Of course, some of these same prideful folks who can’t read music view the records, tapes, and CDs as commandments. They’ve learned the song or particular guitar solo by listening and they not only “play” it the same way every single time (like a human tape recorder), they also tell you you’re playing it wrong if you improvise.
A recorded source for a song, whether recorded on paper or vinyl, is just a transcription of how a particular person or group played that particular song at that particular time in their life. Beethoven improvised. Bach jammed. But all that we have of their music now is what someone wrote down and that has become a bible for many classical musicians. And like the actual Bible, there are some sects that view it as literal and unalterable, and others that view it as guidelines which need to be interpreted in light of modern day problems and knowledge.
Another reason most folks view sheet music, tablature, or recordings as gospel is that to begin learning a song or an instrument, you must start somewhere and this is with very tight and specific guidelines. For a beginner, a song must sound a specific way and anything else is a mistake that should be corrected. But at some point, you need to break from the path and find your own way.
I think folks should break much earlier than they think themselves. Even right at the beginning, if a particular note sounds wrong to you, then find another one that sounds right. There are many variations to the melody of Amazing Grace and if you’ve got one in your head and are trying to play something different using my tablature, it won’t sound right to you. You’re the one playing the song. Make it sound good to you.