Dogmas, Doctrines, Disciplines and Practices?

[Sir_Knight]

Can someone define Dogma, Doctrine, Discipline and Practice? And how they relate to each other?

 

[Image_of_God]

newadvent.org/cathen/05089a.htm

Not all doctrines are dogmas, but all dogmas are doctrines.

Disciplines and Practices, I think, can be changed, such as litugical colors, etc. These are not dogmas and only dogmas are infallible, I believe.

 

[Br.Rich_SFO]

Can someone define Dogma, Doctrine, Discipline and Practice? And how they relate to each other?

Dogmas and Doctrines are what we believe and what the Church teaches.
These must be believed, you cannot disagree with them…

Discipline is how we do things generally found in Canon Laws, directives and instructions.
These you can disagree with, but you must obey them.

Practices or Devotions are private actions such as prayers, Rosary and pilgrimages, etc.
These are totally voluntary and of a personal nature.

 

[awalt]

Doctrine is what the Church teaches. Dogma is what we must believe because it is divinely revealed.

From the CCC:

88 The Church’s Magisterium exercises the authority it holds from Christ to the fullest extent when it defines dogmas, that is, when it proposes truths contained in divine Revelation or also when it proposes, in a definitive way, truths having a necessary connection with these."

891 “The Roman Pontiff, head of the college of bishops, enjoys this infallibility in virtue of his office, when, as supreme pastor and teacher of all the faithful - who confirms his brethren in the faith he proclaims by a definitive act a doctrine pertaining to faith or morals… The infallibility promised to the Church is also present in the body of bishops when, together with Peter’s successor, they exercise the supreme Magisterium,” above all in an Ecumenical Council. 418 When the Church through its supreme Magisterium proposes a doctrine “for belief as being divinely revealed,” 419 and as the teaching of Christ, the definitions “must be adhered to with the obedience of faith.” 420 This infallibility extends as far as the deposit of divine Revelation itself. 421
http://www.kofc.org/publications/cis/catechism/getnote.cfm?ParNum=891&FNoteNum=421

892 Divine assistance is also given to the successors of the apostles, teaching in communion with the successor of Peter, and, in a particular way, to the bishop of Rome, pastor of the whole Church, when, without arriving at an infallible definition and without pronouncing in a “definitive manner,” they propose in the exercise of the ordinary Magisterium a teaching that leads to better understanding of Revelation in matters of faith and morals. To this ordinary teaching the faithful “are to adhere to it with religious assent” 422 which, though distinct from the assent of faith, is nonetheless an extension of it.

 

[Sir_Knight]

This is what I found. According to Lugwig Ott (whoever he might be): * **Dogma - **teachings left to us by the Apostles. Dogmas includes both Scripture and Sacred Tradition. It is infallible, and it cannot be altered, changed, added to, or subtracted from.

• **Doctrine - **This is a formally defined teaching which has been promulgated by an ecumenical council (like Nicaea or Trent) or declared an infallible teaching by a reigning Pontiff. Doctrine is also infallible, and also cannot be changed—but it likewise cannot contradict Scripture, Tradition, any previous infallible statement, or another doctrine. Examples include the Immaculate Conception and the Holy Trinity.
• **Discipline - **This is an explanation of some aspect of the Faith. It is not infallible, and can be changed, evolved, condemned, or abandoned. Examples of this are limbo and Mary as Co-Redemptrix.
• **Practice - **This is a rule established by the Church to help the believer walk the straight and narrow path; examples include clerical celibacy, not eating meat on Fridays during Lent, and fasting on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday.
• **Devotion - **The lowest level of Catholic belief; devotions are usually more or less up to the individual believer to practice or not. This category includes such things as the Rosary, First Friday devotions, first Saturday devotions, etc.

 

[mosher]

This is what I found. According to Lugwig Ott (whoever he might be): * **Dogma - **teachings left to us by the Apostles. Dogmas includes both Scripture and Sacred Tradition. It is infallible, and it cannot be altered, changed, added to, or subtracted from.

