Priest

==Eastern religions==
[[File:Puja, a ritual prayer ceremony India.jpg|thumb|A Hindu ''[[pujari]]'' performing the ''puja'' rituals in [[Varanasi]], [[India]].]]

===Hinduism===
{{Main|Hindu priest}}

A [[Hindu]] priest traditionally comes from the [[Brahmin]] community.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Herman |first=A. L. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Z0haDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA52 |title=A Brief Introduction To Hinduism: Religion, Philosophy, And Ways Of Liberation |date=2018-05-04 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-0-429-98238-5 |pages=52 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Parsons |first=Gerald |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vM--pQp5qBUC&pg=PA197 |title=The Growth of Religious Diversity: Traditions |date=1993 |publisher=Psychology Press |isbn=978-0-415-08326-3 |pages=197 |language=en}}</ref> Priests are ordained and trained as well. There are two types of Hindu priests, ''[[pujari]]s'' (''[[swami]]s'', ''[[yogi]]s'', and ''[[guru]]s'') and ''[[purohit|purohita]]s'' (''[[pandit|pandits]]''). A ''pujari'' performs rituals in a temple. These rituals include bathing the ''[[murti]]''s (the statues of the gods/goddesses), performing ''[[Puja (Hinduism)|puja]]'', a ritualistic offering of various items to the gods, the waving of a ''[[ghee]]'' or oil lamp also called an offering in light, known in Hinduism as ''[[aarti]]'', before the ''murtis''. ''Pujaris'' are often married.

A ''purohita'', on the other hand, performs rituals and [[saṃskāra]]s (sacraments), [[yajna]]s (sacrifices) outside of the temple. There are special ''purohitas'' who perform only funeral rites.

In many cases, a ''purohita'' also functions as a ''pujari''. 

While only men have traditionally been  ordained as priests in the past, recent developments such as feminism in India have led to the opening of training schools for women to become priests.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Klostermaier |first=Klaus K. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8CVviRghVtIC&pg=PA324 |title=A Survey of Hinduism: Third Edition |date=2010-03-10 |publisher=State University of New York Press |isbn=978-0-7914-8011-3 |pages=324 |language=en}}</ref>  

===Zoroastrianism===
{{Main|Mobad}}

A Zoroastrian priest are called a Mobad and they officiate the ''[[Yasna]]'', pouring libations into the sacred fire to the accompaniment of ritual chants. The Mobad also prepare drinks for the ''[[haoma]]'' ritual.<ref>{{cite book |last=Boyce |first=Mary |title=Zoroastrians, their religious beliefs and practices |publisher=[[Routledge]]|year=2001 |isbn=0415239028 |location=London |orig-year=1979}}</ref>

In Indian [[Zoroastrianism]], the priesthood is reserved for men and is a mostly hereditary position,<ref>{{citation |last=Nigosian |first=Solomon Alexander |title=The Zoroastrian Faith: Tradition and Modern Research |page=[https://books.google.com/books?id=Uspf6eDDvjAC&pg=PA104 104] |year=1993 |place=Montreal, Quebec |publisher=[[McGill-Queen's University Press]] |isbn=077351144X |oclc=243566889}}</ref> but women have been ordained in Iran and North America as a mobedyar, meaning an assistant mobed.<ref>{{citation |last=Wadia |first=Arzan Sam |title=The Jury Is Still Out On Women as Parsi Priests |date=March 9, 2011 |work=parsikhabar.net |publisher=Parsi Khabar |url=http://parsikhabar.net/religion/the-jury-is-still-out-on-women-as-parsi-priests/2968/}}</ref><ref>{{citation |last=Khosraviani |first=Mahshad |title=Sedreh Pooshi by Female Mobedyar in Toronto-Canada |date=June 19, 2013 |work=parsinews.net |publisher=Parsi News |url=http://www.parsinews.net/sedreh-pooshi-by-female-mobedyar-in-toronto-canada/3922.html?fb_source=pubv1 |access-date=October 10, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141009105723/http://www.parsinews.net/sedreh-pooshi-by-female-mobedyar-in-toronto-canada/3922.html?fb_source=pubv1 |archive-date=October 9, 2014}}</ref>

===Taoism===
[[File:Soothsayer-outside-of-Changchun-Temple-0352.jpg|thumb|A fortune-telling [[Taoist priest]] with a customer outside of Changchun Temple, [[Wuhan]]]]
The [[Taoist priest]]s (道士 "master of the [[Taoism|Dao]]" p.&nbsp;488) act as interpreters of the principles of Yin-Yang [[Wuxing (Chinese philosophy)|5 elements]] (fire, water, soil, wood, and metal p.&nbsp;53) school of ancient Chinese philosophy, as they relate to marriage, death, festival cycles, and so on. The Taoist priest seeks to share the benefits of meditation with his or her community through public ritual and liturgy (p.&nbsp;326). In the ancient priesthood before the Tang, the priest was called ''Jijiu'' ("libationer" p.&nbsp;550), with both male and female practitioners selected by merit. The system gradually changed into a male only hereditary Taoist priesthood until more recent times (p.&nbsp;550,551).<ref>Pregadio, Fabrizio (2008) ''The Encyclopedia of Taoism, Volume 1'' Psychology Press {{ISBN|0700712003}}
*at Google books: [https://books.google.com/books?id=MioRmEq2xHUC&q=Taoist+priest+Daoshi&pg=PA489 pp. 488–90] • [https://books.google.com/books?id=MioRmEq2xHUC&q=fire+water+wood+metal&pg=PA53 pp. 53–54] • [https://books.google.com/books?id=MioRmEq2xHUC&q=Taoist+priest+Daoshi&pg=PA326 pp. 326–29] • [https://books.google.com/books?id=MioRmEq2xHUC&q=Taoist+priest+Daoshi&pg=PA550 pp. 550–51]</ref>