Idol worship?

In my view the bull symbol — godha — which is meaningless and has nothing to do with the actual philosophy of Zarathushtra and/or the Zoroastrian religion, should be removed from the entrance of fire temples as it amounts to idol worship.
I have seen many men and women place their heads at the feet of the godha without understanding what this manmade statue means. What message are we sending to the Jews, Christians and Muslims, the followers of prophetic religions who believe in monotheism, about the Zoroastrians who are also supposed to believe in one and only one God, when they see us bowing to the godha? Do we believe in both monotheism and polytheism? Mockingly, they may be asking the Parsis: "Why are you bowing to the statue of the bull with a human head?” and God knows what explanation the ignorant may be giving.
I don’t understand what sort of religion the Parsis are following. What are we teaching the present young generation about our religion? Are we promoting idol worship? We have made a mockery of ourselves and the world is laughing at us. FIROZ J. PAJNIGAR
firozpaj@yahoo.co.uk

At Parsiana’s request, London based Zoroastrian scholar Farrokh Vajifdar explains:
The godha, as Firoz Pajnigar terms it to describe the man-bull symbol, is firstly attested in Assyria where it was called a lamassu. Generally, all winged creatures or floating symbols represented some supernatural agency or divine being from an array of deities.
There is another aspect of the man-bull sculpture: that of an attestation of the rulers’ power and might, exemplified by Pajnigar’s godha. Why should the sight of Parsis making obeisance at the hooves and other unmentionable parts bother one? Can one categorically affirm that such people are any less spiritual than others who do not perform puja (ceremony) at the man-bulls’ feet?
Many of our figural motifs are borrowed — from Ancient Egypt, Assyria and Babylon — and adapted for re-interpretation as suited the people and the times. The "farohar” symbol, frequently shown on our fire temple facades and tinkling from graceful necks and delicate wrists are still being differently explained: anything from Ahura Mazda to the fravashi. And yet it had precedents earlier in Assyria itself where it is seen even today on reliefs in a near-identical form.
Pajnigar invokes Zarathushtra’s "pure philosophy.” He surely must know that the Sage lived amidst pastoralists and agriculturists, and that cattle were the mainstay of their economies. The Gathas have several references to men and cattle, bulls, fertile cows, and the pastoralist even as an Ahura (Ys.31.10) since he regarded the settled, industrious life as the best — one likened to Mazda’s "foremost existence”? His philosophy used pastoralism as actual physicality and as metaphor. Had he avoided such mention, his message of the good life would just not have got through to his audiences. Zarathushtra was a realist, and whilst he certainly castigated deviants and perhaps even idol worshippers, his practical philosophy was shot through with such references.
Why is Pajnigar so fearful of what Jews, Christians, and Islamics might say? They have witnessed and spoken of such superstitious and sub-standard modes for centuries. Most often, it was a useful cover for their taunts at post-Sasanian Zardushtis and Parsi Jarthostis alike. But please remember that all three are Abrahamic systems, very different from the Indo-Aryan/Iranian sole deity, Mazda the Ahura par excellence.
To the question "What are we teaching the present young generation about our religion?” the sad but truthful answer is "Gobbledegook in prayers; gandagiri (primitive behavior) in practice.” However, with more educated Parsis turning their backs on this embarrassing state of religious affairs, there is every indication that our younger folk, especially in the West, and some indeed in India, will win through in their quest for truth and a life based on enduring Zoroastrian values.