Moniker stated:
Jersey Girl, what is religious dogma? Where does religious dogma originate? What is the purpose of religious dogma? Can you be a practitioner of the religion when you dismiss this dogma? For instance can you be a Christian and say that you don't believe in God, you don't believe Christ died for your sins -- yet, you believe in miracles, yet, not that Christ actually did them. Would that make one still a Christian?
Moniker, you clearly fail to understand some fundamental principles here in your questions.
“Religious dogma” or doctrine or teachings did not “originate” any more than the English language
originated. It evolved from previous doctrines, dogmas, teachings. You speak as if there was
a moment at which some religious dogma, doctrine, or teaching originated. It’s a faulty conclusion just as it would be faulty to conclude that there was a moment at which the English language originated.
Evolution applies to more than species. It applies to what is all around us.
Civilizations developed and evolved
over time just as did language, just as did cultural practices, just as did superstitions, just as did religions.
Your question above is flawed in it’s
assumptions that there was somehow a singular beginning for dogma. There was not.
This is from a source which I'll give you at the end:
Dogmata are found in many religions such as Christianity, Judaism and Islam, where they are considered core principles that must be upheld by all followers of that religion. As a fundamental element of religion, the term "dogma" is assigned to those theological tenets which are considered to be well demonstrated, such that their proposed disputation or revision effectively means that a person no longer accepts the given religion as his or her own, or has entered into a period of personal doubt. Dogma is distinguished from theological opinion regarding those things considered less well-known. Dogmata may be clarified and elaborated but not contradicted in novel teachings.
Rejection of dogma is considered heresy in certain religions, and may lead to expulsion from the religious group.
Catholics also hold as dogma the decisions of fourteen later councils and two decrees promulgated by popes exercising papal infallibility (see immaculate conception and Assumption of Mary). Protestants to differing degrees affirm portions of these dogmata, and often rely on denomination-specific 'Statements of Faith' which summarize their chosen dogmata (see, e.g., Eucharist).
In Islam, the dogmatic principles are contained in the aqidah.
Within many Christian denominations, "dogma" is instead referred to as "doctrine".
source
===
Your first question to Jersey Girl is simplistic. The answer(s) are complex and
even more comprehensive than the single source which I listed and which is a start on the question
“what is religious dogma.” Read the full link rather than expecting Jersey Girl to do that kind of research and type it on the screen.
Here is a further link with multiple links. Try reading through some of these references to
dogma as it relates to religions.
To your third question, again there are
many purposes contrary to your implication in the question:
What is the purpose of religious dogma?
That question of yours, like the others underscores your profound lack of understanding of the term “dogma” as it is historically linked to a multiplicity of religious as well as non-religious claims.
We have already established that there are more than 1,000 groups which call themselves
Christian and which have different beliefs as they have had many divisions over the centuries. (The most significant for us presently may be the Protestant Reformation.) Note the word “may” in the statement. Qualifiers are critical and it seems many people eliminate qualifiers and make up a new statement absent qualifiers.
Moniker:
Can you be a practitioner of the religion when you dismiss this dogma?
The answer is clearly affirmative. Many in various religious groups
dismiss some of the dogma and are still “a practitioner” of other aspects of that religious group.
They likely don’t advertise that they “dismiss” some or much of the dogma in their religious group. But they can participate and be “a practitioner” of part of the doctrine which is inherent in their particular religious group.
Christians generally say they believe the commitment at a wedding “Untill death do us part.” The fact is that 50% of marriages in the US end in divorce. So they come
not to believe or practice that particular doctrine or teaching of the
group.
No time for further address. But recognize that your questions fail to comprehend the scope of the ideas and inherent detail. If I had more time, I’d offer more websites to demonstrate your misunderstanding implicit in your questions to Jersey Girl.
She can respond as she wishes.
JAK