Forgiveness

[Talmai]

Hi, everyone,

Today I was reading a portion of the Gathas and something came to mind that I want to ask you guys about. Is there a concept of forgiveness or atonement in Zoroastrianism? Does Mazda erase bad thoughts, words, or deeds so that they will not be exposed to His fire on the day when there will be recompense?

Thanks!

 

[MD]

I am not that well versed in the details of the faith, but I do follow the philosophy very strongly.

Forgiveness and atonement usually must come from within one self. Your actions whether bad or good will fuel the good or evil forces in the universe, and you must act accordingly to each action, thought or word that you do. There is no reversal or removal of your actions, and if you do something bad it falls under a different universe than if you do good. Ahura Mazda and Ahriman are separate metaphysical forces, not one.

 

[InquisitiveScholar]

Hi, everyone,

Today I was reading a portion of the Gathas and something came to mind that I want to ask you guys about. Is there a concept of forgiveness or atonement in Zoroastrianism? Does Mazda erase bad thoughts, words, or deeds so that they will not be exposed to His fire on the day when there will be recompense?

Thanks!

To add onto what MD said, from everything I have read, which I will admit is not as much as MD, and correct me if I am wrong @MD but, the idea of forgiveness in Zoroastrianism is less about praying for salvation, and more about making atonement on this world for the negative acts you have committed. Zoroastrianism is very focused on the here and now, not the what comes after. A major aspect of Zoroastrianism is that, we mortal beings must strive to make Paradise on Earth a reality. A world in which no one need suffer, everyone has their needs fulfilled, and life begins and ends in the most peaceful of ways. If your every action in life is to help further this ultimate goal, then you have atoned for any possible wrongs you might have done, however, the reverse is also true. If you sought only selfish things in your life, while making sure that you did everything possible to keep others down, then, no matter what good you could do, the bridge to heaven would be impossibly thin.