stillsmallvoice
July 23rd 2003, 09:09 AM
Hi all!
With Iraq very much in the news, I thought that our TWeb family mind find the Yezidi faith (the yezidis live in Kurdistan) very interesting.
History/Founder/important
persons/saints: Yezidis are a Kurdish
sect, named after their supposed
founder Yezid, the Umayyad Caliph.
The Yezidi revere the Prophet
Mohammed and the Sufi mystic Adi
Musafir, a descendent of the Umayyad
Caliphs (Kalifs). Adi is credited with
writing many of the Yezidi Holy texts and is most likely to be the
originator of the faith. Islamic writings mention the religion as
early as the fourteenth century, but some scholars link them to
Mithraism, Zoroastrianism, and even ancient Iraqi Buzzard
worshippers.
Current leader/governing body: Rulership is hereditary, and
comes through the seven "priestly" lineages, hereditary Kurdish
rulers.
Number of Adherents: About sixty-thousand in Iraq and Syria,
200,000 total worldwide.
Clergy: Yezidi clegy are patterned after the Islamic Hierarchy of
Sheiks and Mullas. Pirs (priests) and Kawals (traveling
preachers), kocheks, (ecstatics and soothsayers), and Murids
(laymen who give financial support).
Requirements to join: Yezidis are not reluctant to proselytize,
and have converted many Christians and Muslims over the
years. In recent times, Arabic governments have made
concerted efforts to ostracize the Yezidis, and their numbers
are dwindling.
Scripture: There is no specific Yezidi Holy text, but important
information about Yezidi practices is contained in the Mes'haf i
Resh, or "black book" attributed to Adi's son, and the Jelwa, or
"book of revelation," a brief homily attributed to Adi.
Holidays: The most important Feast day is that of Jam, when
the various Yezidi groups converge on Lalish, the burial place of
Adi. During the Jam, the Peacock icon, representing Malek Taus,
is presented to the worshippers during a seven day celebration.
It coincides with an ancient Zoroastrian feast day, one of many
coincidences that lead some scholars to make a connection
between the two religions.
Basic teachings and Beliefs: Yezidi beliefs are a complicated
mixture of Islam with Gnostic, Jewish, and Shamanistic
elements. Worship centers around Angels (Yezidi is from the
Arabic word for 'angel'), the most important of which is named
Melek Taus, or the "Peacock Angel," also known as Lucifer.
Lucifer plays a different role in Yezidism, where he is considered
the chief Archangel, and the creator of the material world. In
Yezidi belief, Lucifer is not a fallen angel, or the enemy of God.
In Yezidi cosmology, the universal Spirit (the Supreme deity)
created a pearl, which became broken after forty thousand
years. Melek, or Lucifer, used the remains of the pearl to create
the material world. After this creation, the Spirit created the
remaining Angels. Yezidi theology claims that Lucifer was
forgiven for his transgressions, and those who revere him are
the spiritual elect of humanity. They are forbidden from referring
to him as Satan.
The Yezidi believe that time is divided into six Epochs, and each
Epoch has an Avatar, or Archangel. During the first Epoch, the
material world and humankind were created. The Yezidi story of
the creation of man follows the Judeo-Christian Adam and Eve,
except that Satan is portrayed as a wise teacher rather than a
temptor.
Symbols: The prevailing symbol is the Peacock, in particular the
bronze icons central to Yezidi worship. For more information on
this and dozens of other religious symbols, please visit our
symbol glossary.
Myths and misconceptions: The Yezidi have long been
accused of "Devil worship" due to misunderstandings of their
religious doctrine.
Link: http://altreligion.about.com/library/faqs/bl_yezidism.htm
Very interesting, no?
Be well!
ssv :hi:
With Iraq very much in the news, I thought that our TWeb family mind find the Yezidi faith (the yezidis live in Kurdistan) very interesting.
History/Founder/important
persons/saints: Yezidis are a Kurdish
sect, named after their supposed
founder Yezid, the Umayyad Caliph.
The Yezidi revere the Prophet
Mohammed and the Sufi mystic Adi
Musafir, a descendent of the Umayyad
Caliphs (Kalifs). Adi is credited with
writing many of the Yezidi Holy texts and is most likely to be the
originator of the faith. Islamic writings mention the religion as
early as the fourteenth century, but some scholars link them to
Mithraism, Zoroastrianism, and even ancient Iraqi Buzzard
worshippers.
Current leader/governing body: Rulership is hereditary, and
comes through the seven "priestly" lineages, hereditary Kurdish
rulers.
Number of Adherents: About sixty-thousand in Iraq and Syria,
200,000 total worldwide.
Clergy: Yezidi clegy are patterned after the Islamic Hierarchy of
Sheiks and Mullas. Pirs (priests) and Kawals (traveling
preachers), kocheks, (ecstatics and soothsayers), and Murids
(laymen who give financial support).
Requirements to join: Yezidis are not reluctant to proselytize,
and have converted many Christians and Muslims over the
years. In recent times, Arabic governments have made
concerted efforts to ostracize the Yezidis, and their numbers
are dwindling.
Scripture: There is no specific Yezidi Holy text, but important
information about Yezidi practices is contained in the Mes'haf i
Resh, or "black book" attributed to Adi's son, and the Jelwa, or
"book of revelation," a brief homily attributed to Adi.
Holidays: The most important Feast day is that of Jam, when
the various Yezidi groups converge on Lalish, the burial place of
Adi. During the Jam, the Peacock icon, representing Malek Taus,
is presented to the worshippers during a seven day celebration.
It coincides with an ancient Zoroastrian feast day, one of many
coincidences that lead some scholars to make a connection
between the two religions.
Basic teachings and Beliefs: Yezidi beliefs are a complicated
mixture of Islam with Gnostic, Jewish, and Shamanistic
elements. Worship centers around Angels (Yezidi is from the
Arabic word for 'angel'), the most important of which is named
Melek Taus, or the "Peacock Angel," also known as Lucifer.
Lucifer plays a different role in Yezidism, where he is considered
the chief Archangel, and the creator of the material world. In
Yezidi belief, Lucifer is not a fallen angel, or the enemy of God.
In Yezidi cosmology, the universal Spirit (the Supreme deity)
created a pearl, which became broken after forty thousand
years. Melek, or Lucifer, used the remains of the pearl to create
the material world. After this creation, the Spirit created the
remaining Angels. Yezidi theology claims that Lucifer was
forgiven for his transgressions, and those who revere him are
the spiritual elect of humanity. They are forbidden from referring
to him as Satan.
The Yezidi believe that time is divided into six Epochs, and each
Epoch has an Avatar, or Archangel. During the first Epoch, the
material world and humankind were created. The Yezidi story of
the creation of man follows the Judeo-Christian Adam and Eve,
except that Satan is portrayed as a wise teacher rather than a
temptor.
Symbols: The prevailing symbol is the Peacock, in particular the
bronze icons central to Yezidi worship. For more information on
this and dozens of other religious symbols, please visit our
symbol glossary.
Myths and misconceptions: The Yezidi have long been
accused of "Devil worship" due to misunderstandings of their
religious doctrine.
Link: http://altreligion.about.com/library/faqs/bl_yezidism.htm
Very interesting, no?
Be well!
ssv :hi: