[ZULU]

I'm not a Zoroastrian.

But it's my understanding that there are two schools of Zoroastrianism - the Parsees who are descended from refugees from Iran, after the Islamic invasion and subsequent slaughter of Zoroastrians, who then settled in India, and Zoroastrians who are directly from Iran and managed to survive there despite ferocious persecution by the Muslims.

The Parsees do not permit conversions and do not allow intermarriage. Some of the Iranian Zoroastrians have accepted converts, but Zoroastrians are not a proselytizing religion.

They believe that whatever one was born was part of God's plan and, in general, its best for each individual to follow the religion they were born into and try to lead the best life possible in that faith as that will in turn lead to that individual's salvation.

However, these are contemporary Zoroastian beliefs. Obviously neither Zoroaster nor the people he converted in ancient Iran thought this way, or his religion would never have become as widespread as it once was, before the plague of Islam.

Zoroastrians, while found worldwide, are a dying religion, primarily due their reluctance to proselytize. Its amazing as there are many positive aspects to this faith which contemporary individuals would find refreshingly appealing.

[elbucko]

The Parsees do not permit conversions and do not allow intermarriage. Some of the Iranian Zoroastrians have accepted converts, but Zoroastrians are not a proselytizing religion.

True. That's why I knew my offer to "convert" was facetious, including my cowboy hat.

They believe that whatever one was born was part of God's plan

I raised this concept in the class and asked what path a person, such as I, with an Irish Catholic father and a Scottish Presbyterian mother, should follow. Nothing definitive came of the discussion except others in the class thought that I must be conflicted. Funny, I don't feel in conflict with the Almighty at all.

. Its amazing as there are many positive aspects to this faith which contemporary individuals would find refreshingly appealing.

Oh, I think so too. As I mentioned before, to "weaken evil" is my excuse to do a good deed (when the lawyers aren't looking).