As a rule, when there arises a thinker as great in theology as Kepler in science, the whole mass of his conclusions ripens into a dogma. His disciples labour not to test it, but to establish it; and while, in the Catholic Church, it becomes a dogma to be believed or disbelieved under the penalty of damnation, it becomes in the Protestant Church the basis for one more sect.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Great thinkers often see their conclusions turn into rigid dogmas that disciples defend rather than test.
- In plain terms
- Big ideas become unchangeable rules that people refuse to question.
- What can you take from it?
- Ideas can harden into untestable beliefs.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- Why do people protect beliefs?
- How do ideas become dogma?
Another view
It oversimplifies how religious traditions actually form.
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