Hi! I am a 16 year old girl from Iran (but I live in the UK). I grew up with a athiest farther and agnostic mother, and a result I am athiest and always have been. My mother has always told me how fond she was of Zoroastrianism, however, and recently this has sparked an interest in my mind. I really want to learn more, as I admire the religion and am looking to potentially convert once I learn more. Can someone help me with:

• Finding an accurate English translation of the holy book Zoroastrians use. (My farsi reading capabilities are incredibly weak)
• What Zoroastrians stand for. For examples, Muslims have the pillars of Islam. Is there something similar to this for Zoroastrians? I heard of the phrase "good words, good thoughts, good deeds" from my mum, but can someone confirm that this is a motto of Zoroastrianism?
• Do they believe in God, and if so, what God? What is his story, what does he stand for? I just pray he didn't have sex with a 9 year old like someone I know...
• Do I need to pray? What prayers do I do, are there verses I have to read?
• Are there any restrictions like eating pork or such? I can assume that a main restriction would be having bad words, thoughts or deeds but apart from that are there any?
• Can I convert? I heard in India or something Zoroastrians can't be converts, and i was wondering if I could? I am Iranian, but I just wanted someone to confirm I could.

All of this would be incredibly helpful, thank you! :)

As the title says, I've been looking into religion for years but have never found one that works with me. My SO is religious and has encouraged me to find a higher meaning. Can I be a good fit for this?

I am a Christian who just learned about Zoroastrianism and I want understand it instead of brushing it to the side. From what I gathered from this subreddit, conversion should be allowed for anyone, but there are many who don't allow it. Why is this?

Hi all,

I have been studying Zoroastrianism and I very much want to convert and, in fact, have pursued conversion. Unfortunately, due to where I live the only Zoroastrianism community does not accept converts. I also cannot afford to travel for this purpose as of right now either, so I cannot convert for the time being.

However, the teachings and practices of the faith are already a huge part of my life, identity, and thinking. I find these teachings to be an essential part of my decision making.

I am essentially wondering if I can “be considered” a Zoroastrian without having received formal initiation.

Anything helps! Thank you.

Hi everyone! I’m just starting to read the Yasna as well as learning Avestan and at the beginning of each Ha., I normally spot either “Zōt u rāspī” or “Zōt” (ofc in Avestan script, not transcribed like this) and was wondering what this meant?

Hi all,

Unfortunately, due to where I and in the world, there is only one Zoroastrian community and they do not allow conversion. I have accepted this and have taken to educating myself; however, I have not been able to find any authoritative resources on how to pray. Perhaps I haven’t looked in the right places, but if anyone has information regarding this, I would greatly appreciate you passing it on. Thank you!

Is it true that Zarathustra was a Yezidi pir and wanted to found his own religion? I also heard from a few Yezidis that he wanted to force us to covenant, no hatred is a question 🙏

https://bsky.app/profile/vahidrezaramezani.bsky.social/post/3lbji56lon22c

Hi guys ex Christian here and I just started learning about zoroastrians, is your guys Holy book preserved? I've heard Christians say that it was changed in the 9th century so that zoraster can match up with jesus and muhammed which is why there are so many similarities, is there any proof your holy book is preserved l?

I understand that the Parsees are strictly anti conversion and are heavily cast based. But whenever I speak of Parsees or bring the topic of Parsee Zoroastrianism, I hear words such as "avoid them" and "don't mind them" and seem that the atmosphere tenses up. Other than their belief against conversion, is there anything else about them? Are they welcoming people? What is so different about their culture itself from the remainder of Zoroastrians? I want to learn more about this aspect.

Always meet petulance with gentleness and perverseness with kindness. A gentle hand can lead even en elephant by a hair. Reply to thine enemy with gentleness.

Zoroaster

I get the impression that most Zoroastrians are not circumcised. But does Zoroastrianism say anything about circumcision? Furthermore, do you view it as bad, like mutilation, or good/hygienic?

The title.

Iran is the birthplace of the religion and I believe there will be great reception to it. It's just that most Iranians do not know much about Zoroastrianism aside from the "good words, good thoughts, good deeds" and wearing the faravahar.

