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A Chrestian is somebody striving to be good. A Chrestian strives to align their mind with actuality, and their heart with the ideal. A Chrestian strives to think good thoughts, speak good words and do good deeds. A Chrestian strives to be a saviour of the world. As a historical movement Chrestianism began with the teachings of Zarathustra who perhaps lived in ancient Persia about 1200BC. He taught that we should strive to align ourselves with the cosmic wisdom which produces what is needed for the flourishing of life. The traditional religion of Zoroastrianism developed from Zarathustra's teaching and with the birth of a great Persian empire around 500BC came to be a major influence on world religious thought that can still be traced to this day. The word Chrestian derives from a Greek word meaning useful or good. The words Chrestian and Christian can be confused - and indeed many early followers of Jesus called themselves Chrestians - so we use the word Mitrachrestian to mark out those Chrestians who are part of the Mithraic tradition. While Zarathustra taught a philosophy of Chrestianism it was others who devised teachings and techniques to help a person develop their mind and their heart to be a good Chrestian. These techniques we sometimes label as Sophism. Modern Zoroastrian Mithraism and Mitrachrestianism started under the influence of Jesu-Christianity, but also as a reaction against it. There is some similarity in the teachings of the two traditions but to us it seems Mitrachrestianism is the more straightforward and the more suited to the modern mind. Mitrachrestianism is not in its essential ethics very different from the traditional Zoroastrianism still extant in Iran and India, but can be seen as a fresh shoot of that tradition reaching into the formerly Christian West. Mitrachrestianism is part of the larger revival of the Persian religious tradition known variously as Mithraism, Mazdaism or Zoroastrianism. In the vision of modern Mithraism there is a role for pagan as well as chrestian religion. Paganism is seen as coming into its own in supporting the growth of close-knit community on a small scale while Chrestianism is needed to guide relations between people outside of this setting. With this site we aim to introduce our readers to the Persian religious tradition and other currents of wisdom which seem to us desirable and potentially compatible. We hope in this way to support the movement of people striving to act wisely and righteously for the renewal of the world. N.B. This was written a few years ago |