page_title: Religious (Western Christianity)
section_title: Lutheranism
hierarchical_section_title: Religious (Western Christianity) / Lutheranism
caption_attribution_description: English: Das Kloster St. Wigberti in einer Panoramaaufnahme aus dem Jahre 2004
context_page_description: A religious is, in the terminology of many Western Christian denominations, such as the Catholic Church, Lutheran Churches, and Anglican Communion, what in common language one would call a "monk" or "nun", as opposed to an ordained "priest". A religious may also be a priest if he has undergone ordination, but in general he is not.
  More precisely, a religious is a member of a religious order or religious institute, someone who belongs to "a society in which members...pronounce public vows...and lead a life of brothers or sisters in common".
  Some classes of religious have also been referred to, though less commonly now than in the past, as regulars, because of living in accordance with a religious rule such as the Rule of Saint Benedict.
context_section_description: In the Lutheran Churches, religious are defined as those who make religious vows before their bishop to live consecrated life, especially in a religious order. An ordained priest who is not a part of a Lutheran religious order is considered 'secular', rather than 'religious'.
caption: The Priory of St. Wigbert is a Lutheran monastery in the Benedictine tradition
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