(Frustrated rant) Can someone explain what the Parsi Panchayat actually does for us? Why is it so difficult for young Parsis to get a place in a baug? I’ve even heard of cases where people have had to pay bribes under the table. Isn't our community supposed to be about honesty and integrity? And why on earth does the Panchayat take 60% of the house value upon sale? We’re a wealthy community, yet some of us are stuck living with our parents because we can't get our own space. Does anyone have any real answers.

Hello,

I recently met a mobed who I briefly discussed with good and evil, and whether he believed evil, death, decay, and the other negative forces of Ahriman were of an inherently seperate substance than God. He asserted, to my surprise, that everything is a creation of Ahura Mazda, in totality.

I'm aware that in many centuries past there were versions of this conception that were popular forms of Zoroastrianism in Iran, but I was curious if this is also how some communities think of the world today. And if so, which communities?

It seems like a strikingly different notion of the universe than the traditionally dualist understanding of reality.

I'm also curious where the members of this sub are from. Is this a largely Indian (Parsi, Gujurati, or Mumbai based) community?

Hello everyone. I am recently separated (husband and me both are parsis), living in India. I doubt I'll ever have any second marriage (big time trust issues on my behalf) so was planning to go for an IVF pregnancy. The question I wanna ask is:

1. If I do have kids through IVF without knowing who the donor is, will my kids still be considered parsis?

I am strong and pretty adamant in raising my kids in this religion only. So insights will be helpful. Sorry if it's TMI for some of you'll!

Can anybody confirm the validity of this article

https://www.newageislam.com/interfaith-dialogue/siraj-islam-new-age-islam/zoroastrian-influence-traditional-islam/d/127885

I heard that there are similarities between the lote tree in islam (Sidrat al-Muntaha, which is mentioned in the quran) and the humaya in zororastrianism , can anybody source and verify this?

I had also seen a similar argument about the chinvat bridge in zororastrianism and the pathway bridge in islam , although if I recall correctly this bridge in islam is only mentioned in hadiths( of whose authenticity i cannot confirm, i would like to know wether they are mutawatir or not)

Is it not probable that many other similarities with zororastrianism ( like the prayers etc) are also due to Islam's influence of zororastrianism rather than the other way around, as there has been a significant post islamic influence on this culture. The oldest manuscript of the avesta is before islam but I'm not sure if this is a complete manuscript or if it actually contains all the above mentioned traditions that are similar to islam

I'm very knew to religions but a vey knowledgeable Hindu friend told me that Zoroastra did worship mahashura and that even the Christian God is an adaptated version of Mahashura.

I'm doing a school project on zoroastrianism. Is there any fun facts about zoroastrianism or special holidays or anything notable I should include? Any help is appreciated

Hello

I hope this message finds you well. My name is amy, and I am currently working on an academic assignment exploring various religious traditions, including Zoroastrianism. I would be incredibly grateful if any of you would be open to a brief interview to share your insights and experiences as a follower of Zoroastrianism. it would be short and meaningful.

I’m interested in learning more about the beliefs, practices, and significance of the faith from a personal perspective. If you’re available, I would be happy to accommodate your schedule to ensure the conversation is convenient for you. Please let me know if there’s a time that might work, or if there’s any way I can provide further context.

Warm regards, amy

If there are any.

Hi everyone,

I’m reaching out because I feel a strong pull to reconnect with my Zoroastrian heritage, which has been mostly forgotten in my family for generations. I’m a fourth-generation descendant of a Parsi woman who married a non-Parsi, and since then, none of her children—or any descendants since—have followed or practiced Zoroastrianism. It’s likely that this drift happened because, traditionally, children of Parsi women who married outside the community weren’t recognized as Parsi.

Unfortunately, none of my family members are interested in exploring this side of our heritage, so I’m doing this on my own. I live in Canada now, and I’ve read that Parsis in India tend to be quite strict about traditions and membership in the community. But I’m curious—would it be possible for me to reconnect with this heritage and learn more about Zoroastrianism?

If anyone has advice on resources, online communities, or personal experiences—especially from others who have sought connection to Zoroastrianism despite a non-traditional background—I’d really appreciate it. I’m hoping there’s a place for people like me who want to respectfully learn and honor our roots, even if we haven’t been raised in the faith. I’m aware of FEZANA and their amazing work, but most of their events are centered around Toronto, which makes it tough for me to participate due to time and travel constraints.

Thank you so much in advance for any insights!

Warm regards,
A hopeful descendant

Hello fellow redditors!!

