Zoroastrian Scriptures and the Environment: the Man’s Role in Prosperity of Earth and Nature

Subject Areas : Christianity

پروانه  Orojnia ¹ (عضو هیأت علمی بنیاد دائرة المعارف اسلامی، تهران، ایران)
Leila  Hooshangi ² (استادیار)

Received: 2017-10-19 Accepted : 2017-10-19 Published : 2017-09-23

Keywords: Zororastrian religious texts, Environment, Man, Nature, prosperity of the land, Natural elements, Holiness,

Abstract :

It seems that the attitude of man towards nature, the physical world and the environment is the root of present environmental crisis. Considering the comprehensive presence of religion in all aspects of past traditional societies lives, it is obvious that to understand the relationship of man and nature, therefore to determine his attitude in each religious tradition, one has to reconsider the teachings which are commonly found in religious texts and shape the spiritual paradims. The present paper tries to look for such teachings considering the importance of the prosperity of land and emphasis on protection and preservation of water, plants and animals in the Gathas of Zaratostra, new Avesta, and other important Zoroastrian texts such as DÊnkard, Minouye Kherad, and Shāyast nāshāyast. It also tries to analyse the relationship of man and nature through the laws and regulations in these texts which can affect the environment directly or indirectly, and to give a wholistic view of the attitude of the Mazdeans towards nature. Furthermore, this paper is going to consider the views of religious man, and general affects of the function of faithfuls on environment through a new look on these texts and Zororastrian cosmology.