Dogma (dogmatics) (Greek dogma, literally “decree”): is the established belief or doctrine held by a religion, or a particular group or organization. It is authoritative and not to be disputed, doubted, or diverged from, by the practitioners or believers. Although it generally refers to religious beliefs that are accepted without reason or evidence, they can refer to acceptable opinions of philosophers or philosophical schools, public decrees, or issued decisions of political authorities. The term dogma is derived from the Greek and means, “that which seems to one, opinion or belief’ and that from (dokeo), “to think, to suppose, to imagine.” Dogma came to signify laws or ordinances adjudged and imposed upon others by the First Century. The plural is either dogmas or dogmata. Today, it is sometimes used as a synonym for systematic theology.