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Comment by redsummer | Hacker News Reader

"the majority would consider them Z"

That's not what a few google results tell me. It seems, in India the answer is definitely No, while in Iran the answer is Maybe. The Indian No is presumably to stop the religion dissipating, while the Iranian Maybe is a kind of "well, they're ancestors were probably Z anyway." In the West, people would follow the notion that there is a spiritual supermarket, and you just choose which flavour suits you, so it's a Yes there.

I don't prescribe to your Turing idea. People are not black box machines pretending to be humans. Rachel Dolezal was not black on one day and white on another.

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Do not mix "Zorastrian" and "Parsi". "Indian Zorastrian"s is sometimes used by people not "in the know" to describe "Parsi"s. FWIW, sometimes even people "in the know" would use this lose equality while writing an article for people not "in the know".

You cannot convert into being Parsi. The same way you might be able to convert to Judaism, but you can only be born a Jew.

As such there maybe a misconception online about Indian Zorastrians' opinion on converting to become Zorastrian. Additionally, keep in mind regardless of the debate you'll always see the more passionate opinion publicized rather than the more apathetic opinion (i.e. "I don't care either way if they want to convert. Good for them").

I didn't mix Z and Parsi. I didn't even mention Parsi. I just can't find anything online which suggests Indian Zoroastrians accept converts. Just (dispassionate) explanations that they don't. And that's fine with me.

I've no doubt that there are some deracinated Parsis in the West that claim that "nobody minds" in order to make Z fit in with other religions. But that strikes me as almost a form of group suicide. If you feel that way about other groups it would end with their erasure. Why not just concrete over North Sentinel Island and turn it into a startup hub?

Reading this, my sister sent me a message. According to her,

Historically, inviting others to convert, from the wrong perspective, can look like an attempt to steal devouts. As refugees, in both India and Iran, they don't want to "push their luck".

However, the political climate has softened and continues to soften, and Zorastrians as I've said in other posts are very accepting of everything. You do not need to believe me, I only have empirical evidence, no facts or links for you. However, frankly, from a culture perspective, we have to be accepting. We owe our survival to the acceptance others gave us.

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