Where you may "consider" it doctrine, the general understanding of what a doctrine *is* requires a bit more articulation.
In my example that I gave with Yadayim, the invocation of washing one's hands is "Blessed are you Lord God King of the Universe who gave us the Commandment to wash the hands." That establishes a strong doctrine, a belief that God has commanded this practice in certain contexts and that it must be adhered to in those contexts. Where do we see this sort of thing pertaining to Christmas, for example? Christmas is not a doctrine.
(And I am not interested in re-hashing the established doctrine of Acts 15, I simply want a better understanding why you would invoke Matthew 15 where Jesus was making a specific point about theological doctrines where your definition of "doctrine" does not include things that generally fall under that banner.
)
Doctrine (from
Latin:
doctrina) is a
codification of beliefs or a body of
teachings or instructions, taught
principles or positions, as the essence of teachings in a given branch of knowledge or
belief system. The
Greek analogue is the
etymology of
catechism.
[1]
Often doctrine specifically suggests a body of
religious principles as it is
promulgated by a church, but not necessarily; doctrine is also used to refer to a principle of law, in the
common law traditions, established through a history of past decisions, such as the doctrine of
self-defense, or the principle of
fair use, or the more narrowly applicable
first-sale doctrine. In some organizations, doctrine is simply defined as "that which is taught", in other words the basis for institutional teaching of its personnel internal ways of doing business.
Full Definition of doctrine
- 1 archaic : teaching, instruction
- 2 a : something that is taughtb : a principle or position or the body of principles in a branch of knowledge or system of belief : dogmac : a principle of law established through past decisionsd : a statement of fundamental government policy especially in international relationse : a military principle or set of strategies
The point He is trying to make has nothing to do with unwashed hands. See for yourself
15 Then the scribes and Pharisees who were from Jerusalem came to Jesus, saying, 2 “
Why do Your disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread.”
3 He answered and said to them, “
Why do you also transgress the commandment of God because of your tradition? 4 For God commanded, saying, ‘Honor your father and your mother’; and, ‘He who curses father or mother, let him be put to death. 5 But you say, ‘Whoever says to his father or mother, “Whatever profit you might have received from me
is a gift
to God”— 6 then he need not honor his father or mother.’Thus you have made the commandment of God of no effect by your tradition. 7 Hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying:
(Breaking commandment 5, by keeping Sunday instead of Shabbat you are breaking #4)
8 ‘These people draw near to Me with their mouth,
honor Me with
their lips,
But their heart is far from Me.
9 And in
vain they worship Me,
Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.
10 When He had called the multitude to
Himself, He said to them, “Hear and understand: 11 Not what goes into the mouth defiles a man; but what comes out of the mouth, this defiles a man.”
12 Then His disciples came and said to Him, “Do You know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this saying?”
13 But He answered and said, “Every plant which My heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted. 14 Let them alone.
They are blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind leads the blind, both will fall into a ditch.”
15 Then Peter answered and said to Him, “Explain this parable to us.”
16 So Jesus said, “Are you also still without understanding? 17 Do you not yet understand that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and is eliminated? 18
But those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man. 19 For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies. 20 These are the things which defile a man, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile a man.”
I am not sure what Acts 15 has to do with this discussion.