• **Doctrine - **This is a formally defined teaching which has been promulgated by an ecumenical council (like Nicaea or Trent) or declared an infallible teaching by a reigning Pontiff. Doctrine is also infallible, and also cannot be changed—but it likewise cannot contradict Scripture, Tradition, any previous infallible statement, or another doctrine. Examples include the Immaculate Conception and the Holy Trinity.
• **Discipline - **This is an explanation of some aspect of the Faith. It is not infallible, and can be changed, evolved, condemned, or abandoned. Examples of this are limbo and Mary as Co-Redemptrix.
• **Practice - **This is a rule established by the Church to help the believer walk the straight and narrow path; examples include clerical celibacy, not eating meat on Fridays during Lent, and fasting on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday.
• **Devotion - **The lowest level of Catholic belief; devotions are usually more or less up to the individual believer to practice or not. This category includes such things as the Rosary, First Friday devotions, first Saturday devotions, etc.

Ott is generally recognized as the be all and end all of theologians on this topic. His manual “Fundamentals of Catholic Dogma” is perhaps the best resource available on this subject as it compiles all of these things well with justification by the relevant sources.

 

[Sir_Knight]

Thank you. Then I guess those definitions that I listed above are correct.

 

[Wolseley]

I don’t ever recall seeing that list anywhere in Ott; and with all due respect, I don’t believe that Ott would make the error of naming the teachings left by the Apostles “dogma”. This would more properly be the Deposit; “dogma” is a teaching that has been properly defined by an ecumenical council or a Pope.

I believe that the actual list being quoted here is the one found in David Currie’s excellent book, Born Fundamentalist, Born Again Catholic.

Deposit. Left by the Apostles. Includes both Scripture and Sacred Tradition. Infallible, cannot be altered, changed, added to, or subtracted from.

Dogma. Promulgated by ecumenical councils or declared by reigning Pontiff. Also infallible, also cannot be changed—but also cannot contradict Scripture, Tradition, or previous infallible statement or another dogma.

Doctrine. Explanation of some aspect of the Faith. Not infallible, can be changed, evolved, condemned, abandoned.

Discipline. Rule established by the Church to help the believer walk the straight and narrow path; includes both celibacy and not eating meat on Fridays during Lent and fasting on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday.

Devotion. Lowest level of Catholic belief; usually more or less up to the individual believer to practice or not. Includes 99% of all Marian practices, including the Rosary, First Fridays, and belief in apparitons of Mary such as Lourdes or Fatima.

 

[Sir_Knight]

Doctrine. Explanation of some aspect of the Faith. Not infallible, can be changed, evolved, condemned, abandoned.

I clearly remember reading on this discussion board that church doctrine ARE infallible. Also, according to Fr. Hardon’s Pocket Dictionary, doctrines are defined as “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.” – that also sounds different from the above definition. A truth taught by the church IMPLIES to me that it can NOT be changed, evolved, condemned, or abandoned

 

[Br.Rich_SFO]

Thank you. Then I guess those definitions that I listed above are correct.

Well that is not how the term “Discipline” is defined and used today.

 

[jmcrae]

This is what I found. According to Lugwig Ott (whoever he might be):

Was there a reference given? I have his books, but this doesn’t really “sound like” him - also, I think it’s a bit mixed up.

Dogma includes teachings like the Assumption of Mary, the physical Resurrection of Christ, etc.

Doctrine is what we find in our Creeds - the beliefs that we must hold. (Dogma is included in doctrine.)

Discipline is stuff that we do - priestly celibacy, no meat on Fridays, fasting for one hour before receiving Holy Communion, etc. Discipline is required but it is also changeable - a wise person once wrote that we follow the disciplines of today; not those of yesterday (don’t criticize someone for not fasting since midnight for Holy Communion - that is yesterday’s discipline), and not those that we think will come about tomorrow (don’t stand for the Consecration; we are still supposed to kneel - maybe tomorrow they will tell us to stand, but today we are still required to kneel).

Practices are optional traditions - for example, in some families, they pray the Rosary every evening at 8:00 pm, just before the children go to bed. This is a laudable practice, but we are not required to do this.

Devotions are things like praying the Rosary itself (regardless of what time of day we pray it), and other forms of optional regularized or systematic prayer.