Editing Dogma

{{short description|Belief(s) accepted by members of a group without question}}
{{About|established beliefs, doctrines or sets of theological or philosophical tenets|other uses}}

'''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 [[principle]]s or [[doctrine]]s of a [[religion]], such as [[Judaism]], [[Catholic Church|Roman Catholicism]], [[Protestantism]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/05089a.htm|title=Dogma|website=New Advent Catholic Encyclopedia|access-date=5 October 2016|archive-date=5 June 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220605133144/https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/05089a.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> or [[Islam]], the [[Philosophical theory|positions]] of a philosopher or [[Philosophical movement|philosophical school]], such as [[Stoicism]], and political belief systems such as [[fascism]], [[socialism]], [[progressivism]], [[liberalism]], and [[conservatism]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2019/03/22/yes-liberal-democracy-is-struggling-progressive-left-isnt-helping/|title=Yes, liberal democracy is struggling, and the progressive left isn't helping|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|access-date=16 January 2021|archive-date=22 January 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210122085113/https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2019/03/22/yes-liberal-democracy-is-struggling-progressive-left-isnt-helping/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2017/09/challenging-the-dogmas-of-right-and-left/540093/|title=Challenging the Dogmas of Right and Left|website=[[The Atlantic]]|date=18 September 2017 |access-date=16 January 2021|archive-date=17 January 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210117011431/https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2017/09/challenging-the-dogmas-of-right-and-left/540093/|url-status=live}}</ref>

In the [[pejorative]] sense, dogma refers to enforced decisions, such as those of aggressive political interests or authorities.<ref>{{cite web|url = http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dogma|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220729014435/https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dogma|archive-date=2022-07-29|title =dogma|work = Merriam-Webster.com |publisher= Encyclopædia Britannica Company, Inc. }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.dictionary.com/browse/dogma|title=Dogma|website=dictionary.com|access-date=4 October 2016|archive-date=23 September 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160923025608/http://www.dictionary.com/browse/dogma|url-status=live}}</ref> More generally, it is applied to some strong belief that its adherents are not willing to discuss rationally. This attitude is named as a dogmatic one, or '''dogmatism''', and is often used to refer to matters related to religion, though this pejorative sense strays far from the formal sense in which it is applied to religious belief. The pejorative sense is not limited to theistic attitudes alone and is often used with respect to political or philosophical dogmas.

==Etymology==
{{seealso|Doxa}}
The word ''dogma'' was adopted in the 17th century from {{langx|la|dogma||philosophical tenet or principle}}, derived from the {{langx|grc|[[:wikt:δόγμα|δόγμα]]|[[:wikt:dogma|dogma]]|opinion, belief, judgement}} from the {{langx|grc|[[:wikt:δοκεῖ|δοκεῖ]]|dokeî|it seems that...}}. The plural is based on the {{langx|la|[[:wikt:dogmata|dogmata]]}}, though ''[[:wikt:dogmas|dogmas]]'' may be more commonly used in English.

==In philosophy==
=== Pyrrhonism ===
{{Pyrrhonism sidebar}}
In [[Pyrrhonism]], "dogma" refers to assent to a proposition about a non-evident matter.<ref>Sextus Empiricus, 'Outlines of Pyrrhonism', I. 13.</ref> 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|things in their own nature]]; against every statement its contradiction may be advanced with equal justification. Consequently, Pyrrhonists withhold assent with regard to non-evident propositions, i.e., dogmas.<ref>Sextus Empiricus, 'Outlines of Pyrrhonism', I. 14.</ref>  Pyrrhonists argue that dogmatists, such as the [[Stoicism|Stoics]], [[Epicureanism|Epicureans]], and [[Peripatetic school|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,{{sfn|Blackburn|2016|p=139}} 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.{{sfn|Blackburn|2016|p=139}}

In the narrower sense of the church's official interpretation of divine revelation,{{sfn|Stanglin|2009|p=240}} 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.{{sfn|O'Collins|1983|pp=162–163}} 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.{{sfn|McKim|2001|p=350}} [[Protestantism|Protestants]] 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{{cn|date=January 2023}} unofficial institution of dogma in the Christian church was by [[Irenaeus|Saint Irenaeus]] in his ''Demonstration of Apostolic Teaching'', which provides a 'manual of essentials' constituting the 'body of truth'.

==== Catholicism and Eastern Christianity ====
{{main|Dogma in the Catholic Church}}
For [[Catholic Church|Catholicism]] and [[Eastern Christianity]], the dogmata are contained in the [[Nicene Creed]] and the [[canon law]]s of two, three, seven, or twenty [[ecumenical council]]s (depending on whether one is [[Church of the East]], [[Oriental Orthodoxy|Oriental Orthodox]], [[Eastern Orthodoxy|Eastern Orthodox]], or [[Catholic Church|Roman Catholic]]). 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 [[atheist]]s, for whom he employs [[term logic|Aristotelian logic]] and [[dialectics]].

