Zoroastrian Hell

Posted on December 22, 2002 in Myths & Mysticism

If you’ve been following my blog for the last few days, you’ve probably been reading my commentary on what I have characterized as the Zoroastrian contamination of Christianity. This is not accurate. I’ve been reading up on the mythology and have discovered that they’re not fire worshippers any more than Catholics are saint worshippers. Fire is a symbol of purity, not a god.

Another thing that I found compelling was their concept of Hell. First, you must understand that each one of us is, in the Zoroastrian cosmos, intrisically good. There’s no “Original Sin” in Zoroastrianism. What happens is that in the course of our earthly life, for whatever reasons, we become corrupted.

Zoroastrians believe that we have two linked souls, one which animates our earthly body and another which remains in Heaven with God (Ahura Mazda) at all times. This heavenly soul never becomes corrupted. But Ahriman, who can be called Satan if you please, can and does work to pollute the earthly soul. When he succeeds, he gets to drag you down to Hell. But not for eternity.

Hell resembles Christian Purgatory, but with a lot more pain and suffering. Good deeds performed during your lifetime help to ameliorate your pain. Once you have been cleansed, Ahriman has no more hold over you. Your earthly soul reunites with your heavenly one and you are with God.

Contrast this with the results of the poll which was taken a few years ago regarding whether or not Jeffrey Dalhmer was going to Hell. Two versions of Christianity manifested themselves in the results of this poll. Version one held that because Jeffrey’s crimes were so horrible, it did not matter if he sincerely recanted or not. He was damned for eternity. Version two, the official position as described by Christ and the early Church fathers, counters that because Jeffrey repented and gave himself to Jesus, he went to Heaven. It didn’t matter what else he had done. In that one moment, all was purged by the Blood of the Lamb. He died with a spotless soul.

What a Zoroastrian would argue is that Jeffrey was heading to Hell. What Ahriman could do to him depended on how evil his deeds were. Perhaps they accept the reality of mental illness as a factor which Jeffrey could not entirely control. This, his repentance (if sincere), and any good deeds he managed to accomplish during his life time would be calculated by his torturers and by the celestrial record keepers. He would suffer, but not for a day longer than the sum of his good and bad deeds dictated. In the end, when the devils were finished with him, Jeffrey would be reunited with his ever-pure heavenly soul and with God.

I’m not about to convert to any religion, but if you’ve got to have one that demands an unequivocal belief in good and evil, Zoroastrianism’s formula solves a lot of questions. God doesn’t cause suffering: Satan does. In the struggle between Good and Evil, though Satan makes advances, he can never completely win. God will reclaim all that is good and beautiful after a period of purification. No one is damned for all time because God loves us. We suffer in hell so that all that is Satanic in us can be removed. In the end, we all join God in Paradise. Zoroastrians don’t fret about the behavior of others: they labor to perfect themselves.

Christians, Jews, and Muslims, it seems have corrupted these ideas, largely I think for political reasons. When Satan’s role changed to resemble that of Ahriman more, these other religions failed to incorporate compassion for the suffering soul here on earth completely. Therein, I think, is the root of the contradictions which drive so many of us mad. The critic of the Levantine religions asks “If God is Good, why does He allow evil to flourish in this world?” And it’s a good question, one for which the answers I have heard are halting, selfish, and unconvincing. The Zoroastrian replies “God does not cause the evil in the world. Satan does. God can win, but He needs your help. Work hard on your own soul.”

I find that empowering.

I hope with this explanation, I have clarified the true nature of Zoroaster’s teachings.

I wonder if I would feel so guilty now if I had been raised with these understandings?

And it’s not Zoroastrianism that has corrupted the Levantine religions: it’s the Levantine religions which have corrupted Zoroastrianism. The Magi are still looking for a proper First Savior to lead us out of this present dark age.

I’ll tell you about that business in a day or two.