Dogma & Doctrine

[Aloysius]

this is the most common misunderstanding i've seen amoung good faithful Catholics who believe in infallibility and all that. SOMEONE, SOMEWHERE OUT THERE, has been teaching them that the only things that a pope can declare that are infallible are dogmas. if it's not Dogma, for some reason you don't haveta believe it... anyway, i figured i'd put a lil thing in here as to what Dogma is. feel free to use whatever you want in the Church Authority/APostolic Succession reference section PhatCatholic (although it prolly wont be all that quotable, w/e), you don't seem to have any quotes there.

Anyway, just wanna clarify Dogma is an infallible truth declared ex Cathedra that IS ESSENTIAL TO THE GOSPEL MESSAGE. stuff like Jesus Christ is true God, true Man, the only mediator between mankind and God. that Mary is the Mother of God, assumed into heaven. that outside of the Catholic Church there can be no salvation. you see, these all havta do with salvation.

doctrines are also infallible, even when spoken by a Pope. For example, John Paul II said that The Catholic Church has no authority to ordain women. because he said that in the ministry Jesus commisioned Peter for, to confirm the faith of his brethren, that is an infallible doctrine. the Church may never ordain women to be priests. doctrines defined by councils are thus infallible also, regardless of whether they are dogma or not.

just wanted to clear that up. :cool:

[phatcatholic]

thanks bro. i believe i also have an article somewhere on the degrees of infallibility, which elaborates on this subject. when i find it, i'll add it to this thread. oh, and i'll see if i can quote this somewhere. i will have to edit out the reference to me tho....

thanks again,

phatcatholic

[phatcatholic]

aloy,

ur reppin in the "church authority and apostolic succession" thread.

do that thing u do ;)

[cmotherofpirl]

DOCTRINE. Any truth taught by the Church as necessary for acceptance by the faithful. The truth may be either formally revealed (as the Real Presence), or a theological conclusion (as the canonization of a saint), or part of the natural law (as the sinfulness of contraception). In any case, what makes it doctrine is that the Church authority teaches that it is to be believed. This teaching may be done either solemnly in ex cathedra pronouncements or ordinarily in the perennial exercise of the Church's magisterium or teaching authority. Dogmas are those doctrines which the Church proposes for belief as formally revealed by God. (Etym. Latin doctrina, teaching.)

Pocket Dictionary

[phatcatholic]

DOCTRINE. Any truth taught by the Church as necessary for acceptance by the faithful. The truth may be either formally revealed (as the Real Presence), or a theological conclusion (as the canonization of a saint), or part of the natural law (as the sinfulness of contraception). In any case, what makes it doctrine is that the Church authority teaches that it is to be believed. This teaching may be done either solemnly in ex cathedra pronouncements or ordinarily in the perennial exercise of the Church's magisterium or teaching authority. Dogmas are those doctrines which the Church proposes for belief as formally revealed by God. (Etym. Latin doctrina, teaching.)

Pocket Dictionary

ahh, that helps to further simplify the distinction. thanks cmom! ur input will make a worthy addition to the reference section as well ;)