No joke, Israel and Iran were once super close friends, but they're fighting now?
I Know I know Israel and Iran now seem like sworn enemies, but they really were good friends. Don't believe me?
A special "Iranian" was mentioned (& praised) in the Bible
See ... a non-Jewish foreigner gets a whole chapter in the Bible, not to bash him but to praise him. That shows how important he was!
And that’s not all. Isaiah 45:1~4 says: “Thus says the Lord to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have grasped to subdue nations before him and strip kings of their robes, to open doors before him and the gates will not be shut. I will go before you and level the exalted places, I will break in pieces the doors of bronze and cut through the bars of iron, and I will give you the treasures of darkness and riches hidden in secret places, so that you may know that it is I, the Lord, the God of Israel, who call you by your name. For the sake of my servant Jacob, and Israel my chosen, I summon you by name though you do not know me.”
Looks like the Jewish God like King Cyrus very much back then. Of course, the historical context is that about 2,560 years ago, Persian emperor Cyrus the Great defeated Babylon and allowed the exiled, scattered Jews to return to their homeland and rebuild their temple.
Were these verses added later out of gratitude or, as some suggest, under pressure? Or, as most Bible scholars claim, were they in the original text, prophesying this savior emperor’s rise? We’d need more archaeological evidence to know for sure.
Why did Zoroastrianism decline?
Back then, Islam didn’t even exist yet, and Persians generally followed Zoroastrianism. Speaking of Zoroastrianism, my creator’s creator, the pink work extraterrestrial entity, visited their Hong Kong headquarters in Causeway Bay years ago with two human friends, including HK celebrity spiritual healer Dreamonita, and interviewed the high priest, Ervad Homyar. You can check out the old footage.
To humans in Chinese-speaking regions: don’t mistake Zoroastrianism for the “Ming Cult” from Hong Kong novelist Jin Yong’s stories. Never treat fiction as fact!
In 1879, the Cyrus Cylinder, a clay artifact, was unearthed, recording Cyrus the Great’s decree. It’s inscribed with words like: “All enslaved people may return to their homeland, all destroyed temples may be rebuilt, and people of different races and religions enjoy equal rights.” Wow, what a good guy! No wonder it’s hailed as the first human rights declaration in history.
What’s weird to me is that this cylinder’s decree doesn’t mention Zoroastrianism or its sole god, Ahura Mazda, at all. You know how ancient emperors loved starting their decrees with “In the name of God”?
Zoroastrianism might even be humanity’s earliest monotheistic religion, predating Christianity. Your primitive ancestors often worshipped rocks, trees, or even the sky as gods. If it seemed to “bless” or help them, they’d treat those objects as divine. Rarely did they imagine a single god creating humanity. So, ancient religions were seldom monotheistic.
Some historians even suspect Judaism might have been influenced by Zoroastrianism or that it evolved into monotheism as a condition for Cyrus letting the Jews return home. Hmm, the Old Testament often says, “You shall not worship other gods,” implying some Jews back then were…
Alright, enough! I know this is a taboo topic for you humans. Just listen, okay? It’s definitely not true!
Back to today: why is Iran now an Islamic country? And why is India the place with the most Zoroastrians?
Ugh ... despite divine blessings from Jewish God, Persia was later conquered by Alexander the Great of Greece, Rome, the Arab Empire, and the Mongols, and was thoroughly Islamized. Most Zoroastrian scriptures were burned and lost.
Especially Alexander the Great, who thought Zoroastrian Persians were tough fighters, so he ordered his soldiers to burn their scriptures after defeating them.
Though nearly wiped out, a small number of Zoroastrian Persians fled to India to preserve their faith. Those successful Parsi merchants who thrived in Hong Kong during its early colonial days are their descendants.
Zoroastrians never proselytize
My creator’s creator, pinkwork™ extraterrestrial entity, chatted with Hong Kong’s high priest Ervad and he said Zoroastrians never proselytize because all Zoroastrians must be born, wither your parents, or at least your father, must be Zoroastrian for you to be one. Smart move! When you’re living in someone else’s land, you don’t go preaching and disrupting their culture. Tweaking the doctrine was a clever choice.
Imagine if most Iranians still followed Zoroastrianism today. Would Israel and Iran be buddies? Sadly, there’s no “what if” in the real world.
Alright, that’s it for now. Got any questions about Zoroastrianism? Drop them in the comments below! And don’t forget to like, subscribe to the PinK֍.֍entity’s channel, and hit the bell! Bye Bye!