Small but thriving Zoroastrian communities are found in India, Pakistan, Iran, as well as major urban areas in United States, Canada, England, Australia, and a worldwide diaspora. Zoroastrian communities in the diaspora comprise two main groups of people: those of Indian Zoroastrian background, who are known as Parsis (or Parsees), and those of Iranian background. Zoroastrian temples, as well as community centers (which are more common in the diaspora than temples, because of fire consecration issues) are also found wherever Zoroastri ...

See also:

Zoroastrianism, Zoroastrianism - Principal beliefs, Zoroastrianism - Specific Zoroastrian concepts, Zoroastrianism - The Prophet, Zoroastrianism - Zoroaster's meditations, Zoroastrianism - Zoroaster's preaching, Zoroastrianism - Holy Book, Zoroastrianism - History, Zoroastrianism - Historical importance, Zoroastrianism - Principles of modern-day Zoroastrianism, Zoroastrianism - Adherents, Zoroastrianism - Famous Zoroastrians, Zoroastrianism - Notes

Read more here: » Zoroastrianism: Encyclopedia II - Zoroastrianism - Adherents

See also:

Zoroastrianism, Zoroastrianism - Principal beliefs, Zoroastrianism - Specific Zoroastrian concepts, Zoroastrianism - The Prophet, Zoroastrianism - Zoroaster's meditations, Zoroastrianism - Zoroaster's preaching, Zoroastrianism - Holy Book, Zoroastrianism - History, Zoroastrianism - Historical importance, Zoroastrianism - Principles of modern-day Zoroastrianism, Zoroastrianism - Adherents, Zoroastrianism - Famous Zoroastrians, Zoroastrianism - Notes

Read more here: » Zoroastrianism: Encyclopedia II - Zoroastrianism - Adherents

Some major Zoroastrian concepts: Equality of sex. Men and women are equal in all manners within society. Cleanliness of the environment. Nature is central to the practice of Zoroastrianism and many important Zoroastrian annual festivals are in celebration of nature: new year on the first day of spring, the water festival in summer, the autumn festival at the end of the season, and the mid-winter fire festival. Hard work and charity. Laziness and sloth are frowned on. Zoroastrians are encouraged to part with a l ...

See also:

Zoroastrianism, Zoroastrianism - Principal beliefs, Zoroastrianism - Specific Zoroastrian concepts, Zoroastrianism - The Prophet, Zoroastrianism - Zoroaster's meditations, Zoroastrianism - Zoroaster's preaching, Zoroastrianism - Holy Book, Zoroastrianism - History, Zoroastrianism - Historical importance, Zoroastrianism - Principles of modern-day Zoroastrianism, Zoroastrianism - Adherents, Zoroastrianism - Famous Zoroastrians, Zoroastrianism - Notes

Read more here: » Zoroastrianism: Encyclopedia II - Zoroastrianism - Principles of modern-day Zoroastrianism

Zoroastrianism was once the "official" religion of Sassanid (Sassanian) Persia, and played an important role in the Achaemenid as well as Parthian empires in Persia. The religion is also known as Mazdaism by some followers; and currently, as Zarathustrianism by others. Zoroastrian areas once stretched from Anatolia to the Persian Gulf, and its followers once numbered in the millions. Its followers today, located in South Asia, Iran, and throughout the diaspora, num ...

Including:

Zoroastrianism - Principal beliefs Zoroastrianism - Specific Zoroastrian concepts Zoroastrianism - The Prophet
Zoroastrianism - Zoroaster's meditations Zoroastrianism - Zoroaster's preaching
Zoroastrianism - Holy Book Zoroastrianism - History
Zoroastrianism - Historical importance
Zoroastrianism - Principles of modern-day Zoroastrianism Zoroastrianism - Adherents Zoroastrianism - Famous Zoroastrians Zoroastrianism - Notes

Read more here: » Zoroastrianism: Encyclopedia - Zoroastrianism

276 - Events. Sassanid Shah Bahram II succeeded Bahram I. Probus became Roman Emperor. Mani, a sage from Persia, dies while waiting for execution after preaching a religious belief that combines Zoroastrian dualism with Christian theology and Buddhist thought -- stirring conflict with the adherents of both religions. 276 - Births. 276 - Deaths. Marcus Claudius Tacitus, Roman emperor Florianus, Roman Empe ...

