Dogma, what is the meaning and purpose?

[Genesis315]

In general, a dogma is a truth revealed by God which we are to believe with a divine faith. A formal dogma is one that has been explicitly declared by a definitive act of the Magisterium. For example, the divinity of Our Lord was always a dogma (a truth revealed by God), but it became a formal dogma at the First Council of Nicea.

Technically, there can be no such thing as a “new dogma” but sometimes that is common parlance for a dogma that is confirmed by a definitive act of the Magisterium.

God reveals truths for our good and because He loves us. We believe them because we have faith in Him.

 

[Vico]

In general, a dogma is a truth revealed by God which we are to believe with a divine faith. A formal dogma is one that has been explicitly declared by a definitive act of the Magisterium. For example, the divinity of Our Lord was always a dogma (a truth revealed by God), but it became a formal dogma at the First Council of Nicea.

Technically, there can be no such thing as a “new dogma” but sometimes that is common parlance for a dogma that is confirmed by a definitive act of the Magisterium.

God reveals truths for our good and because He loves us. We believe them because we have faith in Him.

On this thread there have been two definitions of dogma, one as revelation, and the other as an expression of our understanding of a revelation. Using the Latin Church definition, the formal dogma, rather than the dogma in general, is to be believed as a matter of faith. In the examples below the first is to be believed with a divine faith, but the second is not:

1 The first man was created by God.
2 The whole human race stems from one single human pair.