Founded in the 3rd century, all Christians are vegetarians.
Manichaeism came into being in the middle of the 3rd century and was founded by Persian Mani. After Manichaeism was founded, it spread widely in Persia and quickly entered North Africa, Europe, Asia Minor and Central Asia. It is said that Mani himself visited the northwest of China while traveling in Central Asia, but Manichaeism was officially introduced to China in the Tang and Wu Zetian periods (the end of the 7th century). Manichaeism is a mixture of Zoroastrianism, Christianity and Buddhism, and its classics are called "Two Cases of San Ji". What do you mean by "two cases" "Two cases" are darkness and light, saying that darkness is about to pass, light is coming, and light will surely overcome darkness; San Ji is about the past, the present and the future. The former is the past and the light and shade are relative. The middle represents the present, and the light and shade are mixed; The afterlife is the future, with different light and shade. Ming is good and rational; Darkness is evil and desire. This concept of Manichaeism advocates "the birth of King Amin", saying that there is an emissary representing justice and light. After his appearance, the whole world can be peaceful and happy, and he can enter the bright world. Manichaeism is very attractive and inspiring. Why? In most cases, people live in poverty and want to change their oppressed and exploited status, so it is easy to believe in religions that can bring them light and hope.
Because Manichaeism preached light, it was gradually called Zoroastrianism when it was introduced into China. Ming people lied that they believed in the best Buddhism. They don't eat meat and worship the portraits of Mani and Yishu (Jesus). Buddhists and government officials who oppose Manichaeism call them "monsters who eat vegetables". Unless they are apostates, they generally strictly abide by the precepts of vegetarianism. In the fourteenth chapter of "Eternal Dragon Slayer", Zhang Wuji saw the so-called Ming believers Zhu Yuanzhang and Xu Da eating beef, which was one of them. Zhang Wuji's surprise embodies the strictness of Zoroastrianism.
Its influence is second only to Buddhism, and it frequently participates in peasant uprisings.
The fate of Zoroastrianism in the Tang Dynasty can be described as twists and turns. During the period of Wu Zetian, religion was in a legal position and once had a high status. Why? Because the court used it to win over Uighurs who believed in Zoroastrianism at that time. In the Tang Dynasty, in order to stabilize the frontier and ethnic minorities, the court had to respect Zoroastrianism, but later Uighur was destroyed and Manichaeism was banned. The fundamental reason why Zoroastrianism is banned lies in its rebellious thoughts, denial of the real world and pursuit of a bright future, which no ruler wants to see. In the third year of Huichang, Tang Wuzong (AD 843), the court banned the spread of Zoroastrianism in China and confiscated the temple property of Zoroastrianism, so Zoroastrians turned to secret activities. Organizationally, Zoroastrianism gradually separated from the headquarters of Manichaeism in the western regions.
After the demise of the Tang Dynasty, Zoroastrianism has been circulated in secret among the people from the Song Dynasty to the Yuan Dynasty. Zoroastrianism, in order to protect itself from being suppressed or banned by the government, often unites with Buddhism, under the banner of Buddhism, to escape the suppression of the court. They are related to Ambry and Maitreya in Buddhism, so they are also called Ambry or An Baili. Maitreya was born under the guise of Maitreya, and An Baili society takes the western pure land White Lotus Pond as * *, and the purpose of propaganda is still to deny the realistic rule and welcome a bright future. Therefore, the rulers did not like them, and repeatedly suppressed the White Lotus Sect and White Lotus Sect. However, the idea advocated by Bailian Sect was deeply rooted in the hearts of the general public, and Bailian Sect and Bailian Sect became secret societies that contacted the people against the imperial court. In Yuan Dynasty, the religious policy was relatively loose, and Bailian religion was once able to spread openly. In Yuan Wuzong, the White Lotus Sect was banned in the first year of Dayuan (1308) and the second year of Yingzong (1322). White lotus has once again become a secret society. Some Zoroastrian intellectuals built many Zoroastrian temples and lived in seclusion. For example, Caoan, which was built in Yuan Dynasty at the foot of Huabiao Mountain in Jinjiang County, Quanzhou City, Fujian Province, is the only remaining Zoroastrianism temple in China.
In the peasant movement in the Song Dynasty, especially in Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Fujian, many secret societies in which farmers opposed the government participated absorbed or infiltrated Zoroastrianism. For example, at the end of the Northern Song Dynasty, Fang La used Zoroastrianism to organize the masses and held a massive uprising, which shook half of the southeast. However, in the Yuan Dynasty, where the story of "Eternal Dragon Slayer" took place, Zoroastrianism still existed in various forms and was quite prosperous. At the end of the Yuan Dynasty, the people were already in hot water and unbearable. They expected to overthrow the Yuan Dynasty ruled by Mongolian aristocrats. They hoped to return to the rule of the Great Song Dynasty without national oppression, so they put forward the slogan "Mountains and rivers have the land of China, and the Sun and Moon will reopen the Great Song Dynasty". They proposed a great Song Dynasty emperor, Wang Xiaoming Han Liner. They used this to call on all kinds of anti-Yuan forces and poor people to unite under their own banner. When the Ming King was born, overcoming darkness would bring happiness to the people. There is no doubt that a happy life is what everyone yearns for, and the temptation of a happy life to the poor is very strong. In the Yuan Dynasty, the source of people's suffering was the rulers with Mongolian aristocrats as the main body. Only by overthrowing the Mongolian regime can we usher in a bright world. Wang Xiaoming is the best banner for the Red Scarf Army to seize power. The birth of the Ming king can bring light, so it is necessary to make Amin king and lead everyone to overthrow the dark reality and usher in a bright future. This is the religion that the Red Scarf Army believes in, that is, the concept put forward by the Red Scarf Army to welcome the bright world and the birth of the Ming King. The origin of Zoroastrianism, its introduction into China, and its later spread and ban in China are basically in line with historical facts.