This edition of Clerical Error is part one of a discussion about religious authority. Most members of the clergy have some sort of authority over believers, and most religions have some form of hierarchal structure. Game source material generally assumes that if you have a superior, you do what they tell you and if you are a cleric, people do what you say. They usually don't talk about the why of religious authority. Instead, religious authorities are there to act as a GM mouthpiece of exposition or plot advancement. Very rarely is a coherent theology of authority presented, other than, "Of course you do what your not-bishop says. He's, like, 10 levels higher then you!"

The why of a PC's religious obedience is important, because it gives the why of a PC's own authority. What does it mean for your cleric to be a cleric? What authority, what power do they have among the faithful?

I am going to divide types of religious authorities into two general categories: Priests and Ministers. (This is, of course, a terrible oversimplification, but it works for basic religious discussion).

Priests

Priests have the unique authority to perform rituals. Any religion that focuses on the power of rituals to give proper order and meaning to life will have some sort of priestly class. In a ritual, a priest acts as bridge between gods and humans (or elves, or dwarves, or whatever). The priest stands before the gods as a representative of the people and offers them worship. The priest then stands before the people as a representative of the gods in order to pass on the gods' will and teaching. The individual charisma of a priest is going to be a secondary consideration for the ability to perform their office. A charismatic priest will more popular then an uncharismatic priest. However, it is the priestly authority to perform ritual that empowers them, not personal charisma.

If a priest character is performing a ritual, some sort of "knowledge: religion"-esque roll will determine whether they perform it successfully or not. A charisma roll will then determine how spiritually powerful the ritual was, and how popular the cleric will be among the worshippers.

The ritual authority of a priest can come from several possible sources. If the priestly order is open to any social class, there will probably be some sort of ceremony that endows them with the power to stand between gods and humans. The most common example of this would be Roman Catholic priests. The power and authority of the priesthood is provided by ritual, their ordination by a bishop.

Another common cultural phenomenon is hereditary priesthood. In this case, the power and authority come from the priest's ancestry. Usually, it is because they are descended from someone given the power of the priesthood by the gods.

If your character is part of a priestly hierarchy, then their position in the hierarchy is connected to their priestly power and authority. If they become disconnected from that hierarchy, then in the eyes of the people they would lose the power to stand between the gods and earth and to perform those rituals necessary to connect the two.

They could be rejected for public disagreement with the hierarchy, or because they have done something seen as corrupting, something that profaned their connection to the gods. This could be an ethical act--murder, assault, etc. It could also be a ritual act--worshipping another god/pantheon, using ritual objects for a profane purpose, or otherwise tainting themselves.

To continue our example, medieval Catholic priests and bishops would sometimes go to war. However, they were banned from using edged weapons, so that no blood spilled on their hands. It was their hands, after all, that were blessed and given the power to perform Catholic sacraments, and any blood spilled on them would profane them. This is, I believe, the historic source of the old D&D "no edged weapons for clerics" rule. In your campaign, the multiple possibilities of losing the priesthood should be something both GMs and players consider.

If a character has any kind of divine magic derived from priestly status, then a GM could also consider connecting their magical ability to their position in the hierarchy. It all depends on what the GM wants to do with the truth of religious beliefs in their world.

If the player's priesthood is the source of their ability to work miracles, then disconnection from the hierarchy of that priesthood should diminish that power. If their power comes from a different source, then the realization that their power and their priesthood are not connected could trigger a serious re-examination of faith. After all, if your priestly authority is revoked and your power to perform miracles remains, what does that mean? Was the priesthood a lie, all along? Is your authority greater then that of the hierarchy? Are you a new prophet, a new teacher of your god?

Ultimately, priests do what ordinary believers cannot do. In a religion that believes in the power of ritual, they are an essential part of religious life. This makes them a respected moral and religious authority. If you are playing a character who is a priest in any setting, you should be prepared to have that authority and power. Any time you encounter followers of your gods, especially in a more isolated area, you will be asked to perform rituals. The PC's role as priest makes them a necessary part of religious life. This will also give the PC a moral authority to instruct the worshippers in proper living. Expect requests for moral guidance as well.

In D&D or in any setting in which clergy members have divine magic, priesthood is the presumable default for the clergy of that world. However, if you want to play in a world where the existence of the gods and power of the clergy is not so self-evident, there is another type of religious authority, ministers. I will talk about the next column.

Questions? Comments?