On the Central Asian steppes between the years 1000 B.C. and A.D. 600, there flourished a faith ascribed to the teachings of Zarathustra, or Zoroaster as the Greeks called him. For 1,000 years it was the court religion of three Persian empires: the Achaemenians, the Parthinians and the Sassanians. The followers of this faith stretched from Greece in the west to the Hindukush in the east, across Central Asia, and were numbered in the millions.

Zarathustra preached the monotheistic religion of the One Supreme God, Ahura Mazda, and it was declared the state religion by Cyrus the Great in 558 B.C.

Zarathustra's message was positive, life-affirming, based on both faith and reason. Its principles were simple, namely of Humata, Hukta and Huverishta, which means good thought, good word and good deed. It was not a prescriptive ethic based on fear or obedience, but rather on love and personal responsibility.

A Zoroastrian is taught to lead an industrious, honest and charitable life, and there is no place for asceticism. It is based on the loftiest ideals of Asha, the divine law of truth, and Vohu Mana, or the good mind. Zarathustra declared that every person must think for oneself and that each has the freedom to choose between good and evil.

The faith is spread to achieve a harmonious, morally perfect social order. It promotes respect for the environment and teaches that there is mutually beneficial existence of the sun, fire, earth and water.

Zoroastrian rituals are performed in the presence of an eternal flame tended with sandalwood and frankincense. Fire is revered as the symbol of divinity and the inner flame of truth in all mankind. Despite its ancient origins, this religion denounced idolatry in any shape or form.

Zoroastrianism has been a peace-loving religion that resisted the onslaught of Alexander the Great and his destruction of the capital of the Persian Empire, Persepolis. Its philosophy has influenced many cultures and faiths, including Judaism and Christianity. It is of interest to note that the Magi who heralded the Infant Christ were Zoroastrians, and to this day, frankincense and myrrh are offered at the altars of their temples.

The scriptures are contained in the ancient texts called the Avesta, and the hymns written by Zarathustra himself are called the Gathas and bear similarity to the Geeta in Hinduism, which is written in Sanskrit. Both languages are now extinct and no longer used.

In the year A.D. 652, shiploads of followers of this religion fled Persia under the Muslim invasion and sought refuge on the shores of India. Despite having lived in India for 12 centuries, the Parsees, as they are known, have kept their religious distinctiveness. They contributed to the industrialization of India, and their influence is felt even today in the economic development of the country. Their philanthropy resulted in the establishment of schools, colleges and hospitals in India.

Now they have spread to North America and are integrated with all communities there. With the persecution by Ayatollah Khomeini in the late 1970s and 1980s, Zarthushtis fled from Iran to North America. Now they, jointly with the Parsees from India, preserve their belief without proselytizing.

The most important doctrine of this faith is the belief in one Supreme God with truth and right action to spread love for all human beings without discrimination. Like other doctrines, they believe that there is only one presence and one power in the universe and in our lives, God the Good Omnipresent.