Why Seek Ethics? Which Ethics to Seek?

Hitler and Stalin were indeed both ETHICAL and not moralistic.
Which goes to show that you have to decide WHICH ETHICS you are going to follow.
Hitler's was Racist Ethics (may the strongest tribe win and kill all others), and Stalin's was Communist Ethics (The People must decide, but since nobody can ask the people, I personify The People and do as I see fit to suit my own self-interests, North Korea is Stalinist eve today).
To me Zarathushtra was the first radical PRAGMATIST. His ethics was Pragmatist Ethics.
Ushta
Alexander

2010/10/2 Parviz Varjavand

Dear Dino,

There exists a deep and ancient hatred between those who consider themselves following God Given Moral Standards and those who believe they are Ethical by their own established standards. How do you propose to reconcile this enormous gulf? We have examples of persons committing horrible crimes both in the name of Ethics and Morality. Take the Inquisition which was a time of doing horrendous acts in the name of Morality, and on the other hand the religious persons might call Hitler as a person who committed his crimes in the name of Ethics; ethics as he would set the standards for.

This is very important for those of us (I assume like you, Alex, and I) who wish to push Zoroastrianism towards following Ethical standards rather than following Moral standards by the book (Gathas, Vandidad, what have you!). Alex wanting to push for secret orders of Mithraists setting their own ethical standards in their secret meetings does not help either, it makes the divide deeper. We just had a group posting on Ushta and trying to pass themselves as the followers of Anjoman Moghan Iran (Iran's Magi Assembly) and following their own secret High Priest. Nothing wrong with what they are doing, but when I asked more about who they might be and what they are teaching, they ran away and hid. Moobed Kamran Jamshidi also did not want o do anthing with them even though they had just congradulated him for his Sedre Pooshis performed in Russia. This is a perfect example of what happens when you have secret societies Alex, no one can trust you. How are you going to solve that problem? Your enemies will assume that you gather in secret and sacrifice and eat babies, and you will not be able to defend your selves by running away and hiding some more!

Mehr Afzoon,
Parviz Varjavand

--- On Fri, 10/1/10, Special Kain wrote:

From: Special Kain
Subject: AW: [Ushta] Re: Why Seek Sedreh Pooshi
To: Ushta@yahoogroups.com
Date: Friday, October 1, 2010, 11:50 PM


Dear Syn
There's a great difference between "constructive" (ethics) and "good" (moralism). Most religions are moralizing, telling you what's good and what's evil. But Zarathushtra doesn't. You have to determine yourself what's the right to do, and then fully submit to it in an act of utmost authenticity. We do not strive towards goodness that has already been defined by authorities, but we are relentlessly pursuing the truth.

Ushta,
Dino