Zoroastrian Table of contents

The central belief of Zoroastrianism is that God, Ahura Mazda (The Wise Lord), is all good and he created the world which is therefore also good. All misery, disease, suffering and death […]

The sacred text of Zoroastrians is the Avesta. It was preserved orally for some time and then written down in a specially designed alphabet. It is known from summaries in later texts […]

Human religious authority rests primarily with the dasturs (high priests), although some is with the mobeds (priests). Dasturs are usually (although not exclusively) sons of dasturs, although mobeds must be sons of […]

The key figure in Zoroastrianism is the Prophet Zoroaster (the Greek form of the Iranian Zarathushtra). He lived somewhere between 1500 and 1200 BCE in north east Iran. He was a priest, […]

The contemporary leaders of the community are the high priests (Dasturs) in Iran and India whose directives are followed by most in the global Zoroastrian Diaspora. There have been some mystic occult […]

Zoroastrians are not required to accept specific creeds, but broadly to follow the Prophet Zoroaster, who taught a code of ‘good thoughts, good words and good deeds’. Zoroastrians believe that people were […]

There is no tradition of monasticism in Zoroastrianism; to retreat from the world would be to spurn Ahura Mazda’s creation. People have a duty to get married, have children and to expand […]

The Zoroastrian scripture is a book known as the Vestal. From latter texts we know that only about a quarter of the original has survived. The surviving portion is concerned with priestly […]

There are no rites associated with the child at birth, though new babies are often given a special strengthening drink made from water, fermented hom tree juice and pomegranate leaves. The first major stage […]

Ceremonies are a time for people to gather; jashans can be celebrations with the wording changed to suit the occasion. These include, a blessing for a new home (in which case it […]

The key stories for Zoroastrians are the myths surrounding the life of the prophet Zoroaster. Zoroastrians highlight his visions, his call by Ahura Mazda, the fact that he could perform miracles due […]

For many Zoroastrians, the living flame of the sacred fire (Atash) is the greatest symbol of ‘He who is pure undefiled light’. However, orthodox Parsi believe that Ahura Mazda is physically present […]

Zoroastrians worship, in the sense of praying, anywhere facing Ahura Mazda’s creation, fire, light or water. The sudrekusti prayers are the key form of daily worship. There is no compulsion to visit […]

There are two grades of fire temple according to the category of fire within (there is also a third grade of fire which can be set by any Zoroastrian at home). The […]

Zoroastrians believe that people are made by God (Ahura Mazda) as his fellow workers (hamkars) in the fight against evil. Humans possess five facilities: (i) mind / spirit (man), (ii) desire / […]

In Zoroastrianism a young person is initiated (naujote – meaning new birth) just before the onset of puberty not in infancy, as it is believed this must be a voluntary act. The […]

For most Parsi Zoroastrianism is not strictly a ‘faith tradition’; rather it is membership of a community of people who have descended from Zoroastrians and have been initiated into the faith through […]

There are different schools of thought with very different interpretations of Zoroaster’s teaching. Generally speaking these can be classified into two distinct groups. First, the orthodox, who accept the authority not just […]

When Zoroastrians first migrated to Britain they avoided interfaith activity fearing a Christian influence and conversion from its own followers. However, since the late 1980s, Zoroastrians have been actively involved in inter-faith […]

For most Zoroastrians the deepest spiritual experience is to pray before the temple fire. They believe that here, they stand in the presence of Ahura Mazda, where the sounds and power of […]

Traditional Zoroastrianism does not believe in rebirth (although some modern Parsi do under Hindu influence). Zoroastrians believe that every person is created to fight evil and expand the Good Creation. Humanity was […]

Many Zoroastrians, both in India and the West, are scientists, and find no conflict between their scientific knowledge and their religion. Zoroastrian Scientists believe the Hymns of Zoroaster do not contradict scientific […]

The primary ethical value which Zoroastrians is to practice good thoughts, words and deeds. However, this clearly raises the question, what makes something good or evil? Good is considered to be anything […]

Zoroastrians regard their religious duty as practicing good thoughts, words and deeds. At the time of judgment, after death, the good will be balanced against evil thoughts, words and deeds. If the […]

Citizenship is a more complicated, and perhaps a more western concept. In ancient Iran there was a strong sense of being Iranian and, apart from the royal harem, marriage between Iranians was […]

In Zoroastrianism a person is rewarded and punished according to their thoughts, words and deeds, with rewards and punishments made to fit the crime. In medieval times, the Book of Arda Viraf […]

Zoroastrians consider euthanasia and abortion to be wrong as they involve the taking of life, and by implication, the destruction of Ahuru Mazda’s creation.

Zoroastrians believe that good health is the state which Ahura Mazda wishes for everyone and is the natural condition in which the first human was created. All suffering is therefore an affliction […]

War is destructive of the Good Creation, so is seen as undesirable, although may be necessary to ensure a peaceful existence. With this in mind, a number of Zoroastrian people have held […]

In a world where poverty and wealth co-exist wealth is viewed as honourable providing it has been gained honestly and is shared through charitable giving. However, there is little to demonstrate much […]

Zoroastrians believe Ahura Mazda created the world so people, therefore, have a duty to care for it. This, they claim, makes them the first environmentalists. Although creation (Bundahishn) is assaulted by the […]

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Boyce, M., 1984. Textual Sources for the Study of Zoroastrianism. Manchester: Manchester University Press. Boyce, M., 1997. ‘Zoroastrianism’. In Hinnells, J.R. (ed.). New Penguin Handbook of Living Religions. Harmondsworth: Penguin Books. Boyce, M., 1977. A Persian Stronghold […]