The Non-Dogmatic Dogma

I was thinking…

“Most Americans have a non-dogmatic approach when it comes to interpreting the tenets of their own religion,” noted a national poll (June 23, 2008).

That’s a great statement on people’s dogmatism but not a commentary on religious claims. If a religion claims to serve the only way to salvation, it doesn’t matter if followers hold to that claim dogmatically or non-dogmatically. It just shows that the believers are inconsistent with their religion.

Blinded by truth, originally uploaded by lorrainemd.

And the matter of believer’s dogmatism does not change, even if a religion does not claim to be the only way to salvation. For even this religious claim can be held dogmatically—“I firmly believe there is no one way to salvation,” or non-dogmatically, “I do not firmly believe there is no one way to salvation.”

If the former is right, then that very conviction contradicts itself: a One-Way belief that there is no one way to salvation. If the latter, this agnostic believer is simply affirming what he was originally against: the firm belief there is one way to salvation.

So you may be kind of stuck in your non-dogmatic dogma, even while you are against bull-dogmatic dogma. It’s better all round, philosophically and relationally, to hold on to truth in humble love.

What do you think?

Warm Regards

RAMESH RICHARD