I. Group Profile

1. Name: The Zarathushtrian Assembly.

2. Founders: Many individuals in California amongst the Zoroastrian community. Most notable among them is one Dr. Ali A. Jafarey. The Association was first founded in Los Angeles, but is currently based in Anaheim.

3. Year Founded: The Zarathushtrian Assembly itself was founded in 1990. However, its ideological roots lie in broader ideas of Zoroastrianism, the "west," and the current age (Writer, 213-218).

4. History: The group was formed as a response to the worldwide decline of Zoroastrianism. In 1983, Joseph Peterson, an American Christian by birth, converted to the Zoroastrian faith. The event "galvanized the North American community" (Writer, 213). In the past, Zoroastrians had rejected the possibility of conversion to their religion. However, faced with the worldwide decline of Zoroastrianism, some North American Zoroastrians believe that conversion is legitimate, possible, and necessary to maintaining the faith. The Zarathushtrian Assembly has its roots in these beliefs. With an eye to the future, it has stated its interest in founding chapters in other major US and European cities; also, the group publishes SPENTA, a newsletter.

5. Sacred or Revered Texts: Although Dr. Jafarey has written and translated a great deal of information about the Zoroastrian religion, their religious texts are the traditional Zoroastrian texts -- the Avesta. Special attention is paid to the Gathas, five hymns written to God by Zarathushtra. Rashna Writer notes that the Gathas are emphasized more because they have a philosophical side; their message is more universal and seems more open to anyone, regardless of ethnicity (Writer, 204-205). In fact, Writer notes that the special emphasis of the Gathas as "'the only source of Zarathushtra's teachings'" is "a deliberate rejection of the corpus of the Zoroastrian religious heritage" (Writer, 215).

6. Cult or Sect:
Negative sentiments are typically implied when the concepts "cult" and "sect" are employed in popular discourse. Since the Religious Movements Homepage seeks to promote religious tolerance and appreciation of the positive benefits of pluralism and religious diversity in human cultures, we encourage the use of alternative concepts that do not carry implicit negative stereotypes. For a more detailed discussion of both scholarly and popular usage of the concepts "cult" and "sect," please visit our Conceptualizing "Cult" and "Sect" page, where you will find additional links to related issues.
7. Size of Group: Although the Assembly has members and supporters in North America, Europe, and India, exact membership is uncertain. A census is planned around the turn of the century. The Zarathushtrian Assembly recently stated that over 400 people attended a recent gathering. Of course, there is no way to tell to what degree each was involved with the group.

II. Beliefs of the Group

The Zarathushtrian Assembly, as a community of Zoroastrians, accepts the main principles of the religion. However, there is no overarching, international Zoroastrian authority, so groups largely function on their own initiative. The area in which the Zarathushtrian Assembly is set apart is that of conversion. Traditionally, Zoroastrians have believed that conversion is only legitimate when it occurred under a prophet such as Zarathushtra. Future generations must then be born into the faith. Not only does the Assembly accept conversion to their faith, it even encourages conversion. However, the Assembly does not believe in the use of force, persuasion, or concessions in seeking conversions.

According to the Assembly, Zoroastrianism is a universal religion (the first universal religion, in fact) and a source of good in the world. The homepage of the Assembly cites the Avesta to the effect that the faith is, in fact, intended for all humanity. (The following link presents supporting arguments.) The members of the Assembly also maintain that there is no scriptural support discouraging conversions. One source cited by Writer notes how Zoroastrianism at its height in the fifth century CE certainly included converts, years after the death of Zarathushtra (Writer, 125). Furthermore, the Assembly points out that anyone has a right to choose Zoroastrianism, and that no one has a right to forbid that decision to anyone.

However, according to Writer, the Zoroastrian Assembly feels that people must be converted in order for the faith to survive. To this effect, Dr. Jafarey has stated that his intention is to convert "only intellectual" Americans (Writer, 214-216). Nonetheless, even those Zoroastrians who accept conversions tend to be wary of open proselytization (Writer, 216). However, Muslims of Iranian background are also encouraged to join, since it seems likely that at one time, their ancestors were Zoroastrians. In fact, since Zoroastrianism involves a way of life beyond just a religion (as many argue), a conversion by someone within the Persian/Iranian culture goes more smoothly than does a conversion from outside that culture. It is worth noting that Dr. Jafarey is himself a Iranian of Muslim background who converted to Zoroastrianism (Writer, 214-215).

Indeed, the Assembly finds more support from Iranian Zoroastrians than Parsis. Writer believes that this is because Iranian Zoroastrians tend to emphasize the philosophical side of their religion, which can be embraced by anyone, while Parsis emphasize a more exclusive view of culture and ethnicity (Writer, 68). The difference is likely due to the differing attitudes of the host cultures in which Iranian and Parsi Zoroastrianism developed after the seventh century. However, even amongst the Parsis in the U.S., attitudes are changing. There is a growing tendency to identify a Zoroastrian by "commitment and participation, and not by inherited identity" (Pangborn, 145).

III. Links

The Zarathushtrian Assembly
Here is the homepage of the Assembly itself, and a major source of information for this website. Learn about the Assembly in their own words. The site includes many key passages from the Avesta.
http://www.zoroastrian.org

Hanjamana Zarathushtri Stockholm
This is a Swedish site. While still under construction, it contains a bit of information. The site apparently represents a more "liberal" viewpoint, because it voices support for the Assembly.
http://home3.swipnet.se/~w-38212/index.html

Conversion to Zoroastrianism
This site is within Hannah Shapero's main Zoroastrian site. Featured here is excellent information on the conversion debate. There tends to be more information explaining why many are against conversion, but Shapero nonetheless seems to support conversion of non-Zoroastrians.
http://www.walker.reston.va.us:8080/hmgs/Z/convertz.html

Avesta - Frequently Asked Questions
In addition to general information, this site has a few details on the question of conversion. The site tends to support the Assembly's ideas of Zoroastrianism as a universal religion.
http://www.avesta.org/zfaq.html

IV. Bibliography

Boyce, Mary. 1979.

Zoroastrians. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul.

Pangborn, Cyrus R. 1983.

Zoroastrianism: A Beleagured Faith. New York: Advent Books.

Writer, Rashna. 1994.

Contemporary Zoroastrians: An Unstructured Nation. Langham, MD: University Press of America.

Created by Brian Wells
For Soc 257: New Religious Movements
Fall Term, 1997
University of Virginia
Last modified: 07/26/01