Democratic Religion?

Democratic Religion?
If the Ten Commandments are justified, in comparison with other alternative laws, according to their social benefits, then we are talking philosophy. If the Decalogue is justified simply as The Law, or God's Command, then we are talking bigoted religion.
The question for Faiths - whether religions or certain kinds of pseudo-philosophies - is how they can be democratic and indeed altruistic.
It should be obvious that if a religion presents us with laws 'cast in stone' and authority that cannot be questioned, then it cannot be democratic. Unless we have a quite perverse definition of democracy, such that a country is asked to vote in favour of one authoritarian rule or another. After which all bets are off, since such regimes ensure survival by indoctrination, through to suppression of opposition, to removal of choice entirely.
There is a subtle danger in religion, as we have it. We may, for instance, have an entirely admirable Pope in charge of Roman Catholicism, and even a series of admirable pontiffs. But if the Church were to be accorded outright government of society, the whole character of the Church would change. It would be politicised, and become a vehicle for advancement to good characters and utterly reprehensible characters. The Church and the whole of what was democracy would be corrupted.
Therefore, a democratic religion is either a contradiction in terms, or it would take the example of what is happening today over gay marriage etc. It may be assumed that Jesus of Nazareth had the Hebrew faith and even went beyond it, with no idea of allowing gay marriage. But many who call themselves Christian now centre their faith on various altruistic sentiments which he expressed, and base their morality on those values rather than on concrete Law.
We are perhaps seeing a move in religion away from fixed moral codes towards philosophical values.
It is, by the way, peculiar that someone speaking on the media, has changed religion to Buddhism because she believes in certain values it promotes. Why not simple believe in the values?