Theology

Etymology

From Greek “theos” (god) plus “-logia” (study, discourse), so “discourse about the divine.” Greek philosophers used “theologia” for reasoned talk about the gods before Christian thinkers built it into systematic study of scripture and doctrine. It remains an academic field, distinct from the personal act of believing.

noun · /thee-OL-uh-jee/
The systematic study and reasoned articulation of the nature of God and religious belief.
What it names
Belief examined as a discipline — the difference between having faith and rigorously reasoning about it.
Example
She could out-argue any theology seminar and still admitted she wasn’t sure she believed a word of it.
Related idea
Doctrine is the set of teachings a tradition holds; theology is the reasoning and argument that examines, defends, or revises those teachings.