONS
Judaism, Islam and Christianity may be the most widely practised religions in the United Kingdom and Europe, but they do not have exclusive rights to the End of the World. In fact, the similarities that we have seen between the Abrahamic religions and some of our more primal fears extend to other religions as well.
----
ZOROASTRIANISM
----
Zoroastrianism is not a widely practised modern religion, but it has had a significant impact on modern philosophy and it is also one of the clearest religious examples of the struggle between good and evil.
Zoroastrianism has its origins in Ancient Persia – modern Iran – where the philosopher Zoroaster, or Zarathustra, collected various local beliefs to form one unified religion for the area. Zoroaster recognised a dual nature for humanity, realising that both mankind and nature itself are torn between good and evil, between order and chaos, or, to use the Zoroastrian names, between Ahura Mazda and Angra Mainyu, or Ahriman.
Ahura Mazda, no relation to the motoring brand, is a creative force, with the literal translation meaning ‘light of wisdom’; its opposing force, Ahriman, leans towards darkness and destruction. One of the defining aspects of Zoroastrianism is that both of these forces are equally powerful and exist independently of the other: both energies complement each other, with difficulty arising when they are no longer in balance. This is an interesting comparison to the Christian view of good and evil where Satan as the Devil is depicted as a fallen angel and, as such, created by God.
Zoroastrian beliefs also place special emphasis on the divinity and purity of water and fire, both of which are considered necessary for life.
The Endtimes of the Zoroastrian faith, or frashokereti , depicts a final triumph of good energy over evil after a battle between the agents of good – yazata – andthe daevas , or forces of evil. A Messianic figure, Saoshyant, will play a pivotal role in this battle, after which he will resurrect the dead. All of humanity will be judged by passing through a molten river, which will not harm the good, but will burn away those who are evil. Those who are deemed righteous will be granted immortality and will live amongst the yazatas in a state close to godliness.
This complicated vision of the End of the World predates Christianity and Revelations by several hundred years: Zoroaster lived around the sixth century BC but the religion is based on local beliefs that go back much further.
----
BAHÁ’I
----
The Bahá’i faith is often treated as one of the Abrahamic religions – it has shared origins with Judaism, Christianity and Islam – but the practise of the religion places a great emphasis on faith itself and any display of faith, regardless of the Church or individual beliefs. As such, the religion does not see itself as different from other religions, but rather that all religions share their faith, with all practising different elements of the same beliefs.
The Bahá’i faith sees the central figures of all religions as messengers from God to provide for the needs of his people at any given time. Religious truth comes not in one moment or one teaching, but through ‘progressive revelations’ that furthers the development and evolution of religion and humanity. There is no true Endtime in Bahá’i, but a period that brings an end to the belief system of one culture or religion and then opens up another.
Bahá’i has its origins in the mid-nineteenth century when the spiritual leader, the Báb, claimed to be the coming of the Muslim
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