The Concept of Religion According to Zoroastrianism and Deism (Coursework Sample)

The Concept of Religion According To Zoroastrianism and Deism
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Abstract
Religion is a principle of unification of harmonization that has been practiced from the beginning of time. Religion is influenced by geographical. Environmental among other factors and because of this, it is inevitable to have only one religion. There are different types of religions and among these include Zoroastrianism and Deism. These two religions have different concepts and perceptions that define God and the way humans interact with their God. This paper describes Zoroastrianism and Deism religions and how they unite or divide humanity and also the comparison between them.
The Concept of Religion According to Zoroastrianism and Deism
Religion is a difficult term to define or describe as it keeps on changing and growing each time. Therefore, religion should be something divine and thus it is supposed to be realized, felt, and experienced instead pf trying to define it. However, religion can be termed as the principle of unification of harmonization. The word religion comes from a Latin word ‘religio’ that means to blind (Wearne, 2003).
Zoroastrianism is one of the ancient religions in the world, and it is a pre-Islamic religion of Iran, which was originally known as Persia. The people who practiced this religion are scattered across the area but is predominantly practiced in India, where the religion is known as Parsiism and the descendants of Zoroastrian Persian immigrants are called Parsis (McDowell & Brown, 2009).
Deism is a perception that one may have for reasons that God exists through observation and experience in the natural universe. Deism is a word derived from the Latin word Deus that means God. Those who consider themselves as deists do not accept that special revelation is a reliable source for God’s existence (Wearne, 2003).
Zoroaster, who was an Iranian prophet and reformer, introduced the religion during the 16the century BCE. This religion consists of both monotheistic and dualistic features shares some fundamental concepts with other religions like Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. The religion is small today consisting of nearly 200, 000 believers (Wearne, 2003).
Zarathustra had visions where he was taken to heaven and Ahura Mazda (God) told him that he had opposition from Aura Mainyu, the spirit, and promoter of evil. Then Zarathustra was given the task by Ahura Mazda to tell all human beings to choose between him, the good side, or Aura Mainyu, the evil side (McDowell & Brown, 2009). 
Wearne, (2003), in an initiation when the Zoroastrians reach the age of seven, they are given sacred garments, which include a sudreh, that resembles a shirt and kusti that resembles a cord. Then the initiates have to remind themselves of Good Words, Good Thoughts, and Good Deeds by tying the kusti around the sudreh three times.
Zoroastrianism is a religion that is considered a home and a community-based religion. Since ancient times, the believers do not practice monasticism or celibacy. Most of the worship happens at home since even Zoroaster was a family man (McDowell & Brown, 2009). 
According to Wearne (2003), Zoroastrians also take action as they aim at improving the community since they are often behind educational initiatives and give their considerate contributions to charities. The Parsi community is well known for its generous contribution in India.
Zoroastrianism considers the man as a helper to God and through the good choices, the man will make, heaven will be established on earth and evil will be no more. The Zoroastrians consider the poor, the rich, the young, and the old to be equal in the face of the earth, however through righteousness one can be on top of the other (McDowell & Brown, 2009). 
Deists believe that that there is a single God, who created everything that, exists, and this notion is based on the reason inspired by nature. The way nature poses with its complexity is a true manifestation of God existence. Human beings cannot understand the true nature of God, as they are limited in the thinking capacity of the same. Deists believe that human beings are all equal under God; no one is greater than the other is. All human beings have the same rights (McDowell & Brown, 2009).
Zoroaster taught that man has a free choice and because of this, man shall enlist in the cosmic struggle that exists, thus choosing good over evil has a cosmic importance to Zoroastrianism. Human beings are given the freedom and the capacity to choose between right and wrong, truth and right, and light and dark these choices affects their eternal fate (McDowell & Brown, 2009). 
According to deists, God gave humans the capacity to reason and ability to choose between right and wrong consciously. Thus, men can develop their own ethical and moral principles without God intervening. Human beings are free to find the spiritual nature of God so they can worship Him in their way. People are supposed to respect all that is Godly as long as in the process, do not cause harm to other people’s views (McDowell & Brown, 2009). 
Woods (2008) argues that, to the Zoroastrian, the afterlife also has a concept has it is believed to have a balance of good and evil doings, words and thoughts of a human being’s entire life. For the people who did more good than bad in the earth, they will go into heaven but for those who did more bad than good they will go to hell. However, hell has different levels in regards to the extent of someone’s bad deeds. Zoroastrian also believe that people who have an equal weight of bad and good do have a place too.
Woods, (2008) states that, Ahura Mazda, "Wise Lord", is the only true God that the Zoroastrians believe in. To the Zoroastrians, Ahura Mazda is just, compassionate, and He created the universe. They believe Ahura Mazda is...