If so, what is typically required? Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. Nevertheless, there are those who believe in the missionary nature of Zoroastrianism and go so far as to encourage active proselytism. They also cite the response of the Persian priests to a Parsi inquiry about the conversion of Hindu servant boys and girls (Persian Rivayats, tr. M. Boyce, Textual Sources for the Study of Zoroastrianism, Manchester, 1984. By happenstance, the Zoroastrian faith is based on ethnicity and not on being a convert. I think you need to have a Navjote performed to welcome you in the faith. In the two instances in which information is available to the author, the converts … H. K. Mirza, K. M. JamaspAsa, and F. M. Kotwal, Conversion in Zoroastrianism. Zoroastrian communities and individuals thus have differing views on conversion. A Myth Exploded, Bombay, 1983. Sundays, 10:00am-11:00am CZC Virtual class Instructors: Mahnaz Dinyari Age: Children 10-11 years old Prerequisite: Fluency in reading and writing Persian and teacher approval Please become a member at membership.czc.org and enroll while space is still available. So the short and sweet answer is a resounding…no. On the other hand, those favoring active proselytism cite such incidents as Xerxes’ destruction of the daivadānas (XPh, ll. Nevertheless, only a few Persian Muslims became Zoroastrians: The Muslim dictum against conversion is very strong. Those liberals who hold that the individual must accept the religion of his or her own free will maintain that Zoroaster’s message could have provided no impetus to aggressive proselytizing. 37-41; Kent, Old Persian, p. 151: “I destroyed that sanctuary of the demons . Zoroastrians pray together at the opening of Kamran Dar-e Mehr, a center run by the Zoroastrian Association of Metropolitan Washington in Maryland. MIT Zoroastrian Association Affiliated with ZAGBA. The divergence in interpretation also extends to history. After the intervention of the Parsis on behalf of their Persian coreligionists, as well as changes in attitudes after the Constitutional Revolution, the condition of Persian Zoroastrians gradually improved. . The Zoroastrian Association of California Center, or the ZAC Center, has been the group’s home since 2010, a community center in which the 400 members can pray, meet and celebrate. The issue of conversion has been the cause of great disturbance within the new Zoroastrian communities in North America. The site may not work properly if you don't, If you do not update your browser, we suggest you visit, Press J to jump to the feed. Opponents of conversion argue that, precisely because the community is so fragile, the acceptance of converts will dilute the ethnic strength of the religion and lead to its complete annihilation. I live in central Texas and am a student religious studies. 29-31). Looks like you're using new Reddit on an old browser. Get directions, reviews and information for California Zoroastrian Center in Canoga Park, CA. Sorry to burst your bubble. There seems to be a series of good arguments for banning conversion to Zoroastrianism. Only a handful of non-Persians have been officially admitted to the fold. Parsis are a tribe of Zoroastrian who went to India and had to promise to abide by some rules laid down by the ruler there, which included not to proselytise. Calendar Conversion. Moreover, liberals hold that the intrinsically nonritualistic doctrine of the Gathas degenerated into an Iranian ideology as a result of language and other barriers (Antia, pp. Idem, Antia’s “Acceptance.” A Zoroastrian "Ahrmogih" (Heresy), n.p., n.d. [E.] Pūr(-e) Dāwūd, Gatha I, Bombay, 1952. I was curious if anyone was aware of a means of conversion to the faith central to the Texas area? All Regular members are required to pay an annual membership fee in order to maintain benefits and voting privileges. In addition, Persian Zoroastrians, though theoretically adhering to the principle of acceptance, deemed it permissible only if it did not result in harm either to the Zoroastrian community or to the religion into which the individual was born (interview with Mrs. Susan Varjavand). The latest ChehreNama by California Zoroastrian Center is issue #197. I. J. S. Taraporewala, The Religion of Zarathushtra, Bombay, 1965. ( Mark Fitch … You can’t convert to Zoroastrianism. Other members:$30 (The membership status will be verified)Non-Members: $70 The California Zoroastrian Center (CZC) is recognized by IRS as a non-profit charitable religious organization. The Zoroastrian Journal is a quarterly publication directed and published by California Zoroastrian Center. 