Instant Access To 100,000+ Essays!

Zoroastrianism Zoroastrianism is a small religion with about 140,000 members. The religion was founded by Zarathushtra (Zoroaster in Greek). Conservative Zoroastrians believe that their religion was founded around 6000 BCE; other followers estimate 600 BCE. Historians and religious scholars generally date his life sometime between 1500 and 1000 BCE because of his style of writing. Zarathushtra lived in Persia, modern day Iran. Legends say that his birth was predicted and that attempts were made by the forces of evil to kill him as a child. He was condemned because of his monotheistic teachings in an area that was traditionally polytheistic. He was attacked for his teaching, but finally won the support of the king. Zoroastrianism became the state religion of various Persian empires, until the 7th Century. When Islamic Arabs invaded Persia in 650 AD, a small number of Zoroastrians fled to India where most are concentrated today. Th