Discussion Post: Religious Authority
To prepare for this Discussion:
A. Choose two religious traditions to compare. Be sure one of the traditions is the tradition you selected to focus on in your Final Project.
B. Consider these questions:
a. Who is in charge?
b. Who is allowed a say in religious actions?
c. Are the religions deeply centralized? Loosely hierarchical?
d. How does a culture evolve and change if religious institutions govern the values and practices of the culture?
Post a paragraph of your evaluation of religious authority and power in the two religions you chose. In a second paragraph, discuss the idea that if a higher power confers authority and shapes the religious institution, how does this influence the culture that practices the religion? Can people change values in the culture if the religion originally sets the precedence?
Reference
• Kurtz, L. R. (2016). Gods in the global village: The world's religions in sociological perspective (4th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
o Chapter 1, "Religious Life in the Global Village""Religious Rituals" (pp. 30-42)
o Chapter 2, "A Sociological Tour: Turning East""Hindu Rituals" (pp. 62-67)
"Buddhist Rituals" (pp. 74-75)
o Chapter 3, "The Tour: Western Religions-Judaism, Christianity, and Islam""Jewish Ritual" (pp. 99-101)
"Christian Rituals" (pp. 106-108)
o Chapter 4, "Indigenous Religions""Indigenous Rituals" (pp. 141-150)