THE STORY OF CREATION ZOROASTRIANISM ZAF RELIGIOUS CLASS APRIL, 2015 AHURA MAZDA

LET’S REVIEW HOW MANY ZOROASTRIAN CALENDARS DO WE HAVE? 3 CAN YOU NAME THEM? FASLI, SHENSHAHI, QADMI HOW MANY PARTS TO A ZOROASTRIAN DAY? 5 WHAT IS THE ZOROASTRIAN NEW YEAR CALLED? NAVROZE WHEN IS IT CELEBRATED? BEGINNING OF THE SPRING EQUINOX IN MARCH WHAT IS THE HAFT SEEN TABLE? NAME SOME COMMON THINGS ON THE HAFT SEEN TABLE

AGENDA THE HISTORY OF ZOROASTRINISM THE STORY OF CREATION MENOG OR SPIRITUAL WORLD GETIG OR MATERIAL WORLD GEMESIN OR MIXTURE TIMES FRASHOKERETI/FRASHOGARD OR THE PERIOD OF SEPARATION LET’S PLAY THUMB BALL

HISTORY OF ZOROASTRIANISM https://youtu.be/6y8BZONPmiM

THE STORY OF CREATION WHO IS THE WISE LORD? AHURA MAZDA WHO IS THE OUR PROPHET? ZARATHUSTRA According to our religion Ahura Mazda created the Universe in two stages. Stage 1 (MENOG or SPIRITUAL) Stage 2 (GETIG or MATERIAL).

STAGE 1 OF CREATION-MENOG In this stage Ahura Mazda created all beings and things in the Spiritual state. Nothing had physical form. This was a pure state in which there was no evil. In this stage the Fravashis of all things were created. Ahura Mazda asked the Fravashis(includes angels) if He should give them physical form (that is bodies and soul). He also warned them that once the physical form was given to them Evil would enter creation. The Fravashis replied that they desired to have a physical form. By having their bodies and souls, they would be free to act as they wanted, rather than remain in a pure state of inaction. They were willing to do battle against Evil in return for having their bodies.

STAGE 2 OF CREATION-GETIG Ahura Mazda brought the material world into existence and asked Spenta Mainyu to guide the souls to do good and fight evil. As Ahura Mazda had warned, with the creation of the Getig stage (the material world), the Evil Spirit, Angre Mainyu attacked creation bringing into it, wickedness, greed, cruelty, deceit and all such bad things which did not exist before. The world now entered a state in which good and bad co-exist and fight each other.

THE PERIOD OF GUMESIN OR MIXTURE GUMESIN (Pahlavi) Period: As Ahura Mazda had warned, with the creation of the Getig stage (the material world), the Evil Spirit, Angre Mainyu attacked creation bringing into it, wickedness, greed, cruelty, deceit and all such bad things which did not exist before. The world now entered a state in which good and bad co-exist and fight each other. This is a state where good fights against evil on a daily basis. This the period in which we now live and in which man has to fight evil, with the help of Ahura Mazda, Spenta Mainyu, and the Amesha Spentas. When all of mankind learns not to do Evil, Evil will become powerless. Towards the end of the period when most of mankind has turned away from evil, three Saviors(Ushedar, Ushedarmah, and Saoshyant) will come at intervals of 1000 years, who will help mankind in the final battle against Evil.

THE PERIOD OF FRASHOKERETI/FRASHOGARD When evil has been completely destroyed, there will come the moment of Frashokereti (in Pahlavi it is called Frashogard). This is the moment of the glorious freshening (purification). Creation will now be in a perfect state, as it was in the Menog stage of creation, except that it will now have both a spiritual and a material existence. This period of Frashokereti is eternal and is the final goal of creation. This period is also called the period of Separation because in this period evil is separated from good. According to our religion it is the responsibility of mankind to bring about this final stage of creation. Because of all of Ahura Mazda’s creation, Mankind is the only one that is given the power to differentiate between and to choose between good and evil.

LET’S PLAY THUMB BALL! Pass the ball to your friends and answer the question that is closest to the thumb of your right hand.

Hamā Zor, Hamā Asho Bēd May we be United, May we be United in Righteousness Any questions: hovess@aol.com