Dogma
I am starting my first blog with a word I am sensitive to. As I have been learning what I believe in, communication has become very valuable to me. I thought it would be important to have understanding. What I didn’t realize at the time, is that we already have understanding, so when we share, we are actually sharing energy with life. I have been accused of being dogmatic on more than one occasion. When I heard the label, I immediately took offense and ran to look up the word! I was unable to understand why it was so horrible to me, by definition, and yet I attended my vocabulary as to avoid its presence in my speech. Since, I have learned that when you share with people what you believe…the person you are sharing with automatically defends him or herself. Beliefs are funny that way. They are either joined or opposed. My declaration to life is to allow and be allowed.
Tags: Words/Understanding
Dogmatic beliefs make me nervous. Anytime someone is absolutely certain that they have The Absolute Truth about a spiritual issue it leaves me thinking that it is a sign that they don’t have the truth. The more certain someone is that they have arrived and that there is no more room for growth or to refine their understanding the less confidence I have in their grasp of the issues.
Here are some excerpts from various online definitions of dogma and dogmatic:
a principle or set of principles laid down by an authority as incontrovertibly true.
synonyms: teaching, belief, tenet, principle, precept, maxim, article of faith, canon,creed, credo, set of beliefs, doctrine, ideology
1. Relating to, characteristic of, or resulting from dogma.
2.
a. Asserting or insisting upon ideas or principles, especially when unproven or unexamined, in an imperious or arrogant manner: “People in recovery groups can be dogmatic, asserting that the group’s way is ‘the way’ or bashing other approaches” (Anne M. Fletcher).
b. Characterized by such assertion, often with an unconsidered rejection of criticism: a dogmatic adherence to a single educational model.
1. of the nature of a dogma; doctrinal.
2. asserting opinions in a dictatorial manner; opinionated.
tending to force one’s own opinions on other people. He’s very dogmatic on this subject.dogmáticodogˈmatically adverb
1. dogmatic – characterized by assertion of unproved or unprovable principles
1. narrow-minded, narrow – lacking tolerance or flexibility or breadth of view; “a brilliant but narrow-minded judge”; “narrow opinions”
2. dogmatic – of or pertaining to or characteristic of a doctrine or code of beliefs accepted as authoritative
3. dogmatic – relating to or involving dogma; “dogmatic writings”