What are the responsibilities and privileges of religious officeholders in each community?

Religious authority is represented in communities is an assortment of ways, but particularly in the form of specially designated persons. These religious professionals exercise authority in the community by virtue of their status as religious officeholders. What are some of the religious offices in each tradition? Who gets to be officeholders…and who doesnt? What are the responsibilities and privileges of religious officeholders in each community? To what extent might persons who do not hold office exercise authority in the community? Can the authority of a person who does not hold religious office ever supplement that of an officially recognized authority? If so, how?

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