"Official" dogma?

[kfinks]

I am not Catholic, so please forgive my ignorance.

How does one know the official dogmas of the Church? I have a catechism and the compendium, but nothing in those two works plainly states, “The below are the dogmas of the Church”. I have Ott’s Fundamentals of Catholic Dogma, but is this considered to be from the magesterium?

Thanks!

 

[CentralFLJames]

This is a great question.
If you want to do an academic study of the dogmas then Ott is perhaps the best reference to look into. But I don’t think that you will find an “official” list all cleanly enumerated. The essential elements of our faith are embedded in the catechism. The catechism is heavily footnoted and references scripture, council proceedings, saintly writings, encyclicals etc.

Here is a list of them that is online: jloughnan.tripod.com/dogma.htm
or here: theworkofgod.org/dogmas.htm

 

[MarcoPolo]

Your safe play if you are wondering “what to believe” is to believe any teaching on faith or morals as articulated in something like the Catechism or an encyclical or council. Believe what the Church teaches in accord with the enlightening graces given to you. Don’t fret over “is this technically a dogma??” Dogma simply refers to the highest degree of certainty of a doctrine (i.e. a teaching). But let’s say something like Guardian Angels which Dr. Ott does not classify as dogmatic----it’s still a very sound doctrine taught with Apostolic authority and worthiness of belief.

My reaction might not quite fit for you personally, kfinks. But it has been my experience that some people, particularly professional anti-Catholics, are under a delusion that Catholics teach that “only the things that are technically dogmas are trustworthy.”

 

[po18guy]

Anything which is taught by the “normal magisterium” of the Church can be considered an infallible teaching. There is nothing in the catechism that will change - only new teachings are added as new moral situations arise in society, or in the rare event that a teaching on matters of faith develops.

Might I suggest a less scholarly, but nevertheless illuminating book? Catholicism for Dummies contains a wealth of information on the Catholic faith - written in language that the layman can understand. I highly recommend it.

 

[Victorious]

I am not Catholic, so please forgive my ignorance.

How does one know the official dogmas of the Church? I have a catechism and the compendium, but nothing in those two works plainly states, “The below are the dogmas of the Church”. I have Ott’s Fundamentals of Catholic Dogma, but is this considered to be from the magesterium?

Thanks!

The Apostle’s Creed, the Nicene Creed and the Decalogue (Ten Commandments) are pretty good summaries of Catholic dogma. The Catechism uses these as its framework.

 

[kfinks]

My reaction might not quite fit for you personally, kfinks. But it has been my experience that some people, particularly professional anti-Catholics, are under a delusion that Catholics teach that “only the things that are technically dogmas are trustworthy.”

It was these “professionals” that have stimulated my working through this process. The stuff I have read and/or heard from them is very inaccurate and shows ignorance of the Church’s teaching. It leaves me shaking my head in disgust. The Catechism is very readable and these guys have to taken the time or energy to do their own research.

 

[Della]

Along with the Creeds, the simplest and easiest list of Church dogmas is:

THE DIVINE PRAISES

Blessed be God.
Blessed be His Holy Name.
Blessed be Jesus Christ, true God and true Man.
Blessed be the Name of Jesus.
Blessed be His Most Sacred Heart.
Blessed be His Most Precious Blood.
Blessed be Jesus in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar.
Blessed be the great Mother of God, Mary most Holy.
Blessed be her Holy and Immaculate Conception.
Blessed be her Glorious Assumption.
Blessed be the Name of Mary, Virgin and Mother.
Blessed be St. Joseph, her most chaste spouse.
Blessed be God in His Angels and in His Saints.

Each one is a seed containing the fullness of the Catholic Faith. All other teachings stem from these. It’s a wonderful prayer and meditation on the revelation of God to man.

 

[MarcoPolo]

It was these “professionals” that have stimulated my working through this process. The stuff I have read and/or heard from them is very inaccurate and shows ignorance of the Church’s teaching. It leaves me shaking my head in disgust. The Catechism is very readable and these guys have to taken the time or energy to do their own research.

I blogged about the topic of infallible dogmas a while back if anything there is helpful to you. God bless!

 

[thistle]

I am not Catholic, so please forgive my ignorance.