3, pp. Try our monthly plan today. Reformist liberals generally urge acceptance of any individual who chooses of his or her own free will to practice Zoroastrianism. Submitted tags will be reviewed by site administrator before it is posted online.If you enter several tags, separate with commas. Whereas the Zoroastrians who remained in Persia were not permitted to proselytize under Muslim rule and the conversion of a Muslim could result in persecution of the entire community, liberals point out that the Zoroastrian literature from after the conquest does include discussions of the possibility that a non-Zoroastrian might seek admission to the faith (Rivayat-i Hemit, pp. 242-243. There are relatively many fire temples in North America, around 13, 10 in USA and 3 in Canada. Search for other Churches & Places of Worship in … The California Zoroastrian Center has been especially welcoming of Tayib and her Kurdish Zoroastrians. California Zoroastrian Center, church based at 6515 De Soto Avenue, Canoga Park,, Los Angeles, CA 91303 on all U.S. churches dot com Of Persian Jews to other religions, CONVERSION iii. 7 photos by California Zoroastrian Center How is this received in America? I’ll be traveling here in sept and hopefully be able to go through the proper rites then. The passage quoted most often by those who favor accepting converts is Yasna 31.3 (yā jvantō vīspəˊng vāurayā “by which I might convert all the living”; Insler, p. 182), cited as proof of the universal character of Zoroaster’s message. Zarathushtra is also known as Zoroaster ( name given to him by the Greeks ), and Zartosht in Persian. on CONVERSION VII. R. N. Frye, Harvard Iranian Series 2, Cambridge, Mass., 1980. So far the religious councils in India refuse to acknowledge these initiates as true Zoroastrians (information provided by the California Zoroastrian Center; Mobad N. Hormuzdiar, who performed the controversial initiation of an American in New Rochelle, N.Y., on 5 March 1983; and Mrs. Susan Varjavand, a recent convert from Christianity). . Do you have any experience with conversion here? Just go your local Zoroastrianism temple. I think you need to have a Navjote performed to welcome you in the faith. But I appreciate you trying to help. This includes official recognition of the faith in August 2015 [10], support for the Yasna Organization (founded by Awat Tayib), and the establishment of an official fire temple in Sulaymaniyah (the epicenter of the Zoroastrian revival) [11]. California Zoroastrian Center 8952 Hazard Ave. Westminster, CA 92683 Welcome to the California Zoroastrian Center Web Site California Zoroastrian Center is a non-profit religious organization, registered in the state of California. ©2021 Encyclopædia Iranica Foundation, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Tuition per Student: CZC-Members:$30. California has 2 jobs listed on their profile. (Optional) Enter email address if you would like feedback about your tag. Please be on your best behavior while you're here, and observe Reddiquette. It has established close relations with Zoroastrian and related organizations all over the world, particularly India, Iran, Pakistan, and Europe. To Imami Shiʿism in India. This rigor may be ascribed to the pressures of the caste structure in India, reinforced by the growing prosperity of the Parsi social-welfare system, a possible incentive for seeking admission to the Zoroastrian fold. The issue is of practical importance, for it affects admission to fire temples (Boyce, 1984, p. 153) and “towers of silence,” as well as the legal privileges attached to membership in the community. Dhabhar, p. 276), arguing that conversion to Zoroastrianism was certainly considered possible, at least in theory, and that the guidelines stipulated in such medieval sources reflect faithfully the Zoroastrian practice that prevailed in Sasanian times and thus conform to orthodox Zoroastrian beliefs. Get reviews, hours, directions, coupons and more for California Zoroastrian Center at 6515 De Soto Ave, Canoga Park, CA 91303. Menu & Reservations Make Reservations . On the traditionalist side some moderates permit the acceptance of spouses and the offspring of mixed marriages, but the strict constructionists refuse to accept as coreligionists even Zoroastrians who marry outside the faith and consider children born of such unions illegitimate. Rivayat-i Hemit-i Ashawahistan—A Study in Zoroastrian Law, tr. Only a handful of non-Persians have been officially admitted to the fold. Whereas the Persian Zoroastrian communities never explicitly opposed the acceptance of converts, since the 18th century Indian Parsi councils have generally refused to accept as Zoroastrians persons other than children of Parsi parents, though there have been sporadic rulings allowing acceptance of the children of mixed marriages. Reviews (818) 610-8610 Website. R. A. Irani, “Acceptance”—Never Ever!, Poona, 1985. Traditionalists cite the general tolerance of other religious populations by the Achaemenid and Parthian dynasties as evidence that Zoroastrianism was intended to be the religion of a single ethnic group (Irani, pp. You can convert in the West. Chances of being Zoroastrian are short to none considering the faith is only about 200,000 followers worldwide. 