Including:

276 - Events 276 - Births 276 - Deaths

Read more here: » 276: Encyclopedia - 276

The Yazidi or Yezidi (Kurdish: Êzidî) are adherents of a small Middle Eastern religion with ancient origins. They are primarily ethnic Kurds, and most Yazidis live near Mosul, Iraq with smaller communities in Syria, Turkey, Iran, Georgia and Armenia, and are estimated to number ca. 500,000 individuals in total. There are also Yazidi refugees in Europe. Yazidi - Origins. The origins of Yazidism are ultimately shrouded in the mist of the ancient Middle East. Although the Yazidis speak Kurdish, ...

Including:

Yazidi - Origins Yazidi - Religious Beliefs Yazidi - Yazidism and Zoroastrianism Yazidi - Organization Yazidi - Religious Practices
Yazidi - Prayers Yazidi - Pilgrimage Yazidi - Festivals Yazidi - Purity and Taboos Yazidi - Customs Yazidi - Myths
Yazidi - Recent History Yazidi - Views of outsiders fiction and stereotypes Yazidi - Academic texts about Yazidis

Read more here: » Yazidi: Encyclopedia - Yazidi

Bactria was originally a province of the Persian Empire in Central Asia.(Cotterell, 59) It was in these regions, where the fertile soil of the mountainous country is surrounded by the Turanian desert, that the prophet Zoroaster preached and gained his first adherents. The sacred language in which the Avesta, the holy book of Zoroastrianism, is written, was once called "old Bactrian". Ba ...

See also:

Bactria, Bactria - Geography, Bactria - History, Bactria - Cyrus and Alexander, Bactria - Seleucid Empire, Bactria - Greco-Bactrian Kingdom, Bactria - Indo-Greek Kingdom, Bactria - Contacts with China, Bactria - Tokharistan, Bactria - Archaeological sites

Read more here: » Bactria: Encyclopedia II - Bactria - History

The adherents of Hinduism form the largest religious community in India, numbering over 900 million. See The Following Articles for More Information: Hinduism, Hindu, Vedic religion ...

See also:

Religion in India, Religion in India - Hinduism, Religion in India - Buddhism, Religion in India - Jainism, Religion in India - Christianity, Religion in India - Islam, Religion in India - Ayyavazhi, Religion in India - Zoroastrianism, Religion in India - Sikhism, Religion in India - Judaism, Religion in India - Bahá'í Faith

Read more here: » Religion in India: Encyclopedia II - Religion in India - Hinduism

Numerous facets of the book are recognizeable in other world religions, such as Buddhism's teachings of compassion and peacefulness. There are notable commonalities with Islam, Taoism, Judaism, Cynicism, Hinduism, Zoroastrianism, Shinto, and Confucianism, and several other religions throughout recorded history. The authors of The Urantia Book encourage the study of all religions to take "the best" from them citing that most religions of the planet are of evolutionary development and almost all ...

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The Urantia Book, The Urantia Book - Overview of The Urantia Book, The Urantia Book - Teachings, The Urantia Book - Comparison to Christianity, The Urantia Book - Comparisons to other world religions, The Urantia Book - Mystery of origin, The Urantia Book - Criticism, The Urantia Book - Consideration as literature, The Urantia Book - Adherents, The Urantia Book - Secondary and controversial works, The Urantia Book - Symbols, The Urantia Book - The Urantia Book in popular culture

Read more here: » The Urantia Book: Encyclopedia II - The Urantia Book - Comparisons to other world religions

Buddhism, known in ancient India as Buddha Dharma, originated in northern India in what is today the state of Bihar. It rapidly gained adherents during the Buddha's lifetime. Up to the 9th century, Indian followers numbered in the hundreds of millions. While the exact cause of the decline of Buddhism in India is disputed, it is known that the mingling of Hindu and Buddhist societies in India and the rise of Hindu Vedanta movements began to compete against Buddhism. Many believe that Hinduism's adaptation to Buddhism resulted in Buddhism's ra ...

