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Zoroastrianism

Jon Mayled takes a look at one of the world’s less well-known religions

Zoroastrianism is one of the smallest world religions today, with 150,000 to 200,000 followers throughout the world. Although there are followers in many countries, the largest communities are found in Iran, India and London.

The founder of Zoroastrianism is Zoroaster, a Persian prophet who had a number of visions of God. There is disagreement about exactly where and when he lived but most scholars agree that he lived in Ancient Persia in approximately the tenth or eleventh century BCE. Zoroastrianism became the official religion of the Persian empire from 600 BCE, making it one of the most powerful religions in the world at that time. Although it was threatened by the Muslim invasion of 637 CE, it managed to survive as both a religion and a philosophy.

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Star Maker: philosophy in unexpected places