Dogma
''This article is on dogma in religion. Other uses of Dogma are at
dogma (disambiguation)
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Dogma (the plural is either
dogmata or
dogmas) is belief or doctrine held by a
religion or any kind of organization to be authoritative or beyond question.
Evidence, analysis, or established fact may or may not be adduced, depending upon usage.
Dogma, faith, and logic
There are some conceptual similarities between dogma and the
axioms used as the starting point for
logical analysis. Axioms may be thought of as concepts or
givens so fundamental that disputing them would be unimaginable; dogmata are also fundamental (e.g.
God exists) yet incorporate also the larger set of conclusions that comprise the (religious) field of thought (e.g.
God created the universe). Axioms are propositions not subject to proof or disproof, or are statements accepted on their own merits. Dogmata might be thought to be more complex, the product of other proofs.
Philosophy and
theology find ways to evaluate all statements, whether classified as axioms or dogmata.
Religious dogmata, properly conceived, reach back to proofs other than themselves, and ultimately to
faith. Perhaps the pinnacle of organized exposition of theological dogma is the
Roman Catholic Summa Theologica by St. Thomas Aquinas, who proposes this relationship between faith and objection: "If our opponent believes nothing of divine
revelation, there is no longer any means of proving the articles of faith by reasoning, but only of answering his objections — if he has any — against faith" (
I 1 8).
Dogma in religion
Dogmata are found in religions such as
Christianity and
Islam, where they are considered core principles that must be upheld by all followers of that religion. As a fundamental element of religion, the term
dogma is assigned to those theological tenets which are considered to be well demonstrated, such that their proposed disputation or revision effectively means that a person no longer accepts the given religion as his or her own, or has entered into a period of personal doubt. Dogma is distinguished from theological opinion regarding those things considered less well-known. Dogmata may be clarified and elaborated but not contradicted in novel teachings (e.g.,
Galatians 1:8-9). Rejection of dogma is considered
heresy and may lead to expulsion from the religious group, although in the Christian Gospels this is not done rashly (e.g.
Mt 18:15-17).
For most of
Eastern Christianity, the dogmata are contained in the
Nicene Creed and the first two, three, or seven
ecumenical councils (depending on whether one is a Nestorian, a Monophysite, or an
Eastern Orthodox Christian). Roman Catholics also hold as dogma the decisions of 14 later ecumenical councils and a few decrees promulgated by
popes exercising
papal infallibility (see, e.g.,
Mary, the mother of Jesus).
Protestants to differing degrees affirm portions of these dogmata, and often rely on sect-specific
Statements of Faith which summarize their chosen dogmata (see, e.g.,
Eucharist).
Dogma outside of religion
Many non-religious beliefs are often described as dogmata, for example in the fields of
politics or
philosophy, as well as within
society itself. The term
dogmatism carries the implication that people are upholding beliefs in an unthinking and conformist fashion. Dogmata are thought to be anathema to
science and scientific analysis, and are strongly rejected by philosophies such as rationalism and
skepticism, although
metaphysical considerations are normally not explicit in those fields.
Category:ReligionCategory:Epistemology
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