IMHO dogma is the part of religion that cannot be proven by the
religious text that the denomination/creed holds.

Some of it is based on superstition and some is based on other religions
that have been absorbed and flavored the church/sect in question.

Good point. That may be why dogma is less popular than belief to some
people. As McGruff the crime dog says, "Lets take a bite out of
crime."

my karma ran over my dogma.

One way that dogma and belief may considered the same is through
premaintenance and maintenance. I can remember one mechanic telling me
that he believed that if I would change the flat tire that the car would
ride smoother. He told me that it was just his opinion as a mechanic
that he based that information on. Later while working a maintenance man
my boss over maintenance told me that in his opinion that bearings that
get greased in electric motors last longer. He concluded that
maintenance offered three solutions; replacement; preventative
maintenance and regular upkeep to keep the system going in a producion
plant. Since he was the Superintendant over maintenance we highly
regarded his opinion.

Theories, beliefs and opinions can all be tested.

Self evident truth can be stated as A is equal to A because A over A is
the same thing as A.

Christian religions have always had a problem of creating dogma where
none are needed. Romans 14-15 does a great job of covering how
Christians should approach moral/spiritual issues, which are
questionable. God has allowed room in scriptures to guide followers
through the Holy Spirit. Each will be called upon according to the
strength of their own faith. For instance: Some believe in an eternal
hell and some do not, this is not a salvation issue, so it falls under
the lessons of Romans 14-15. Assuming that only those who are weak in
faith deny the existance in hell, that's because the Holy Spirt hasn't
revealed the truth of hell to them. This is because God knows that
their faith is too weak to survive that revelation, so it is saved for a
later time when their faith is up to the task.

>> Theories, beliefs and opinions can all be tested.

Rainbow, I think that is a very serious non-standard use of those words.

transientmind thank you for that clear definition

Everyone thank you for helping out

transientmind thank you for that clear definition

Everyone thank you for helping out

Red I LOVE your sense of humor

"Wildone - actually, I may be wrong but I seem to remember that the word
is actually pronounced dog me' or literally dogmay. It's just been
adapted to dogmah - maybe the pronunciation is an offense? Oh wait, this
is the written word, silly me."

Oppsy for me. I always hear it pronounced the "dogmah" way

Dogma, IMHO, is a set of viral memes that aid in the propagation of the
religion along it's trajectory in time.

I'll not comment on those memes, but propose one of my own-- there's no
greater love shown by a people than to wish and to pursue through hard
work a better life free from the ancient scourges of disease, ignorance
and war for those who follow them.

-Kerry O.

Nice KO

Dogma, as per the American Heritage Dictionary, : 1. A corpus of
doctrines set forth by a religion 2. An authoritative principle or
belief, esp, one considered to be absolutely true

Interestingly the word after that is...

Dogmatic: Marked by authoritative, arrogant assertion of unproven
principles

Of course, a look through a variety of dictionaries will show some
variation from the AH definition, additional ways of using the words.
But the one I find most interesting in FF's quote is

(2) An authoritative principle or belief, esp, one considered to be
absolutely true

This applies to things like fundamental laws of science. Even if its
TRUE, its still a 'dogma'. Used this way, dogma is a characterization
of how people relate to the belief, not the validity of the belief.

I don't mean that as an objection against other ways of using the word,
for example KerryO's commentary (IMO) still applies to the other
definition given by AH.

RainbowTrout wrote

"Artgurl if dogma is doctrine then what is indoctrination?"


Indoctrination is the teaching of the doctrine or principles.

------


Dogma, doctrine and indoctrination are not negative words ... they are
just words used to describe something.

You can be indoctrinated into corporate culture just as much as
religious culture. After working in post secondary for 14 years - it is
safe to assume that I was fully indoctrinated in that system.

Id say dogma is the mother of all *****es!!!

I guess I am just an indoctrinaholic then because I have been exposed to
all kinds of views in life. Oh, that is just great. Another way
addiction can kick my butt. Oh, well atleast it will give me something
to share at the meetings.

interesting topic choice