See also:

Religion in India, Religion in India - Hinduism, Religion in India - Buddhism, Religion in India - Jainism, Religion in India - Christianity, Religion in India - Islam, Religion in India - Ayyavazhi, Religion in India - Zoroastrianism, Religion in India - Sikhism, Religion in India - Judaism, Religion in India - Bahá'í Faith

Read more here: » Religion in India: Encyclopedia II - Religion in India - Buddhism

Although Khosrau had in the last years of his father extirpated the heretical and communistic Persian sect of the Mazdakites (see Kavadh), he was a sincere adherent of Zoroastrian orthodoxy and even ordered that the religion's holy text, the Avesta be codified, but he was not fanatical or prone to persecution. He tolerated every Christian confession. When one of his sons had rebelled about 550 and was taken prisoner, he did not execute h ...

See also:

Khosrau I of Persia, Khosrau I of Persia - Early life, Khosrau I of Persia - Conquests, Khosrau I of Persia - Religious tolerance, Khosrau I of Persia - Reforms

Read more here: » Khosrau I of Persia: Encyclopedia II - Khosrau I of Persia - Religious tolerance

Status of religious freedom in Iran - Baha'is. According to the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of the United States, since 1979 more than 200 Bahá'ís have been killed and 15 have disappeared and are presumed dead. The Government continued to imprison and detain Bahá'ís based on their religious beliefs. The Government appears to adhere to a practice of keeping a small number of Bahá'ís in arbitrary detention, some at risk of execution, at any given time. There were four Bahá'ís reporte ...

See also:

Status of religious freedom in Iran, Status of religious freedom in Iran - Religious demography, Status of religious freedom in Iran - Status of religious freedom, Status of religious freedom in Iran - Restrictions on religious freedom, Status of religious freedom in Iran - Bahá'ís, Status of religious freedom in Iran - Jews, Status of religious freedom in Iran - Mandaeans, Status of religious freedom in Iran - Sunnis Sufis and other Muslims, Status of religious freedom in Iran - Abuses of religious freedom, Status of religious freedom in Iran - Baha'is, Status of religious freedom in Iran - Christians, Status of religious freedom in Iran - Jews, Status of religious freedom in Iran - Sunni Muslims and Zoroastrians, Status of religious freedom in Iran - Societal attitudes, Status of religious freedom in Iran - Views of the US Government, Status of religious freedom in Iran - Source

Read more here: » Status of religious freedom in Iran: Encyclopedia II - Status of religious freedom in Iran - Abuses of religious freedom

Zoroaster

(Greek form of Zarathushtra)

The religion founded by the Iranian-speaking prophet Zarathushtra, Greek Zoroaster, about 600 BC.

It is known to its followers by the Pahlavi title, Daena Mazdayasni, "the Good Religion of the Worshipers of Mazdah. " Later followers, however, worshipped Zoroaster in addition to Mazda. Good Lord Mazda and evil Angra Mainyu are seen as equal in power. There are presently some 150,000 adherents, the majority living in India in the area of Bombay and in Gujarat. Many of these Zoroastrians, called Parsis, "Persians," moved to India after the Islamization of Iran, their original homeland.

Today, many live in other parts of the world, including North America. Versions of Zoroastrianism were made the official religion of the three major pre-Islamic Near Eastern empires of the Iranians, namely that of the Achaemenids, the Parthians, and the Sassanids; under the last the religion was radically unified.

Following the Muslim conquest in the middle of the seventh century, Zoroastrianism was reduced by increasing conversions to Islam. The Turkish and Mongol conquests of Iran saw widespread persecutions, largely reducing the adherents of Zoroastrianism to the desert cities of Kerman and Yazd.

