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**MondayBlues** · 04-15-2011, 10:23 PM

How can confirming something for oneself be dogmatic doctrine? There's a world of difference between the two.

Something only becomes dogmatic doctrine when it becomes applied to all humanity. For instance, countless Christians have had an overwhelmingly powerful experience of Jesus dwelling within their hearts. This experience has confirmed to them that having Jesus in one's heart leads to salvation. This confirmation leads to the most steadfast conviction that having Jesus in one's heart is the only way to salvation for everyone, everywhere, at any time. And thus, you have the birth of dogma.

To ascribe universal implications for a subjective inward experience- every religion falls prey to it.

04-15-2011, 10:23 PM	#37
MondayBlues Join Date Oct 2005 Posts 429 Senior Member	How can confirming something for oneself be dogmatic doctrine? There's a world of difference between the two. Something only becomes dogmatic doctrine when it becomes applied to all humanity. For instance, countless Christians have had an overwhelmingly powerful experience of Jesus dwelling within their hearts. This experience has confirmed to them that having Jesus in one's heart leads to salvation. This confirmation leads to the most steadfast conviction that having Jesus in one's heart is the only way to salvation for everyone, everywhere, at any time. And thus, you have the birth of dogma. To ascribe universal implications for a subjective inward experience- every religion falls prey to it.
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