Zenaphobe

I was doing some research on Zoroastrianism and was intrigued to say the least.

I was reading some of the sacred texts of this faith and happened upon the following text ( http://www.avesta.org/pahlavi/viraf.html )describing an individuals acent to Heaven and decent into Hell ala Dante's Inferno.

After reading this text I knew that I should immediatly convert to this faith to avoid such tourtures never dreamed of in the Bible, but alas, one must be born into this faith.

Amit Misra

There's a ray of hope: it seems that the Parsi community of Bombay (now Mumbai) has a section that is pressing for allowing marriages into the faith...

(see also my earlier bee-in-bonnet in the "Eugenics" thread in the Science and Skepticism forum).

hinduwoman

did not Zorastriasm influence Christianity and later Judaism? I thought their notion of Hell came from there.

andy_d

I'm impressed they went to all the trouble of explaining exactly how you will spend eternity for the crime of killing an otter.

I couldn't find anything about giraffes, though Maybe it was in there next to the bit about short-changing orangutans.

Old Man

Sounds a trifle disproportionate:

Chapter 76. [Violating menstruation taboo and sorcery.]

1. I also saw the souls of women who ever lacerated their own breasts with their own hands and teeth; (2) and dogs ever tore and ate their bellies; (3) and both feet stood on hot brass.
4. And I asked thus: 'Whose souls are these? and what sin was committed by them?'
5. Srosh the pious, and Adar the angel, said (6) thus: 'These are the souls of those wicked women who, in the world, prepared food during menstruation, (7) and brought it before a pious man, and bade him eat.

That would mean, I guess, that most if not all women will spend eternity in this state (if they were unfortunate enough to have virtuous husbands). How can anyone believe this hogwash?