Religious Authority

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Religious Authority

• The collective and public nature of religion

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Questions

• How does a religious institution ensure that its
  message is retained in the same vital way its
  founder intended?
• How can we determine the true sources of
  authority of a tradition?

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1. Founders

• Characteristics
• Figurehead
• Example
• Inspiration
• Gods messenger/representative
• Especially enlightened
• The person through whom God acts
• Myths attached
• Lineage

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Examples

• Abraham
• 1st covenant with God
• Perfect Jew who kept the law even before it was
  revealed to Moses 800 years later.
• Jesus
• 1st century rabbi
• Perceived role as saviour of humanity
• God incarnate
• Taught forgiveness, justice and peace
• God acts in history through Jesus life

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• Muhammad
• - 6th century Arabian penninsula
• - vision from Angel Jibrail led away from
  corruption and polytheism
• - message of unity and brotherhood
• - revelations in the Quran the uncorrupted word
  of Allah

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2. Scriptures

• Sacred texts inspired and authoritative
• Official collection a Canon
• Part of older oral tradition
• Establishment of canon long and controversial
  e.g. R.C. v protestant
• Questions of inerrancy or infalliability
• Gods way to communicate with humanity.

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3. Leaders

• Teachings and rituals determined by official
  leadership.
• Christianity the Priesthood
• Sacrificial and sacramental roles
• Bishops, priests and deacons
• The Pope first among equals
• A pastoral and teaching role.

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4. Tradition

• The handing down of beliefs and rituals and the
  reflection on them
• Applying the wisdom of the past to dilemmas of
  today
• Stability and continuity v reform and renewal

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Tradition in Christianity

• Irenaeus and the problem of Gnosticism
• 1546 The Council of Trent tradition v scripture
• Karl Barth (1886-1968)

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Tradition in Islam

• Tradition is crucial
• Quran
• Sunnah
• Hadith
• Shariah

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5. Experience

• Experience is the way we learn about reality
• We tend to trust the experience and testimony of
  others (e.g. Africa)
• Does the same apply to God and religion?
• Do you need to experience God to believe in God?
• What is experience is at odds with other types of
  authority?

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• Saint Paul experience which overruled Jewish
  authority and tradition.
• Danger of delusion, deception and instability
  opposite of tradition.
• The sceptics
• Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679)
• William James

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6. Revelation

• Religion depends on the idea that God has chosen
  to reveal himself for the benefit and instruction
  of humanity.
• Martin Luther God only known partially, but
  enough for salvation.
• God fully revealed no point to religious quest

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• Natural revelation deducing the nature of God
  from nature
• Developed in Judaism and the Christianity
• Covenant
• Prophets
• The Torah
• Jesus Christ

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7. Reason

• J.S.Mill
• Richard Hooker
• John Polkinghorne