Religion And The Egyptian Religion Essay

Egyptians and Chinese both believed in a life after death. In Egypt, people were buried with thought to preservation, as they believed that the dead would be able to use their bodies in the afterlife. They believed that life after death would be extremely difficult. To survive in the afterlife, the ka needed the corpse to remain intact, and that was only possible through technique of mummification. A priest had to perform the, "Opening of the Mouth," ceremony over the mummified body, whereby all the incantations restored all the senses to the body. Speech especially was needed, since the Egyptians had to justify their time on earth upon arrival at the Hall of Judgment. The other senses were needed immediately because the first trip after death was to the Field of Reeds, the land of wish-fulfillment. Having to pass through seven gates, aided by

Religion was not a monolithic institution, it consisted of a large variety of different beliefs and practices, all of which were linked by the common focus on the interaction between the Egyptian people and the divine realm, as the gods of this realm linked the Egyptian understanding of the world. As the Ancient Egyptian Religion was an integral part of ancient Egyptian society. Polytheism the belief of multiple deities usually assembled into a pantheon of gods and goddesses along with their own mythologies and rituals was an essential aspect of ancient Egyptian religion. As the Ancient Egyptian religion included a large and diverse pantheon of gods and goddesses, and around these deities arose a rich mythology that helped explain the

There were many ways that the Ancient Egyptian society and the Mesopotamian society were similar yet at the same time they were very different. Egyptians and Sumerians agreed on religion in a sense that both cultures were polytheistic. However, the relationships between the gods and goddesses were different between the Sumerians and Egyptians. This essay will discuss those differences in culture, religion and the viewpoints on death and afterlife.

Ancient Egyptian civilization was based on religion. Their belief in the rebirth after death became their driving force behind their funeral practices. Death was simply a temporary interruption, rather than an end to life, and that eternal life could be ensured by means of worship to the gods, preservation of the physical form thru mummification, substantial ceremonies and detailed burial policies and procedures. Even though many today have varying views of an afterlife, many of the funerary practices that originated in Egypt can be seen in present day funeral services.

Regardless of social strata, death and the afterlife were almost always valued by the living in ancient Egypt. The afterlife was birthed and designed for great societal rulers but eventually trickled down and was adopted by other levels of society (Murnane in Obayashi, 1992, p. 42). Death was interpreted as “new life in another state” by ancient Egypt, and the ultimate goal of immortality could be attained if specific burial arrangements were made for the dead. This was to avoid a final death of the soul known as the “second death,” and measures such as burial with food, drink, and personal possessions, were taken to aid the soul on its journey into immortality (Murnane in Obayashi, 1992, p. 36).

Egypt is considered the birthplace of many world religions. It contains some of the oldest religious artifacts, texts, and art that can be traced to modern religions. Signs of early Egyptian religion date back to the Predynastic period, beginning with evidence of polytheistic worship. Many scholars have researched the development of Ancient Egyptian religion over the centuries and have studied the direct correlation between it and the modern religions of Judaism and Christianity. Questions arise as to whe Judaism developed because of social and political conditions of Ancient Egypt or rather through conscious adaptation of Egyptian stories, values, and traditions. Was it through divine inspiration that the faiths formed, or was it simply

The Egyptians believed very much in life after death. As Taylor states in Death and the Afterlife in Ancient Egypt, “It is often observed that they appear to have devoted greater efforts and resources to preparing for the afterlife than to creating a convenient environment for living” (Taylor, 2001:12). The Egyptians viewed life on earth as one stage and death as the beginning of another. They believed that, “human existence did not end with death and that survival of the body played a part in the new life” (Taylor, 2001:12). One of the key elements in the Egyptian culture and religion was the preservation of the body. The body was the most important aspect because it was like a portal through which an individual could continue to live

Religion plays enormous role in the past and the present. It had shaped our laws, social norms, and purpose. Religion gives its people hope and understanding of many things that are unknown and a mystery. It provides security to its people. Religion has many roles which branch off due to the many different religions observed in the world. In ancient Egyptian literature, deities were important and mention a lot. The Egyptians worshiped and followed many gods and other sacred beings, which had diverse roles in its society. The functions of Egyptian deities provided understanding of the mysteries of world, accountability of life events, and control in society.