The decisions of fourteen later councils that Catholics hold as dogmatic and a small number of decrees promulgated by [[pope]]s 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;<ref>[[Joseph Albo]], [[Sefer HaIkkarim]]</ref> ''dogma'' is what is necessarily true for rational thinking.<ref>"Fons Vitae" of [[Solomon ibn Gabirol]]</ref> In Jewish [[Kabbalah]], a ''dogma'' is an ''[[archetype]]'' of the [[Pardes (exegesis)|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".{{clarify|date=January 2023}}
===Buddhism===
{{main|View (Buddhism)}}
[[View (Buddhism)|View]] or position ({{langx|sa|दृष्टि|dṛṣṭi|translit-std=IAST}}; {{langx|pi-Latn|diṭṭhi|translit-std=IAST}}) is a central idea in [[Buddhism]] that corresponds with the Western notion of dogma.{{sfn|Fuller|2005|page=1}} 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.<ref name="Lusthaus 2002">{{cite book|first=Dan|last=Lusthaus|title=Buddhist Phenomenology|url=http://www.khamkoo.com/uploads/9/0/0/4/9004485/buddhist_phenomenology_-_a_pholosophical_investigation_of_yogacara_buddhism_and_the_cheng_wei-shih_lun.pdf|publisher=Routledge|year=2002|page=242, n. 46|access-date=2018-08-27|archive-date=2020-02-19|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200219223250/http://www.khamkoo.com/uploads/9/0/0/4/9004485/buddhist_phenomenology_-_a_pholosophical_investigation_of_yogacara_buddhism_and_the_cheng_wei-shih_lun.pdf}}</ref> 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.{{sfn|Fuller|2005|pages=1–2}}

=== 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==
* {{annotated link|Axiom}}
* {{annotated link|Central dogma of molecular biology}}
* {{annotated link|Doctrine#Religious usage}}
* {{annotated link|Dogmatic theology}}
* {{annotated link|Escalation of commitment}}
* [[Faith]] – Confidence or trust, often characterized as without evidence
* {{annotated link|Pseudoskepticism}}
* {{annotated link|Standard social science model}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Bibliography==
* {{cite book
| last1            = Blackburn
| first1           = Simon
| chapter          = Dogma
| title            = The Oxford Dictionary of Philosophy
| publisher        = Oxford University Press
| year             = 2016
| url              = https://books.google.com/books?id=Mno8CwAAQBAJ
| isbn             = 978-0-19-873530-4
}}
* {{cite book |first=Paul |last=Fuller |title=The Notion of Diṭṭhi in Theravāda Buddhism: The Point of View |url=http://www.ahandfulofleaves.org/documents/The%20Notion%20of%20Ditthi%20in%20Theravada%20Buddhism_Fuller.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150226092537/http://ahandfulofleaves.org/documents/The%20Notion%20of%20Ditthi%20in%20Theravada%20Buddhism_Fuller.pdf |archive-date=February 26, 2015 |publisher=Routledge |year=2005}}
* {{cite book
| last1            = McKim
| first1           = D.K.
| chapter          = Dogma
| editor1-last     = Elwell
| editor1-first    = Walter A.
| title            = Evangelical Dictionary of Theology
| publisher        = Baker Academic
| year             = 2001
| url              = https://books.google.com/books?id=yu846j61u0wC
| isbn             = 978-0-8010-2075-9
}}
* {{cite book
| last1            = O'Collins
| first1           = Gerald
| chapter          = Dogma
| editor1-last     = Richardson
| editor1-first    = Alan
| editor2-last     = Bowden
| editor2-first    = John
| title            = The Westminster Dictionary of Christian Theology
| publisher        = Westminster John Knox Press
| year             = 1983
| url              = https://books.google.com/books?id=PN7UMUTBBPAC
| isbn             = 978-0-664-22748-7
}}
* {{cite book
| last1            = Stanglin
| first1           = K.D.
| chapter          = Dogma
| editor1-last     = Dyrness
| editor1-first    = William A.
| editor2-last     = Kärkkäinen
| editor2-first    = Veli-Matti
| title            = Global Dictionary of Theology: A Resource for the Worldwide Church
| publisher        = InterVarsity Press
| year             = 2009
| url              = https://books.google.com/books?id=ncqkZnDSeo4C
| isbn             = 978-0-8308-7811-6
}}

==External links==
{{Wiktionary}}
{{wikiquote}}
{{CE1913 poster|Dogma}}
* [http://bible.crosswalk.com/Lexicons/Greek/grk.cgi?number=1378&version=kjv Dogma] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070213061957/http://bible.crosswalk.com/Lexicons/Greek/grk.cgi?number=1378&version=kjv |date=2007-02-13 }} – [[James Strong (theologian)|Strong's]] N.T. Greek Lexicon
* [http://www.enricomariaradaelli.it/aureadomus/convivium/convivium_domani_del_dogma.html Il Domani – terribile o radioso? – del Dogma] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140926002219/http://www.enricomariaradaelli.it/aureadomus/convivium/convivium_domani_del_dogma.html |date=2014-09-26 }}, a book by Enrico Maria Radaelli with a Preface by Roger Scruton and comments by Brunero Gherardini, Alessandro Gnocchi-Mario Palmaro, and Mario Oliveri (Roma 2012)
* Irenaeus. ''Demonstration of the Apostolic Preaching''. pp.&nbsp;70–75. [online] available at: Christian Classics ethereal library [http://www.ccel.org/ccel/irenaeus/demonstr.i.html St. Irenaeus: Demonstration of the Apostolic Preaching – Christian Classics Ethereal Library] [Accessed 20 June 2017]

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[[Category:Dogma| ]]
[[Category:Christian terminology]]
[[Category:Epicureanism]]
[[Category:Epistemology of religion]]
[[Category:Greek words and phrases]]
[[Category:Justification (epistemology)]]
[[Category:Principles]]
[[Category:Pyrrhonism]]
[[Category:Religious belief and doctrine]]
[[Category:Stoicism]]
[[Category:Concepts in ancient Greek epistemology]]