Judaism. Source authority: selection by Jehovah as CHOSEN PEOPLE.
Claim for that authority: Promises and Prophecy and Legal covenant.
Test of Authenticity: keeping the law.
Failure: failing to perfectly obey the Law.
Messianic Judiasm. Source authority: teachings of Jesus Christ as reported by oral accounts.
Claim for that authority: Miracles, resurrection of Jesus as reported by oral accounts.
Test of Authenticity: promised return of Jesus to eliminate enemies and establish his Kindom.
Failure: Jesus did not return. Rome destroyed Jerusalem. Rise of pagan converts into a Christianity denying the power of Judaism.
Early Church/Catholic central authority. Source authority: Peter made Pope by Jesus. Succession of Popes.
Claim for that authority: Magisterium (Pope and Bishops infallible teachers) "what is bound on earth is bound in heaven."
Test of Authenticity: Righteous earthly governance
Failure: corruption at all levels. Pope and Bishops failures as leaders.
Protestantism. Source authority: Martin Luther's doctrine SOLA SCRIPTURA (the infallibility of the bible in the hands of each christian believer.)
Claim for that authority: the Holy spriit will teach directly the person of faith who reads the inerrant bible.
Test of Authenticity: UNITY of teachings, harmony of the bible
Failure: Christianity fractured into denominations each teaching competing doctrines. Higher Critics point out thousands of bible errors/corruption of text.
Cults. Source authority: God directly choses a charismatic leader and reveals pure religion.
Claim for authority: either inerrancy of their own Holy Book, their personal revelation or their interpretation of the bible.
Test of Authenticity: prophecies and claims must meet with reality. Prophecies must come true.
Failure: False prophesying. Corruption of leadership.
The test of reality seems to cause claims of authority to crash and burn time and time again.
MAYBE CLAIMS OF SPECIAL POWERS should be seen as hubris, lies and self-delusion.
What do YOU think?