(1) A statement of the basic beliefs of a religious faith. (2) A set of guiding principles or beliefs.
Example:
She had made her money on Wall Street by following the simple creed: Buy low, sell high.
We get the word creed from the Latin credo, "I believe," which is the first word of many religious creeds, such as the Apostle's Creed and the Nicene Creed. Creed can refer both to the statement of beliefs of a religion and to the religion itself; hence our common phrase "regardless of race, creed, or color." It can also be applied to any guiding principles. Reducing the size of company workforces -- making companies "lean and mean" -- has become the central creed for many corporate executives.