Changes

In some ways, the initial fact the religion came from Iran may have been part of its own undoing. Rome and the Parthian and later Sassanian Empires were great rivals. As the conflict between these empires increased, Roman authorities may have begun to frown upon this religion. In particular, after the rise of Christianity once it was accepted by Constantine in 312 CE, the Roman Empire began to have both religious but also secular reasons to persecute the cults of Mithra. Temples to Mithra were torn down and in some cases churches built on top of them. Practices of Mithra were claimed to be satanic and that forced the believers to go underground. A few held out in the Alps region, but the faith continued to survive in Iran until recently, although it declined as Islam spread in the 7th century CE. In India, the belief in Mithra has continued and cult of worhip has continues in some areas, although it has likely evolved significantly over the centuries. Many beliefs related to Mithra are incorporated with Zoroastrianism.