 Religious history is interpreted as a series of dispensations, where each "manifestation" brings a somewhat broader and more advanced revelation that is rendered as a text of scripture and passed on through history with greater or lesser reliability but at least true in substance, suited for the time and place in which it was expressed.Specific religious social teachings (for example, the direction of prayer, or dietary restrictions) may be revoked by a subsequent manifestation so that a more appropriate requirement for the time and place may be established.Conversely, certain general principles (for example, neighbourliness, or charity) are seen to be universal and consistent.