doctrine

noun

1. A belief or tenet, especially about philosophical or theological matters.

   “The incarnation is a basic doctrine of classical Christianity.”

   “The four noble truths summarise the main doctrines of Buddhism.”

2. The body of teachings of an ideology, most often a religion, or of an ideological or religious leader, organization, group, or text.

   “What is the understanding of marriage and family in orthodox Marxist doctrine?”

3. A self-imposed policy governing some aspect of a country's foreign relations, especially regarding what sort of behavior it will or will not tolerate from other countries.

   “the Monroe Doctrine... the Brezhnev Doctrine... the Negroponte Doctrine...”

4. A belief (or system of beliefs) accepted as authoritative by some group or school

   Similar: philosophy, philosophical system, school of thought, ism