{"schema":"https://ver.cy/schemas/card/1.0.0","id":"vr.tr.religious-leader","code":"thing-q15995642","url":"https://ver.cy/models/thing/q15995642/","name":"religious leader","alternateNames":["founder of religion","Ebomi","Mugwe","Bishop of Buddhist Churches of America","Konko-Sama","pontifical delegate","maharat","Tuanku","Guardian of the Bahá’í Faith","Guardian of the Orthodox Bahá’ís","religious reformer","branch president"],"kind":"thing","status":"published","version":"0.2.0-wave.3","language":"en","classifiers":{"family":"Thing Registry","category":"Society, people and institutions","entryKind":"thing","plane":"SOC","domain":["SOC.PER"],"industry":[],"navPath":"","tags":[],"facets":{}},"whatItIs":"A person recognised as holding authority within a religion or religious community, whether a founder of a religion, a head of a tradition or church, a clergy member, a monastic superior, a delegate such as a pontifical delegate, or a culturally specific office such as the Ebomi of Candomble, the Mugwe of the Meru people, the Konko-Sama of Konkokyo or the Bishop of the Buddhist Churches of America; religious leaders guide worship, teaching, community and governance, and their roles vary widely across traditions.","purpose":"Let an agent explain religious leadership and its forms, relay roles and titles across traditions from religious studies and official sources with respect and attribution, describe founders and offices, and route to entries for specific traditions and leaders.","scope":{"in":[],"out":[],"boundaries":[]},"distinguishingFeatures":["Recognised authority","Tradition-specific roles","Teaching and ritual functions","Governance roles"],"structure":{"bundles":[{"id":"understand","name":"Understand","description":"What a religious leader is.","layers":[{"id":"definition","name":"Definition","description":"Definition and forms.","findings":[{"id":"definition-finding","name":"Definition","description":"Definition.","questions":[{"text":"What is a religious leader, and what forms from founders and heads of traditions to clergy and delegates exist?","kind":"definition"},{"text":"Is the question about religious leadership in general, a specific tradition or a specific person?","kind":"boundary"}]}]},{"id":"offices","name":"Offices","description":"Specific offices.","findings":[{"id":"offices-finding","name":"Offices","description":"Offices.","questions":[{"text":"What are offices such as the Ebomi, the Mugwe, the Konko-Sama, the pontifical delegate and the Bishop of the Buddhist Churches of America, in their own traditions terms?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which entry fits the specific office?","kind":"action"}]}]}]},{"id":"roles","name":"Roles","description":"Roles and authority.","layers":[{"id":"functions","name":"Functions","description":"Functions.","findings":[{"id":"functions-finding","name":"Functions","description":"Functions.","questions":[{"text":"How do religious leaders teach, lead worship, counsel and govern across traditions?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which references are standard?","kind":"provenance"}]}]},{"id":"authority","name":"Authority","description":"Sources of authority.","findings":[{"id":"authority-finding","name":"Authority","description":"Authority.","questions":[{"text":"How do traditions ground leadership authority in ordination, lineage, charisma or election, as scholars describe?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Is the presentation respectful and attributed?","kind":"boundary"}]}]}]},{"id":"society","name":"Society","description":"Society and accountability.","layers":[{"id":"state","name":"State","description":"State relations.","findings":[{"id":"state-finding","name":"State","description":"State.","questions":[{"text":"How do states recognise, regulate or restrict religious leaders, with positions attributed?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which sources are cited?","kind":"provenance"}]}]},{"id":"accountability","name":"Accountability","description":"Accountability.","findings":[{"id":"accountability-finding","name":"Accountability","description":"Accountability.","questions":[{"text":"What safeguarding and accountability frameworks apply to religious leaders?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which entry fits safeguarding in religious organisations?","kind":"action"}]}]}]},{"id":"context","name":"Context","description":"History and founders.","layers":[{"id":"founders","name":"Founders","description":"Founders.","findings":[{"id":"founders-finding","name":"Founders","description":"Founders.","questions":[{"text":"Who are the founders of major and new religions, as their traditions and historians describe?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which entry fits the specific founder?","kind":"action"}]}]},{"id":"history","name":"History","description":"History.","findings":[{"id":"history-finding","name":"History","description":"History.","questions":[{"text":"How has religious leadership changed with institutionalisation, reform and modernity?