Editing Bajoran (section)

===Hierarchy===

The hierarchy of the Bajoran faith has never been explained in great detail, though a certain amount is known:

Titles in the Bajoran religion include a "Prylar" (roughly equivalent to a [[Christians|Christian]] [[monk]]), "Ranjen" (a rank falling between Prylars and the next rank, and responsible for a variety of tasks), "Mylar" (priest or minister, mentioned in "[[Ties of Blood and Water (DS9 episode)|Ties of Blood and Water]]"), "Vedek" (cardinal, bishop) and "[[Bajoran#Kai|Kai]]" (equivalent to the pope in [[Catholic]] theology or [[Patriarch]] in the [[Eastern Orthodox]] theology). All these ranks are open both to men and to women, and clerics are free to marry and have children.

Vedeks, the second highest level, also make up the Vedek Assembly, the committee which is responsible for the spiritual issues of the Bajoran people. A new Kai is elected by the Vedek Assembly (loosely analogous to how the [[College of Cardinals]] elects a new pope) from among those in the Assembly.

The Kai is the spiritual leader. She or he has a great deal of influence on the Bajoran government despite having no official power. After Kai Opaka departed in 2369, the election of a new Kai from the members of the Vedek Assembly led to the election of Kai Winn, who remained Kai until her demise in 2375.

The central figure in the Bajoran faith is known as "the Emissary", a being believed to be sent by the Prophets to aid Bajor. Benjamin Sisko, a human Starfleet officer, filled this role when he made first contact with the beings believed by the Bajorans to be the Prophets, and the enigmatic beings spoke to him on several other occasions, either to deliver a message or fulfill a task. Although his role was never entirely clear (and Sisko himself was visibly uncomfortable with it for the first few years), the Bajorans respected and admired Sisko as their Emissary, and he carried Bajor through several hardships. In this respect, the Emissary nominally holds even more religious and secular power than the Kai or the First Minister. For example, even the politically ambitious Kai Winn sought religious guidance from the Emissary, and Akorem Laan was able to single-handedly reinstate the observance of the obsolete ''D'Jarra'' caste system in 2372 when he briefly claimed the title of Emissary.