Dogma

If I already know… 

I can no longer learn.

"A man with a conviction 
is a hard man to change.
Tell him you disagree 
and he turns away.
Show him facts or figures 
and he questions your sources.
Appeal to logic 
and he fails to see your point."— Stanford University psychologist Leon Festinger

“How thoughtful of God to arrange matters so that, wherever you happen to be born, the local religion always turns out to be the true one.” -Richard Dawkins

“The very desire to be certain, to be secure, is the beginning of bondage. It's only when the mind is not caught in the net of certainty, and is not seeking certainty, that it is in a state of discovery.” (Krishnamurti)

"Can we not look at the truth without creating ideas? It is almost instinctive with most of us when something true is put before us to create immediately an idea about it. And I think if we can understand why we do this so instinctively, almost unconsciously, then perhaps we shall understand if it is possible to be free from effort."
- Krishnamurti, On Truth

In response to a "conversation" thread on social media, I responded to a bunch of empty religious responses with this: "I understand where you are coming from because for 50 years I thought I knew everything too."

Recognizing and removing dogma is
“just a way of clearing the space for better conversations.” (Sam Harris)

What is Dogma --
a principle or set of principles laid down by an authority as incontrovertibly true.

Origin of Dogma -- 
Mid 16th century via late Latin from Greek dogma ‘opinion’, from dokein ‘seem good, think’.
https://www.lexico.com/en/definition/dogma

"A settled opinion, a principle held as being firmly established," c. 1600 (in plural dogmata), from Latin dogma "philosophical tenet," from Greek dogma (genitive dogmatos) "opinion, tenet," literally "that which one thinks is true," from dokein "to seem good, think" (from PIE root *dek- "to take, accept").
https://www.etymonline.com/search?q=dogma

“People wish to be settled.

Only as far as they are unsettled

is there any hope for them.” (Emerson)

For me, simply looking at the definition and origins of the word "dogma" sends red flags up my spine and flying into the air. Here are some trigger words: