At the heart of every religion is a unified set of beliefs shared among all its followers. These can range from stories about the origin of the universe or the lives of prophets or other important religious figures to sets of rules that govern how you live your daily life. It is these beliefs that define who is a follower of that religion, and deviation from them could lead to a person being marginalized, persecuted, or even put to death in various areas and time periods. However, these beliefs are by no means universal. Interpretations of religious doctrines can differ greatly even among members of the same religious sect. These issues are also very relevant to non-believers as they have a strong influence on people's opinions on important social issues, such as gay marriage, abortion, and the teaching of creationism in public schools. We have read in class about several different and contradictory interpretations of Christian theology, and through surveys and discussions, we have seen that within our class, members of the same religion vary greatly in their beliefs. An important question then is how much should an individual be allowed to deviate in their beliefs from established doctrine? The answer is not so obvious because once you allow for some detours it may not be easy to know where to stop. I think it's easier to focus primarily on Christianity when answering this question both because of the material covered in class and because it is more relevant to America today. It is important to realize that, from a historical perspective, religious doctrines are not at all an absolute truth, as many believe. They have been modified many times in the past and should be able to continue to change with the times. No religion should ... middle of paper ... arbitrary set of rules. This applies not only to religion but also to political and moral ideologies. If we really want to seek the truth, I think we could really learn a lot from the Gnostic tradition. Works Cited Bacon, Benjamin W. "The Canon of the New Testament" The Biblical World, vol. 21, no. 2 (February 1903), published by: The University of Chicago Press. Network. Available at: https://www.jstor.org/stable/3141324?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contentsCicero, John Ross, and Horace McGregor. The nature of the gods. Penguin Classics, 1972. Print.Pagels, Elaine. The Gnostic Gospels, Vintage, 1989. Print.Plato and Christopher Gill. The Symposium. Penguin Classics, 2003. Print.Weir, Peter. Society of Dead Poets. Perf. Robin Williams. Touchstone Pictures, 1989.Arcand, Denys. Jesus of Montreal. National Center of Cinematography, 1990.