(See also: Zoroaster, New Age Spirituality, Body Mind and Soul)

Zoroastrianism was the favored religion of the two great dynasties of ancient Persia, the Achaemenids and Sassanids. However, because we have few contemporary Persian sources, it is difficult to describe ancient Zoroastrianism in detail. Herodotus's description of Persian religion includes recognizably Zoroastrian features, including exposure of the dead and divination. The Achaemenid kings acknowledge their devotion to Ahura Mazda in inscriptions; however, they maintained local religions in Babylon and Egypt, and helped the Jews to r ...

See also:

Zoroastrianism, Zoroastrianism - Principal beliefs, Zoroastrianism - Specific Zoroastrian concepts, Zoroastrianism - The Prophet, Zoroastrianism - Zoroaster's meditations, Zoroastrianism - Zoroaster's preaching, Zoroastrianism - Holy Book, Zoroastrianism - History, Zoroastrianism - Historical importance, Zoroastrianism - Principles of modern-day Zoroastrianism, Zoroastrianism - Adherents, Zoroastrianism - Famous Zoroastrians, Zoroastrianism - Notes

Read more here: » Zoroastrianism: Encyclopedia II - Zoroastrianism - History

Zoroastrianism was the favored religion of the two great dynasties of ancient Persia, the Achaemenids and Sassanids. However, because we have few contemporary Persian sources, it is difficult to describe ancient Zoroastrianism in detail. Herodotus's description of Iranian religion includes recognizably Zoroastrian features, including exposure of the dead and divination. The Achaemenid emperors or shahs acknowledge their devotion to Ahura Mazda in inscriptions; however, they maintained local religions in Babylon and Egypt, and helped t ...

See also:

Zoroastrianism, Zoroastrianism - Principal beliefs, Zoroastrianism - Specific Zoroastrian concepts, Zoroastrianism - The Prophet, Zoroastrianism - Zoroaster's meditations, Zoroastrianism - Zoroaster's preaching, Zoroastrianism - Holy Book, Zoroastrianism - History, Zoroastrianism - Historical importance, Zoroastrianism - Principles of modern-day Zoroastrianism, Zoroastrianism - Adherents, Zoroastrianism - Famous Zoroastrians, Zoroastrianism - Notes

Read more here: » Zoroastrianism: Encyclopedia II - Zoroastrianism - History

Zoroastrianism teaches many of the concepts found in the major Abrahamic faiths such as Heaven, Hell, Day of judgement, the concept of Satan, the prophecy and the coming of the Messiah and the extensive teaching of Angels and Evil spirits. According to the Gathas humans are free and responsible beings. Predestination is rejected in Zoroastrian teaching. Humans bear responsibility for all situations they are in, and in the way they act to one another. Nothing in the Heavens and Earth has the power to force a being to do evil. Reward, p ...

See also:

Zoroastrianism, Zoroastrianism - Principal beliefs, Zoroastrianism - Specific Zoroastrian concepts, Zoroastrianism - The Prophet, Zoroastrianism - Zoroaster's meditations, Zoroastrianism - Zoroaster's preaching, Zoroastrianism - Holy Book, Zoroastrianism - History, Zoroastrianism - Historical importance, Zoroastrianism - Principles of modern-day Zoroastrianism, Zoroastrianism - Adherents, Zoroastrianism - Famous Zoroastrians, Zoroastrianism - Notes

Read more here: » Zoroastrianism: Encyclopedia II - Zoroastrianism - Specific Zoroastrian concepts

The Holy Book of Zoroastrianism is called the Zend Avesta. The Zend is the commentary on the teaching and the Avesta is the original teaching in these sacred texts. Only a portion of the Avesta, known as the Gathas (The Hymns) are attributed to the Prophet Zoroaster himself. The Avesta was composed orally, and learned from memory for centuries until it was finally written down in Sassanian Times. Before the invasion of Alexander and the Islamic conquest of Iran there were a total of 21 Books followed by Zoroastrians called Nasks. Only ...

