Priest, in many religions, is the title of certain members of the clergy. A priest primarily performs religious ceremonies and gives religious advice.
Religions that have a priesthood include Buddhism, Hinduism, Shinto, and Taoism. In Christianity, the Anglican, Eastern Orthodox, Mormon, Roman Catholic, and Scandinavian Lutheran denominations use the term priest. Many of these priests serve as pastors of local churches. In ancient times, Judaism had a class of priests, led by a high priest (see High priest ). Today, however, Judaism has no priesthood.
Many religions teach that the priesthood includes special authority to transmit sacred power to others through ceremonies. In Hinduism, for example, only Brahmans (priests and scholars) may perform ceremonies that involve reciting lines from scriptures known as the Vedas. Hinduism teaches that these scriptures have special powers.
Some religions limit the priesthood to certain families or classes. In other religions, dreams or other signs are used to choose priests. Many religions exclude women from the priesthood. In most cases, a person must study to enter the priesthood.
