Yazdânism

Yazdânism (or Cult of the Angels) is a term used to describe the group of ancient Kurdish religions that predate Islam, Christianity, and Judaism. The Yazdâni faiths are the native religions of the Kurdish people. Only three branches still exist: Yazidism, Yarsanism and Alevism. These branches have several features in common, including a cyclical world beleif system and beleif in the transmigration of the soul through numerous reincarnations. In Yazdâni theology, an ancient pantheistic force (Hâk or Haqq) that created and encompasses the entire universe. It binds the cosmos together with its essence, but remains detatched from the daily affairs of humanity. The Hâk has entrusted the universe to the heft sirr (the Heptad, Seven Mysteries, or Seven Angels) who sustain life and can become incarnate in humans as bâbâ (gates or avatar). These seven emanations can be compared to the seven Anunnaki aspects of the ancient Mesopotamian god Anu. Among the seven is Melek Taus (Peacock Angel or King) who is identical to the ancient god Dumuzi son of Enki and is the primary god of Yazdânism. Another god is Shaykh Shams al-Din (the son of faith) who is Mithra. Beleifs are drawn from Zoroastrianism and expressed in an Arabic and Persianate Sufi lexicon. The seven benevolent deities protect the world from an equal number of malicious deities. Supreme force Hâk can cause both good and bad things to befall humanity. Melek Taus, as ruler of the world, can cause both good and bad things to happen to people. His ambivalent character is reflected in myths that describe Melek Taus's temporary fall from the favor of the creator god. The remorseful tears of Melek Taus extinguished the fires of the hell that the supreme god had consigned him to. The master of the universe and the ruler of the world were later reconciled. Melek Taus is often identified by Christians and Muslims as Shaitan (Satan). Yazidis, however, beleive that Melek Taus is leader of the archangels, and not a fallen angel. Muslims also falsely accuse the Yazdâni of sharing their women at their communal religious gatheringsThis, and other misperceptions, have led to centuries of persecutions against the Yazidi, and false accusations that they are devil worshippers. As late as 2014, members of the Yazidi sect of Yazdânism were targeted by the Islamic State of Iraq and Levant (ISIL) in a campaign to purge Iraq and neighboring countries of non-Islamic influences. The rites and tenets of Yazdânism have traditionally been kept secret from non-believing outsiders, even when followers were not subject to persecution. At present, many of the scriptures of various branches of the Cult of Angels have been studied and published. Yazdânism is a genuinely universalist religion. It views all other religions as equally legitimate manifestations of the concept of human spirituality. This view carries over into an offshoot of Yazdânism. In the 19th century, Mirzâ Ali Muhammad (now commonly known as The Bâb) rose to establish the religion of Bâbism, which soon evolved into the world religion of Bâhâ’ism. The religion spread at the same fast pace as Mithraism did in classical times, from the Persian Gulf to Britain in less than a century. Mithra, as noted, was identified with Yazdânist archangel Shaykh Shams al-Din. By the time of Constantine and the institution of Christianity as Roman state religion, Mithraism had become so influential that it may well be that observance of the birth of the god Mithras on December 25th inspired the traditional dating of the birth of Christ.