民间教门与秘密会党权力系统之比较

尽管民间教门与秘密会党内部都是实行“家长制统治”,但就权力系统而言,两者存在如下区别:第一,在权力的来源上,民间教门的创教者及其教首主要依靠自我神化的方式来获取对信徒的控制,而秘密会党中“大哥”地位的取得主要依靠自身的实力与威望;第二,在权力的运行方面,如果说民间教门的教首相当于封建家长制统治中的家长的话,那么,秘密会党的会首则只相当于封建家长制统治中的兄长。因此民间教门的教首可以随心所欲地控制其组织的运行,而秘密会党中的会首只是拥有维持组织正常运行的权力;第三,在权与利的关系上,民间教门中教职的高低与现实利益的大小呈现出对等的关系,而秘密会党中的职衔绝对不是获取个人利益的资本;第四,通过血缘关系世袭教权是民间教门中权力继承的基本方式,而秘密会党中鲜有父死子继的情况出现。

Comparison of the Power System between the Folk Sects and the Secret Societies

Although both the folk sects and the secret societies put paternalism into practice, as for the power ideology, there are virtual differences between them: First, as the origin of the power, the leaders of the folk sects get the power by defying themselves, but the secret societies get it mainly by strength. Second, the leaders of the folk sects dominate their organization in the course of the work, but the leaders of the secret societies only keep the order. Third, the power related with the interests in the folk sects, but that happens seldom in the secret societies. Fourth, the style of the inheritance of the power is familism, which is not presented in the secret societies.