WARNING: In all likely hood, someone may be offended, and if so then you should probably go home and reflect on your personal beliefs because to be offended means you have doubts on the certainty of your faith and need to do reassurance exercises. Also, i sort of don't care about your feelings.
Reader discretion is advised.
Today I posed a question that sprang to life from a random conversation about faith and religion. That question being: Can organized religion stand without dogma? Let's explore this, shall we?
Well first things first, we need to go about defining things so here are several definitions for the word DOGMA
dog·ma [dawg-muh, dog-]
–noun, plural -mas, -ma·ta [-muh-tuh]
1.
a system of principles or tenets, as of a church.
2.
a specific tenet or doctrine authoritatively laid down, as by a church: the dogma of the Assumption.
3.
prescribed doctrine: political dogma.
4.
a settled or established opinion, belief, or principle.
Aaannd while i'm at it, i suppose i'll define RELIGION for the skeptics out there who think they have answered this question before reading the rest of my blog (you presumptuous jerks)
re·li·gion [ri-lij-uhn]
–noun
1.
a set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe, esp. when considered as the creation of a superhuman agency or agencies, usually involving devotional and ritual observances, and often containing a moral code governing the conduct of human affairs.
2.
a specific fundamental set of beliefs and practices generally agreed upon by a number of persons or sects: the Christian religion; the Buddhist religion.
3.
the body of persons adhering to a particular set of beliefs and practices: a world council of religions.
4.
the life or state of a monk, nun, etc.: to enter religion.
5.
the practice of religious beliefs; ritual observance of faith.
6.
something one believes in and follows devotedly; a point or matter of ethics or conscience: to make a religion of fighting prejudice
Now add ORGANIZED and we are set.
A friend of mine tried to introduce me to a religion called UNITY which is Christian(ish)in faith yet does not believe in a traditional portrayal of heaven and hell and claims to be non dogmatic. Here are their basic teachings:
1) God is the source and creator of all. There is no other enduring power. God is good and present everywhere. 2) We are spiritual beings, created in God's image. The spirit of God lives within each person; therefore, all people are inherently good. 3) We create our life experiences through our way of thinking. 4) There is power in affirmative prayer, which we believe increases our connection to God. 5) Knowledge of these spiritual principles is not enough. We must live them.
Now, correct me if i'm wrong but none of those teachings suggest room for error or doubt do they? According to our 4th definition of dogma, these all qualify. Here is a little Q and A from the actual UNITY website. i did not alter them in anyway shape or form.
What does Unity teach about sin and salvation, heaven and hell?
Sin is our separation from God, the Good, in consciousness. Salvation is now—not something that occurs after death.
Last time i checked , Jesus only promised salvation would be there when you died, not that you couldn't get it in life, right?
Is Unity a denomination?
Some aspects of the Unity movement are denominational, and some are not. For example, there are more than 900 Unity churches and study groups affiliated with Unity's sister organization, the Association of Unity Churches International. This is a denominational aspect of Unity. In addition, the Unity Institute at Unity Village trains approximately 60 students every two years to be Unity ministers. This is also denominational. However, the majority of the work done by Unity involves prayer, publishing and education services to people of all faiths. These nondenominational aspects include the prayer ministry, Silent Unity
Question: How is a prayer ministry nondenominational in a church with specific teachings?
Well, those are all the points i can remember from my discussion with my friend but i'll repost if i can remember more.
Please feel free to comment, correct me, and just shared your views on your religion or some other religion
Til next time,
Happy Blogging
Theory
That Unity thing makes no sense to me. It's almost contradictory in the sense that it claims not to be denominational while having a denomination. I am a solid Christian who believes that Jesus is the son of God, born to the virgin Mary who died on the cross as the savior of man. Sin goes against God, yet does not completely condemn us. It is our repentance from sin and true faith and belief that Jesus died, returned from death, ascended into Heaven, and is returning for those who had faith in Him that will allow us entrance into Paradise. (This is, in fact, a mini rant in itself, so I apologize if it doesn't make sense.) Anyway, good blog post, Bestie!
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