Zoroastrians, Divided Over Conversion, Face a Shrinking Future

RNS’ Rana Rosen looks at the future of Zoroastrianism, a faith that forbids converts, and whose numbers are dwindling, in this week’s full-text article, linked above.

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Now, the still-raging conversion disagreement-mostly between Zoroastrian immigrants in North America and hard-line conservatives in India who have preserved the community there for more than 1,000 years-has prompted a new soul-searching question: Are they are a religion open to all or an insular ethnic line with common ancestors?

The fate of the world’s dwindling Zoroastrian community may depend on the answer. And each camp-the “orthodoxy” and the “reformists,” as they are called-resents the question.