“Priestly progress”

Our priests have had their day pulling a fast one on a reverent laity, making a virtue of the incomprehensibility and complexity of a series of rituals, the monopoly to which was their trump card ("Priestly progress,” Editorial Viewpoint, Parsiana, August 7, 2009). Very few among them were true scholars who could inspire an intelligent and educated parish. The continuance of this incongruity is the downfall of our mobed class and the increasing irrelevance of our madressas.

A decline of religiosity may indeed augur well for our religion, provided a new class of erudite and enlightened spiritual leadership is allowed to emerge from this imbroglio, and the traditional mobed either transforms himself and rises to the occasion, or is replaced by a new brand of inspiring scholars.

PHIROZE B. JAVERI

phiroze.javeri@gmail.com