The practice of organizing religious or philosophical beliefs into fixed systems or doctrines; adherence to formal creeds.
From 'creed' plus '-alism', a suffix forming nouns for ideologies or systems (like 'nationalism', 'capitalism'). This is a relatively modern formation.
Adding '-ism' to beliefs creates philosophy: 'creedalism' means turning beliefs into an organized system, and that's what religions have done since ancient times!
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