news of zoroastrianism

 A Religion in Decline(video) http://www.nytimes.com/packages/khtml/2006/09/02/us/20060906_ZOROASTRIAN_FEATURE.html

Zoroastrians Keep the Faith, and Keep Dwindling

Kersey H. Antia is a psychologist who specializes in panic disorders. In his private life, Mr. Antia dons a long white robe, slips a veil over his face and goes to work as a Zoroastrian priest, performing rituals passed down through a patrilineal chain of priests stretching back to ancient Persia.He realized that there is a palpable panic among Zoroastrians today, not only in the United States, but also around the world,that they are fighting the extinction of their faith, a monotheistic religion that most scholars say is at least 3,000 years old.The Zoroastrians’ mobility and adaptability has contributed to their demographic crisis. They assimilate and intermarry, virtually disappearing into their adopted cultures. And since the faith encourages opportunities for women, many Zoroastrian women are working professionals who, like many other professional women, have few children or none.Despite their shrinking numbers, Zoroastrians, who follow the Prophet Zarathustra,are divided over whether to accept intermarried families and converts and what defines a Zoroastrian. An effort to create a global organizing body fell apart two years ago after some priests accused the organizers of embracing “fake converts” and diluting traditions.