Across families
Twelver Shia Islam and Zoroastrianism
Different families with 11 axes in close agreement — the sort of pairing a quiz weighting only the divine axes would never surface. Mean distance across all seventeen axes: 0.13 (0 would be identical).
Shares Sunni tawhid and adds a line of divinely appointed Imams, a living scholarly authority one formally follows, and a devotional life built around lament and intercession. Authority sits markedly more centrally than in Sunni practice.
A wholly good creator, a real opposing principle, and a cosmos that will be made whole at the end — with human beings as free participants who decide the outcome by what they think, say and do. Matter is good, asceticism is rejected, and the elements are kept ritually pure.
Where they agree
A1 Divine reality
Both sit at a divine reality certainly exists — a gap of 0.00.
C1 Survival of the self
Both sit at continues in some form — a gap of 0.00.
C2 Shape of time
Both sit at one life, then judgment — a gap of 0.03.
E2 Origin of the cosmos
Both sit at an intentional act — a gap of 0.03.
A2 Personhood
Both sit at a personal being one can address — a gap of 0.04.
B1 Source of truth
Both sit at leaning revealed and fixed — a gap of 0.05.
D2 Centrality of ritual
Both sit at essential and prescribed — a gap of 0.05.
C3 The human condition
Both sit at between fallen and in need of rescue and ignorant but fundamentally sound — a gap of 0.07.
A4 Locus
Both sit at leaning wholly beyond the world and between wholly beyond the world and fully present within it respectively — a gap of 0.10.
B3 Institutional authority
Both sit at clergy and tradition decide and leaning clergy and tradition decide respectively — a gap of 0.10.
B2 Reading of sacred text
Both sit at leaning literal and binding — a gap of 0.12.
Where they part company
E4 Standing of nature
Twelver Shia Islam: between creation, given for use and animate and itself sacred. Zoroastrianism: leaning animate and itself sacred. A gap of 0.42 on an axis running from “creation, given for use” to “animate and itself sacred”.
All seventeen axes
| Axis | Twelver Shia Islam | Zoroastrianism | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| A1 Divine reality | a divine reality certainly exists | a divine reality certainly exists | 0.00 |
| A2 Personhood | a personal being one can address | a personal being one can address | 0.04 |
| A3 Plurality | strictly one | leaning strictly one | 0.13 |
| A4 Locus | leaning wholly beyond the world | between wholly beyond the world and fully present within it | 0.10 |
| B1 Source of truth | leaning revealed and fixed | leaning revealed and fixed | 0.05 |
| B2 Reading of sacred text | leaning literal and binding | leaning literal and binding | 0.12 |
| B3 Institutional authority | clergy and tradition decide | leaning clergy and tradition decide | 0.10 |
| C1 Survival of the self | continues in some form | continues in some form | 0.00 |
| C2 Shape of time | one life, then judgment | one life, then judgment | 0.03 |
| C3 The human condition | between fallen and in need of rescue and ignorant but fundamentally sound | between fallen and in need of rescue and ignorant but fundamentally sound | 0.07 |
| D1 Mechanism of the ultimate good | between given as grace and achieved by effort or insight | leaning achieved by effort or insight | 0.34 |
| D2 Centrality of ritual | essential and prescribed | essential and prescribed | 0.05 |
| D3 The body | leaning to be disciplined | between to be disciplined and to be celebrated | 0.32 |
| E1 Exclusivity | one true path | leaning one true path | 0.17 |
| E2 Origin of the cosmos | an intentional act | an intentional act | 0.03 |
| E3 Locus of belonging | leaning a people, inherited | a people, inherited | 0.22 |
| E4 Standing of nature | between creation, given for use and animate and itself sacred | leaning animate and itself sacred | 0.42 |
Positions for Twelver Shia Islam rest principally on Nahj al-Balagha, al-Kafi, and Twelver usul al-din; for Zoroastrianism, on Avesta, the Gathas, and the Denkard. Per-cell sources are listed on each tradition’s own page.
The questionnaire places your answers on these same axes and ranks all 65 traditions by how closely they match. Take it.