When I speak to people about religion, the #1 reason why people have problems with it is ..
dogma!
People just can’t STAND dogma!
Really?
What is dogma?
It’s just a set of beliefs.
typically about morals and faith.
That you believe to be true.
That’s all it is.
EVERYBODY embraces dogma!
When you say you hate dogma, what you really mean is that you hate the specific beliefs of that church/organization.
But you have your own dogma.
Doubt this?
Everyone has some kind of belief system.
Yours may be unique.
(just like everyone else’s)
But you have SOME system of how things work.
SOME things you believe are true.
And that, my dear friend, is your dogma!
While I was studying the Talmud (which is a compilation of hundreds of rabbis debating Jewish law over a thousand years – quite a book to try to get through…)
One line struck me.
“If you don’t embrace this Talmud you will only create your own.”
It took me years to understand that.
What it means to me is that we all believe in how the world/God/universe works.
There are laws that we believe in.
(even chaos is a law unto itself).
And we interpret our life’s events through these sets of laws.
We discuss these with ourselves and sometimes change our understanding of these laws.
That, essentially, is what the Talmud is for the Jews.
Interpreting God’s law, as they see it. Changing the interpretation sometimes.
It’s all dogma.
Either you accept someone else’s.
Or you will create your own.
Perhaps that word “dogma”, like the word “God”, has too much emotional baggage.
Dogma has become to be synonymous with arrogance, inflexibility, holier-than-thou attitudes, etc.
And yes, for most of us, our beliefs do become fixed over the years and are VERY hard to change.
So maybe Dogma isn’t a good thing.
To remove ALL dogma from our life is to let go of ALL preconceived beliefs.
To be open to ANYTHING.
Then again, maybe that’s a different dogma in itself.
This weekend, take a look at what you believe in.
How do YOU think the world works?
What is YOUR view of God?
What do YOU think is good or bad?
What do YOU think is immoral?
What does faith mean to YOU?
Chances are you have developed a neat little system over the years that have helped you cope with life.
Chances are it has also hindered you in life.
When we are willing to let go of our most cherished beliefs,
then miracles can occur.
It’s time to throw out all dogma.
At least that’s my dogma…
er. belief.
er.
Oh never mind.
Peace,
Steve