8952 HAZARD AVE WESTMINSTER, CA 92683 Get Directions (714) 893-4737 www.czc.org Plenty of white converts. No, they are not. Where previously the demons were worshipped, there I worshipped Ahuramazda”) as evidence that Zoroastrianism had been imposed by force and thus that the early Zoroastrian kings considered conversion of non-Zoroastrians both permissible and desirable (Antia, p. 30). You can't convert in India though. California Zoroastrian Center | 10 followers on LinkedIn. Since the Islamic Revolution of 1357 Š./1978 the Persian Zoroastrian community has evidently become even more cautious about accepting converts. 184-88). ZAGBA - The Zoroastrian Association of the Greater Boston Area. The trouble is that the number of "true" Zoroastrians continues to decrease. The question of conversion to Zoroastrianism would scarcely have arisen there. We use cookies on our websites for a number of purposes, including analytics and performance, functionality and advertising. Use the form below to convert between dates from a Gregorian calendar to a Shenshai calendar (or vice-versa).. For example, you can use this to find the roj for a particular date (such as your birthday), as well as what date the roj falls on in a given year. There are only a few specific rules. . Subscribe Unlock nonprofit financial insights that will help you make more informed decisions. K. Antia, The Argument for Acceptance, Chicago, 1985. TO THE ZOROASTRIAN FAITH IN THE MODERN PERIOD, CONVERSION i. California Zoroastrian Center. In Persia the majority of Zoroastrians lived in extreme poverty and suffered intermittent persecution up to the beginning of the 20th century. Even within a community an individual may choose not to accept the ruling of the council or high priest. The fire is a symbol of the Zoroastrian faith just as the cross is a symbol of Christianity. Just go your local Zoroastrianism temple. CZC Membership. From your experience, how intricate are the initiations and how long does one usually have to wait till allowed to partake in one? Not sure if that’s too hasty but here’s to hoping they comply. If talking about USA, honestly all that I know is that California Zoroastrian Center, who has 2 temples, allows conversion, while Zoroastrian in Texas (also 2 temples) do not. In the two instances in which information is available to the author, the converts were married to Zoroastrians. … An Introduction to Zoroastrianism on August 3, 2017. 6-8). View California Zoroastrian Center’s profile on LinkedIn, the world's largest professional community. The issue of conversion has been the cause of great disturbance within the new Zoroastrian communities in North America. The mission of Zoroaster was thus to purify the mazdāyasna religion from alien doctrines, and there was no question, even at the beginning, of forcing or convincing people to abandon their ancestral religion or of accepting people not born into the mazdāyasna religion (Mirza et al., n.d., p. 7). Topics: Religions, Cultures, Social, Science, History, News, and more. Modern Zoroastrians disagree on whether it is permissible for outsiders to enter their religion. The Gathas (the part of the Avesta attributed to Zoroaster), as well as other Avestan and Pahlavi texts, are cited by both sides to justify their positions (see i, above). This article is available in print.Vol. There is a difference between Zoroastrian and Parsis. Owing partly to the policies of Reżā Shah (1304-20 Š./1925-41), for example, the adoption of Zoroastrian names for months, in the 1930s there was an awakening of interest in pre-Islamic history and religion. This is a public forum for both those who are Zoroastrians and for people who are curious about the religion. The California Zoroastrian Center estimates that about 5,000 have settled in North America, of whom 1,500 are in Southern California. They tend to cluster around two general tendencies, reformist and traditionalist, but even within these groups the variation is considerable. It has counseled and … Traditionalists, on the other hand, accuse proponents of conversion of heretical distortion of scripture and maintain that blood and faith are a linked heritage. Chehrenama has Persian and English sections. VI, Fasc. vii. They suggest that the term mazdāyasna (Mazda worshiping) in scriptural sources—especially in the prayer Yasna 12, in which one declares “I am a Mazda worshiper” before declaring “I am a Zoroastrian”—refers to the religion into