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Religious Studies & Theology vocabulary · Beliefs and Doctrine

Doctrine

Meaning in religious studies & theology, with examples

/ˈdɒktrɪn/nounCore term

In religious studies & theology, doctrine means: A belief or set of beliefs that a religious community officially teaches and expects its members to accept.

In Turkish: öğreti, doktrin, akide

How it is used

Used for particular teachings (the doctrine of the Trinity, the doctrine of karma) and for teaching as a whole (Catholic doctrine). Common verbs: formulate, develop, teach, reject a doctrine. The adjective doctrinal appears in phrases like doctrinal differences and doctrinal debates.

Example sentences

  1. The council formulated the doctrine in language that later generations debated for centuries.

  2. Doctrinal differences between the two schools were smaller than their polemics suggest.

Common collocations

  • Christian doctrine
  • official doctrine
  • formulate a doctrine
  • doctrinal differences
  • the doctrine of
  • creedA short formal statement of the central beliefs of a religion or community, often recited in worship, such as the Nicene Creed in Christianity.
  • beliefSomething a person or group accepts as true, especially an idea about God, the world or the afterlife; also the state of accepting it.
  • heresyA belief or teaching that the authorities of a religious community judge to be contrary to its accepted doctrine.
  • theologyThe systematic study of God, the divine and religious belief, usually carried out from within a particular faith tradition and its sources.

More terms: Beliefs and Doctrine

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