How do the Zoroastrian and Manichean religious traditions explain the origin of evil?

Question

I was talking about this with a few friends but I want to know what others think.
Also, what are some major differences between the two?

Answer 1

I don't know about Manichean religious tradition. I forget all about it!

But I did some research on Zoroastrianism last semester. According to Zoroastrianism, Ahura Mazda, the Wise Lord, only created that which is good. It is the evil god, Ahriman (also known as Angra Mainyu) who created evil.

Ahura Mazda created the world basically as a battlefield so that Ahriman could ultimately be defeated. So this is a battlefield, and we must all choose whether to fight for good or for evil. Good will win in the end, and Ahriman will be defeated, so there will remain after that only the good creation, as it was intended by Ahura Mazda.

You can read more about it if you'd like from my research paper, which is here:
http://www.pathsofdevotion.com/zoroastrianism.html
(Click on "End of Time" - that's my paper).