>>18662154
And they are wrong. Zoroastrianism is not monotheist and to call it such is laughably wrong. It’s a dualist religion and unlike Abrahamic monotheism where God is the ultimate creator and source of everything, Zoroastrianism believes that there are two uncreated and independent cosmic forces in eternal opposition to each other; Ahura Mazda (Ormazd), the lord of wisdom who is purely good, and Angra Mainyu (Ahriman), the destructive spirit who is purely evil. Ahura Mazda, despite being the creator of the world and source of all good, is not omnipotent and evil exists not because it’s a privatization of good, but because it is its own separate force opposed to good that originates from Angra Mainyu. This is not monotheism, Angra Mainyu is not analogous to Satan in any way.

Beyond these two, Zoroastrianism also has a pantheon of lesser gods who personify the elements called Yazatas (which literally means “worthy of worship/veneration” and many multilingual inscriptions from ancient Iran such as the Res Gestae Divi Saporis translate it to the Greek word for god, θεός). While the Yazatas are ultimately subservient to Ahura Mazda, the religion still demands the worship and veneration of these beings and in pre-Islamic Iran, there were even temples dedicated to them where they received worship and offerings.

Zoroastrianism is indeed a fascinating religion, but it’s not monotheistic and people need to stop calling it one. If you want to actually understand Zoroastrian theology, I recommend reading the Denkard (https://www.avesta.org/denkard/index.html), a compendium of Zoroastrian beliefs and practices, the Bundahishn (https://www.avesta.org/mp/bundahis.html), a detailed summary of Zoroastrian cosmology, and the Shkand-Gumanig Vizar (https://www.avesta.org/mp/shkand.html), a Zoroastrianism apologetic work.

>>18662154
Who cares?