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which entry fits the sociology of religion?","kind":"action"}]}]}]}]},"agentConduct":{"may":["Relay the role and title of a religious leader as their own tradition defines it.","Report public statements and appointments from the community's official sources.","Report allegations of abuse of authority with clear attribution and their status."],"mustNot":["Mock or disparage any religious leader or tradition.","Present a disputed claim to leadership of a community as settled.","Impersonate a religious leader or invent statements in their name.","Publish private details of a leader or their followers beyond what is public."],"requiresHuman":["Publishing allegations of misconduct against a named religious leader.","Naming who holds authority in a community where leadership is disputed."]},"ethics":{"considerations":["Religious leaders shape the lives and consciences of many; their words must not be distorted.","Abuse of religious authority has harmed vulnerable people, and safeguarding must not be blocked by deference."],"affectedParties":["Members of religious communities","Religious leaders","Survivors of abuse"]},"owners":{"steward":"The religious community or institution that recognises the leader.","roles":[],"masterSystems":[]},"relations":[{"target":"Q25713832","type":"parent","note":"registry parent class"},{"target":"leader of organization","type":"related","note":"in registry terms"},{"target":"religious community","type":"related","note":"in worship and governance"},{"target":"clergy","type":"related","note":"as ordained leaders"},{"target":"religious studies","type":"related","note":"and sociology of religion"}],"interaction":{"identity":{"applicability":"required","items":["Vercy registry: vr.tr.religious-leader","Wikidata: Q15995642 (https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q15995642)"]},"properties":{"applicability":"not-applicable","items":[]},"recognition":{"applicability":"optional","items":["Authority figure in a religion","Founders, heads of traditions, clergy, monastics, delegates, offices such as Ebomi, Mugwe, Konko-Sama, Bishop of Buddhist Churches of America","A theologian studies religion; a lay leader may lack clerical status; a cult leader is a contested label","Not a visible object; clergy, teachers and heads of communities."]},"capabilities":{"applicability":"required","items":["explain forms of leadership","relay roles and titles","describe founders and offices","route to specific traditions"]},"hazards":{"applicability":"required","items":["Disrespectful presentation of any tradition","Abuse of authority and safeguarding failures, reported with attribution","Presenting contested leadership claims as settled"]},"interfaces":{"applicability":"required","items":["Internal religious law such as canon law and sharia","State recognition and registration of religious leaders in some countries","Safeguarding and accountability policies"]},"context":{"applicability":"required","items":["Guiding religious communities.","founders of religions","heads of churches and traditions such as popes, patriarchs and Dalai Lamas","clergy such as priests, imams, rabbis and pastors","monastic superiors and teachers","delegates and representatives such as pontifical delegates","culturally specific offices such as Ebomi, Mugwe and Konko-Sama","leaders of new religious movements"]}},"sources":[{"title":"Wikidata item Q15995642: religious leader","url":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q15995642","note":"identity and sense of the item"},{"title":"Wikipedia: Religious leader","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religious_leader","note":"general description of the item"}],"openQuestions":["Should clergy and founder of religion be separate primary entries?","How should religious studies sources be linked?","The registry entry has merged aliases naming specific offices; should they be split off?"],"resources":{"spec":"/models/things/publications/thing-q15995642/spec.json"},"provenance":{"origin":"thing registry research (pass 2)","builtFrom":["models/things/publications/thing-q15995642/spec.json"],"providers":["Claude"],"researchStatus":"unreviewed","generatedAt":"2026-09-13T04:13:25Z","builder":"tools/build_cards.py@1.0.0"},"completeness":{"sections":{"classifiers":"filled","whatItIs":"filled","purpose":"filled","distinguishingFeatures":"filled","structure":"filled","agentConduct":"filled","ethics":"filled","owners":"filled","relations":"filled","interaction.identity":"filled","interaction.properties":"not-applicable","interaction.recognition":"filled","interaction.capabilities":"filled","interaction.hazards":"filled","interaction.interfaces":"filled","interaction.context":"filled","sources":"filled"},"notes":{"_gate":"Published through the thing publication gate 1.0 on 2026-10-06T19:51:54+00:00: completeness 1.00; sense: Wikidata description; 2 live sources; review by codex: pass","interaction.properties":"Plane SOC: no invented physical properties."},"score":1.0}}