This post will be much more different from the ones that you usually see on this sub so I hope i'm not bothering anybody 🫶🏻

Long story short, my teacher asked us to make a document where we examine Zoroastrianism in depth, and since finding informations online can sometimes be tricky, I thought that I could ask Zoroastrianists about it!

Because of this, I'm asking you guys if you can help me out with this.

I mainly need as much general information as possible but still I must not be superficial: if possible, even some parts of sacred texts that explain precepts of your religion would work really well!!

Sorry to everybody in case I use words that may be offensive in any way, it's just that it's my first time knowing about Zoroastrianism and I'm not used to communicate with people in this context

Thank you in advance for reading this post and (maybe) helping me out, I appreciate it a lot 🫶🏻

Its been ages i have seen any bava log always impressed by them. their personality life style is so cool. i wish can find some and befriend. if you are parsi and belongs to karachi HMU

When you Mindfully Proselytise the point is you do what you can to help encourage more people to be interested in studying the religion, in which they might make the choice to possibly convert or not. Somebody mentioned the Sassanid dynasties had missions and it is not the same as forcibly persuading them, simply encouraging interest to study it.

It is not the same as Evangelical Protestant Christians who mindlessly preach on the streets to random people who they know may not listen or unsolicitedly enter people's boundaries.

When you know any people who are interested they should be correctly educated in the religion or directed to a resource, group or place where they can get correct education and instruction in the religion.

You could start Zoroastrian interest and study groups, put information or pamphlets to a resource where people interested can get instructed on the religion on public billboards maybe and things like that. Bring up facts about the religion that might get people interested in studying it within appropriate casual discussions about faith or spirituality you have with others. These are not the only ways but some ideas.

Key thing to Mindful Proselytisation is respecting people's boundaries and not being unsolicited. If they say they are interested then educate them or direct them to somewhere they can be properly taught. Thoughts?

Edit: Well, somebody said increased visibility doesn't necessarily mean proselytisation. So perhaps did Vishtaspa's missionaries just go out and show themselves on doing things for communities?

I was raised Catholic, but at this point, I just do not believe in the existence of any kind of omnipotent higher being. It makes no sense to me that an omnipotent, benevolent God would not correct the sinful nature of man. Sure, humans are naturally sinful, but human nature isn't our fault, right, as it's innate?

Also, what are your thoughts on reported Catholic miracles? I'm not religious anymore, but I personally believe that it's evidence of something supernatural, just not of any particular religion though.

I'm not trying to start a debate or argument here. I'm just open to hearing what Zoroastrianism teaches. That's all. Thank you.

Do you guys believe in Prophets apart from Zoaraster ?Like Prophet Muhammad,Isa,Abraham,Adam,Nuh (Peace be upon all of them) since Idk about Zoarastrian belives on them but saw a Persian Zoarastrian family respecting Twelver Shia Imams Do Zoarastrians worship Yazatas apart from Mazda like Sraosha or other figures who are Amesha Spenta Vohu Manah . And what is a Fravashi ?

If someone adheres to Mazdakism, Zurvanism, or a Polytheism that includes Ahura Mazda, I assume that individual would be in heresy according to mainstream Mazdayans?

if so, what would the soul of that person's status be? Would he be destined to fall off the Chinvat bridge and enter the House of Lies for 1000 years? Would he end up in the paradisal state with Ahura Mazda since the heresy isn't that serious?

Or is the difference considered semantic, like how Shia/Sunni Muslims or Catholic/Orthodox/Protestant Christians except each other's faith as legitimate despite the divergences?

- What would be considered heretical enough that most couldn't call you a Zoroastrian? And what would be radically different from the norm but not outside the bounds of the faith?

Netflix Series: Ancient Apocalypse S1:E7 “A Fatal Winter”.

The episode starts with the discovery of Derinkuyu (underground cities network, approx 20K pop capacity) in modern day Turkey. The host is on a journey to discover ancient human technology (what this series is based on).

Around 21:40 timestamp, the host brings up a possible link to Zoroastrian. The host mentions that Zoroaster said that the first king, Yima, while at a river one day saw Ahura Mazda in the sky who warned him of a fatal winter and told him to build “Vara” (underground city) and bring the best people, best (pair) of animals, and an inexhaustible amount of seeds.

I would love to know if anyone has any idea where this was stated (what texts) and or any more information about the topic!