the power of religion key concept 1.3.e new religious beliefs developed in this period continued to...
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The Power of ReligionKey Concept 1.3.E
• New religious beliefs developed in this period continued to have strong influences in later periods.
• Zarathustra spoke:• There is only one god
• You are either with him or you are with the forces of darkness
• We are not here to seek enlightenment or feed the gods, but to take place in a large battle between good and evil
• One God - Monotheism
• Zoroastrians believe in one God, called Ahura Mazda (meaning 'Wise Lord'). He is compassionate, just, and is the creator of the universe.
Ahura Mazda is:– Omniscient (knows everything)– Omnipotent (all powerful)– Omnipresent (is everywhere)– Impossible for humans to
conceive– Unchanging– The Creator of life– The Source of all goodness and
happiness
Spread
• Did not spread widely beyond Persia• Alexander and later Islam disastrous for the
faith.• Small minority in Iran remains
Historical Tradition
• First major monotheistic religion
• Migration to Palestine led by Abraham
• Early tradition of enslavement in Egypt and escape
• Est. state of Israel (1000 BCE)
• A relatively weak people, but very firm in their belief in one God
• Became quite focused on the human and the divine; a just God
• Promised Land – given to Israelites by God. Promise first made to Abraham
He also said to him, "I am the LORD, who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to take possession of it."
Influence
• Jews in Persian Empire were influenced by Zoroastrian ideas
• God vs. Satan• Last judgment and bodily resurrection• The final defeat of evil (with a Messiah)• Remaking of the world
The Vedic Religion• The religion of the Aryan
Peoples in the Indus-River Valley
• Hunter gatherers who invaded the Indian continent
• The precursor of Hinduism
• Holy Books: the Vedas• Modern Hindus believe
they are inspired by God• Encouraged very tight
village organization; still impacts India today
• Encouraged a rigid system of social inequality, which still exists today in India