Priests and religion

At present the ratio of the priestly class to the behdins in the community is 1:6. There are many priests whose children do not want to take to the priesthood for economic reasons.

Parsi trusts can modify their trust deeds by re-codifying their trusts’ objectives (with the help of courts and the Charity Commissioners) and set aside two percent of their income for the economic welfare of priests.

Unless their calling is made more attractive, we are in danger of losing the next generation of priests. Adding fuel to the fire is the refusal to perform the navar ceremony of the son of a mobed who is married to a non-Parsi.

Desperate diseases demand desperate remedies. If a behdin wishes to become a priest, ordain him. Let us do away with this centuries old barrier of only the sons of athornans taking to the priesthood. Also, we must remove the barrier of disqualifying the great-grandson of a priest from becoming a priest if the son and the grandson were not navars.

Is the Athornan Mandal going to take the lead in these reforms? I have my doubts.

B. T. DASTUR