Zoroastrianism and sexual orientation Zoroastrianism and sexual orientation Homosexuality in Zoroastrianism is, as in many other religions, a controversial topic. The most sacred scripture of Zoroastrianism is called the Avesta. The oldest portion of the Avesta are the writings of Zarathustra himself and called the Gathas. Traditionalist Zoroastrians argue that the Vendidad, one of the books of the Avesta, is an inherent part of Zoroastrian oral tradition even if it was compiled far later than other parts of the Avesta. This passage has been interpreted to mean that homosexuality is a form of demon worship, and thus sinful. Ancient commentary on this passage suggests
The Good Book (book) like the influence of the Bible...no". Writing in First Things, R.J. Snell notes that Grayling's book, which draws its form and arrangement from religious authors, ignores the actual writings of religious authors: "A collection including Virgil but not Dante, Cicero but not Augustine, Aristotle but not Maimonides, Livy but not Boethius, Kant but not Kierkegaard, and Goethe but not Dostoyevsky is a truncated selection, especially when the standard for exclusion is some supposed taint by religion." Grayling discussed "The Good Book" with the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, before a large audience on London's South Bank, and with Richard Holloway,