Mithraism as opposed to the Book Religions

Dear Dino and Syn

You're both welcome to join the Mitharic crusade!!!
Dino, the point is that Mithraism never was a SCRIPTURAL RELIGION; it was more an artistic expression where each community independently of the next one, set its own agenda. Sure, the Christians burned most Mithraic texts but they never dogmatic texts but rather ritual instructions anyway.
So Imthraism was the concept of Ahura Mazda put to practice: Being and Mind in a cosmic dance (symbolized in all Mithraic pictures as Sol the Being and Mithras the mind, in conversation and cooperation).
So, Mithraism should want even you to be religious, Dino, since it is not about scripture but all about PRACTICE. Think of Mihraism as a collective artistic expression. Everything Religion shold have been before the Book Worshippers (now apparently also Zoroastrians) arrived on the scene.
Burning Man in the Nevada Desert is Mithraism in practice, perhaps knowing or not knowing about it (although all my burner friends are well aware of the Mihtraic practice they are involved with precisely as such).
And I firmly believe that the only way to NOT have a book religion is to get rid of the books to begin with. Burn them all!

Ushta
Alexander

2010/9/20 Special Kain

Dear Syn, you're remarkably smart!!!
I have had similar feelings for several months now, since there's too much struggle over nonsense. If Mitharism is Mazdayasna philosophy PUT TO ACTION, without all the nonsensical talk about angels and secret armies hiding on a mountain and pointless statements about whether god dwells in his/her own creation or not, then that is what should be promoted.
But what historical evidence is there about Mithraist philosophy? There are no scriptures left. There are the opponents' dismissing statements only.

Ushta,
Dino

--- Syn schrieb am Mo, 20.9.2010:

Von: Syn
Betreff: [Ushta] A Rebirth of 'Zoroastrianism', Hail Mithras
An: Ushta@yahoogroups.com
Datum: Montag, 20. September, 2010 15:08 Uhr


>>>--- In Ushta@yahoogroups.com, Alexander Bard wrote 19/9/10:
Dear Friends
I have decided to stop referring to myself as a "Zoroastrian" and instead decided to refer to myself as a "Mithraist". Besides the fact that all my Western friends find Mithraism far more attractive and adaptable to a modern society than Zoroastrianism, it also once and for all removes at least me from any conflicts with Parsi isolationists (a pathetic conflict which I have decided to not fight anymore, just let the isolationists kill themselves as a community, I could not care less, I only care about cosmopolitan people interested in Iranian philosophy anyway). It doesn't change my relationship to Zoroastrianism in general. And Ushta has always been open to both "Zoroastrians", "Mazdaists" and "Mithraists". It's just that my change of label makes it easier for people to understand where I'm at, and also makes them far more interested and even engaged. We even started a Swedish Mithraist community last week, founded by people who love to call themselves Mithraists but not interested in the label of Zoroastrians.
Ushta
Alexander<<<

Hello Alexander

Your post above has fascinated me. For a month now I have avoided any discussion on the subject of Zoroastrianism [I have even avoided Z forums], as I have become completely exasperated with it, due mainly to the dominance of the Isolationists, who seem to have successfully silenced all open debate or interest in the religion and philosophy of Zorastrianism by their obsession with racial purity. So much so that on the 20th August I wrote a long post expressing my disatisfaction with the Zoroastrian community/religion, asking why anyone would feel it necessary to seek Sedreh Pushi from Z. priests who are themselves only Z. priests by their compliance with the wider Z. community, which it seems to me, is now nothing more than a 'culture club'. However I refrained frrom posting what I wrote as I did'nt want to appear overly negative or criticle, yet your post above indicates to me that Im not the only one feeling so disatsified, and interestingly enough I likewise have returned to studying Mithraism, which was one of my previous catalysists for my original interest in Zoroastrianism.

This is a copy of what I wrote [in its raw and unedited version] on the 20th August [I kept a copy of what I wrote so as to ponder its implications, perhaps edit it and then decide if I was ready to post it somewhere]:

"Having hovered on the extreme fringes of the Zoroastrian 'scene' for some time, Im struck at how often the subject of acceptance arises, and how un-accepting, or just plain uninterested, so many cultural Zorastrians are, of those not born to 'racialy pure' Zorastrian parents. It also suprises me at how blind such isolationist Zorastrians are to the fact that such 'racialy pure' Zorastrians will be extinct within approx. two more generations or so, as the 'racialy pure' Zoroastrian community is decreasing by 9% every 10yrs.

I am personaly now begining to feel very aggreived at having my interest in the Zoroastrian religion not only bluntly dismissed by many [particularly by the Indian Parsi community], but also because so many seem to ignore the need to encourage those outside the ancestral cultural community, to get involved in any way, thus I am fast begining to feel that there is no need to persue any communual interests at all, even Sedreh Pushi seems to now be a pointless endevour. In fact I seem to be losing any interest in ever trying to share with any 'old time' Zoroastrians, and feel I would happily see them all die out, at least there would then be the possiblility of a new revival without all the accumulated ritualistic and cultural druj.

So my question is why bother finding an 'old time' priest for Sedreh Pushi [or someone who has been given authority by them], a priest who would himself simply base his authority on very dubious traditions and some druj belief that priestlyness is passed down through a particular family? Why not just simply confirm oneself before God and ignore those who would bicker and argue if one is 'racialy pure' or not, or if ones Sedreh Pushi is valid? Why bother to even try and be included in any 'old time' Zoroastrian community? especialy when there is so little encouragement, even from so called 'progressives' and 'restorationists' who are themselves also being weighed down by the isolationist agenda, and why bother to even visit or attempt to visit any of the existing Fire Temples/Prayer Halls? Perhaps it would be best to simply leave such places to those who would simply use them as cultural centres rather than spiritual meeting places.

Why not just split away completely, and completely ignore the ruins of what is left of a Zorastrianism, which now seems to be nothing more than a club for those with a particular ancestral lineage, and start all over again somewhere else. Who cares what some 'priest' thinks simply because he was born into the right family and can now repeat the Avesta backwards, and who cares what some racialy pure isolationist believes purely on the basis of his parents ancestry. Asha is not the monopoly of any one race, family or priesthood."

Like you, I have been slowly coming to the same conclusion that Mithraism is the way forward, and have at been meditating on this [and Greek Orphism - as I believe there to be some similarities and correlations] very deeply for some time now, so you can imagine my suprise and intrigue when I saw your post while browsing this morning. It is encouraging to see that others have likewise come to some similar conclusions, even going so far as to put those thoughts into action, however as I personaly have no friends on a similar wavelength I have been unsure as to how to proceed as yet, though Im sure time will tell - with the grace of god and the bounteous immortals.

Ushta

Syn-Hudanush