>>>15320125 @johnddavidson Today is Epiphany. That's the most important thing about today by far.
It was not a coincidence that Christ's birth was prophesied by the three Wise Men from the East
My very first research project occurred in elementary school when our class went to the library to learn how to use the resource materials to answer research questions. We were split into small groups of 3-4 students and my group was assigned to determine the religion of the three Wise men who foresaw the birth of Christ. I recall being fascinated with the question itself, since we had not learned of any other religions in Sunday School. I was even more intrigued to discover that they were Zoroastrian. Though I didn't know what it meant at the time, I sensed that it was of supreme importance, so I never forgot it.
According to Zarathushtra, every human being is a potential "saoshyant" – a potential redeemer or savior of mankind. In this ancient context, Christ was a "saoshyant" for his "good thinking" and his pursuit of the Truth.
"And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” John 8:32
In the Gathas, Zarathushtra asks: "…which men shall stop the cruelty (caused) by the violent deceitful persons? To which man shall come the understanding stemming from good thinking?" (Y48.11). Yes, those men shall be the saviors [saoshyanto] of the lands, namely, those who shall follow their knowledge of Thy teaching with actions in harmony with good thinking and with Truth [asha], Wise One. These indeed have been fated to be the expellers of fury." (The Gathas Y48.12).
We have to fix things ourselves, with God's help, and with the help of each other. But, this starts with "Logical Thinking" (Logos) and "Trusting in Yourself" to choose Truth over Falsehood.
When we create light, the darkness ceases to exist. We create light by bringing the divine to life with our choices – our choices in thought and action stemming from an understanding of truth. When we stop choosing evil, we deprive it of substance. It becomes impotent, unable to cause suffering, or unable to harm.
We are always free to choose the truth, but belief based on fear, guilt, or blind consensus is never free…