How does one know the official dogmas of the Church? I have a catechism and the compendium, but nothing in those two works plainly states, “The below are the dogmas of the Church”. I have Ott’s Fundamentals of Catholic Dogma, but is this considered to be from the magesterium?

Thanks!

Catholics must accept all the teachings summarised in the CCC so its splitting hairs looking at infallible and non-infallible. One is belief with 100% certainty and the other is belief beyond all reasonable doubt.

 

[purplesunshine]

To thouse who suggested simply being satisfied with footnoted CCC, one must understand that the CCC has bactracked at times (like with limbo most recently). We are called to believe the basic tennants of faith. The CCC provides good guidelines for the rest of it, but is subject to change as our knowlege of God through the saints grows. For instance, St. Therese taught much about how we must be childlike and obedient unto God, but St. Faustina’s writings show God’s desire to want us to grow and see His love and mercy as adults.

 

[Della]

To thouse who suggested simply being satisfied with footnoted CCC, one must understand that the CCC has bactracked at times (like with limbo most recently). We are called to believe the basic tennants of faith. The CCC provides good guidelines for the rest of it, but is subject to change as our knowlege of God through the saints grows. For instance, St. Therese taught much about how we must be childlike and obedient unto God, but St. Faustina’s writings show God’s desire to want us to grow and see His love and mercy as adults.

I think you misunderstand about limbo. It was never a teaching of the Church but only a theological proposal. The CCC didn’t backtrack, it states the Church’s official position, not theological constructs nor devotional understandings of divine things. It’s purpose is limited, thus it is limited in scope.

For the OP’s inquiries, the CCC does contain the dogmas of the Church, but one must know what they are in order to use the index–something like needing to know how to spell a word before you can find it in the dictionary to ascertian the spelling. While it is beneficial and laudatory to read the CCC, for a short list, the Creeds and the Divine Praises are more useful.

If the OP is still interested (this thread is rather old) this website may prove useful: theworkofgod.org/dogmas.htm.

 

[purplesunshine]

I think you misunderstand about limbo. It was never a teaching of the Church but only a theological proposal. The CCC didn’t backtrack, it states the Church’s official position, not theological constructs nor devotional understandings of divine things. It’s purpose is limited, thus it is limited in scope.

For the OP’s inquiries, the CCC does contain the dogmas of the Church, but one must know what they are in order to use the index–something like needing to know how to spell a word before you can find it in the dictionary to ascertian the spelling. While it is beneficial and laudatory to read the CCC, for a short list, the Creeds and the Divine Praises are more useful.

If the OP is still interested (this thread is rather old) this website may prove useful: theworkofgod.org/dogmas.htm.

It did certinally change what was taught in the Baltimore Catechism…perhaps I’m confusing the two.

 

[Della]

It did certinally change what was taught in the Baltimore Catechism…perhaps I’m confusing the two.

Just to be sure, I looked up limbo in the Baltimore Catechism:

Christ went to limbo to announce to the souls waiting there the joyful news that
He had … While His soul was in limbo, Christ’s body was in the holy sepulchre. …

It appears the term was used for what we now term Sheol. There was no reference to the souls of unbaptized infants. I suppose the good sisters who taught about it may have interchanged the words since the concept is a bit over the heads of most children (and many adults, too–I know I don’t have as full an understanding of these things as I’d like to have )

Besides, the BC was never the Vatican’s official catechism but one of many. G. K. Chesterton found traditional Christianity and conversion to the Church through the Penny Catechism for teaching children that was used in England in his day.

 

[thistle]

I am not Catholic, so please forgive my ignorance.

How does one know the official dogmas of the Church? I have a catechism and the compendium, but nothing in those two works plainly states, “The below are the dogmas of the Church”. I have Ott’s Fundamentals of Catholic Dogma, but is this considered to be from the magesterium?

Thanks!

In one respect it does not make a difference because Catholics must accept all the teachings found in the Catechism of the Catholic Church (which contains a summary of infallible and non-infallible teachings).
To reject infallible teachings is both a grave sin and heresy.
To reject a non-infallible teaching is not heresy but is still a grave sin.
In either case if you reject a teaching and die unrepentant you condemn yourself to Hell.