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Originally Posted by Little Creek77
Those religions are found in cultures who have a ruling class of people. They are the central authority. Often they claim to represent God, thus their rule is the rule of God. That make their rule the ultimate rule (Laws). Religion is all about social order and control.
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In tribal societies like pre-Christian Europe people were free to dismiss the gods and religious practices. The leaders or rulers were sometimes religious leaders in the sense of conducting rituals and being intermediaries between the gods and humans, a focal point. More often than not there were priests and priestesses who filled that role, but they did not make laws or rules. What kept cohesion was common tradition. That was something even the rulers kept to. The rulers and elite did not make laws based on their religions, the population already knew the rules. Moreover, what are the central authorities today in those religions that exert control? I am an Italian-American Hindu living in the US. Who is controlling me vis-à-vis my religion? I am subject to the civil laws of the US, but what religious authority as a Hindu am I subject to?