Ahura Mazda, of the Zoroastrians
Contrary to popular belief, Zoroastrians do not worship fire. Adherents of this faith, however, do believe that the elements, including fire, are pure. While Ahura Mazda is generally viewed as a god without form and a being of entirely spiritual energy rather than physical existence, he has at times been equated with the sun, and certainly, the imagery associated with him remains very fire-oriented. Ahura Mazda is the light of wisdom that pushes back the darkness of chaos. He is the life-bringer, just as the sun brings life to the world.
Fire is venerated as a great purifying agent and as a symbol of Ahura Mazda’s power, but it is in no way worshipped or thought to be Ahura Mazda himself. This can be parallelled with Catholics, who do not worship holy water, although they recognise its spiritual properties, and Christians, who do not worship the cross, although the symbol is held as a representation of Christ’s sacrifice.
This story is from the AG 03/2020 - 142 edition of ASIAN Geographic.
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This story is from the AG 03/2020 - 142 edition of ASIAN Geographic.
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