Priests and Prophets

Outside Reading #1
"Religious Specialists" Victor W. Turner

One of the ideas that turner considers here is the difference between priests and prophets. First, priests are associated with the function of organized and permanent structures concerning Gods. They interpret and apply predesignated ideas. They maintain the permanency of tradition and represent the tradition in time and space. His/her service is sacred and a tradition

The prophet on the other hand is differentiated from the priest due to a "personal call." The attributes of the prophet are derived from divine association, he receives revelation and is responsible for spreading them with a certain acquired charisma (charisma not meaning exciteableness but with fervency and importance that inspires and alters the masses).

This distinction is important when you think about the difference between religion as a force of social change and as a maintainer of social stability