Dogma, in its broadest sense, is any belief held definitively and without the possibility of reform. It may be in the form of an official system of or of a religion, such as Judaism, Catholic Church, Protestantism,
In the pejorative sense, dogma refers to enforced decisions, such as those of aggressive political interests or authorities.
Etymology
The word
dogma was adopted in the 17th century from , derived from the from the . The plural is based on the , though
dogmas may be more commonly used in English.
In philosophy
Pyrrhonism
In
Pyrrhonism, "dogma" refers to assent to a proposition about a non-evident matter.
[Sextus Empiricus, 'Outlines of Pyrrhonism', I. 13.] The main principle of Pyrrhonism is expressed by the word
acatalepsia, which connotes the ability to withhold assent from doctrines regarding the truth of
Noumenon; against every statement its contradiction may be advanced with equal justification. Consequently, Pyrrhonists withhold assent with regard to non-evident propositions, i.e., dogmas.
[Sextus Empiricus, 'Outlines of Pyrrhonism', I. 14.] Pyrrhonists argue that dogmatists, such as the
Stoicism,
Epicureanism, and Peripatetics, have failed to demonstrate that their doctrines regarding non-evident matters are true.
In religion
Christianity
In Christianity, a
dogma is a belief communicated by divine revelation and defined by the Church, The organization's formal religious positions may be taught to new members or simply communicated to those who choose to become members. It is rare for agreement with an organization's formal positions to be a requirement for attendance, though membership may be required for some church activities.
In the narrower sense of the church's official interpretation of divine revelation, theologians distinguish between defined and non-defined dogmas, the former being those set out by authoritative bodies such as the Roman Curia for the Catholic Church, the latter being those which are universally held but have not been officially defined, the nature of Christ as universal redeemer being an example. The term originated in late ancient Greek philosophy legal usage, in which it meant a decree or command, and came to be used in the same sense in early Christian theology. Protestantism to differing degrees are less formal about doctrine, and often rely on denomination-specific beliefs, but seldom refer to these beliefs as dogmata. The first unofficial institution of dogma in the Christian church was by Irenaeus in his Demonstration of Apostolic Teaching, which provides a 'manual of essentials' constituting the 'body of truth'.
Catholicism and Eastern Christianity
For
Catholic Church and Eastern Christianity, the dogmata are contained in the
Nicene Creed and the
of two, three, seven, or twenty ecumenical councils (depending on whether one is Church of the East, Oriental Orthodox, Eastern Orthodox, or
Catholic Church). These tenets are summarized by John of Damascus in his
Exact Exposition of the Orthodox Faith, which is the third book of his main work, titled
The Fount of Knowledge. In this book he takes a dual approach in explaining each article of the faith: one, directed at Christians, where he uses quotes from the
Bible and, occasionally, from works of other
Church Fathers, and the second, directed both at members of non-Christian religions and at
, for whom he employs
term logic and
dialectics.
The decisions of fourteen later councils that Catholics hold as dogmatic and a small number of decrees promulgated by exercising papal infallibility (for examples, see Immaculate Conception and Assumption of Mary) are considered as being a part of the Catholic Church's sacred body of dogma.
Judaism
In the Jewish commentary tradition,
dogma is a principle by which the
Rabbanim can try the proofs of faith about the existence of God and truth;
[Joseph Albo, Sefer HaIkkarim] dogma is what is necessarily true for rational thinking.
["Fons Vitae" of Solomon ibn Gabirol] In Jewish
Kabbalah, a
dogma is an
archetype of the Pardes or
Torah Nistar, the secrets of Bible. In the relation between "logical thinking" and "rational Kabbalah" the "
Partzuf" is the means to identify "dogma".
Buddhism
View or position (; ) is a central idea in
Buddhism that corresponds with the Western notion of dogma. In Buddhist thought, a view is not a simple, abstract collection of propositions, but a charged interpretation of experience which intensely shapes and affects thought, sensation, and action.
Having the proper mental attitude toward views is therefore considered an integral part of the Buddhist path, as sometimes correct views need to be put into practice and incorrect views abandoned, while at other times all views are seen as obstacles to enlightenment.
Islam
In the context of Islam, dogma is best translated as عقيدة (ʿAqīda).
ʿAqīda refers to the core tenets of Islamic belief, such as faith in Allah, the prophets, the afterlife, and other essential doctrines. It is a fundamental aspect of Islamic theology, and different Islamic schools (e.g., Ashʿarī, Māturīdī, and Salafī) have varying interpretations of ʿAqīda while agreeing on its foundational principles.
See also
-
Faith – Confidence or trust, often characterized as without evidence
Bibliography
External links
