Zoroastrianism: The First Monotheistic Religion

Zoroastrianism is recognized by most historians as the first monotheistic religion of the world. Zoroastrians believe that Ahura Mazda, whose name means “Wise Lord,” is the true god and creator of all things good. They also believe that his rival, Angra Mainyu, is the root of evil.

Zoroastrianism was founded by the Prophet Zoroaster in ancient Iran approximately 3,500 years ago. It was the predominant religion of the world for nearly 1,000 years, and was the official religion of Persia from 600 BC to 650 AD. It is believed that Zoroaster envisioned a god who he called Ahura Mazda. He was born into a time of polytheism dominance. Although Zoroastrianism is a monotheistic religion, it also has dualistic qualities. Dualistic religions are religions that believe in two confronting figures that are the cause of existence. The Parsis, the followers of Zoroaster, left Persia in fear of persecution by the Muslim rulers. However, most of what we know about the origins of Zoroastrianism is not from the Persians, who we know left little

The Amesha Spentas are spirits that are said to protect the world from Angra Mainyu and his evil doings. Three of these spirits are masculine and another three are feminine, for a total of six spirits. Vohu Manah is the spirit of good thoughts. Asha Vahishta is the spirit of truth and righteousness; the path of Asha leads to blessings and ultimately salvation. Kshatra Vairya is the spirit that represents the power of God. Aramaic is the spirit of love and generosity. Haurvatat is the spirit of perfection and ecstasy. These spirits also represent the elements. Another important focus of Zoroastrianism is their unique approach to what they define as sin. They believe in keeping the elements pure, without evil. It is custom to place a corpse in a structure called a Dakhma. This structure has four walls and no roof, to allow the bodies to be eaten by vultures, rodents, and everything else