The Relationship Between the Human and Ahura Mazda in the Formation of Religious Ethics Based on the Theory of Functionalism

There exists a pivotal and mythical character in all religions. According to functionalism, the mythical character establishes a relationship with a society that affects different aspects of its individuals’ lives. Religious ethics, acts of worship, rituals, and social and cultural customs form around its existence, and a mutual relationship between the human and the mythical character begins. This study was carried out to examine and analyze the Ahura Mazda myth and its role in the formation of Zoroastrian religious ethics and to analyze the relationship between the human and Ahura Mazda based on functionalism. The importance of studying Ahura Mazda myth and its relationship with the human through the lens of functionalism is that Ahura Mazda myth has an identity-making function in the religious, social, and individual lives of Zoroastrians. According to the Zoroastrian worldview and the interaction between the human and Ahura Mazda, three types of relationships – including ontological, epistemological, and eschatological –are formed between the human and Ahura Mazda. The question is about the function and role of Ahura Mazda myth in the social, religious, and individual lives of Zoroastrians and the ways in which functionalism can help examine and explain this role. Adopting a descriptive-analytical method based on library and historical documents analysis, this article investigates and analyzes the relationship between the human and Ahura Mazda according to functionalism. Some findings of the study express that myths can turn into rituals, thus forming religious ethics, social and individual identities, and customs in the society.