First lets take the word itself and break it down:
As defined by the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, "Dogma" is defined as a belief or set of beliefs that is accepted by the members of a group without being questioned or doubted.
Within the institutional religion of America, the "church" has set ridiculous rules and regulations of what Christianity is.
Perhaps you can relate with a few of these terms; Church branding, church culture, and church hierarchy.
Why do so many religions and belief systems have these rules of what church is supposed to look like?
Why do so many churches have set rules of how you have to dress, act and respond during what is supposed to be an outward expression of the Jesus in your heart?
Coming from the background of a mega church environment, I never fit in. It wasn't because I didn't love Jesus, it was because of the way I dressed, the way I spoke, and the way I worshipped God. There was no being one way at church and another way at home.
What blows my mind is that it is accepted in "the church" that God rules and reigns on Sunday, but Monday through Saturday no one knows how you really are. I used to hate on Sunday mornings, when for a short period of time, we meet new people, socialize with those we know, and ask questions like "how was your week." Am I the only one who answered this question honestly?
My week has been crap!
*Gasp*
The staff member just cussed!? What? He's actually human?
The answer is yes, I am human. Allow me to correct you, I'm not the "youth pastor" I'm just Christian, and I am a Christian. Those two things are synonymous.
Paul describes a thorn in his flesh, and he repeatedly asks God to remove it, and yet God answers him by saying that He won't remove it, and that His grace is sufficient in Paul's weakness.
And yet as Christians within institutionalized religion, we are shunned for being human. Everything we do is judged by this underlying "Dogma" and it essentially creates a cult of unaccepting, unaccountable, hypocritical people who claim to follow Christ, but are really just following their church, its leadership, or specific leaders in the "church."
Dogma...It has screwed Christ followers for over 2,000 years. People claiming to be Christians don't reach out to the literal poor, to the homosexuals, to the robbers, liars and cheats. Instead, they band together in hating these people, and yet I have only read the life and times of Jesus, his ministry, and those are the people he hung out with. He never hated on them, he never lashed out in anger at them, but he did lash out and show his anger towards the institutional religion of the time...
The church of the Pharisees...Jesus responded to these enforcers of the law by flipping tables and pulling their hair out.
With Jesus, there was no cookie cutter Christian model. There was no template Christian. Jesus didn't tell us to follow whatever rule that your church states you should follow. Nor did he tell us as his followers, to follow the 10 step plan of redemption and outreach. He said three things satisfy any expectation God could impose on us as His creation (which He is the only one who could but hasn't), love God, love people, and make disciples.
So, coming back to this definition of "dogma," if you disagree with your church, you get isolated and black-balled into no longer feeling safe, or welcome to be a part of the church.
There has become a box that Christianity must fit into, when it comes to the institution of religion.
As a so called "youth pastor," which is not a title I enjoy people describing me as...I am just Christian, who has a passion for maturing high school and college age Christ followers.
I don't care what they wear, I don't care how they talk, and I don't care who they hang out with. I love Jesus, they love Jesus...alright, lets teach each other based off of scripture.
The institution of religion needs to stop imposing rules and regulations on congregations of Christ followers, and it just needs to be about Jesus.
I smoke cigarettes, I drink many forms of alcohol. I hang out with people who didn't do so well in school. I listen to punk, metal and alternative, I can curse like the best of them, I have piercings and tattoos and Jesus doesn't give a damn about any of that...He loves me, and I love him, and I want everyone to experience this authentic unadulterated (aka not dogma saturated) relationship with God.
If you call yourself a Christian, you have to be able to own it, just like any other relationship model in this world. We own our marriages with a ring on a finger, yet we try to fit into a mold of what we're told Christianity is. We don't biblically wear His name on our hearts, or internalize Him anymore. Because Christians who belong to church dogma, just belong to a system.
What system do you belong to? Break away from it, stand for something before you fall for anything.
Jesus is who I love...Jesus is what it's about...figure it out for yourself, the institution will tell you the five steps to figuring it out, Jesus just says "follow me."
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