Doctrine
Doctrine (from Latin: doctrina) is a codification of beliefs or a bodys, 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.
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.
Religious usage
Examples of religious doctrines include:
Christian Trinity and Virgin birth
Christian Original Sin and its cure, the Redemption of Jesus Christ
Roman Catholic theology (for example: Transubstantiation and Immaculate Conception)