As we all know death of humans has been one of the utmost mysteries we would all like to solve. Although the ancient Mesopotamia, Egyptian, and Hindu all believed in an afterlife, their understanding and celebration if any, seems to be a little different. Mesopotamians were afraid of death, although they believed in afterlife they also had strong belief about the spirits still being alive. The Egyptians had an understanding and outlook on death, in which they believed in an afterlife, but they also believed in preserving the body. However, the Hindu also had the same perspective on afterlife, they were also very religious, but the way they went about it was much different than those of Mesopotamia and Egyptians.

Pu, Muzhou. In Search of Personal Welfare: A View of Ancient Chinese Religion. Albany: State

     During the New Kingdom of Egypt (from 1552 through 1069 B.C.), there came a sweeping change in the religious structure of the ancient Egyptian civilization. "The Hymn to the Aten" was created by Amenhotep IV, who ruled from 1369 to 1353 B.C., and began a move toward a monotheist culture instead of the polytheist religion which Egypt had experienced for the many hundreds of years prior to the introduction of this new idea. There was much that was different from the old views in "The Hymn to the Aten", and it offered a new outlook on the Egyptian ways of life by providing a complete break with the traditions which Egypt held to with

However, each civilization’s reaction to this realization diverged. Egyptian beliefs focused on preparing for the afterlife. According to the Book of the Dead, “after [the deceased] has been…purified…he shall be in the train of Osiris, continually and forever,” demonstrating Egyptians believed death was something for which people must prepare through proper behavior and honoring the gods. Therefore, Egyptian religion focused on preparation for the afterlife. This differs drastically from the Mesopotamian view of the underworld, which Enkidu describes in The Epic of Gilgamesh as a bleak place to all, no matter the person’s actions in life.

These ideals are very different from modern-day beliefs about death. Christian views about the afterlife include the two options for our souls after death: heaven- the happy, safe, and comfortable place where the good people go, and hell-the fiery, and dangerous place some go to if they made bad choices on Earth. Others believe in reincarnation, where a person’s soul lives on and takes the form of something else. Many people, no matter their religious stance, want to believe that there is something else after death, because it makes it easier when the time comes. It certainly eases some of the grief and anxiety that people face over death, and is far more comforting than the beliefs that ancient Mesopotamians held about death.

Every culture has their own set of beliefs when it comes to the afterlife, what happens to our soul, morality, fate, and also share their own version of punishment and reward. Some cultures believe there's a life after death while others do not. For instance, the Egyptian culture do believe in an afterlife. In fact, their culture is so deeply rooted in this that they form their whole lives around and spend their entire lives preparing for their death and afterlife. Egyptians believe the life you have on Earth will be the same in your afterlife. Their concept of an afterlife was a mirror-world of one’s life on earth. Well, it was specifically one’s life in Egypt. Therefore, one was expected to live that life well if one hoped to enjoy the rest of one’s eternal journey. The Egyptians also believed the soul left its physical body to journey off into the afterlife. However, they believed you needed your entire body to remain intact and pure in order to have a chance at living in paradise after this realm. So, if your arm was missing at the time of your burial, according to their beliefs you could not transcend into the next life. You'd be left in limbo. This is why their embalming rituals were created. These rituals were created to make a body pure to be able to transcend into the next life. Speaking of purity, the ancient Egyptians had a code of morals and ethics which was known as Ma'at. It was the ethical conceptions of "truth", "order" and "cosmic balance". Also these

I try to live life happily and fully because I know that the time on Earth is limited. What makes the life precious is the inevitability of the death. Day by day, from birth, everyone is approaching a step closer to his or her final hour. Even the Bible mentions in Ecclesiastes 3 that “there is a time for everything … a time to be born and a time to die”. Many scientists tried to research the concept of mortality, and yet, this matter needs further study, or it will remain unknown until each person encounters at a time of death. I still remember the first decease scene I witnessed as a child; it was my great-grandfather’s. He was an atheist for his whole life and neither did he believe the afterlife. In spite of this, right before he ceased to breathe, my family heard him saying, “I believe in God, I want an eternal life”. I suppose that my great-grandfather wanted to have peace and be sincere before leaving this world which he could not return. Notably, a lot of people throughout the times believed the afterlife. Egyptians, for example, believe that the souls continue their life even after the death. Others, for instance, the Christians, believe of resurrection at return of Jesus. Christian’s burials are interesting that it is still a popular tourist attraction in Rome. The tombs I will focus are the Christian catacombs and the St. Peter’s, in addition to development of Christianity and the Christian art traced along these sites.