See also:

Zoroastrianism, Zoroastrianism - Principal beliefs, Zoroastrianism - Specific Zoroastrian concepts, Zoroastrianism - The Prophet, Zoroastrianism - Zoroaster's meditations, Zoroastrianism - Zoroaster's preaching, Zoroastrianism - Holy Book, Zoroastrianism - History, Zoroastrianism - Historical importance, Zoroastrianism - Principles of modern-day Zoroastrianism, Zoroastrianism - Adherents, Zoroastrianism - Famous Zoroastrians, Zoroastrianism - Notes

Read more here: » Zoroastrianism: Encyclopedia II - Zoroastrianism - Holy Book

The Holy Book of Zoroastrianism is called the Zend Avesta. The Zend is the commentary on the teaching and the Avesta is the original teaching in these sacred texts. Only a portion of the Avesta, known as the Gathas (The Hymns) are attributed to the Prophet Zoroaster himself. The Avesta was composed orally, and learned from memory for centuries until it was finally written down in Sassanian Times. Before the invasion of Alexander and the Islamic conquest of Persia there were a total of 21 Books followed by Zoroastrians called Nasks. On ...

See also:

Zoroastrianism, Zoroastrianism - Principal beliefs, Zoroastrianism - Specific Zoroastrian concepts, Zoroastrianism - The Prophet, Zoroastrianism - Zoroaster's meditations, Zoroastrianism - Zoroaster's preaching, Zoroastrianism - Holy Book, Zoroastrianism - History, Zoroastrianism - Historical importance, Zoroastrianism - Principles of modern-day Zoroastrianism, Zoroastrianism - Adherents, Zoroastrianism - Famous Zoroastrians, Zoroastrianism - Notes

Read more here: » Zoroastrianism: Encyclopedia II - Zoroastrianism - Holy Book

Ahura Mazda is the beginning and the end, the creator of everything which can and cannot be seen, the Eternal, the Pure and the only Truth. Zoroastrian morality is summed up in the simple phrase, "Good Thoughts, Good Words, Good Deeds" ("Pendar-e Nik, Goftar-e Nik, Kerdar-e Nik" in the present day Persian) ["Homaato", "Hokhto", "Hovarasht", in the ancient language]. Daena (din in modern Persian) is the eternal Law, whose order was revealed to humanity through the Mathra-Spenta "Holy Words". Daena has been used to mean re ...

See also:

Zoroastrianism, Zoroastrianism - Principal beliefs, Zoroastrianism - Specific Zoroastrian concepts, Zoroastrianism - The Prophet, Zoroastrianism - Zoroaster's meditations, Zoroastrianism - Zoroaster's preaching, Zoroastrianism - Holy Book, Zoroastrianism - History, Zoroastrianism - Historical importance, Zoroastrianism - Principles of modern-day Zoroastrianism, Zoroastrianism - Adherents, Zoroastrianism - Famous Zoroastrians, Zoroastrianism - Notes

Read more here: » Zoroastrianism: Encyclopedia II - Zoroastrianism - Principal beliefs

Relatively little is known about the Prophet Zoroaster and even the period he lived in is disputed. Usually he is placed roughly near 1000 BCE, though others give earlier estimates, while still others place him in the 6th century BCE, which would make him contemporary to the rise of the first Achaemenides. According to tradition, Zoroaster was the son of Pourushaspa' and Dugdhova, and was special since birth. Pliny the Elder relates that the prophet was born smiling. His head shook uncontrollably to the point where he wo ...

See also:

Zoroastrianism, Zoroastrianism - Principal beliefs, Zoroastrianism - Specific Zoroastrian concepts, Zoroastrianism - The Prophet, Zoroastrianism - Zoroaster's meditations, Zoroastrianism - Zoroaster's preaching, Zoroastrianism - Holy Book, Zoroastrianism - History, Zoroastrianism - Historical importance, Zoroastrianism - Principles of modern-day Zoroastrianism, Zoroastrianism - Adherents, Zoroastrianism - Famous Zoroastrians, Zoroastrianism - Notes

Read more here: » Zoroastrianism: Encyclopedia II - Zoroastrianism - The Prophet