how do individuals,instituations and objects aquire authority in a
religious system?what constrainst this authority?(in islam,judaism and christanity)

This is a fascinating subject, but the scope is such that I doubt that
it can be well answered in the five or ten minutes that would normally
be devoted to a $2 question.

INSTITUTIONS; Today there are hundreds of groups, large and small,
claiming to be doing the 'correct' thing in regards to what Jesus
taught. I will leave it up to other followers of Allah and Vishnu to
explain themselves. But as for what the Bible teaches, these questions
should be answered.
1. Is Jesus God himself, in another form? The Bible says NO. Almighty
Goid has ALWAYS been in existence [Rev. 22;13"] Jesus was created BY
Almighty God...his Father...[Proverbs 8;22-31]
2. Does Almighty God [ a title] have a 'personal' name? And should we
use it? [Exodus 3;13-15 & 6;3 also Psalm 83;18] Is LORD a name or a
title. The English aristocracy would agree that it is a TITLE.
Isaiah 12;4 And in that day YOU will certainly say: ?Give thanks to
Jehovah, YOU people! Call upon his name. Make known among the peoples
his dealings. Make mention that his name is put on high".
John 17;26 And I have made your name known to them and will make it
known, in order that the love with which you loved me may be in them
and I in union with them.?
3. Did Jesus himself decide what to preach or did he follow his
Father's wishes and teach what his Father wanted taught? [ John
5;19,30,,,7;28...8;28,42...10;18] Jesus did nothing of his own
initiative.
Jesus taught ALL his followers and gave them this command [ Matthew
28; 19,20] He did not limit it to JUST his chosen 12 APOSTLES. It
applied to everyone.
Now when you apply just these few basics to all the existing so-called
Christian organisations, Only ONE fits the bill as far as the
scriptures require.
I will not name it but honest people will be able to work it out by
either knowing or asking what various denominations actually DO.
Extra points are; The word "trinity" is not in the Bible. No one, not
even Jesus, is CO-EQUAL to his Father. The "holy spirit" is not named
in the Bible, as a personage would be, implying it is a force, not an
individual. It is God's force, something He uses to get things done.
As a force, it CANNOT be CO- EQUAL.
ICONS AND OBJECTS. EXODUS 20; 4 & 5 states " 4 ?You must not make for
yourself a carved image or a form like anything that is in the heavens
above or that is on the earth underneath or that is in the waters
under the earth. 5 You must not bow down to them nor be induced to
serve them, because I Jehovah your God am a God exacting exclusive
devotion, bringing punishment for the error of fathers upon sons, upon
the third generation and upon the fourth generation, in the case of
those who hate me".
Note this..Image or form in the heavens...or on the earth...Jesus on a
'cross'? OR " Mary with Child". The excuse that this is ' an aid to
worship' is going directly against the scripture. And Jesus himself
denied not a single one in the whole Old Testament.
John 4;23 Nevertheless, the hour is coming, and it is now, when the
true worshipers will worship the Father with spirit and truth, for,
indeed, the Father is looking for suchlike ones to worship him".
Isaiah 44; 13-19 "13 As for the wood carver, he has stretched out the
measuring line; he traces it out with red chalk; he works it up with a
wood scraper; and with a compass he keeps tracing it out, and
gradually he makes it like the representation of a man, like the
beauty of mankind, to sit in a house.

14 There is one whose business is to cut down cedars; and he takes a
certain species of tree, even a massive tree, and he lets it become
strong for himself among the trees of the forest. He planted the
laurel tree, and the pouring rain itself keeps making it get big. 15
And it has become [something] for man to keep a fire burning. So he
takes part of it that he may warm himself. In fact he builds a fire
and actually bakes bread. He also works on a god to which he may bow
down. He has made it into a carved image, and he prostrates himself to
it. 16 Half of it he actually burns up in a fire. Upon half of it he
roasts well the flesh that he eats, and he becomes satisfied. He also
warms himself and says: ?Aha! I have warmed myself. I have seen the
firelight.? 17 But the remainder of it he actually makes into a god
itself, into his carved image. He prostrates himself to it and bows
down and prays to it and says: ?Deliver me, for you are my god.?

18 They have not come to know, nor do they understand, because their
eyes have been besmeared so as not to see, their heart so as to have
no insight. 19 And no one recalls to his heart or has knowledge or
understanding, saying: ?The half of it I have burned up in a fire, and
upon its coals I have also baked bread; I roast flesh and eat. But the
rest of it shall I make into a mere detestable thing? To the dried-out
wood of a tree shall I prostrate myself??
If Jesus wanted us to bow down to Icons, he would have said so. He didn't.
Dear Pink. Now that wasn't too hard, was it?

The actual answer to the posed question is : FEAR. The FEAR by people
of having to suffer for eternity, being wrongfully taught by those who
should know better. Know WHAT [?] better. The Bible. Nothing
constrains the authority except total abandonment of that authority,
and flight to an organisation that truly teaches the truth.

Mormons = The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints believe that
John the Baptist visited Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdry about 180
years ago, as a reserected being. John bestowed the presthood of Arron
upon these young men, who in tern ordained others. A few months later
they were visited by Peter James and John (reserected beings) and were
given the Priesthood after the order of the Son of Man = The
Melchezedec Priesthood. Present LDS can trace their priesthood linage
back to Jesus. For more details  www.mormon.org

For the Catholic Church... it's obvious: the hierarchy descending from the Vatican.

Judsaism is sort of a democracy where no one votes. When enough
well-respected Rabbis do something, it's just accepted as common
practice. For example, the kippa (AKA yammukah) started 500ish years
ago when powerful members of the Jewish community began to wear it.

Islam has the basic "Sharia," which is a combination of commandments
from the Quran and traditions from powerful members of the Muslim
community. If you call together a lot of Muslim religious leaders,
they can issue a Fatwa, or a "religious law." Sometimes people follow
it; sometimes they don't. For example, Muslims in America issued a
Fatwa against the killings in Iraq and Afghanistan. No one seems to
care.
Here is what Mohammad Sayid Tantawy, Sheik of Al-Azhar University in
Cairo says: "Fat?wa issued by Al-Azhar are not binding, but they are
not just whistling in the wind either; individuals are free to accept
them, but Islam recognizes that extenuating circumstances may prevent
it. For example, it is the right of Muslims in France who object to
the law banning the veil to bring it up to the legislative and
judicial authorities. If the judiciary decides in favor of the
government because the country is secular, they would be considered to
be Muslim individuals acting under compelling circumstances."

In a nutshell, the servant will have the greatest authority!  See #4
(Luke 22:24-27)

1) Authority is granted by God.
   Matthew 9:4-8
   Romans 13:1-2

2) God gave Jesus authority over everything.
   Matthew 11:27
   Matthew 28:18
   Luke 10:22
   John 3:35
   John 5:27
   John 10:18
   John 13:3
   John 14:10
   John 17:2

3) Jesus gives authority to others.
   Matthew 10:1
   Luke 9:1
   Acts 4:30

4) Whoever desires to have great authority must first humble
themselves and serve others.
   Matthew 20:26-28
   Mark 10:43-45
   Luke 22:24-27 - Also a dispute arose among them as to which of them
was considered to be greatest. Jesus said to them, "The kings of the
Gentiles lord it over them; and those who exercise authority over them
call themselves Benefactors. But you are not to be like that. Instead,
the greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who
rules like the one who serves. For who is greater, the one who is at
the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who is at the
table? But I am among you as one who serves.