Dogma vs. faith

This is a subject that has been very much on my mind lately. While I am considering it from a spiritual viewpoint, there are other areas where it fits as well. I guess it boils down to what you believe vs. what the accepted norm is and what your motivations for action are vs. why others or the establishment would have you do what you do.

The world is filled with dogma: religious coda, political party ideology, societal norm, prevailing trends, self-help and how-to books. Everywhere there are pundits telling you what you should think, how you should feel, what you should do, and what kind of person you need to be. They speak from their own experiences; some with good intent, others with nothing but self-serving aims. Good or bad, they are describing a system of thought, belief, or action that seems right from their perspective, which may or may not gel with yours. They leave the impression that not buying into the dogma demonstrates a lack of faith. There may be a lack of faith present, but that is only coincidental. Lack of "buy in" does not immediately equal lack of faith, just a lack of faith in the whole of that particular dogma.

True faith is the result of a conscious choice to believe and comes from consideration of the merits of what beliefs compose and affect that faith. You don't have to fully understand something to believe and have faith in it; I do not understand gravity, but I believe in it and have faith in it, its abilities, and its effects. I experience and recognize it, and my experiences form the basis of my faith. How can I believe in or have faith about something I know nothing of? Faith is an inward decision influenced by outward thoughts and experience. Dogma is only the same as faith when the outward experience of dogma meshes with one's own experiences in a way that inspires faith. Until dogma becomes "yours", it is outside; faith is inside.

We all need to have faith. Faith is the sister of hope and is part of our identity. However, to have faith, we must remember to question and to look for what is real to us in our experiences. Accept those things and their existence, whether they conform to what others think, do, and feel or not. Once you recognize and accept the validity of those things, then you have the basis of faith.

Your faith is yours, and yours alone, first and foremost.