Dogmas of Catholic Church

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Hi,

I wanted to know how do I respond to this guy that Catholic Church really can’t change dogmas of the Church.

Or is this guy correct? I don’t think so.
“But dogmas never can be changed for example, “trinity”, “baptism”, “divinity of Christ”, whatever things are the foundation of the Bible. Homosexuality is part of their dogmas that condemns the behavior. They also have dogmas that specify against women clergy.”
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Not true. Popes have changed their dogmas a few times.
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Here are examples of dogmas that were changed:
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They said that non-Catholics (even Christians who believe in Jesus)cannot be saved and will go to hell. Now, they say it’s possible for all believers of Jesus to go to heaven.
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They believed the Earth was the center of the universe and they changed that dogma.
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They believed in Creation and they changed that dogma. It’s important to note that many major contributions to our evolution theory were Catholics and some of them were priests.
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They believed the Earth is flat since it was biblical and they changed it.
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The Catholic Church added Purgatory in 1600’s.
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Their dogmas changed.
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First off the only one of his arguments that were ever truely a dogma of the church was Purgatory (I am not even sure that is). Secondly, if you read the early Church Father’s, you can see that purgatory was believe in long before the 1600’s.
 
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Mike:
Hi,

I wanted to know how do I respond to this guy that Catholic Church really can’t change dogmas of the Church.

Or is this guy correct? I don’t think so.
Click to expand...
Mike,

Read this link from new Advent on the definition of dogma… A lot of confusion comes from how Catholics and non-Catholics understand it.

newadvent.org/cathen/05089a.htm
 
Not to mention the heliocentric belief of the universe (earhtbeing at the center) was not a dogma of the church.
 
Real question is

Can these dogmas be changed due to scientific discovery, doctrinal error, etc…?
 
Real question’s real answer:

No. We don’t have any dogmas of the Catholic church on, say, scientific things, because religion does not = science. Dogmas are on religious matters, and no, they will not change. We will not change the Trinity into the Tag Team Duo, for example–nor will we suddenly see it morph into the “Heavenly Quartet”.

And the Church is protected from doctrinal error (or, to speak more “accurately”, from DOGMATIC error–dogma, doctrine, and discipline being three different things) by the Holy Spirit, as per the words of Christ Himself regarding the Paraclete and the Sacred Tradition of the early Church Fathers.
 
“But dogmas never can be changed for example, “trinity”, “baptism”, “divinity of Christ”, whatever things are the foundation of the Bible. Homosexuality is part of their dogmas that condemns the behavior. They also have dogmas that specify against women clergy.”

Not true. Popes have changed their dogmas a few times.

This really depends on the defination of the word “change”. In comon usage it means that something can vary and even reverse itself. Doctrine and Dogma can develop, we can come to a better understanding of something. But Doctrine and Dogma can NEVER reverse itself. What is true today cannot be false tomorrow and what is false today cannot be true tomorrow.

Here are examples of dogmas that were changed:

They said that non-Catholics (even Christians who believe in Jesus)cannot be saved and will go to hell. Now, they say it’s possible for all believers of Jesus to go to heaven.

This is a good exapmle of this misunderstanding. The Church never said as Dogma or Doctrine that non-Catholic Christians or non-Christians cannot be saved. Over time it has said that those who intentionally turn away from the Catholic Faith knowing that the Catholic Faith is true, risk their salvation. It has said that “Outside the Church there is no Salvation” and it still does. What has changed is our understanding of exactly who is “in the Church”

They believed the Earth was the center of the universe and they changed that dogma.

They believed in Creation and they changed that dogma. It’s important to note that many major contributions to our evolution theory were Catholics and some of them were priests.

They believed the Earth is flat since it was biblical and they changed it.

The Church does not proclaim as Divinely revealed Doctrine or Dogma the technicalities of science. The Church has never defined the process of Creation. Only that God is the Creator of all! How He did it is unfolding as science.

The Catholic Church added Purgatory in 1600’s.

As already noted many of the early fathers speak of Purgatory well before the 1600’s
 
Thanks Bro!

You did clarify each of issues! Is there any dogma that define only men can be clergy? how about homosexuality?

I am only sure of that is Sacred Scriptures did good definition on against women’s role in clergy and homosexuality.
 
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