which Zoroaster and all his early followers were born (Irani, pp. After the Arab conquest of Persia in the 7th century and the establishment of Islam as the religion of the new rulers, some Zoroastrians emigrated to India (the Parsis). California Zoroastrian Center. ZAGNY - The Zoroastrian Association of Greater New … I actually contacted one outside of the state. If annual membership dues are not received before April 15 th of each year, the membership will be lapsed resulting in discontinuity effecting voting … FEZANA - Federation of Zoroastrian Associations of North America . S. Insler, The Gathas of Zarathustra, Acta Iranica 8, Leiden, 1975. Of Iranians to the Zoroastrian faith, CONVERSION vii. Several other verses of the Gathas, especially Yasna 46.12, in which a non-Iranian family (the Turanian Fryāna; Taraporewala, p. 251 n.; Pūr-e Dāwūd, p. 104 n.) is named among the followers of Zoroaster, have furnished liberals with a textual basis for their argument against confinement of Zoroastrianism to a specific race or nationality (letter from Kankāš-e Mūbadān-e Tehran, published in Māh-nāma Markaz-e Zartoštīān-e Kālīfornīā [Monthly newsletter of the California Zoroastrian Center], Westminster, 1/5, Ḵordād 1362 Š./June 1983, p. 2). New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast, More posts from the Zoroastrianism community. California Zoroastrian Center 6515 De Soto Ave Canoga Park CA 91303. To the Zoroastrian faith in the modern period. Therefore only a child born of Zoroastrian parents is mazdāyasna by birth, and only such a child may be properly admitted into the Zoroastrian fold through receiving the traditional authorization to wear the outward symbols of the faith—the sacred undershirt (ṣodra) and the girdle (koštī)—at the Nowjat (lit., “new birth”) ceremony (Irani, p. 8). The fire stands for a number of things. I’ve looked at local faith based centers in Houston, Texas. Sasanian history provides ample evidence for use of both force and persuasion to win over non-Zoroastrians, but traditionalists argue that such instances as the endeavors of the Sasanian high priest Kerdīr recorded in the inscription on Kaʿba-ye Zardošt (“And there were many who had held the religion of the dēvs, and by my act they abandoned the religion of the dēvs and accepted the religion of the yazads”; Boyce, 1984, p. 113; interview with a member of the California Zoroastrian Center, November 1990) and the forced reconversion by Yazdegerd II (438-57) of Zoroastrian Armenians who had converted to Christianity took place primarily for political reasons (Antia, p. 13; Mirza et al., n.d., p. 7). CZC-LA is a chapter of the California Zoroastrian Center in Los Angeles, California. lock Unlock financial insights by subscribing to our monthly plan. To the Zoroastrian faith in the modern period, CONVERSION vi. I shot them an email. To Protestant Christianity in Persia, CONVERSION v. To Babism and the Bahai faith, CONVERSION iv. 219-20). The Center is an active founding – member of FEZANA, the Federation of Zoroastrian Association of North America. About 500 people of Persian descent sang, exchanged hugs and prayed Sunday evening at the California Zoroastrian Center's celebration of two of the most important events in their ancient religion. They do not worship fire. I’ve heard many do not accept converts that are non Iranian. Now scattered in small minority communities in Persia, India, Europe, and North America and without a religious hierarchy, the Zoroastrians are governed by councils and high priests whose authority is only local. I tried contacting the Texas association several times with no luck sadly. The efforts of several Persians to win recognition of the nobility of the Zoroastrian faith through translations of the Avesta contributed to increased respect for the old religion among the educated (Boyce, 1986, pp. 7-9) and of such alterations as the incorporation of stringent purity rituals (Boyce, Zoroastrianism I, p. 295) entailed by the establishment of an organized religion. Plenty of white converts. In a Zoroastrian temple, the only symbol before which prayers are said is the fire which is tended by a Mobed (priest) five times a day. Page. This controversy has become exacerbated in this century, as the scattered Zoroastrian communities are shrinking and experiencing increasing intermarriage. They distinguish between “acceptance,” which implies complete free will, and conversion and proselytism, which carry connotations of coercion or pressure. N. Safa-Isfehani, ed. You can convert in the West. California Zoroastrian Center (CZC) is a religious and cultural nonprofit organization dedicated to study and dissemination of Zarathushtra's teachings. Notwithstanding these rules, posts are removed and approved entirely at moderator discretion.