Avesta people. The term "Avesta" is from the 9th/10th-century works of Zoroastrian tradition in which the word appears as Zoroastrian Middle Persian "abestāg", Book Pahlavi "ʾp(y)stʾkʼ". In that context, "abestāg" texts are portrayed as received knowledge, and are distinguished from the exegetical commentaries (the "zand") thereof. The literal meaning of the word "abestāg" is uncertain; it is generally acknowledged to be a learned borrowing from Avestan, but none of the suggested etymologies have been universally accepted. The widely repeated derivation from *"upa-stavaka" is from Christian Bartholomae ("Altiranisches Wörterbuch", 1904), who interpreted "abestāg" as a contraction of a hypothetical reconstructed Old Iranian
Religion in The Simpsons praying. William Romanowski, author of the book "Pop Culture Wars: Religion and the Role of Entertainment in American Life", noted that ""The Simpsons" is not dismissive of faith, but treats religion as an integral part of American life. Episodes that I’ve seen are not so much irreverent toward religion, but poke fun at American attitudes and practices." One episode that heavily features religion is "Bart Sells His Soul" (1995). While discussing "The Simpsons" treatment of religion in his "Drawn to Television" book, M. Keith Booker cites a scene from the episode where Milhouse asks Bart what religions have to gain