Dogma & Doctrine: What’s the Difference?
I’m musing on dogma and doctrine this week, mostly because I have a hard time remembering the difference between the two and I need to remind myself! Sometimes the two words are used interchangeably, but they are distinct from one another. Not all doctrine is dogma, but all dogma is doctrine. Both doctrine and dogma are important for Catholics because they protect the Church’s unity and guide us in living the will of God and following his precepts.
Let us begin with dogma:
“Dogmas are lights along the path of faith; they illuminate it and make it secure. If our life is upright, our intellect and heart will be open to welcome the light shed by the dogmas of faith, (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 89).
Dogma is a type of doctrine; a subset if you will. The Greek word “dogma” means “opinion” which doesn’t make much sense provided what dogma is in the Church. Dogmas are the most authoritative teachings in the Church and are based on divine revelation. In other words, dogma comes from the teachings of Jesus Christ, revealed through two sources of revelation: sacred Scripture or Tradition (Tradition is handed on by the apostles).
As examples, these are the 4 Marian dogmas of the Church: Immaculate Conception, the Assumption, perpetual virginity, and she is the Mother of God. Other examples of dogma are the divinity of Christ, God is Holy Trinity, and the real presence of the Eucharist.
In addition to being divinely revealed, dogmas must also be defined as infallible by the Magisterium (information below). An infallible teaching means that, through divine assistance, the pope is kept from making errors in dogmatic teachings. All Catholics are asked to consent to dogmatic teaching always and without exception.
What is the Magisterium? It is the pope and the bishops in unity with him. It is authoritative only in the sense of teaching in the name of Christ.
“This Magisterium is not superior to the Word of God, but is its servant. It teaches only what has been handed on to it. At the divine command and with the help of the Holy Sirit, it listens to this devotedly, guards it with dedication, and expounds it faithfully,” (Catechism, 86).
Doctrine has a much wider scope of teaching than dogma and is taught by the Magisterium. Doctrine holds authority in the Church, but not to the degree as dogma.
Doctrine comes from the Latin word meaning “teaching.” We are asked to abide by doctrine even though certain aspects of it could change in the future. A better word than “change” might be “evolve” or develop” because doctrine cannot change.
Doctrine is believed to be true, but not absolute, as dogma is absolute, because it develops. The Magisterium can modify a doctrine when some aspect of it has become unnecessary or if pastoral accommodations must be made.
This doesn’t mean that fundamental Church teachings can just change and is up for negotiation. As Bishop Robert Barron says, “to be alive is to change.” In this video, he explains how and why doctrine evolves. A river becomes wider and deeper the further it gets from its source. Doctrine unfolds itself in the same way and over time. It evolves but the fundamental truths behind it remain the same.
"The law of the Lord is his joy; and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted near streams of water, that yields its fruit in season; its leaves never wither," (Psalm 1:2-3).