I'm dogmatic about not being dogmatic - April 2012

We had a lively discussion in April regarding the role of dogma in religion. Interestingly, all of the on-line definitions we viewed framed the term(s) in the context of either religion or politics. Why are we so dogmatic about religion and politics, and is that a good thing? Some general observations: all of us have been dogmatic about something at some time in our lives. Most of the April cohort admitted to having experienced a change in what we are dogmatic about. Some of us claim to be less dogmatic today than we once were (or perhaps dogmatic about fewer things.) And of course there were several joking comments along the lines of "Larry, you sound pretty dogmatic about that..." This may become a topic we return to from time to time since we couldn't seem to discuss it fully in an hour or so. Some food for thought: Should I ever be dogmatic about a subject about which God is silent? Can I be dogmatic about just those things about which God is dogmatic? Since I've changed my opinion in the past, should I go easy on the dogmatism today? Is the fact that some of us acknowledge that we've changed our minds evidence that we're getting better, or worse?