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Zoroaster

Introduction

Some time in the history of the universe, no one is quite sure
when, there was born a man. This man would eventually be the first to
found a monotheistic religion. The name of this man is Zoroaster; the
name is actually a corruption of Zarathushtra. Zoroaster's birth date,
along with whether his religion is actually monotheistic, is a subject
of great debate. The opinions concerning his birth, and consequently
about the beginning of this great religion, range from as early as 6000
years before Plato to as late as 500 B.C.E. In any case he was born
somewhere in Iran, although whether in the East or West is also
arguable. In the early writings the people belonging to this religion
are called Zarathustris; the system he taught is called Mazdaism. The
present day followers are called Parsees. Zoroaster removed the
multiplicity of deities from religion and created a faith in which
there were two, or perhaps, one God. All other higher beings were
regarded as demons, or evil spirits. No one knows for sure the
different stages of popularity that Zoroastrianism experienced. We do
know that at the time of Darius I, 558?-486 B.C.E., it was protected by
royalty. Later, however, Zoroastrians were continually chased by the
members of the Islamic religion through Kathiawar in India, and Surat,
and finally they settled again in Bombay. The universe is the
battleground. The opponents are Mazda Ahura, later to be known as
Ahura Mazda, and Anra Mainyu, later call ed Ahriman. Ahura Mazda is
the good force and the bad is Ahriman. The battle will last till Ahura
Mazda defeats Ahriman in the year 12,000 (we are now presumably around
11,500). This is the world and its future...

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