Please Do, Please Dont.

The reading that we did that was titled Do Versus Do Not, got me thinking about the way in which religions and their messages are interpreted in different ways by different people. The way I see it, most people, in the early beginning of religion would take the "Do Not" stance when examining and acting upon their religion's views.

While I am sure many can debate my point of view, I have an explanation as to why I think it is Do Not and not Do. Basically, I think this is because in the developing process of religions, most religions' initially sought it as their purpose and they're mission to guide people. By proposing a way to guide people, religion set out rules of what not's, because when developing, there is not much one can say must be done, instead, looking forward towards advancement, one can state what should not be done, the Do Not's. Such guidelines offer the people with an ideal from which is to be viewed as the correct way to live, as agreed and/ or stated by the religion.

Basically, in earlier times, people relied on religion to in a way, 'shape' their reality. This could be partially because back then, they did not have many things that told them why and how things happened or how they should deal with them making it likely for them to follow the rules set. A really good example is the Ten Commandments; they are basically the summing up of the religion's values and does this by stating one must NOT DO. But as I said before, I think this mentality of doing Do Not's instead of doing Do's was more attractive then because religion was just starting out, it was beginning to develop.

As things begin to progress, ideas get more complex, and views change, even if ever so slightly, the need for some change comes. I think its the transition that makes the way it is interpreted change from Do Not's to Do's, its when people obtain understanding of the world around them and feels comfortable enough to challenge beliefs. Do's is a more liberal way of viewing religion, it makes the interpretation more open to discussion, while the Do Not's were already clearly stated, and limited the possibilities of branching out into a more complex kind of life. Currently, I think we are stuck in between, with many of the Do Not's still present and effective in society, and the Do's slowly making their way into our daily lives as people find the need to experiment, to test, and to find their own reasons while still going along with god's word, making them more independent.