Christian sources of authority are primarily the Bible. Some Christian churches have leaders who receive revelations from God giving them authority like the Catholic Pope or the Mormon Prophet.
The Enlightenment and the Great Awakening prompted Americans to challenge traditional sources of authority. These movements showed citizens the how to reason and think for themselves, instead of just following authority. They felt that people should follow the way of Jesus instead of blindly following the current leaders in authority.
Traditional authority,legal authority,and autocratic authority.
this is the exercise of authority by the governing authority
The English honorific used to refer to traditional leaders is "Chief."
formal theory of authority
Athenian leaders disliked Socrates because he challenged traditional beliefs, questioned authority, and influenced the youth to think critically. They viewed him as a threat to the established order and accused him of corrupting the youth and promoting impiety.
Traditional authority is based on longstanding custom and beliefs, with power passed down through generations. Rational-legal authority, on the other hand, is based on established laws and rules, with power derived from one's position in a hierarchical structure. Traditional authority is often seen in traditional societies, while rational-legal authority is characteristic of modern bureaucratic systems.
There is no blanket answer, however most dictatorships do not exercise limited authority over people.
The Religous leaders or the Ayatollahs.
Max Weber's theory of power emphasizes the role of authority and legitimacy in the exercise of power. He argued that power can be maintained through a combination of traditional, charismatic, and rational-legal authority. Weber also highlighted the importance of bureaucracy as a dominant form of organization in modern societies for the exercise of power.
Some forms of Buddhism, such as Theravada Buddhism, do not have a central governing authority or hierarchy of leaders. Instead, authority is often decentralized and can vary from community to community.